What Are Symptoms Of Blockage??

babsdawn55 · 10-14-2007, 10:37 AM

My Cockapoo has been vomiting for 2 days and nights now. She was given pills for nausea yesterday at the vets. She tries to have bowel movements, but only mucus comes out.
What are symptoms of blockage? Though the vet didn't discuss this possibility, I am concerned... because she does chew on rawhide chew bones...

Shalva · 10-14-2007, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babsdawn55

My Cockapoo has been vomiting for 2 days and nights now. She was given pills for nausea yesterday at the vets. She tries to have bowel movements, but only mucus comes out.
What are symptoms of blockage? Though the vet didn't discuss this possibility, I am concerned... because she does chew on rawhide chew bones...

I would take her back to hte vet now..... not being able to defecate and the vomiting are both symptoms..... does the vomit smell terrible...????
also is your dog stretching quite a bit.... ????

I wouldn't take the risk.... a blockage can kill your dog it is important that you catch this early.... sometimes when the vet palpates they may not be able to feel whatever is blocking the pup until it moves further along the intestinal tract.....

considering the inability to poop and the straining as well as the vomiting... I would guess that your dog is indeed blocked and I would get him to the vet ASAP Rawhides are notorious for causing blockages......

please keep us posted... I have been through this with my cuinn twice in the past six months.... first for a sock.... second for clumping cat litter......

VET NOW!
s

BoxMeIn21 · 10-14-2007, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shalva

VET NOW!
s

Ditto!!! Did the sock thing with Rowdy - Don't waste ANY TIME.

lovemygreys · 10-14-2007, 11:22 AM

Yes! VET NOW!!! Vomiting, unproductive poops are DEFINITELY symptoms. Please, do not wait, go NOW to the vet!

FriendsOfZoe · 10-14-2007, 01:34 PM

Ah yes, the blockage. There are other symptoms, too, with the way the stomach feels (looking for gas pockets and such), that only vets should diagnose. I know Zoe eats things that we shouldn't have let her get, so we generally make a vet visit out of every bout of vomiting. It's been nothing every time--just bland diet and maybe an anti-nausea shot, but I don't ever want to take the chance. If she's vomiting, I just always assume she swalled something bad and have the vet look at her, feel her belly, and do x/rays if they feel it's necessary. Especially because productive poop can continue even after something becomes blocked--everything beyond the blockage will still come out, so I generally don't even wait to see if Zoe has BMs beyond the first couple that would be clearing the rest of the system.

I'm surprised your vet did not mention a possible blockage when you went earlier. Our vet always lets us go home with a list of things to look for that, if we see any of them, we are supposed to bring her back immediately.

babsdawn55 · 10-14-2007, 02:53 PM

I'm really frustrated! While you all are telling me to go NOW to the vet... the tech. on call for the weekend is making it look like no big deal, and that I am maybe not doing the right things. She said to make sure Gracie is having NO WATER OR FOOD (I only had given her an ice cube last night and just a tiny bit of water this morning)... then she made it sound like the pill that the vet gave me to give to her ... was making her vomit.???? I'm like... why would that make her vomit? It's supposed to be making her better! So I took Gracie for a walk along the canal (it's a beautiful day!) and she seemed to love it... but I couldn't resist not giving her a drink when she got home. Of course she vomited it up later. Now if I call the tech tonight to tell her she is still vomiting, she will say its cause I gave her the water... but I know that it's not that...
Gracie is just laying around and hiding under the bed.... but the walk seemed to do her good for a time. We were hoping it would inspire a good BM but not so.
Like I said, I'm really frustrated with this tech... and the vet she saw on Sat. was not her regular vet, it was a new one there...

Oh... and also I wanted to add that the vet didn't even give her a shot for the nausea... just gave me the pills to take home. You would think she would have given her a shot, since she wasn't keeping anything down...

I am just so sad for my baby, I want her to feel better.

Adding one more thing... it is Sunday and the Vets office is closed. It was the emergency number that I called. There were a lot of kids crying and talking in the background, so I'm thinking the tech. had her mind on other things...

Also... no the vomit does not smell bad, it's just yellow and odorless. And no, she does not seem to be stretching much...

Renoman · 10-14-2007, 03:13 PM

Is there a 24 hour emergency clinic you can take her to? If so, I'd be on my way there now.

