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jayhawk · 04-25-2013, 06:46 AM

I am very upset as I am writing this. One of our yorkies (Milo) was acting "weird" last week - starred on Sunday night. At first, he was whimpering when picked up and less active. On Monday, he became very aggressive towards his older brother (older bro is the "alpha" male). He continued to whimper at times when handled. He wanted to be next to me at all times. I am dealing with some health issues - while I was napping, he was lying up on my shoulder. When my fiancé went to touch my forehead, Milo snapped at him. In the afternoon, he vomited once and started chasing after his tail and whimpering. We decided to take him to vet because he seemed to be hurting based upon the signs. The vet could not really determine anything. His anal glands were full but not infected/abscessed. He told me that he was going to give him a cortisone shot to help with any inflammation. He also sent him home with prednisone.

By Tuesday morning, he seemed to be much better. The rest of the week he was fine. Two days ago, everything changed.

He started vomiting a little. It wasn't very much. He was less active but not lethargic. Yesterday, he started vomiting more. Not really anything came out - a little foam on his mouth. He started moving around a lot. At first, i thought it was because he didn't want to vomit on the bed (he was lying down with me). He kept trying to go under the bed. I now realize that he was in pain and couldn't get comfortable. He was shaking a bit. He was still drinking water. His belly was not bloated or firm from what i could tell. I called the vet and told him what was he was doing. He told me to feed him rice/hamburger and try a little pepto bismal and watch him. He would not eat the rice/hamburger at all. He kept the pepto bismal down for awhile.

Late in the afternoon, he vomited a TON of yellow, clear liquid. We headed to the vet. He vomited twice while there. They took X-rays. I was told that they suspected pancreatitis because he seemed to be regurgitating rather than vomiting. They drew blood, gave shot of nausea med, and told me that I could either take him to hospital or they could give him subcutaneous saline and send him home. No food/water at all. I also was given some Sucralfate and told that if he stopped vomiting, to try to give him some later.

I, of course, stayed up all night with him. He slept on top of me without moving. I spent a lot of time researching on the Internet (which I know can be dangerous). I immediately found two things - first, the type of steroids he was given are linked to pancreatitis. I read articles about acute pancreatitis developing within a week of receiving the steroids. Second, I read many articles which listed yorkies as one of the top breeds most affected by pancreatitis. I also read many articles about what can possibly happen to him.

I am now waiting tom hear about blood results. I was told it would be first thing. They opened at 8:00. I waited 45 mins and called. Drs are in surgery. It's now 9:45 and I am so anxious.

Milo is lying on me while I am typing this. His older brother, Sam, has laid by his side all night (weird bc Sam is the one who usually tries to get away from Milo).

I am wondering a couple things. If he hasn't vomited since last night, is that a good sign or does it just mean there is nothing in his system? Has anyone dealt with this? I am so worried.

My other question is - why did the vet not mention the steroids as a possible cause? We went through all possible causes and he had none of them. He is not old, overweight, didn't get into trash to ingest a bunch of fatty foods, no trauma, and no other underlying medical problems. While I know that there is no proof that steroids cause this, there are many articles which link it and
several by vets who have seen it happen quickly like this. I would have thought that I would have been told about risk, esp because he is a yorkie.

He would not urinate this morning. He stood up but then laid down when I put him in the grass. I looked up the signs for going into shock but I think some of them are hard to tell - esp the early warning signs. I just hate waiting. I had a 4 mos old yorkie die in my arms from shock after an Akita attacked him at a dog park. With everything else going on (serious health issue), I just cannot handle something happening to him.

Sorry for long post. I am sure it has all kinds of grammar problems but I am just typing stream of conscious.

Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated.

Thank you.

04-25-2013, 06:46 AM	#1
jayhawk YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: kansas city Posts: 2	HELP - pancreatitis??? I am very upset as I am writing this. One of our yorkies (Milo) was acting "weird" last week - starred on Sunday night. At first, he was whimpering when picked up and less active. On Monday, he became very aggressive towards his older brother (older bro is the "alpha" male). He continued to whimper at times when handled. He wanted to be next to me at all times. I am dealing with some health issues - while I was napping, he was lying up on my shoulder. When my fiancé went to touch my forehead, Milo snapped at him. In the afternoon, he vomited once and started chasing after his tail and whimpering. We decided to take him to vet because he seemed to be hurting based upon the signs. The vet could not really determine anything. His anal glands were full but not infected/abscessed. He told me that he was going to give him a cortisone shot to help with any inflammation. He also sent him home with prednisone. By Tuesday morning, he seemed to be much better. The rest of the week he was fine. Two days ago, everything changed. He started vomiting a little. It wasn't very much. He was less active but not lethargic. Yesterday, he started vomiting more. Not really anything came out - a little foam on his mouth. He started moving around a lot. At first, i thought it was because he didn't want to vomit on the bed (he was lying down with me). He kept trying to go under the bed. I now realize that he was in pain and couldn't get comfortable. He was shaking a bit. He was still drinking water. His belly was not bloated or firm from what i could tell. I called the vet and told him what was he was doing. He told me to feed him rice/hamburger and try a little pepto bismal and watch him. He would not eat the rice/hamburger at all. He kept the pepto bismal down for awhile. Late in the afternoon, he vomited a TON of yellow, clear liquid. We headed to the vet. He vomited twice while there. They took X-rays. I was told that they suspected pancreatitis because he seemed to be regurgitating rather than vomiting. They drew blood, gave shot of nausea med, and told me that I could either take him to hospital or they could give him subcutaneous saline and send him home. No food/water at all. I also was given some Sucralfate and told that if he stopped vomiting, to try to give him some later. I, of course, stayed up all night with him. He slept on top of me without moving. I spent a lot of time researching on the Internet (which I know can be dangerous). I immediately found two things - first, the type of steroids he was given are linked to pancreatitis. I read articles about acute pancreatitis developing within a week of receiving the steroids. Second, I read many articles which listed yorkies as one of the top breeds most affected by pancreatitis. I also read many articles about what can possibly happen to him. I am now waiting tom hear about blood results. I was told it would be first thing. They opened at 8:00. I waited 45 mins and called. Drs are in surgery. It's now 9:45 and I am so anxious. Milo is lying on me while I am typing this. His older brother, Sam, has laid by his side all night (weird bc Sam is the one who usually tries to get away from Milo). I am wondering a couple things. If he hasn't vomited since last night, is that a good sign or does it just mean there is nothing in his system? Has anyone dealt with this? I am so worried. My other question is - why did the vet not mention the steroids as a possible cause? We went through all possible causes and he had none of them. He is not old, overweight, didn't get into trash to ingest a bunch of fatty foods, no trauma, and no other underlying medical problems. While I know that there is no proof that steroids cause this, there are many articles which link it and several by vets who have seen it happen quickly like this. I would have thought that I would have been told about risk, esp because he is a yorkie. He would not urinate this morning. He stood up but then laid down when I put him in the grass. I looked up the signs for going into shock but I think some of them are hard to tell - esp the early warning signs. I just hate waiting. I had a 4 mos old yorkie die in my arms from shock after an Akita attacked him at a dog park. With everything else going on (serious health issue), I just cannot handle something happening to him. Sorry for long post. I am sure it has all kinds of grammar problems but I am just typing stream of conscious. Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated. Thank you.