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Old 12-27-2012, 12:59 PM   #1
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Exclamation Mysterious severe GI infection

I would like to share my experience with unknown, undiagnosed, and potentially deadly emergencies!!

Nella has been at a 24 hour Animal Emergency Treatment Center since Christmas Eve.

Nella is a spirited 1.5 yr, 5 lb, female Yorkshire Terrier, my baby and a little sister and best friend to Coco - our 5 yr Yorkie male. She is intelligent, spunky, independent, courageous, determined and full of joie de vivre!

She is fearless and always full of energy, so when she became sick this past week it really had me worried. I have always maintained good and quality care for my little girl; she is fed quality foods and has been vaccinated against all known diseases.

Last weekend I noticed her acting strange. She couldn't lay and get comfortable. She was restless from her discomfort. She drank quite a bit of water and ate some food throughout the day and then started throwing that up. I was worried but did not panic because both Nella and her big brother Coco have had "stomach bugs" in the past which cleared up within 1-2 days however this was different.

I took Nella in to see her vet. She was dehydrated and received fluids. I did not know if she ate something she shouldn't have - Nella has a curious and independent streak. She often goes on scavenger hunts around the house (I am a watchdog when it comes to things she should not have access to- yet she does outsmart me!) and quickly and artfully tracks down those things. I mentioned that to our vet and as a precaution he gave her antidote and penicillin injections and an antibiotic treatment to give her at home.

I brought Nella home and she ate small amounts of bland food and was drinking water. Later in the day Nella played with her older brother and her favorite yellow Wilson tennis ball.

The next day, she was resting most of the day - the vet said she may be a little sleepy due to the medicine she was given. She ate some but was not interested in play or any family member. Nella spent most of the day on the sofa looking out the window.

Throughout the night, she had a few accidents around the house. In the morning she was not interested in taking a morning walk and looked tired. I gave her antibiotics to fight whatever "bug" she had and left her peacefully on her bed. Mid day Nella looked really uncomfortable. Her eyes looked a little cloudy. She was sluggish and looked depressed. I became extremely worried by her labored breathing. I wondered "Was this an allergic reaction to the medication I was giving her?". Unbeknownst to me the next 24 hours was going to be the most challenging and testing time in my personal history of dealing with crises.

It was Christmas Eve. I immediately took her to a 24 hour Animal Emergency Treatment Center. Nella was diagnosed with hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature) and dehydration - particularly dangerous for these tinies who have little weight to lose before they are dehydrated and need IV rehydration. Nella's gums were pale pink and her pulse was alarming. She was immediately given IV fluids and was placed on a warming pad to raise her low body temperature. I was told she would have to stay overnight.

The ER vet took a variety of tests and the blood test came back fine with slightly abnormal sugar and red blood cell count levels - we speculated this was mostly was due to Nella's severe dehydration but we still would not know definitely.

Next, Nella began suffering from a severe bloody diarrhea and depression. It became more severe within hours. She got very sick, very fast. The IV fluid therapy kept her from getting a potentially fatal clotting disorder (this disease is often irreversible and may result in death).

She was also diagnosed with sepsis (illness in which the body has a severe response to bacteria where major organs and body systems [kidneys, liver, lungs, and central nervous system] stop working properly because of poor blood flow). She was given antibiotics to combat the suspected infection and a plasma transfusion (necessary to correct her rapid loss of protein). Nothing was guaranteed. The vet said that Nella was so sick that we did not know if her body would respond to the aggressive treatment she was receiving and there was a possibility that, my little Nella, would not make it through the transfusion.

Seconds seemed like hours and hours like days. It was now 2 am on Christmas Day. I was the only person in the ER waiting area. I waited and waited to hear the metal ER door open with news - any news. I had to brace myself for the anything. I was heart broken but had this amazing ability to sustain blissful ignorance that she was going to be okay. She had to be!

I waited longer. I was surrounded by used up tissues and empty Kleenex boxes and the single TV in the reception area switched to a station where all I heard was callers discussing death, dealing with grief and miracles.