I'd also call the tech back and be very insistent on her contacting my regular vet or at the very least the vet she saw on Saturday so you could speak with them directly. I never heard of a tech being on call. At my vet, the answering service contacts whichever vet is on call and they call me back.

On another note, if you feel the tech did not have your dog's best interests in mind when you talked to her, and you think she was pre-occupied and just blowing you off... call the office Monday morning and talk to the Office Manager or Supervisor, maybe they've had problems with this tech before.

FriendsOfZoe · 10-14-2007, 03:43 PM

I have had the vet say no food or water for 24 hours to let the stomach rest...however, Zoe got an injection of subcutaneous fluids before then so she wouldn't become dehydrated. You can't fast food AND water without having something like that to insure hydration. If it were me, I would be calling the vet or getting to an emergency clinic and demanding x-rays. After 2 days of vomiting, you need the x-rays to at least look for an obvious obstruction. Your dog also needs fluids very badly by this time...either subcut. or possibly even an IV at this point. When Zoe vomited for 2 days before, we had already done x-rays and ruled out a blockage, but she was still not in the clear--she couldn't keep any water down and needed to spend the night at the hospital attached to an IV so she wouldn't become dehydrated. Perhaps the vet already checked the stomach and doesn't believe it's a blockage, but after 2 days of vomiting, any vet should be worried about dehydration even if it is just a stomach bug.

I can't help but wonder if this is a result of people who complain that the vets give too many unnecessary treatments (anti-nausea meds, x-rays, etc.) and charge too much. I would rather pay for too many precautions than not enough, however, and after two days of vomiting, I would demand x-rays and an injection of fluids and an anti-nausea shot so that my dog would start feeling better. I would get to an emergency clinic if I were you, and spell out exactly what your concerns are and what you're looking for. Your poor pup...

Shalva · 10-14-2007, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FriendsOfZoe

I have had the vet say no food or water for 24 hours to let the stomach rest...however, Zoe got an injection of subcutaneous fluids before then so she wouldn't become dehydrated. You can't fast food AND water without having something like that to insure hydration. If it were me, I would be calling the vet or getting to an emergency clinic and demanding x-rays. After 2 days of vomiting, you need the x-rays to at least look for an obvious obstruction. Your dog also needs fluids very badly by this time...either subcut. or possibly even an IV at this point. When Zoe vomited for 2 days before, we had already done x-rays and ruled out a blockage, but she was still not in the clear--she couldn't keep any water down and needed to spend the night at the hospital attached to an IV so she wouldn't become dehydrated. Perhaps the vet already checked the stomach and doesn't believe it's a blockage, but after 2 days of vomiting, any vet should be worried about dehydration even if it is just a stomach bug.

I can't help but wonder if this is a result of people who complain that the vets give too many unnecessary treatments (anti-nausea meds, x-rays, etc.) and charge too much. I would rather pay for too many precautions than not enough, however, and after two days of vomiting, I would demand x-rays and an injection of fluids and an anti-nausea shot so that my dog would start feeling better. I would get to an emergency clinic if I were you, and spell out exactly what your concerns are and what you're looking for. Your poor pup...

there is no real way to check a blockage.....
with my cuinn the blockage wasn't apparent either on physical exam or ultrasound.... but there was definitely a sock in there.....
he had been sick for about 4 days..... we had planned exploratory surgery for the next morning because there was something going on... he couldn't poop and was vomitting.... he crashed that night went into shock and the ER clinic pulled out a sock.....

there are many things that dont' show up on ultrasound and if the blocking thing is not far enough down the intestinal tract they may not be able to feel it through a manual exam

s

lovemygreys · 10-14-2007, 05:29 PM

I will tell you the story of a foster we had once. He came from the track to our kennel like any other foster. He was a bit reserved for the first few weeks, but I figured that was just his personality. Then one night he refused dinner. The next day he ate breakfast but vomited it up later that day. Refused dinner. OK, maybe he as a bug in his system...tell the adoption group what's going on...the next morning he ate breakfast of boiled chicken and rice. All's fine. During this time he had no abdominal tenderness, eat drinking and eliminating (pee and poop) fine. That night refused dinner again and the next morning ate fine. That night he vomited up a lot of undigested food. I call the group and say, something's wrong, he's got to go to the vet ASAP. Still no abdominal tenderness, abnormal belly sounds or anything like that. A bit of lethargy but if a dog's not feeling well, I dont' expect them to be running circles around the yard. By this point he's up in the house with us so we can watch him. In the hours it took the group to set up the vet appointment and find a volunteer to take him he got very, very ill.

