Need help for a Vomiting Dog. (Warning Gross) Update

[sheaviance1]

My best friend has an older cocker spaniel who "overate" at Thanksgiving last year. She had severe vomiting afterward due to pancreatitis. She had to go to the vet to get her cared for because she needed medication to get over it. Is the sweet potato skins all that she ate?

 

[savingdogs]

So many days later, I'd frankly be more worried about her being blocked, although pancreatitis is common after thanksgiving if dogs are given too much rich food. Were they buttered? Does she have diarrhea? Do you know exactly what she ate? Did she seem to throw up the same amount she ate?

She really could have several different things wrong and behave that way, it would be hard for anyone online here to give her a proper assessment for you, they just don't have enough information. Sometimes you don't want to give any food and if it were my dog I would wait to offer anything. I would certainly not offer anything rich in case she has pancreatitis. I was always instructed to tell folks to wait 12 hours after vomiting to offer anything at all and then start with water. But at this point it would be best to take her to a doctor and let them determine why she is this way. I'm not aware of exactly what sweet potato skins can do.

I'd say see if she does any better overnight, but take her in the morning if not. If her gums are pale, take her to emergency. Just my 0.2 cents.

 

[Woodland Woman]

Well, I took her into see the vet. It turns out she is diabetic. They didn't think the sweet potato skins had anything to do with it. She probably has been a diabetic for a few weeks. They said she has Diabetic Ketoacidosis (sp) is dehydrated and has kidney disfunction. They are not sure yet if her kidney's are permanently damaged. I wanted to address this more because it would weigh heavy in our decision. She needs to be hospitalized for 3-5 days at a cost of $300-$500 per day and she still might not make it. Plus todays costs which are in the hundreds. This is devastating to us. When she was younger she broke her leg and it cost us a couple thousand and we said we would never spend that much again on a dog. But she is our friend. We need to make a decision on what to do. If she makes it she will need insulin shots twice a day. What would be the quality of her life? How much does medication and tests along the way cost?

 

[freemotion]

Aww, shoot. How old is she? Is she already on a grain-free diet? I'm wondering if she could be managed, or if the damage is too great. Poop.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

sorry honey... what a terrible decision.
:-(

 

[MorelCabin]

We had to make that decision ourselves a few years ago, and we did put our dog down, after having her for 8 years. We feel it was best for both her and us. It was very hard, we all cried...we buried her in the backyard wrapped in a blanket from my sons bed that he wanted her to have, and a picture of the family that he put in there.
Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, even if it is really hard. They do become our friends...and at the end we have to be thier friends and do the best thing for them.

 

[ksalvagno]

A friend of mine gives her dog shots twice a day. His quality of life has been great. Plays, is active and you wouldn't know he had problems. All she has is her dogs so she is willing to spend the money and the time. But each person has to decide what is worth it for them and what isn't.

 

[freemotion]

I was wondering if she is to stay at the vet hospital just to get rehydrated...if so, can you talk them into showing you how and doing it yourself. It may be just a bag of saline dripped in via a sub-cutaneous needle....at least it is for cats. It is pretty easy to do.

Then try her on a grain-free diet, no grain-based treats, and do the insulin injections yourself. It is up to you, but I know how a dear dog becomes part of the family and sometimes we can do quite a bit to keep them. However, sometimes we have to weigh the mortgage and keeping the family fed and housed over the pet, then it is hard.

The more you love, the more you grieve.....

 

[i_am2bz]

I was wondering if she is to stay at the vet hospital just to get rehydrated...if so, can you talk them into showing you how and doing it yourself. It may be just a bag of saline dripped in via a sub-cutaneous needle....at least it is for cats. It is pretty easy to do.

I agree with freemotion...diabetes definitely isn't a death sentence...but yeah, a 3 day stay at the vet hospital is pricey (I know from experience, unfortunately; I put $2400 on credit cards for vet bills during a 3 month period a few years ago).

I hope your vet is willing to work with you to find a solution. I'm very sorry to hear about your baby; that isn't a decision that is easy to make.

 

[Bethanial]

We had to make that decision ourselves a few years ago, and we did put our dog down, after having her for 8 years. We feel it was best for both her and us. It was very hard, we all cried...we buried her in the backyard wrapped in a blanket from my sons bed that he wanted her to have, and a picture of the family that he put in there.
Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, even if it is really hard. They do become our friends...and at the end we have to be thier friends and do the best thing for them.

We had to do this with a beloved dog, also. Granted, she was at least 14 years old, but as much as we loved her, vet $ just were NOT an option. Being so old, she always waited until the last second to get out of the way of cars, and one day, she didn't move fast enough. Had we taken her to the vet, her entire front leg would've had to been amputated. We were able to turn it into a (hard, but worth it) life lesson for my son - he helped put her down, and bury her. And her collar hangs on a nail in his wall, along her a picture of her.

I KNOW how hard this is. And that sometimes, the almighty dollar does have to make decisions for us, unfortunately, especially when it comes to our pets, no matter how much we love them and care for them. Praying for you in this difficult time.