My Christmas at the ER was turbulent, painful, lonely, reflective but hopeful. I wanted to see my little girl but was told by a nurse (with tears in his eyes) that the ICU where she was being treated was "chaotic". I could read between the lines; they were doing whatever it took to save my little girl! Finally, the door opened and my heart skipped. I was invited to go see her. She was laying in an incubator surrounded by IV cables, catheders, blood pressure monitoring machines - the total ICU toolkit. It was way too early to tell what would happen and if she would respond to the very aggressive care she was given. She was in the process of receiving her 1st plasma transfusion. She was in her warm incubator, weak, sluggish, surrounded by IV tubes but she was ALIVE!

Iam happy to say that little Nella made it through her most difficult night and has showed signs that she is responsive to treatment. However she is not out of the woods yet! The bacteria is still in her body and is not allowing her little body to fully absorb proteins, she still has bloody diiarrhea and is not interested in food. She continues to be under 24 hour care however thankfully she has been removed from ICU. She is certainly fighting this thing! Her vitals are slowly normalizing and diarrhea has been slowing down (her pad is now changed every hour versus every 15 minutes at her most severe) and I have been able to leave the ER for a bit and care and give support to Nella's brother - Coco - who has been under the care of a family member (thankfully he has not any symptoms of an infection).

The human-pet bond is so precious and unmistakable! My way of I honoring that bond is to agree to every aggressive and costly treatment to save my little girl.

Nella needs to continue with the supportive care to recover. The most frustrating part is that there is no cause to what is going on with her. The ER vets speculated that it could be the HGE (Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis). But that term is just too broad and there is no real cause for HGE either! We tested her for
infectious diseases such as parvovirus and coronavirus; parasites, gastrointestinal all came back negative. TODAY the clinic took blood and gave her the ACTH stimulation test to see if it could be Addison’s disease. We now wait!

Currently (day 3) She is under IV and is receiving food through a nasal feeding tube because she is not interested in the food offered by the vet. Her diarrhea has slowed. Today I tried feeding her when I visited her at the hospital; she was a little curious of the scent, stuck her tongue out and licked her whiskers but wasn't interested in licking the food off my finger, spoon, or the Elizabethan collar she is wearing. She always has been a finicky eater and unless she is relaxed and at home she wouldn't eat.

It's all very frustrating because the doctors have no real, significant answers.
I figured if I write a post maybe someone had a similar crisis with their beloved Yorkie and can give some suggestions, advice, encouragement. At the very least if anyone ever experiences something similar, know you are not alone. This has been a trying week but we are very optimistic and hopeful. Yes, the medical bills are spiraling out of control (we are now at approximately $4000 and no answers) but we have to keep our spirits up!

Thanks all for reading.
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Old 12-27-2012, 07:04 PM   #2
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Oh, you poor baby. You have really been through the ringer with little Nella. I guess the good news is that it sounds like she is starting to improve slightly.
I don't have a lot to offer, but will keep you and your baby in my thoughts and prayers. She is SO lucky to have such a wonderful mom.
I have had some very sick pups this past year and know the stress of having them in the ICU. Two of mine were during the past year......one recently and she really scared me but she is home now and doing well. I wish the same for your Nella.
Please keep us posted! Welcome to YT
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Old 12-27-2012, 07:29 PM   #3
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Oh how my heart goes out to you and dear Nella!
September of last year my Cali started throwing up. She had never had so much as a touchy stomach. She was in the hospital for 5 days and they could not find out why she kept throwing up - ran every test in the book. They had to give her IV fluids and tube feedings, and lots of antibiotics. I don't think she was a sick as you little girl is however. I took her home 5 days later, very weak, but she continued to improved slowly at first then gathered speed. I don't think I have ever been so scared in my life!!! So I have an idea of how you are feeling. They never really found out definitively what her problem was.

Yea, and don't even think about the $$$$s! I know about that too! Just love your baby! You are such a good Yorkie mommie!

I will continue to pray for Nella's recovery and for strength for you to see her through this. Please, please, keep us posted.
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Old 12-28-2012, 01:45 AM   #4
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Oh, I am so sorry about your little girl being so ill. I will keep Nella and you in my thoughts and prayers. Also, welcome to our online community.
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Old 12-28-2012, 02:19 AM   #5
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I hope your little one ,is on the mend.
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Old 12-28-2012, 06:30 AM   #6
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How heartbreaking! My Fletcher had HGE back in July, but it was nothing that severe. They did blood work and he was borderline, so they told me to stay close with him and if he gets worse, they were going to admit him and get him on IV fluids and antibiotics, but luckily the SubQ fluids along with canned bland food, probiotics and antibiotics, he recovered at home with me caring for him in about 4 days. He ate duck poop, bird poop is so bad for dogs, it's FILLED with nasty bacteria. We have ducks that land on our pool sometimes and I think they might have pooped and he ate it, without us seeing it.

