Help with vomiting & diarrhea- possibly HGE?

[barbielb]

Hi. I'm definitely needing some advice as I'm very worried about my baby- Tessie, as she has been vomiting and had diarrhea. Just a quick history- we adopted Tessie 18 months ago. She is currently 4 years old and weighs 3.4 lbs. We had her spayed this past March 2010. During the 18 months that we've had her- she has never had diarrhea and has only vomited twice- both times when she was in heat-- which has not happened since her spaying in March.

On late Sunday afternoon she vomited. It was basically liquid, but slightly yellow & foamy. It was "out of the blue" as she seemed fine & perfectly healthy. On Monday morning, about an hour after eating she again threw up- which consisted of her food. She also continued to pass gas & seemed lethargic. I called the vet immediately and took her in that afternoon around 4:30pm. They gave her an anti-nausea shot and said she seemed ok- and wait for further symptoms before doing bloodwork- in case she had just eaten something. She did seem ok and rather alert at the vet- so we thought we may had taken her to the vet a little too soon. They recommended not to feed her over the night, but make sure she had plenty of water and then feed her very bland food the next day-- such as boiled chicken and rice.

That night around 8pm she struggled to go potty (poop) and had slight diarrhea. We did get her to drink water, but she was very lethargic. She continued to pass gas during the night and her little tummy was also loudly rumbling. She sleeps with us in bed-- and my husband & I both couldn't sleep as we were worried about her and discussed how loudly her stomach was rumbling. At approx. 4:30am she stirred a little and we were both awake when we realized she had diarrhea. She has never had any accidents in the house and she was so pitiful.

I called the vet and they said since she hadn't vomited to try and feed her the chicken and rice and if the diarrhea continued they could give her meds, but if she vomited to bring her in immediately. I take her to my office everyday and she seemed to get better during the day and ate the chicken & rice. At home, she seemed fine in her normal routine and also ate the chicken and rice. There was no vomiting or diarrhea for the rest of the day on Tuesday.

She slept well through the night, but seemed a little tired this morning (Wendesday). She did have small diarrhea with semi-hard stool (no blood) this morning. I had not fed her yet, when she again threw up (first time since late Sunday and today is Wednesday morning)-- this time again was mainly liquid and foamy.

I called the vet and we took her back for tests this afternoon. When the vet took her temperature she found blood on the thermometer. At that time, she suspected HGE- (hemorrhagic gastroenteritis) and asked for full bloodwork which of course we did. They found that 2 of her levels were elevated or on edge for diagnosis of HGE (I forgot to get copy of full bloodwork & will get faxed tomorrow) but, I know that one that was elevated was the bloodcount that is normally within a range up to 55-- and 55+ is symptom of HGE. Her count was 55. I believe the other had to do with protein and again her level was the high/low end of normal.

The vet suspected that it was HGE and we caught early. Since her levels were low they said that we could take her home with medication. They gave her a shot with sub Q fluids and an ondansetron injection (anti-nausea- I think) and gave us Metronidazole suspension 62.5mg (anti-diarrhea- I think) to give twice a day. After getting home we gave her chicken & rice which she ate well and drank water. She has been curled up on the couch in her favorite blanket ever since. She has continued to pass gass.

I've been researching and trying to read as much as possible on the subject since I had never heard of it before today. I would greatly appreciate any and all advice. Definitely a very worried mommy & daddy that love their baby so much! Thank you!!

[Patti]

I am sorry to hear Tessie is sick. My Cali had HGE twice. The first time she was vomiting and had bloody diarrhea. I took her to the ER vet on Sunday and they gave her meds and sent her home. By Tuesday she was still very sick so I took her into her vet and they did the HGE test, I think it is PVC or PCV. Hers was 60 so they kept her that day and gave her fluids and medicine. I took her home with the iv stent in so I could take her back each day for the next couple of days and they could give her fluids. By Friday she was much better. Then the second time she just stated getting the same look in her eyes and sitting funny so I took her in. They took her temp and it came out bloody like Tessie's. My vet said we caught it right away and gave her meds and SQ fluids and she was back to normal in a couple of days. I found with Cali I have to keep her on a very limited diet as any variation can set off her tummy problems. It sounds like you caught Tessie's early and she should feel better in a day or so. Just watch for dehydration if she continues to have diarrhea and or vomiting. That's good she is eating and drinking. Please keep us posted.

[Ladymom]

I am all too familiar with HGE. Lady had three bouts with HGE in four months.

Good for you for taking her to vet! You probably saved her life. The key with HGE is immediate supportive care. Hours can mean the difference between life and death.

Your vet was referring to her "packed volume" (red blood cell count). 55 is right on the edge. The first time Lady had HGE she was right on the line, too. She got subq fluids, an antibiotic and Metronidazole, too. She bounced back pretty quickly.

I've attached a few links for you. Bottomline is that they don't really know what causes HGE and Yorkies and other toy breeds seem to be prone to it.

Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE)

Canine Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE) ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

[barbielb]

Thank You so much Patti & Ladymom. I truly appreciate your support and letting me know that you both have dealt with HGE with your babies-- and Cali & Lady are both doing well.

Tessie has been fine for the most part today. There has been no vomiting or diarrhea. She has eaten well-- chicken & rice-- for both brunch and dinner. She has had 2 potty accidents today- which is NOT normal and is actually extremely rare for her over the 18 months.

After reading so much about HGE as well as the vet telling me that it is stress related-- I am worried that it's possible that we are doing something that has caused it. Just a quick background-- When we adopted Tessie, she was with an older retired couple that did not have any children and they took her everwhere they went. When Tessie was approx. 2 years old- they had to begin leaving her alot-- both alone and then with people for a couple of days at a time (cancer diagnosis & treatment). Long-story short, they allowed us to adopt Tessie because we did not have any children (they were worried about small children because Tessie was only 3 lbs) or any other dogs- because Tessie was not used to other animals. They also wanted to make sure that Tessie would not be left alone- because they saw her personality change after they had to leave her- so they wanted to make sure that she would be with people that would not leave her alone.

Tessie is mine & my husband's baby girl and my mom's grandbaby. My mom has actually babysat Tessie since we brought her home-- because both my husband & I work full-time. My husband would drop her off every morning and pick her up every evening on his way home. My mom keeps her at her office and takes her to the post office, bank, etc. every day.

Over the past 2 months, there has been more activity at my mom's office. My work schedule changed (lost my job) but, I am very fortunate that I have been able to go to work with my mom and bring Tessie with me everyday to the office. However, there are more people in the same office building along with more traffic. Tessie has seemed to become "nervous" or "over-excited" with the increased activity. By the time we get home every night- approx. 8pm she seems to be worn out.

After reading the HGE diagnosis and possible stress relation- I am afraid that we have possibly caused this. My husband, myself, and my mom have discussed possibly trying to leave Tessie at home for part of the day in order to get some rest. Possibly bring her with me to work in the mornings, so that she can eat-- and then take her home at lunch so that she can get some rest. This would be hard for us because we LOVE to have her with us and everyone loves seeing her-- but definitely more worried about her health.

Just wondering if anyone is aware of stress-related causes of HGE and any suggestions. We honestly thought that taking Tessie to work helped with the separation anxiety, but now we're afraid that the increased activity during the day and her "hyperactivity" has possibly caused HGE. Thanks for your help!

[shodanusmc]

I was going to say Pancreatitis. I hope she is getting better.

[Ladymom]

Please don't blame yourself. I doubt stress caused Tessie's HGE. Often it's caused by a bacteria, but they really don't know what causes it. I know several Yorkies and Maltese who have had HGE, some young and some old like my Lady, and the cause was never found.