Tinkerbell has gastroenteritis
 

My Tinkerbell has been sick since Wednesday night. She started with runny poops and then vomiting. I took her in to the vet yesterday afternoon and she recieved sub-q fluids and a shot for nausea. My vet took exrays, did a cbc/diff, intestinal parasite test, snap CPL for pancreatitus, and all came back good. He sent me home with cerenia for the nausea, proviable, and loperamide for diarrhea. I cooked up some chicken and rice and she still refuses to eat. She will not drink either. I spoke with the vet tech this morning and was told not to worry if she won't eat today, though I still am because she hasn't eaten anything since Wednesday morning. I will take her back later this afternoon if she still isn't drinking for more sub-q fluids. She is laying around looking pitiful, but will get up and greet me when I come in the room. I have her at work with me today so I can monitor her closely. If any of you have been through a similar illness with your dogs can you tell me when I might see some improvement with her appetite or drinking? Has my vet covered everything thus far? I feel very comfortable with my vet and trust him completely I just want to make sure I am keeping myself informed. Thanks in advance.

Sounds like your vet was pretty thorough to me. Barney had pancreatitis last year and we used antibiotics, cerenia, pepcid, and tramadol to support him at home. He also had subcutaneous fluids. He did not eat the first day, and we gave him 2 TBSP of food 4x a day the next day, gradually increasing him. He too ate 50% chicken breast and 50% rice. Barney did not drink much at all when on the fluids. It took him a couple of weeks to really be feeling good and a couple of months before he was back to himself completely. Not sure if gastroenteritis will take as long for a recovery. I will keep your little one in my prayers.

I just went through this w/Apple, but didn't have the lack of appetite issue...Actually, it seems that a 24 hr. fast is good for their system...You might want to give her 1/8 tsp. (no more) a few times a day, while she is not eating...My girl had to have fluids on two occasions, and I think I made a mistake, trying to get her back on her regular diet too soon...I ended up having to have her on RX i/d for 3 weeks...My little Apple is just fine, now, but I'm being verrrry cautious about what she eats...I don't give any treats...Sounds like you are taking very good care of your baby, and your vet seems to be onboard w/all the right tests...Hang in there, she'll be o.k. soon....
Maggie

ohh
 

I always worried about dehydration so I would syringe some water in the side of the mouth to be on the safe side. Just a bit fairly frequently.
Good Luck!

Thanks for the replies everyone. Tink still isn't making any attempst to eat or drink and had 2 runny poops since this morning despite having had 3 doses of the loperamide since late yesterday. She seems very uncomfortable. She is standing around arching her back and shaking and won't stay sitting or laying down for more than a few minutes. I spoke with the vet tech a few minutes ago and he assured me that she is probably experiencing stomach discomfort and I should just keep offering the meds and try to get her to drink. He did not seem overly concerned or worried that her condition was worsening. It is very hard for me to see her in pain and unable to get comfortable. She still seems hydrated from the sub-q she got yesterday. Now my delima is do I take her back in tonight or give her until tomorrow morning to show some improvement? Am I just over reacting and her behavior is what it should be for having gastroenteritis ? Thanks for listening.

Check her gums...If they are tacky (sticky) then she's probably dehydrated...Try using a syringe and getting a little water in her...Put the syringe in the side of her mouth (not the center) and just give her a cc or two at a time...Have you tried letting her lick chipped ice or ice cubes? Sometimes they like to do that, instead of drink water...

The arching of the back and shaking are signs of pain.
If it was me I would take her back in.

Yes, I syringed some sugar water in all my Yorkie's mouths when they weren't eating or drinking as dehydration worried me. Vet said the little ones can dehydate so quickly.

Did they do an xray? She does sound painful, a recheck would be good to do.... or a second opinion.....

Ringo had gastroenteritis (at least that's what the vet called it) after getting into some chicken bones last year.

He didn't eat at all for a couple of days; but I managed to get the medicine in him with some cheese and to drink some water out of my hand.

He was then able to eat the Iams Low Residue food that the vet gave him ~ he actually liked it so that was helpful. After the first week, he was off the meds and back on regular food and he relapsed right away - so back to the vet for more medicine and more Iams. The Purina EN he got recently did NOT help at all.

Of course, he is a sturdy 15 lb Westie, so he probably can go a few more days without eating than a little Yorkie.

I hope you are having a better morning.

