What would you do?
 

I'll try to keep this short, but I really could use some advice. And please be honest!

My 5 month old yorkie has been having some on and off vomiting/illness issues for a while. A few weeks ago, they did an exploratory surgery to ensure she didn't have something in her intestines. She didn't. They concluded it was a virus because her lymph nodes were very swollen. Her biopsies came back normal. For the past 2 weeks, she was the picture of health. She had her staples out last Wednesday, no vomiting for 2 weeks, just doing really well. On Saturday, she started vomiting again. I was so upset. We went back to the vet, and she was so bad she had to stay. They did x-rays today and GET THIS. She didn't have a blockage before, but apparently in the past couple of days she swallowed what they think is a pebble, and it is caught in her stomach. I could just die. And the irony of this is not lost on me, trust me - she had an exploratory when she didn't need one and NOW she needs one. Unbelievable. (I did see the x-rays, and the pebble is definitely something she ingested in the past couple of days - it has not been there all along.)

So, by tomorrow morning I have to decide whether to have them do an endoscopy (go down her throat and try to remove the pebble that way) or surgery, again. The endoscopy would be the better alternative, naturally, because there will be no incision, no scar, no healing, no cone, etc. But the catch is that the endoscopy isn't a sure thing. They might put her under, go in, and not be able to get it out. The surgery, while more invasive and a longer healing period, will guarantee they get it. The surgeon seems pretty sure he can get it out via endoscopy, but he won't know for sure until he tries.

I just don't know what to do. She just had a surgery!!! And she's only 5 months. I HATE, HATE, HATE the idea of her having another surgery. But heaven forbid the endoscopy isn't successful and then they have to do the surgery anyway. That would be a lot for poor Violet, plus a HUGE bill for me.

So, if you were in my shoes, what would you do? Thanks in advance for any thoughts.


And yes, I do feel like the absolute worst mommy in the whole world. I have no clue how she got a pebble - I never saw her with anything in her mouth, and my floors are super clean. The guilt I'm feeling is indescribable. I went to visit her tonight and I just hate seeing her so sick. I can hardly stop crying. :(

I am going to bed, it's been such a long day. I'll reply to any responses first thing in the a.m. Thank you!

This is so hard ..i am reading this thinking what would i do..has your vet given you any advice as to what you should do and what he thinks will be the best route to take. You are not the worlds worst mommy accidents happen and you are obviously a very caring mom.my thoughts are with you..:)

i am just thinking ..honestly if it was me..i would have the surgery as it is a certain thing..these little guys i always think are stronger then we think and i am sure if you have faith in your vet and trust his judgement everything will be fine..easier said then done i know but i am sure you will make the right decision ..:)..please keep us posted.

I personally would take my chance with the endoscopy they are usually very sucessful and she won't be put through the stress of another surgery. And you're not a bad mommy everyone knows these little guys get themselves into things like pebbles.

I think I would go with the abdominal surgery. I would want a sure thing. Is there no way they think she will pass the pebble. Don't feel like a bad mommy, they pick up things so fast and you have done everything to get her better. I will keep her in my prayers.

I would try the endoscopy first.

I would go with endoscopy.
Yes, you may have to go to surgery but I would not like the idea of opening her up again.

oh hon, I am so sorry - I wish I could give you a big hug :hug: - I will pray for you to make the best decision & that God will heal her little body :hands:

Thank you all so much for your thoughts. I am going to talk to the surgeon again when he gets in this morning and hopefully get a better idea of how successful he thinks an endoscopy would be. If he seems confident, I'm going to go for the endoscopy. If he seems unsure or reluctant to commit to saying he thinks it will work, I'm going to opt for the surgery. He seemed positive about it yesterday, but I want to be more direct about it. I'm also going to get a better idea about costs for each procedure. Money isn't my final concern, but I've spent so much lately at the vet's. At this point, I just want my baby to come home - I miss her so much. The house is so quiet without her.

Please keep Violet in your prayers! And thank you again for all of your feedback!

Oh, and regarding whether the pebble could pass, I would have thought it would based on its size (roughly the size of a pencil eraser), but for whatever reason it's not leaving her stomach. Which may be a blessing in disguise because if it got to her intestines and got stuck, she'd definitely need surgery.

There was also a chance she'd vomit it up (regurgitate), but that hasn't happened, and it needs to come out. I told her last night before I left that if she could just throw it up, I'd buy her 100 new toys AND she could poo on my rug that she loves to poo on, but I'm pretty sure she didn't understand. ;)

She has been vomiting a lot, but no pebble. :(

The lesson: keep your babies away from pebbles!!!

Aw poor baby Violet! I'm sorry you/her are having such a hard time. Please keep us posted on how things go.

so very sorry that you are going thru this. They are quick and get into many things so don't blame yourself. My first response would be, do you feel comfortable with your current vet? Or do you feel a second opinion would put your mind at more ease?

I think that I would go with the endoscopy since it would be less invasive. Best of luck for what you decide. hugs.

Oh, bless your heart, what a horrible thing to have to try and decide. I think your decision to talk with the surgeon again is great. That's what I'd do. I always need a little time to get past the shock and think about what was said. Then I go back and ask more questions and follow my gut instinct.

Whatever you decide will be the right thing for you and Violet. Please keep us informed of how it goes. We are all right there with you and will be saying prayers for a great outcome. :hug:

The current vets are good. They are an animal hospital, so she has several different doctors taking care of her, and the internist they called in for her case (because they were so puzzled) is supposedly one of the best in the area. He's the one who would do the endoscopy. And I saw the x-ray, so there is no doubting something is in the poor little girl's tummy.