The first vet he saw didn't do much but take blood. He did not have all the classic symptoms of a blockage but he did have some. She took an xray but *did not read it* IDIOT! Now the adoption group is fighting with the vet (this happened on a Sunday and the vet "on call" said there was no point reading the xray b/c she couldn't do surgery. ARGH! Adoption group insists on picking up the dog and driving him the hour and a half to the normal vet the group uses. Dagger was in surgery pretty much right away. He had a partial blockage where his stomach and intestines meet. So...some food was getting through but some was being backed up. However, some of his intestines caught up in the blockage had died and become necrotic. They removed a large section of his intestines, but he unfortunately died from complications within a couple days.

The vet pulled out a huge wad of carpet and carpet fibers. Now, we don't use carpet or have any in our kennel. The only place he had access to carpet was at the race track where they use carpet remnants as bedding in some kennels. He was with us for roughly a month before he started having *any* symptoms. So...don't think back to what your dog ate recently....it can be anything they've eaten in the last several weeks that is causing a problem.

In my mind, I know that we (me and the adoption group) followed normally accepted protocols when a dog gets in icky tummy. What I would have done for my own dogs. I kept telling myself and the group that it *couldn't* be a blockage b/c I know everything in my kennel and my yard and I always watch the dogs like a hawk. He hadn't eaten anything that would cause a blockage. But, my heart breaks every time I think about it. If I'd suspected a blockage he'd have been at the vet the same day he started showing symptoms...but b/c he didn't have ALL the classic symptoms we waited to see if it would pass. Same thing with the first vet. Idiot that she turned out to be. Some symptoms of a blockage but nothing that was completely obvious. Who knows if surgery a day or two earlier would have saved him. Maybe...in my heart I think probably.

So, if your dog may have a blockage, I implore you to advocate on behalf of your dog! Do not let a vet tech tell you to sit back and wait if you believe your dog is ill. Also, I would not withold food AND water from a dog - there is a risk of them dehydrating. SubQ fluids will help prevent that.

This is Dagger...a dog who died way too young. A dog I will always feel like I failed b/c I waited before insisting he go to a vet. I will never ever fail another dog like that. If I have the remoted suspicions of a blockage, I get a dog to the vet for a thorough exam/xray.

Most likely, it's nothing. Most likely, whatever it is will pass. But, take it from me that the pain and hurt you will feel if it *isn't* "nothing" and if it doesn't "just pass" is heart-wrenchingly awful. It's been almost two years since Dagger passed. His ashes stay beside me on the end table of our TV room. His collar stays in our kennel so that he will never be forgotten.

Renoman · 10-14-2007, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovemygreys

Most likely, it's nothing. Most likely, whatever it is will pass. But, take it from me that the pain and hurt you will feel if it *isn't* "nothing" and if it doesn't "just pass" is heart-wrenchingly awful. It's been almost two years since Dagger passed. His ashes stay beside me on the end table of our TV room. His collar stays in our kennel so that he will never be forgotten.

What a handsome boy Dagger was.

How sorry I am that you had to go through that hard lesson. It's difficult enough when we lose a loved companion, but when we feel we failed somehow and are responsible for that loss, it stays with us a very long time. I know.

FriendsOfZoe · 10-14-2007, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shalva

there is no real way to check a blockage.....

Right, I should have made that more clear. The x-rays can show some things, but the vets mostly use the x-rays to look for abnormal gas patterns that could indicate blockage and to have a baseline view if they end up doing a barium test or if the dog doesn't improve. With Zoe, we like to get the initial, "it doesn't look like a blockage right now" and since we don't know of anything for sure that she ate, we are more comfortable going on a 24-hour fast and then trying the bland diet...luckily that has worked every time for us, but obviously with a blockage she would not get better after the fast.

