My sick dog another UPDATE

I had to leave work this evening and take my dog to the vet. Saturday he got into the canned cat food, and then again yesterday DH found the gate knocked down and the cat food gone. I keep a baby gate up so the dogs do not get to the cat food.
Sammy kept me up all night last night just scratching for a place to lay. I have cleaned up little poo puddles for the last two mornings, not alot maybe quarter size. I came home for lunch this evening and he was laying on the bed, he never lays there alone. He didn't even come great me when I came in the door. DH said he had layed around all day. Of coarse it is almost 5pm and every vet around is getting ready to close. DH found one that was leaving one office, and going to another, but it was 50 miles away.
For those that know your dog is like your kid, we drove the 50 miles. The vet thinks he has pancreatitis from eating the cat food. He gave him a shot with three meds (one for the pancreas, a pain med, and an antibiotic). He also gave us a bottle of antibiotic to give him by mouth. I'm so worried, and I am hoping that is all it is. He had a fever, and the vet said his heart sounded strong, and lungs were clear. But his tummy sounded like world war three.
When he didn't even try to bite the vet, I knew he was sick. I told the vet I would hold him because I was afraid he'd try to bite him, he just laughed and said that was the cocker coming out in him.
I so worry about the canned dog food scare a while back..DH had bought the Walmart brand the other day and I have told him a million times not to.

So sorry to hear about your pup. My pup, Jesse is 9 yrs old and in pretty good health and I get sick to my stomach if I think he is ill, just like I do when my kids are sick. Jesse is sensitive to pollen and when there is a lot of pollen in the air he has stomach issues which make him very sick, we have to keep and eye on him and limit his exposure to the pollen and take him in if he gets sick. We also buy his dog food online because he has a sensitive stomach, and gets digestive problems if he eats dogfood with cornmeal and wheat gluten, we buy Life's Abundance from HealthyPetNet and he loves it and it works really well for him. I hope your furry kid is on the quick road to recovery!

Thank you. Sam is 7 y/o and hasn't been sick at all. We had to leave our other dog Holly at home. I worried about her while we were gone, they have never been apart. She was so upset when we left with Sam. She is 6 y/o. Thank goodness she isn't sick too.
Sam is a cocker spaniel/maltese mix, and Holly is a jack russell/sharpei mix.

I'm sorry Buzznut. I hope he makes a quick recovery. I lost my 15 year old "baby" last summer and I am still heartbroken over him. I thought my other dog was going to die of loneliness, she was depressed for weeks.

so sorry!!

I hope he gets better. and yes, I know exactly how you feel. Duke is .... I dont know how to explain it.. BR brought him home when we were told we couldnt have kids, so he is my baby. I have done the same for him.

Poor puppy.

Oh, the poor baby. I would flip out and drive as far as I had to if my dog was sick. I would never forgive myself if I didn't and she took a turn for the worse.

I had no idea that cat food is all that different from dog food. It's something to think about. Was it canned or dry?

Thank you guys..it means alot!

It was canned, and the vet said that he sees alot of the pancreatitis around the holidays. He was telling us that pork will do the same thing. He said some dogs can eat it all day (cat food) and it won't hurt them, others can't tolerate it.
He said the cat food had different minerals and a different amount of ash in it that the dog food did.

Oh, the poor guy! It probably smelled so good that he couldn't resist. I hope he feels better soon and the meds do their job.

Cat food, at least dry cat food, is almost identical to puppy food. It's a lot higher in fat than dog food, too. We feed our puppies dry cat food because it's so similar but a lot cheaper. Right now my dog is getting fat stealing the puppy's food. She's put on 5 or 10 pounds since we've got it. I'm gonna have to tie her up while I feed it.

When we came home Holly went up to him to smell of him and he wrinkled up his nose and showed her his teeth..he's never done that to her before. It was if he was saying stay the hell away from me...she did back off, I guess she knew he meant business.

I feel for you, but then I'm also the one who trudged through icy corn fields and ravines for 4 hours in 3 inch heels looking for Odin when he was hit by a car. I would have driven the distance too! Odin has had problems when he's gotten into the cat food too (we feed dry). Luckily for us it was just diarrhea that cleared up on it's own. The vet told me to never let a dog get near cat food, but that's easier said than done sometimes.

