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kristykins · 04-25-2014, 07:55 AM

Hi everyone,

I always hate asking these questions, as I know the most obvious answer is "go to the vet", but when the looming vet quote is at $1000+, I always want to ask fellow yorkie owners advice first.

My Winston is 7 years old this year, not fixed. Last night I noticed that he seemed anxious in bed, sitting up a lot, and not sleeping. clearly uncomfortable.

This morning he went to the bathroom, and his stool was one semi solid piece, surrounded by a liquid brownish/ reddish bloody substance. I got him back in the house and cleaned off his bottom, and noticed that it smelled VERY bad. worse than normal when it comes to diarrhea.

I obviously went into panic mode, called the vet, who referred me to the ER vet. The ER vet said they would like to do an exam, blood work and xrays, and then hospitalize him at least overnight. All told, looking at over a thousand dollars right out the gate.

The "likely" diagnosis that the ER vet tossed out was Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.

He was eating and drinking water just like normal last night, and when we came back in from going potty this morning, he was rolling around on the couch to get the wet grass off him, normal behavior for him. He seemed a bit more subdued than normal, but generally speaking, he was acting ok.

I'm just torn. I DO have a vet appt on Monday morning at 9:30am to get normal blood-work done that will test for HGE. However, the ER vet told me that she's seen several small dogs this year die within hours of being diagnosed with HGE. (I will also add, that the odds of a bacterial infection would NOT surprise me, as my dog often finds a way to get into the catbox and eat cat stool. I know Yorkie owners are NOT new to this disgusting behavior!)

Should I keep an eye on him and wait for my Monday morning vet appt? If things get worse over the weekend, take him to the ER?

I know that internal bleeding can likely be SO many things, and this question isn't always easily answered on the internet, but I also know that vets are expensive, and often times, unnecessarily so.

Any advice or thoughts on this would be GREATLY appreciated!

04-25-2014, 07:55 AM	#1
kristykins Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 235	Liquid brownish/ reddish bloody stool Hi everyone, I always hate asking these questions, as I know the most obvious answer is "go to the vet", but when the looming vet quote is at $1000+, I always want to ask fellow yorkie owners advice first. My Winston is 7 years old this year, not fixed. Last night I noticed that he seemed anxious in bed, sitting up a lot, and not sleeping. clearly uncomfortable. This morning he went to the bathroom, and his stool was one semi solid piece, surrounded by a liquid brownish/ reddish bloody substance. I got him back in the house and cleaned off his bottom, and noticed that it smelled VERY bad. worse than normal when it comes to diarrhea. I obviously went into panic mode, called the vet, who referred me to the ER vet. The ER vet said they would like to do an exam, blood work and xrays, and then hospitalize him at least overnight. All told, looking at over a thousand dollars right out the gate. The "likely" diagnosis that the ER vet tossed out was Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. He was eating and drinking water just like normal last night, and when we came back in from going potty this morning, he was rolling around on the couch to get the wet grass off him, normal behavior for him. He seemed a bit more subdued than normal, but generally speaking, he was acting ok. I'm just torn. I DO have a vet appt on Monday morning at 9:30am to get normal blood-work done that will test for HGE. However, the ER vet told me that she's seen several small dogs this year die within hours of being diagnosed with HGE. (I will also add, that the odds of a bacterial infection would NOT surprise me, as my dog often finds a way to get into the catbox and eat cat stool. I know Yorkie owners are NOT new to this disgusting behavior!) Should I keep an eye on him and wait for my Monday morning vet appt? If things get worse over the weekend, take him to the ER? I know that internal bleeding can likely be SO many things, and this question isn't always easily answered on the internet, but I also know that vets are expensive, and often times, unnecessarily so. Any advice or thoughts on this would be GREATLY appreciated! Last edited by kristykins; 04-25-2014 at 07:57 AM.