We had quite a scare this week!!!
Sport had his vaccine boosters last Friday including bordetella nasal spray. All weekend he was wheezing terribly (had been healthy before). I called the vet who told me it was a normal reaction to the vaccine and should pass in a day or two. Also, she told me to be on the lookout for any nausea or vomiting and call right away if that happened.
By Tuesday the wheezing stopped. That night, we hosted friends from out of town and went to one of our favorite outdoor cafes here in the city. The groundcover there is gravel and Sport was unusually interested in it.
That night around midnight he vomited a large volume of mostly liquid. I thought it was related to the vaccine but since it was so late, I decided I would just watch him overnight. He wasn't wheezing so I thought how bad could it be. The next morning he vomited again and I was really worried. I rushed him into the emergency clinic and an X-ray revealed that his little belly was almost entirely full of gravel.
The gravel was already passing into his colon so the vet said it would most likely pass all on its own, but Sport should stay for observation and supportive care, since if the gravel didn't pass, it could quickly become a dangerous obstruction. I burst into tears and thought she must think I am a crazy person but of course I agreed that he needed to stay. I left him and went to work where I was of course a basket case all day.
Around 2:30 the vet called -- another X-ray revealed that the gravel was still in his tummy and was not moving. Sport was uncomfortable and in pain, and having gravelly diarrhea.
The vet was worried there was a chunk of gravel too large for him to pass, which was causing everything to stop moving. She recommended that we try two options, both of which required anesthesia. They would put him under and first try a gastric lavage, where a tube would be put down his esophagus and saline would rinse his tummy, and then they would try to suck out the gravel with the same tube. If this didn't work, they would have to operate. Naturally I was freaking out but consented to both procedures.
Around 4:30 I received another call. The lavage had not worked (not surprisingly, the tube that fit into Sport's esophagus was so narrow that it couldn't suck any gravel out) and they were prepping him for surgery. Now I was REALLY freaking out. This would be my baby's only surgery ever, except being neutered. I never anticipated he would need an operation.
About 6:30 I got the update that Sport had come through the operation great! What a relief! He spent the night in the hospital as well as most of today. I picked him up at 7 p.m. My poor little baby, the incision on his tummy was so much longer than I'd thought it would be -- about 3 inches! It was angry red and I was surprised it wasn't covered with a bandage. And, I have to pick him up in a whole new way to avoid putting any pressure on the wound. It's not that easy and I'm worried about accidentally hurting him.
He can't go to the dog park for 2 weeks and I do not know how he is going to survive since he is the most social dog in the world and really lives for his 2x/day playtime with his best buds. But we will just have to bear it since running and playing could delay his recovery!
I am so glad he is back home with me and can't wait until he is back to his usual self!!!