Thanks everyone. Tink was back at the vets this morning for a recheck. She got more fluids and a B-vitiam shot to help stimulate her appitite. The vet did another exray because he wanted to look for any changes since the last one on Thursday. Everything looked good so we are just continuing with the supportive care. He upped her doasge of the loperamide to try and stop the diarrhea. The vet is not super concerned about her not eating as he said sometimes if they eat too soon it just makes things worse especially if they still have diarrhea. He did give me some nutrical and said I could give it to her 3-4 times a day. Tink and I are are going to lay down and take a much needed nap. It sure is hard to see our babies so sick. I am praying for some improvement by later today.

Sounds like you both need some rest badly. Prayers continue.

Poor baby. Sometimes the lack of appetite is a good thing, because eating can set off the diarrhea again. When you do try feeding, try frequent, SMALL meals ( a couple teaspoons at first) of things like boiled chicken and rice. I hope she feels better soon.

Tink seems a bit more chipper this evening. She actually rolled over for a tummy rub and got excited to see my grandaughter Destiny when she came over. I am feeling very relieved. I will be trying some cooked chicken breast with white rice tomorrow morning to see how she does. She still isn't looking for water on her own so I am giving her some with a syring every couple of hours. I think the nutrical has really given her a little energy boost. Thanks for all the well wishes everyone.

Chester was sick in august when the throwing up only, he was at the emergency vet on a sun nite with iv fluids, pain meds, anti nausea meds and we took him to the vet mon, tues and iv out wed, chicken and rice for about 4 days and gradually back to his regular food but after the chicken and rice he was not real thrilled with his regular dog food, have you tried baby food, just watch out some of it has onion powder in it not good for dogs. I hope the fur baby is better soon

After seeming a bit better last night Tink is back to acting more depressed and uncomfortable. She is still having runny poops. Today is day 5 since this began. Does intestinal Gastroenteritis usually take a long time to begin to see improvement?
My vet felt that by this afternoon I would notice her feeling a little better. I am giving Tink water with a syringe and after all the meds I have been giving her she hides her head when she sees me coming with it. :( The sight and smell of the cooked chicken breast did not entice her at all, but I wonder if she should even eat with the severe diarreah she is having. She really needs a bath, but I have just been washing her bottom with a warm wash cloth.

I'm concerned for her at this point. An intestinal virus should be clearing up by now.

How much water have you been able to syringe and when is the last time sq fluids were given? She may need an IV at this point. Did your vet suggest Pedialyte? When is the last time she ate? All blood work numbers normal? Your vet does sound very thorough to have done all they have done. I would be going back tomorrow (if you think she can safely stay home tonight - otherwise to the ER). It sounds like they may need to hospitalize her or try some other drugs or go further with testing. Are her gums pink and wet or are they tacky?

Thank you so much for confirming my feelings. I feel like the diarreah should be clearing up by now. She has been on the medications that I listed in my first post since Thursday afternoon. I have already decided that we would be heading back to the vets tomorrow unless Tink really started showing me that she was heading towards improvement. Last night she seemed to be showing this for a couple of hours and then went right back down to a depressed state. She had sub-q fluids on Thursday afternoon and again Saturday morning. For the life of me I cannot figure out what may have caused this. I feel like my vet has done all the right tests thus far, but I would like to start thinking about the next step. I just can't believe that we would continue on with the same without some signs of improvement.

Tink only weighs 4.8lbs and has lost .2 since Thursday. The last time she ate was Wednesday morning. My vet seemed less concerned about her not eating than he did about her getting fluids. He showed me the proper way to give her water with a syringe and did say that we would use a larger syringe if she eventually needed nutritional support. I have been feeling as if I just didn't realize what the normal symptoms of this illness were and maybe I was overreacting, but I am going to trust my instincts all the way. If you can offer me any advice as to what tests I should bring up to my vet tomorrow I would be thankful.

I'm hesitant to list tests because perhaps your vet has something in mind to try first. Unfortunately since this blood work has been done, I suppose they could go to ultrasound, but that isn't great for intestinal things. Sometimes biopsy is needed. I would hope that this is just a really bad virus though and that won't be needed.

