Monday Mischief #18 - When it rains, it pours

Warning: This post gets gross with in-depth discussion of dog body fluids.

Last Sunday, we made a mad dash to the vet because Mr. N was throwing up and having diarrhea. Today was Onyxx's turn and we had to rush him to the emergency vet at 2:30 in the morning.

It started on Friday when he threw up a hairball. I didn't know dogs could get hairballs. Did you? He is always grooming himself and licking the floor so it's not a huge surprise but that's not what you want to be greeted with at four in the morning. His stomach was a little upset but I chalked it up to the hairball and went to work.

We started him on bland food and he seemed to be doing OK until Onyxx threw up on Saturday afternoon and then wouldn't stop having diarrhea. He would hide under the couch and go to the door at five minute intervals insisting that he had to go out even though he had been out five minutes prior. I talked to the rescue earlier (before he got worse) and they thought it was some bacterial infection and said to fast him.

At some point, the diarrhea turned into blood. I kept calling the rescue but they weren't picking up. I was concerned because the rescue is responsible for Onyxx's medical bills and we have to get approval for vet visits. I called the emergency vet and they said to bring him in. The boyfriend came home and we decided that he was simply too ill to wait until morning. 

 Initially, the vet was thinking HGE (hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, a canine illness characterized by vomiting and bloody diarrhea) and he had the textbook "raspberry jam" texture diarrhea. His blood work was inconclusive for that, however, and they started thinking obstruction as a possible cause.

We took Onyxx home as an outpatient after he received fluids and anti-nausea injections with instructions to bring him back if he didn't improve and to think about x-rays. 

The rescue called in the morning and we discussed what to do next. Onyxx had a few more bouts of diarrhea but no more vomiting. We were thinking he'd probably have to be hospitalized overnight at the emergency vet. He was refusing to eat and was just lying listlessly on a dog bed in the pen.

And then the little stinker ran out of the bedroom when he heard Mr. N being fed dinner and started dancing around the living room on hind legs begging. He ate some prescription canned food mixed with water and we squirted his meds into his mouth. 

He's still pretty quiet but he ate a little bit more food afterwards and went back to sleep. It is insanely hard to tell if a lazy dog is being lethargic. Onyxx will normally spend hours sleeping on the couch or bed. So when he is sick and doing the same thing, it's difficult to ascertain if he is improving or not.

It's much easier to tell with Mr. N. He has random zoomies around the house, he will toss toys for himself when he gets bored and if you are late for his walk time, he will let you know that it is not acceptable. If he is lethargic, it shows.

The boyfriend thinks this may all be a complicated plot on Onyxx's part to get a break from Mr. N. Mr. N likes to bat at Onyxx's face when he wants to play and Onyxx wants to sleep. Or sleep with his foot on Onyxx's face.