Tyke's update on his pancreatitis
 

Well...

After a day at the vet...Tyke arrived home yesterday. He has been at the vet everyday since Tuesday. For the first time, I got an answer that he WILL be OK! Yesterday, I was almost ready to prepare myself for the worst. He looked so sick. He had thrown up four times overnight. Had diarrhea. Was lethargic. And you could see in his eyes he was just so miserable.

The vet decided to have him hospitalized for the day and also wanted to run more tests (including an upper GI...because when he would throw up, there would be no food in it, just clear. He was on a bland diet so he was getting some food in). At 445, my parents went to get him and my mom said he recognized their voices and started doing his high pitched cry and bark. They let him out of the cage and my mom said he just went flying down the hallway towards them! If I was there, I would've had tears going down my face!

The vet said all his blood work came back okay except for one thing was high...but that was due to the infection. His heart was really enlarged, but he had that anyway and had been on his Enalapril since being sick, plus she said it was working overtime since he was so sick. He was to eat nothing at all yesterday and then had to be taken back in this morning for another upper GI (they wanted to do one without food in him). They kept his IV needle in case he needed more fluids today (he's needed fluid everyday since Tuesday).

Last night, my boyfriend surprised me at my apartment just as I was leaving to go home and see Tyke...with flowers and a card for me, and a box of Milkbones and a card for Tyke :) We went back to my house where I put the treats away (obviously Tyke can't eat those right now) and we found Tyke. My boyfriend, bless his big heart, spent the entire time just holding Tyke. Tyke looked awfully comfy and fell asleep in his arms a few times.

Everytime he panted, we rushed his water dish over, and for the first time in a while, he actually drank! The vet told us to put a tiny bit of corn syrup in the water to make it sweet to entice him to drink a little bit...so not sure if it was that...but whatever it was, at least he was FINALLY drinking!

He just looked so beat yesterday. I think I can finally go through my day knowing he'll be fine, except preparing for the unknown. I have never EVER seen him this sick and was beginning to realize what could realistically happen...and it was torturous. I've been crying since Tuesday. And haven't slept. My mom said the last few days she hasn't slept at all. And the night before last...she made sure she was ALWAYS sleeping next to Tyke. Whenever he moved, she moved.

So...I think it's safe to say my little guy will be just fine! He's got a long road ahead of him...but he can beat it, and hopefully he'll have a few more years with us! We all love him so much!

So glad your little one is improving! Both of my boys have scared the heck out of me with this type of problem so I know how frightening and uncertain it can be. Prayers coming out from Utah for a speedy recovery and no more episodes:)

I am so happy to read this update. Gosh, how scary. I hope he just gets better and better and better. Your boyfriend is a real keeper! :)

Im so glad to hear a good update. Hope Tyke is back to his old self soon.

Well, after only expecting him to be at the vet for a single test...they hospitalized him again for a whole day. He had diarrhea so they put him on fluids and gave him medication to coat his intestine this morning...and then he had it a second time. We are picking him up at 4:20 and talking to the vet.

This whole thing is a complete roller coaster...I think he's going to be fine, and then he flares up again.

This whole thing just tears my heart apart :( Last night was my first full night of sleep. It's been a complete blur since Tuesday. I don't think I've cried so much in a long time. My mom, who sleeps with him, has had no sleep since Tuedsay. She said that everytime Tyke moved, she would move to be next to him. She kept waking up to check on him. Last night, though, he didn't wake her up with vomiting. But then this morning my mom said she could tell he wasn't feeling right.
It's so hard to believe that last week at this time, I never had to really think about what the worst was and that it could happen...and now here we are a week later...it's hard :(

To anyone who has ever had a dog with pancreatitis: how long does it take for them to recover from it? When can I truly know he will be OK and will recover?

What food is your Yorkie eating while he is recovering from this?
Is it Science Diet I/D or W/D?

Science Diet I/D he was put on Wednesday. Then since he got so sick Wednesday night, they hospitalized him all day Thursday and took him off all food. I'm sure it'll be that way again tonight. But yah it was Science Diet I/D and I imagine that's what they'll put him back on when it's time to introduce him to food again...

Just in case you are looking for a diet alternative. I have a home-made recipe book for dogs - there is a section on 'dogs with gastrointestinal or pancreatic disease' - which would be low fat, 6 different recipes. My Oscar was on one of them before he passed away two weeks ago. It helped so much, just wish he would have been on it a long time ago (only on it for 3 weeks).

Author is in Canada (not sure if you can get it in America) - Hilary Waton
Complete & Balanced 101 Healthy Home-Made Meals For Dogs
(need to also buy the supplement - Balancer)

She is fantasic. If you are interested you can check her web-site and email her to see if it is carried in America.

THE BALANCER Home-Made Meal Supplement for Dogs

Good luck!

They need to remove food and water for up to 48 hours and leave him on fluids only then reintroduce food very slowly ...In Royce's case he was on fluids for 5 days they gave him morphin for the pain and a bunch of other medication ... like antibiotics

He's OK!!!
 

Tyke is doing AMAZINGLY.
Yesterday I came in with my boyfriend and he was at the door barking while opening it. His tail was wagging and his ears were perked.
We give him a teaspoon of the I/D food every few hours mixed with water to make it soupy. Yesterday he ate four seperate times (four teapspoons total) and didn't throw up ONCE! He still isn't drinking as much but because he eats the food and licks the bowl, he gets all the water we put in with that.
My boyfriend and I were eating the left overs from The Cheesecake Factory (yum!) we had gone to for lunch for Valentine's Day and for the first time in days Tyke was begging and whining for a bite. Obviously we were unable to give him anything at all but that was definately music to my ears :)
As far as him eating that stuff on Wednedsay...I had him rushed in to the vet on Tuesday after he had thrown up the night before and all that day and had diarrhea. He hadn't been diagnosed with Pancreatitis at that point but had had blood drawn. She told me to not feed him that night, but to start the next day. My mom gave him a tiny bit the next day and he kept it down...then we got the blood test results confirming the pancreatitis.
After that was when all food had been withheld. He then went the rest of Wednesday, then Thursday and Friday with no food. They told us we could give him some broth on Friday and he slurped that up (he was doing somewhat better on Friday) and then Saturday he had a little bit before his last hospitalization.
My mom took him in yesterday, expecting him to need rehydrated...only to find out he WASN'T dehydrated! :D
He looks like he's not sick right now the way he's acting. He's acting normal. He is understandably tired, and he has a rather...distinct smell...from being so sick these last few days (we're going to give him a bath as soon as he's stronger) but otherwise he appears to be completely normal!
My family has never EVER seen him so sick and we were the closest we had ever been to actually believing we could lose him. It was days of crying and not sleeping and worrying yourself nauseas. But now, I think we can finally relax!
I will post a photo of my almost-healthy lil guy here later! :)