Been a while - Kylie update and PSA

1440 Views 13 Replies 9 Participants Last post by dogsule, Mar 6, 2020

CptJack

Discussion Starter · Mar 1, 2020

On Thursday Kylie puked in the morning, and I didn't think much of it, fed her breakfast which she ate. I didn't think much of it because early morning hunger vomiting isn't too strange for her. But then a couple of hours after eating breakfast, she threw up again. At that point red flags started waving for me - I know my dog and her patterns and eat food eagerly then throw up is not up there - so we went to the vet.

At the vet she got an x-ray because like me they suspected a blockage. The x-ray wasn't super indicative, so follow up from that was staying the day getting a barium swallow study which showed, yet, nothing moving. So, she had surgery on Friday morning where they retrieved a chewed up, flattened,plastic bottle cap blocking the exit to her stomach. She came home yesterday (Saturday) after a follow up barium x-ray showed decent emptying, with all the meds.

She's got a bit longer before she's entirely clear from risk, but she's home and pretty happy. Huge stapled up incision and bald tummy but recovering all right.

But take this as your PSA because my vet told me bluntly that most people wait. They wait at least a day or two of regular vomiting or weeks if it's a partial blockage and causing occasional vomiting. Meanwhile the dog is losing weight, losing hydration, and the foreign body is causing internal damage. All of it making the surgery riskier and harder on the dog.

And, as another vet told me, you do the surgery because you suspect/there's an inconclusive result on x-ray and you're wrong? Most dogs do fine. You WAIT? Most outcomes are not good.

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Lillith

· #2 · Mar 1, 2020

Oh no, poor Kylie! I'm glad she's doing alright!

It's so easy to just "wait it out" because 90% of the time we think they've just eaten something yucky (and they probably have unless they are frequent eaters of "not food" things)! I would have thought that, too, if my dog still wanted to eat. I probably wouldn't have suspected anything abnormal beyond a simple stomach upset unless my dog stopped wanting food and began acting out of sorts.

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Knute

· #3 · Mar 1, 2020

Thanks for the PSA. Although, I wonder where she found the cap???

As an owner of a mini-schnauzer with a very busy nose and a short path into the maw coupled with always wanting to eat. I have to be vigilant on walks, outings and in the house to control and intervene him consuming of treasures.

I have trained the "Drop It" command, but sometimes his nose mouth path is too quick. This is when I retrieve the treasure from his mouth. A short list of some of the recovered snacks.....cooked bones, candy, hot dog pieces laced with treble hooks, poop, trash, paper, fruit seeds..... and worst of worst....a piece of suspected rat poison.

My point, we must be vigilant when a dog is sniffing or mouthing an object or chewing on something. We also must be vigilant on walks and outings. One last point, all household garbage must be secured.

Happy you took action quickly and the pup is recovering quickly.

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CptJack

Discussion Starter · #4 · Mar 1, 2020 (Edited)

If you have that much control over your dog, it leads a different life than mine.

She's nearly 8.

She's been a perfectly Good Dog without any tendency to eat non-food items her entire life. Where'd she find it? Who knows. The woods on a hike? The trash at home? The park? Swimming at the river? Something in the dirt at an agility event when I was talking to another human rather than staring at her?

Most likely? She found it on the floor of my house overnight, because a cat knocked it somewhere I didn't notice and ate it.

Dunno.

I am absolutely positive she will have opportunity to do so again because I'd rather deal with surgical recovery than restricting my dog's life to that degree because I'm that concerned about her eating something potentially bad that she is never out of my sight, off a leash, out of reach, or off a crate.

(PS: She knows drop it. And leave it. And trading. She's the dog at the top of my signature with all the titles. I know how to train dogs, but thank you.)

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CptJack

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 1, 2020

Lillith - definitely a thing. Dogs throw up. For me the real red flag wasn't even wanting to eat again it was the puke/eat/puke thing that happened so relatively quickly. I'm not sure I'd have caught a partial blockage so fast either. There was just clearly no gastric emptying happening.

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Knute

· #6 · Mar 1, 2020

Capt...Please understand. I am not paranoid nor do I watch my mini-schnauz 100%.

