I just got back from the ER vet with my rat terrier, Mackenzie, about an hour ago. Thank God, everything is okay and she'll be alright. But, she did give us quite the scare
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Mackenzie is about 5-6 years old and is a rescue pup. She's been with us for just about 3 years now and is a joy...for the most part. She is a rat terrier/mix and is about 13 pounds. She's spayed, UTD on all of her vaccinations, and otherwise healthy. In fact, this past summer, we had a complete work-up done on her and she was given a clean bill of health. At one point, they questioned whether she was hypothyroid, but her test (I want to say T4, but I'm not 100% positive) later came back normal.
Well, tonight, Mackenzie just seemed off. She's not been as interested in her food (nothing has changed diet-wise) over the last couple of days, but was still more than willing to indulge in treats. Her being off her food is not that abnormal as both of my dogs are picky. She has been active and playful all along and has been her typical bratty self. But, tonight, at about 10:00pm, she started whining and acting as though she needed to go out. We let her out back and she postured as though she had to poop, but was unable to. It was causing her a lot of distress and she was crying and shaking. We brought her back in and she looked very uncomfortable -- she was laying down and bringing her rear up as if it were causing her pain. She had pooped earlier and had even eaten her dinner this evening so I was less concerned with possibly constipation and more worried about an obstruction (Mackenzie tends to get into things despite our best efforts) or other illness. She was hot to the touch, whimpering, and moving around in order to get comfortable. She's typically a fiery pistol, so when she just looked up at us and cried, we knew we needed to get her to the vet...and quick.
So, off to the ER vet we went. They took her temp, which had then normalized, and did a physical exam as well as taking x-rays. They suspected an obstruction as well based upon her symptoms. But, thankfully, her x-rays came back negative for an obstruction. Instead, they diagnosed her with intestinal colic. Her x-rays showed large gas pockets all throughout her abdomen and they suspect that the gas pains were what was causing her extreme discomfort. They gave her Simethicone in the office and provided us with some to give her both through tonight and into tomorrow. They also dosed her with Immodium (they suspect she will develop some GI upset) and instructed us to continue that through tomorrow. After the initial dose of the Simethicone, she improved dramatically and, based on that, they sent her home. She's definitely more active and appears comfortable so that is what's most important. She's not out of the woods, but it seems that we dodged a bullet and that whatever she has will pass in a matter of days. Talk about gratitude!
If anyone can spare some extra get well vibes for my girl, Mackenzie, they would be most appreciated. I got quite the scare, but am just happy she's feeling better and that she'll be okay.
Mackenzie is about 5-6 years old and is a rescue pup. She's been with us for just about 3 years now and is a joy...for the most part. She is a rat terrier/mix and is about 13 pounds. She's spayed, UTD on all of her vaccinations, and otherwise healthy. In fact, this past summer, we had a complete work-up done on her and she was given a clean bill of health. At one point, they questioned whether she was hypothyroid, but her test (I want to say T4, but I'm not 100% positive) later came back normal.
Well, tonight, Mackenzie just seemed off. She's not been as interested in her food (nothing has changed diet-wise) over the last couple of days, but was still more than willing to indulge in treats. Her being off her food is not that abnormal as both of my dogs are picky. She has been active and playful all along and has been her typical bratty self. But, tonight, at about 10:00pm, she started whining and acting as though she needed to go out. We let her out back and she postured as though she had to poop, but was unable to. It was causing her a lot of distress and she was crying and shaking. We brought her back in and she looked very uncomfortable -- she was laying down and bringing her rear up as if it were causing her pain. She had pooped earlier and had even eaten her dinner this evening so I was less concerned with possibly constipation and more worried about an obstruction (Mackenzie tends to get into things despite our best efforts) or other illness. She was hot to the touch, whimpering, and moving around in order to get comfortable. She's typically a fiery pistol, so when she just looked up at us and cried, we knew we needed to get her to the vet...and quick.
So, off to the ER vet we went. They took her temp, which had then normalized, and did a physical exam as well as taking x-rays. They suspected an obstruction as well based upon her symptoms. But, thankfully, her x-rays came back negative for an obstruction. Instead, they diagnosed her with intestinal colic. Her x-rays showed large gas pockets all throughout her abdomen and they suspect that the gas pains were what was causing her extreme discomfort. They gave her Simethicone in the office and provided us with some to give her both through tonight and into tomorrow. They also dosed her with Immodium (they suspect she will develop some GI upset) and instructed us to continue that through tomorrow. After the initial dose of the Simethicone, she improved dramatically and, based on that, they sent her home. She's definitely more active and appears comfortable so that is what's most important. She's not out of the woods, but it seems that we dodged a bullet and that whatever she has will pass in a matter of days. Talk about gratitude!
If anyone can spare some extra get well vibes for my girl, Mackenzie, they would be most appreciated. I got quite the scare, but am just happy she's feeling better and that she'll be okay.