BUT, there is news. They did a new x-ray this morning, and the "pebble" is no longer in her stomach! They think it has moved to her colon, but they can't tell for sure because she had barium yesterday and it is in her colon, too, making her entire colon show white on the x-ray. But they know she didn't vomit it up, so it seems it has finally made its way out of her stomach. Yay! The vet thinks there is a very good chance she'll pass it out the old fashioned way, so they are going to keep her hydrated and watch her for the next several hours, as well as try to get her to eat (so she'll have something to poo out besides a pebble!). In theory, as the pebble is no longer in her stomach, she should stop vomiting and become hungry.

Please keep your fingers crossed! Her pooing it out would be the absolute best case scenario!

awww sweetie! You are not a bad mommy! Not at all! These dogs can find things in places that our eyes, vacuums, brooms and mops cannot possibly get! It happens. Last year my boys got sick sick sick, both vomiting, throwing up blood, etc... After vet visits, antibiotics and the whole 9 yards...The vets had no idea what they ate... however... I believe they ate duck poop. I felt horrible... but I can't keep them away from EVERYTHING! Live and learn. They are both fine! Im sure your little girl will be fine. I would start with the endoscopy, if the vet is pretty sure he can get it that way then it's worth the try. Maybe tell him if he cannot get it that way then do the surgery at the same time, that way she only goes under once and the problem is taken care of definitely in that one time. Good Luck! I know its hard! Hang in there and I am sure she will be fine when its all over!

hoping she passes that pebble now the old fashioned way & no more need for procedures, so her little body can heal

Finger's crossed for Violet that she passes this pebble the good old
fashion way. That certainly would be a blessing for both of you.
I hope it happens soon so you can stop worrying and she can
come home. You both have been threw so much already.
Will watch for an update.

Good luck:xfingers:

Prayers coming your way to have the pebble passed out the old fashion way :) and that Violet will be coming home soon.

I am so glad to hear that she won't need surgery. Passing it the old fashion way is great! I hope that this ends all her problems...

Thank you all so much! Unfortunately, it still hasn't passed out. And she is still vomiting. :( Poor little thing. I am leaving the office soon to go to see her, and hope to get some sort of a plan solidified with the vet. If she needs surgery, I'd rather do it sooner rather than later so the poor baby doesn't have to suffer any more. I hate seeing her so sick.

I'll post an update tonight when I get home.

I hope everything turns out okay! My thoughts and prayers are with you!!!!:rose:

Poor Baby I hope she will be okay. I'm having problems with my Yorkie too. She been sick off and on for the last month and a half. The vet thinks she might need a special diet so we are trying duck and potato. And you are a great Mommy!!! I read your other post. You are always right there to take care of her. You won't believe the dog owner that don't. :aimeeyork

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post an update on little Violet.

Long story short, they think she DID NOT swallow anything, after all. They think it was an anomaly because when they went to x-ray her before the endoscopy, there was nothing there! Nor was it farther down in her, and she hadn't pooed or vomited anything up. Weird. Sooo.... we were back to square one and not knowing what was wrong.

I was so frustrated! They repeated the tests for Giardia (this time doing the ELISA test) and crypto, both were negative. It seems they have ruled out every reasonable ailment. They did also rule out IBD, only because she is really too young and because they did intestinal biopsies which were completely normal (in IBD, there are other cells that have infiltrated the intestines).

They did an ultrasound and found that her intestines look "very bad." I was so upset when they said this. But they don't know what is causing it!! The only theory now is that perhaps she ate something that passed out before she went to the vet that caused a lot of damage/irritation to her intestines as it passed through. It's possible, I guess.

The good news is that she has made, at least it seems, a complete recovery. She is on baytil, metronidazole, and panacur for several days, just to be safe.

She is sleeping in my lap right now, happy to be home. She has been eating and keeping it down, and is very playful, so I'm sooo happy.

Thanks again for all of your support!!! I hope I never have to post again about my sweet Violet being sick. :)

That's good news!!! I'm so glad she seems to be doing better!!! Thanks for the update!:)

That's great news!!! :D

i'm sorry you have to go through this. you are not the worst mommy. there are so many parents out there who would rather abandon their love ones than pay a high vet bill. i hope your baby recovers well, whichever route you choose to remove the pebble. and you are a terrific mommy for caring so much for your violet.

EDIT:

oops, i just read through the thread. hehe. i only read your first post and then decided to respond without taking the time to read everything else. i'm happy that she's recovering! even though there's no definitive diagnosis, at least she didn't have to go through endoscopy or surgery to be happily sitting on your lap now. congrats!

Wow are you and your poor baby going through something. My heart goes out to you but you have to be strong and make a decision. Whatever one you make is the right one I had a yorkie years ago I gave to my vets Mom as a gift. When she was about a year old she shut down and we could not figure out what was wrong with her. SO because we were all so emotionally involved we took her to another vet who decided it was best to open her up and take a look. Come to find out she ate a button took it out closed her up been great ever since. But, you have a few things going on here. First you need to make a decision about the best way to get this darn pebble out. If it was me I would do the endoscopy first. She has been through ____ and these liitle guys are just to small to put through so much at one time. I have seen yorkies have a stomach problem like you are describing from the chemicals and preservatives in their food. So what do you feed her and what types of treats is she eating. I am also a little concerned that if has has been vomiting on and off for a while why your vet decided to do surgery so quickly without ruling other things out first she is just a baby. Well keep us posted and I wish you both a very quick recovery

Great news! I'm glad that she didn't need surgery after all.