He still isn't feeling much better this morning. He has done nothing but drink water like crazy. He drank so much this morning at once, it came back up. If he doesn't start to turn around this afternoon, I'm calling the vet back, which he told me to do, he said he'd be in until 8pm. He also said if we brought him back in that we wouldn't be charged another office call, just for the meds if he had to give him any.
He told us to make sure he drank and if he wouldn't drink water to get some Gatorade and let him drink that. He said alot of dogs would drink that before they would water.

I called the vet back and since he is vomiting the water they want him back in the office. I have to have him back at 6:30 this evening. Poor guy is just so droopy, I really am concerned that he may have a bowel obstruction. I'm hoping not.
I also wonder if the medicine is making him sick.

Oh no! Is that the earliest he can get him in? I wouldn't be able to wait that long if my baby was sick like that.

Yep, I asked. If he gets worse, I'll just take him, what are they going to do, but see him. Right now he is sleeping, but he had been sitting over the water bowl when I called the vet.
I don't know if the medicine would dry him out to where he would drink like that or not.

Gatorade is good. I gave it to duke when he got parvo. that and jello. He LOVED the jello. It is what kept him alive for a week.

(I took him to get his parvo shots, and there was a dog int here with it. He got it before the vacine kicked in..)

and Bowell obstructions are pretty common, in animals. Pork chop had one when he was ... maybe 2 months old. The vet cut him open from his throat to his rear. He was about twice the length of your hand at the time. he untwisted his gut and that dang pig hasnt had a problem since then! LOL

hang in there. I'm sending prayers and good thoughts your way!

Thank you so much, I do appreciate prayers.
He woke up and went to the kitchen, I thought he was going to start drinking again, but he started walking around. I thought maybe he was needing to go out. Before I could get in there, he vomited again without drinking water. Thank God, I have tile in my kitchen.
I called a local vet here in town, and told them the story (they were the one closing last night when we called). She said pancreatitis makes them violently sick and that you think they are going to lay down and die. She told me it would be best if I take him back to the vet we seen last night since he did see Sam, and knows what he seen last night. I just wanted an opinion.
I am going to have to take him by myself, I missed a few hours last night and had to miss a day last week for being sick. We can't afford for DH to take off and go with me. I think I will be okay taking him, I can put him in the carrier so he won't be all over the car. He loves to go in the car normally and DH says he likes to drive..lol It takes two people when he goes in the car cuz he is all over the place. Last night though he wasn't, he just didn't care.

I am home, but Sam couldn't come with me. I am so upset.
I have cried from the time he told me he wanted to keep him. He wasa bit more dehydrated than last night, and he said his stomch felt a little bit tighter. I asked about a bowel obstructionn and he said that was one reason he wanted to get an x-ray. He wanted to keep him for an IV since he had been vomiting today. He said he would rather do this and turn him around as to have him get into trouble and then try to turn it around.
They are suppose to call me with the results of the xrays tonight.
I feel so guilty because he was drinking this evening before we left and I didn't want him to get sick going down there, and I took his water away.

I know how you feel. I felt awful when Odin had to stay at the clinic. The last time I saw him he was unconscious and my dad and husband were wrapping him in a blanket for the trip in to town. I felt awful thinking about how awful he looked when I last saw him and then heard that they were starting a blood transfusion before my dad and husband even left the clinic. But that was the best place for him. Unfortunately there's no way to explain that to a dog. One thing to look forward to is how happy he'll be to see you when you're able to pick him up -- even the old farmers in the waiting room were saying "Awww" as Odin started crying and licking my hands and face!

Oh Buzznut, I am so sorry. That IS a hard thing to do. Keep us updated, I hope he is home tomorrow and on the mend.

Thank you guys.
No word about the xray, but he did tell me not to worry if I didn't hear anything, "no news is good news" were his words.
I've calmed down some, didn't eat dinner, but that is okay.

Buzznut, goodness you have a lot on your plate. I hope all goes in your favor. I'm cheerin' for ya.

Don't feel guilty! You are doing the best for him that you can and you had no way of knowing that he hadn't been drinking enough. In fact, if you had let him have the water, he probably would have just thrown it up. And he's in good hands. Rebecca's right. Just keep thinking of how happy you'll both be soon.

I agree with Karen and Rebecca!! you did the right thing. if he couldnt keep it down, it wasnt helping anyway and he could have asperated while throwing up!

((((hugs)))))

Just called the vet. There is no bowel obstruction, no bladder or kidney infection, no kidney stones. He wants to give him fluids today and tonight, and see how he is doing in the morning. The "nurse" told me he was doing pretty good this morning. She said she was standing at the cage and he was greeting her.