Its just awful to see them so sick and wanting to be with them but knowing they are better off with the vet. I'm like you also, there is no limit to what I wouldn't do for my boys, I would be in the ER all day on Christmas as well as the $4000+ in bills.

I pray she keeps improving and getting stronger and able to come home with you very soon.
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Old 12-28-2012, 06:39 AM   #7
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Default Re:

Thank you all for your thoughts - it's very comforting!!
She is now being tested for Addisons Disease- one of the Specialist at the clinic has seen one other Yorkie with similar symptoms and she had tested positive for Addison's.

I now wait to see how the test comes back from the lab.
She tends to look for things outside and around the house. I watch her as much as I can but sometimes she is so sneaky she gets by me and picks up or licks something from the ground. Yes, she is always fascinated by bird poop on the sidewalk or grass...starts rolling it it, sniffs it. I pull her away from it however it wouldn't be a stretch to say that she ate/licked some remainings of some poop outside. Unfortunately, nothing came back in her fecal exam
So back to square one! Pretty frustrating!

I will keep everyone updated. Going to see her now. Thank you all again.
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Old 12-28-2012, 10:11 AM   #8
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Bless Nella's heart! Bless your heart!! I am so sorry of what your baby is going thru. She really sounds like she is a fighter..that's a great thing.

I don't have any experience with something like that so I can't really offer any advice or tips, but I can definitely offer support and prayers. Praying for you to have the strength for all of this and praying for Nella to get well super soon!!
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Old 12-28-2012, 10:55 AM   #9
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I am so sorry that your little Nella is so ill I will pray that she makes a full recovery
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Old 12-28-2012, 11:18 AM   #10
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So sorry to hear that you & Nella have been having such a bad time of it.
Prayers for her healing and peace for you.
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Old 12-28-2012, 11:38 AM   #11
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Prayers going out for Nella. I pray they can find out what is wrong with her.

My Allie has a case of HGE last February, but nothing like what your girl is going thru.
I will keep checking back for updates.
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Old 12-28-2012, 01:36 PM   #12
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Default Re:

Just got back from the vet. She FINALLY showed some serious interest in food AND ate very little (but ATE!) of the broiled chicken liver I brought her. YEEEEEEY!!!

She looks hydrated. Alert by sounds around her. She licked my nose and wagged her tail when she saw Coco (her brother). The nurses and myself are calling it a miracle!

The vet said he will consider discharge if she 1) doesn't have diarrhea/vomiting - she has not [woohoo!] 2) keeps the solid food down without vomiting - Its only been a few hours BUT SO far so good 2) glucose levels are normalizing - those are being checked now!

Thanks all! Her recovery (slow but hopeful) is really a miracle!
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Old 12-28-2012, 01:46 PM   #13
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More importantly, TESTED NEGATIVE for Addisons!!!!!!!
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Old 12-28-2012, 01:57 PM   #14
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Thank you all!!! very comforting!!

Updates (good news!)

1. She TESTED NEGATIVE for Addisons!!!!!!!
2. She showed some interest in the broiled chicken liver I left at the clinic last night. Midnight she wa still nasal tube fed however early morning she ATE (very little) of the chicken liver WOOOOHOOO
3. The vet will consider discharge if she:
a) no longer has diarrhea - so far so good!
b) eats and keeps food down - I saw her for the last couple of hours and she sniffed the chicken, licked her face...and actually went for it when I hand fed her. WOOOOHOOO! But we need to make sure she does not vomit it- we wait and see!
c) glucose levels normalize- she was supposed to have that checked in an hour

This is truly a miracle!!

Immediate update: (as Iam typing this)
SHE passed all "tests" and we can go ...pick HER UP!!!!!!!!

Need to run!!!!! Will make an update once she is at home (sometime over the weekend)

WoooHoooo
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Old 12-28-2012, 02:01 PM   #15
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Oh what wonderful news!!! So happy to hear Nella is coming home! Look forward to updates! Will continue to pray for her...
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