I'm so glad Apple is improving.... and forgive me, but I am slightly confused....
As a vet tech, I have seen many cases of HGE come into the hospital, most were successfully treated, and there were a few that, sadly, could not be saved.
As a Yorkie owner, my own dog has had HGE on three separate occassions, and was successfully treated. The first episode cost his previous owners over $1000.00, and they took him to the Humane Society and left him there. His second and third episodes occurred in that year, but at the first sign of bloody diarrhea, I rushed him to the vet, where he was treated and released (under $200.00). He was 5 years old then, and has been HGE free since then, and he turned 14 years old in Dec 2010.
The points I would like to make are:
There is no known cause for HGE. Why are you going to stress your dog with further testing and waste your money trying to find answers that aren't there?
All of the cases of HGE that I was personally involved with, that relapsed within days of initial discharge from the hospital, the relapse was caused by stopping supportive treatment too soon. I'm seeing where meds are given to stop the diarrhea. In those cases, it is impossible to tell when the HGE has cleared the system, because the drugs are stopping the diarrhea, not the fact that the HGE has run it's course and exited the dog's system. Whatever it is in the intestinal tract has to come out, or it will stay there where it can again wreak havoc, and will recur.
The vets I worked with came up with a specific treatment plan for dogs with HGE, based on their experiences. The key factors in successfully treating HGE are:
1. The owner has to bring the dog in for treatment early in the beginning stages. This increases the dog's chance for survival, and lessens the time needed and amount of supportive care for HGE to run it's course. When caught very early, hospitalization may not be necessary.
2. The dog is put on IV fluids to offset fluid loss and to prevent shock, and is NPO (nothing given by mouth, no food, water, meds, nothing). Re introducing food and water too soon will cause a relapse.
3. The PCV is monitored daily. When the PVC returns to normal, and the diarrhea has stopped, the IV catheter is left in but fluids are stopped and the dog is fed small amounts of a bland diet and water and is monitored for diarrhea and vomiting for the first day. If all goes okay, the amounts of food and water are gradually increased until a normal ration can again be tolerated, and normal stools are produced.
4. If the dog is sent home early, odds are high HGE will return.
5. Once a dog has had HGE, it can be more at risk of having another episode at some point in it's life.
6. Suspected triggers of HGE are: stress, food, treats, bacteria, age, small breed, environment. Nothing has been proven. Most cases occur in dogs between the ages of 2 and 6 years.
An article I found on HGE (one of many):
Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE) usually causes a very sudden onset of vomiting, bloody diarrhea, dehydration and depression. Dogs affected by this condition get very sick, very fast.
To the best of my knowledge, the exact cause of this disease is unknown. It appears that Clostridium species bacteria may be part of the cause. The disease is more frequent in small breed dogs but can occur in any dog. I am not sure what the general impression is among veterinarians, but dogs that have this problem seem to have a high risk of getting it again in our practice.
Most dogs respond very well to treatment with fluids to restore hydration. In some cases it is necessary to give plasma to correct loss of protein and antibiotics to combat the suspected Clostridium infection. In a few dogs, it is necessary to give fast acting cortisones to counter shock, which is a problem due to the very rapid onset of dehydration in dogs with HGE.
It is generally necessary to totally restrict oral food and water for one or two days when treating this problem. This makes hospitalization necessary for several days for most dogs with HGE.
The odds are very good that your dog will be OK. Follow your vet's advice carefully after discharge from the hospital.
Mike Richards, DVM
Read more: Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis or HGE Just saying, your money may be better spent on an additional day or two of treatment, or saved and just be ready for the next episode. JMHO. 