Some of the items that have been prevented would have resulted in a dead dog. Recall, my first 3 years were in China.

Some breeds are prone to eating anything. This is an unfortunate trait with mini-schnauzers, they will always eat. I would rather be vigilant and retrieve a treble hook laced hot dog or possible rat poison than an emergency Vet visit with a questionable outcome.

Once again, my point is to us to be vigilant about what the dog consumes. Knowing we will miss, but we can reduce the chances of injury from ingestion.

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CptJack

Discussion Starter · #7 · Mar 1, 2020

I have certainly had my dogs drop/leave all sorts of questionable things, but as you said; You are going to miss.

So, sure. Be vigilant.

Then know what signs of trouble are so maybe you won't also miss the opportunity to do something about it with the best possible outcome.

Misses there are going to happen, too.

And while humans are very, very prone to trying to figure out 'how could I have prevented this' and 'this won't happen to me if I ___" life rarely cooperates.

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Knute

· #8 · Mar 1, 2020

LOL......life never cooperates.

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DaySleepers

· #9 · Mar 1, 2020

I think it's also important not to be too overconfident in your own ability to keep a dog out of stuff. I'd hate to think that someone might see the signs of a blockage, but be so convinced that there was no way their dog could have ingested anything that they delay treatment, y'know? Because yeah, dogs are dogs, and humans are humans. We make mistakes, and they can be unpredictable and unexpectedly clever when it comes to eating things they aren't supposed to.

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petpeeve

· #10 · Mar 2, 2020

Been a while. Glad you're still alive and kicking

.

Soooo sorry to hear Kylie and you are going through this. I hope everything will be just fine in the end, no pun intended lol.

Best wishes for a speedy and thorough recovery. And yeah ... dogs, eh.

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Canyx

· #11 · Mar 2, 2020

Glad she is okay! Just goes to show you never know when or how but crazy things can happen. I'm so glad you trusted your gut (no pun intended). I can see how a flat cap positioned that way may not show up on Xrays.

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ForTheLoveOfDogs

· #12 · Mar 3, 2020

Good to "see you" and so glad that Kylie is okay. That had to be scary.

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Sueang

· #13 · Mar 5, 2020

But

CptJack said:
View attachment 262176

On Thursday Kylie puked in the morning, and I didn't think much of it, fed her breakfast which she ate. I didn't think much of it because early morning hunger vomiting isn't too strange for her. But then a couple of hours after eating breakfast, she threw up again. At that point red flags started waving for me - I know my dog and her patterns and eat food eagerly then throw up is not up there - so we went to the vet.

At the vet she got an x-ray because like me they suspected a blockage. The x-ray wasn't super indicative, so follow up from that was staying the day getting a barium swallow study which showed, yet, nothing moving. So, she had surgery on Friday morning where they retrieved a chewed up, flattened,plastic bottle cap blocking the exit to her stomach. She came home yesterday (Saturday) after a follow up barium x-ray showed decent emptying, with all the meds.

She's got a bit longer before she's entirely clear from risk, but she's home and pretty happy. Huge stapled up incision and bald tummy but recovering all right.

But take this as your PSA because my vet told me bluntly that most people wait. They wait at least a day or two of regular vomiting or weeks if it's a partial blockage and causing occasional vomiting. Meanwhile the dog is losing weight, losing hydration, and the foreign body is causing internal damage. All of it making the surgery riskier and harder on the dog.

View attachment 262177

View attachment 262178

And, as another vet told me, you do the surgery because you suspect/there's an inconclusive result on x-ray and you're wrong? Most dogs do fine. You WAIT? Most outcomes are not good.

Normally when there's a blockage the dog stops pooing & keeps vomiting everything back up, best to take dog on walks & when there's no poos then 2nd day no poos still vomiting then straight to the vets cause something is wrong..
Lucky you listen to your gut & know your dogs routine, a lot of people don't until its too late like your vet said, then dog doesn't make it or is put to sleep or owner doesn't have funds for op & is put to sleep very sad..

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dogsule

· #14 · Mar 6, 2020

Oh my gosh, glad she is ok!! I agree with you hunger pukes are normal but when they throw up after eating or are throwing up food hours later, something is amiss. Glad you caught it so quickly and she will be fine.

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