You would have to be syringing a lot of water for it to meet her nutritional need - and it's just getting lost in the diarrhea anyway. With fluids not given since yesterday morning, I'd be very, very concerned about dehydration. That couldn't wait until tomorrow. While I agree that eating is the lesser concern here, it still has been four or five days. Unless you have been giving Nutrical (forgot what you said), she is getting no sugar. They can't really give any sq. I can tell you that I know a vet who doesn't get nervous about them not eating (when they go on a picky eating strike) for five days. After that, it's a concern to her. And it's going to be more of a concern since she is so sick. So I think they probably need to get her on an IV asap. The treatment so far just hasn't been adequate. I feel like she almost has to be dehyrated by now. If she is, she needs to go to the ER.

I have been checking her gums and I don't think she is dehydrated. How long do the sub-q fluids usually last? I think my vet said 24 hrs, but I could be mistaken. I have been giving her nutrical 3 times a day since yesterday, and water every 2 hours. When I said a larger syringe for nutritional support I forgot to say that we would be mixing up some type of food paste.. I don't remember the name. Thank you for taking the time to post and give me your opinon it really helps. I am going to push for the IV. I will keep everyone updated.

It would depend on how fast her body uses it. I was told 8-10 hours before, but could be longer if she wasn't absorbing it very fast.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Tinkerbell is doing better today. She woke up happier than I have seen her in days. She drank some water for me out of her dish this morning and actually eat a very tiny amount of chiken and rice. I am thrilled to see the improvement as last night I was so desperate as too how long this could go on. She has not pooped yet today so that is also a good sign. She has an appt. for 2:00pm for a recheck at the vets, but I think she may finally be on the road to recovery. Thank you everyone for your help.

My 5 y/o Bella has had the same symptoms off and on for a few years
diagnosed with gastroenteritis/pancreatitis antibiotics, cerenia and
SQ fluids were also given, it does take a couple of days to recover and
she starts shaking everytime she doesn't feel well she tends to be delicate. Our Vets ( a large clinic and she has seen 3 different ones ) all do the same thing and she gets better within 2 days. Bella is on Pepcid every day 1/4 10mg pill I cook chicken thighs every day for her and she eats
Eukanuba Yorkshire Terrier dry food, since taking Pepcid she hasn't had
any symptoms because she is so nervous the Vet has given her Anxitane S
for small breeds 50 mg ( 1/4 tablet ) twice a day and she has also
been on Valerian root drops, both help with the nervousness. Bella was
referred to a Neurologist to determine if she has had a stroke because
of her shaking, but he tested her and said " You just have a very nervous
and anxious dog " He recommended Valium to get her in a calm state
however I stopped it as it has an opposite effect and tends to makes
her more anxious, but I do give her the Valerian Root. My heart goes out
to you, these little precious dogs are our babies and when they are are
not well, it's very upsetting to us. When Bella hasn't felt well I wrap
her in a recieving blanket and hold her, she become very needy. Please reply and let us know how Tinkerbell is doing.

Thanks for the well wishes and prayers everyone. Tinkerbell continued to improve as the day wore on. I took her back in to see the vet at 2:00 and he was pleased with her progress, but cautioned me on letting her eat too much too soon because there is a risk of relapse. She did not need any more sq fluids and is drinking well on her own. I am amazed at how quickly Tink improved overnight. I was really worried yesterday!

I have to agree with the others the gastric symptoms
should have been better by now, Yorkies get dehydrated so quickly and that can be a problem Pedialyte works well to get her electrolytes in balance, I am not a Vet but have raised Malamutes, miniature horses
and Llamas and the course is pretty much the same, diagnose and treat
you might just insist on getting another opinion and your Vet probably will agree. Tink is much a child to you as your own child is, treat her like she is your daughter, she a specialist if you have too. My prayers are with you.

I am so glad Tinkerbell is better, I have been praying for her and you,
I know how stressful it is as this little ones cannot tell us how they
fell, sounds like your Vet is on top of things too, post us on her progress.
Have a restful week end. :animal36

We just got home from the vet with this. She hasn't vomited today but had some concerning diarrhea this morning. Thank goodness she is eating a little bit. Small amount of boiled chicken for lunch& cottage cheese and chicken for supper. I hope this clears up soon.

Kiki Mamma,

This was and old post of mine from a couple of years ago. Tinkerbell had a very bad case of gastroenteritis and really had me scared. Thank God she has not had a reoccurrence since.

I sure hope your little one is doing better. You might want to start another thread if you need some urgent advice.

Thank you she was doing better yesterday ate really good but hasn't eaten today & no IBM's since Thursday. I've left a message at the vet.