Always hard to tell with a blockage, and it can get so serious so fast (as LMG showed)...which is why we tend to rush to the vet with the first signs of stomach trouble. Better safe than sorry. And that's why I recommended that, blockage or not, after two days of vomitting, the OP really needs to demand some better treatmetnt/examination of his/her dog.

Out of curiosity, Shalva, did Cuinn get a barium series w/x-rays? Or did you already know he ate the sock and were able to push right for surgery?

babsdawn55 · 10-14-2007, 06:28 PM

Thank you all for your input. I found a veternarian hospital just minutes from where I live and luckily there was someone there I could talk to. She called the vet who was on call for the weekend and we met him there 1/2 hour later. He examined Gracie and kept her there for blood work, x rays and and IV. He just called me a while ago to let me know that there was nothing in the blood work, but that the xray showed a lot of gas that has collected in a spot in her intestine. He said it could be a number of things but first he will treat her overnight for virus or something else??? ... I forget what he said... but he was going to give her the meds to fight whatever it was... and tomorrow see how she does on water and bland food .. if there is no improvement then it could be that she would need to go for exploratory surgury. He said IF it would be a blockage it wouldn't be a total one, but partial.
I am so sad

to have my Gracie in the hospital. But I am grateful to all of you who encouraged me to pursue this. Even if she is better by tomorrow

....
Needless to say, Gracie's "used to be" vet will get a letter from me explaining why she is no longer a patient.
THANKS AGAIN.... and say a prayer for my Gracie....

Oh.. and if there is abnormal gas patterns.... what exactly can that mean??? (other than a blockage)? He explained it to me on the phone, but I forgot some of what he said... I am praying that she wont have to have surgery.

Shalva · 10-14-2007, 06:36 PM

I am so glad your kid is at the vet where they can watch her. I am very concerned about her so please keep us posted.
s

Renoman · 10-14-2007, 06:48 PM

I am so glad you decided to follow everyone's advice. You may be looking at nothing, but you may be looking at something that could have been a major problem if not treated immediately. It's so much better to err on the side of caution than to beat yourself up because you didn't.

At least now Gracie is being watched and treated accordingly.

I agree, you should send a letter to your 'previous' vet letting them know why you have gone elsewhere. They may look at their procedures/practices and rethink them. Like having a tech on call instead of a vet!

I hope Gracie is going to be alright. We will be thinking of her.

FriendsOfZoe · 10-14-2007, 09:24 PM

Glad to hear she's at the hospital getting the help she needs.

As for your question about the gas on the x-rays, all I know is that some gas patterns can indicate possible obstruction...pretty vague, sorry. Next time you talk to the vet, you could ask them again what different gas patterns could mean.

Ella'sMom · 10-14-2007, 09:32 PM

Praying for Gracie. Please let us know how she is.

Chikadee · 10-15-2007, 04:14 AM

Hopefully she is ok!

Achilles was just at the vet for the same thing about 3 weeks ago. He was lethargic, not eating and vomitting everything, so I took him in and they took x-rays, did tests, etc, and they couldn't figure out what it was and he had a fever of 106.4, so they transfered him from the ER vet to his regular vet the next morning where he stayed for 2 days. His x-rays showed a lot of abnormal gas patterns at the ER vet and they re-did them at the normal vet the next afternoon and they hadn't changed, so they did an ultrasound as well and they thought he could have had a blockage, but they couldn't tell without exploratory surgery. Poor guy looked so miserable. The vet wanted to watch him overnight and keep him on fluids so we did that and if he didn't improve by the next afternoon he was going to have to have the surgery. So there I was stressing out, trying to figure out how to get the $500 deposit for the surgery, calling everyone I knew (finally got it from my ex-step mother) and the next afternoon the little booger was perfectly fine! His x-rays were clear, they never did find out what was wrong with him... but I'm so glad I took him in anyway, you never know what could happen.

I hope your Gracie is doing ok! Make sure you let us know how she's doing!

babsdawn55 · 10-15-2007, 08:17 AM

Thank you! Ahhhh (Ellas mom).... your puppy looks like my Gracie, except Gracie is just a bit darker. Adorable!!!! I tried to download her pic on here but couldn't get it to work. Thank you ALL for your support and advice. I will keep you updated.

BoxMeIn21 · 10-15-2007, 10:31 AM

So glad you were able to get her some help! Any word on how she is doing today?