Nov
6
Argh–a rare vet vent
I am up to my ears in sick and/or wacked out dogs. Seriously, Ticket is the least of my worries at this point. She has a diagnosis, an appropriate treatment (surgery), and is on the mend. OH SO CLOSE to freedom from crate rest. No, my problems are two of my others, Trip and Mardi.
Trip has been “off” the last two weekends at shows. So far, I’ve really been unable to find an obvious physical cause. She’s been massaged twice, with only minor/typical problems found. She’s been adjusted. My friend Michelle looked at her and felt like she was painful in her neck/back, but couldn’t find anything via massage to pinpoint something specific. She’s been on pain meds. She is fine in standard, and *not fine* in JWW. Anything from running slowly, to alternating between slow and normal, to walking through the weaves and trotting. Very vague, and I haven’t been able to determine if it’s physical, mental, or a combination of both. Will be doing more medical workup this week, along with a dental cleaning. She does appear to have a new chipped tooth–not sure how significant it is yet, but will find out.
Problem #2, and the more immediate one, is Mardi. Mardi ate two large kohlrabi plants on Wednesday night. Think, really big turnip. Vomited and attempted to vomit several times Wednesday night. Xrays showed a full stomach. Gave her an anti-nausea injection and subcutaenous fluids, didn’t feed her. Next day, xrays still show a full stomach (36 hours after any meal). Vomiting stopped, some plant material was passing in her stool, so decided to wait and see. That was Friday. She’s been “ok” this weekend, but not great. She’s not improving, and she’s not worsening. No more vomiting, though I think I may have caught her drooling once. Appetite is poor–she eats a little, but very slowly. Her belly has stayed relaxed and non-painful the entire time, and she’s a little depressed, but not acting terribly different then normal.
The question remains, to cut, or not to cut. I’ll take another xrays tomorrow, and see what her GI tract looks like. If her stomach is still full, but she appears to still be passing it, do I wait and see, or go in? She’s definitely not acting like herself, but she’s not *that bad*. Ugh, decisions are much harder when it’s your own pet.
OK, I’m done venting for now 🙂
