# Sick princess and very tired Mommy



## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

Cassie has been staying with my Mom for the last week or so. Mom was concerned because she was itching excessively. I picked her up yesterday and took her to the vet. Cass has a history of allergies and itching, but Mom said it was very extreme. The vet prescribed her Temaril-P. I gave her 1/2 pill around 3:00 yesterday. She ate her dinner and was quiet last night. Once we went to bed, her belly exploded. We were up every 20 minutes with her needing to go out with diarrhea. This went on all night long. I gave her a metronidazole in the middle of the night, but it didn't help. She also began throwing up by morning. I called the vet at 7:00 and we went right over. They said they don't usually see any reaction to this medication, but it does seem likely that it could be a reaction to the medication. They gave her fluids under the skin and a shot of something to help with the nausea. They gave me some meds for her to take this evening. She has continued to be sick all day. Sometimes she makes it outside, sometimes not. I called the vet and they said it will take time to get through her system. I am really worried. She also has blood in the diarrhea now. She won't eat anything and they told me not to give the metronidazole unless she gets a little food in her stomach (it will make her nauseous). I did give her some immodium (liquid) as they suggested to me. She is sleeping now, but I have to watch her for as soon as she jumps up so I can get her outside. Even if she goes to the puppy pads, it gets everywhere! My poor baby. I feel so bad that she feels so sick and I am worried sick. Any suggestions? The vet we dealt with this morning gets in at 9:00 tonight, so I may call her then. I don't want to have to leave her there


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Oh, Karen, I am so sorry to hear that Cassie is so sick. Kodi had diarhea for a week or so while we were on vacation, but it was only a couple of times a day, and even THAT made me worry. (to say nothing of the clean-up needed). I hope the vet who first saw her will be able to give you some other advice, but if you are really worried about her, she's probably better off in the hospital, where they can keep giving her fluids and keep an eye on her vitals.

I hope she is MUCH better soon!


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Oh poor Cassie. I am sending healing thoughts. Get better soon Cassie. Hugs to you Karen.


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## mamacjt (Aug 23, 2011)

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear of your sick little girl! Healing thoughts going out that she gets better real quickly!!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Poor little Cassie. Hope she is better soon, Karen.


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

Oh, hope she feels better soon. How awful for everyone. Poor baby.


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## Beau's mom (Oct 6, 2011)

If you haven't take her back to the vet, I agree with Karen that she would be better off in their care. Maybe they would let you stay with her until things settle down. I'm concerned that she'll get dehydrated again with her continuing to vomit and have diarrhea. She really needs fluids or she won't be able to fight this off. We're worrying with you and will keep you both in our prayers.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

I just got home from the vet, and I left her there. They did a blood test and said she has HGE. They are going to start her on IV fluids and IV meds including Metrodondizole and others. They are also going to give her a sedative to help her relax. She doesn't do well away from me. I asked if they had a sedative for me too, but no such luck. I am going to call if I wake up during the night and see how she is. If she is upset at all and feeling better, I can go get her then. I am going to try to get some sleep and let her do the same, and then call first thing in the morning. My vet is a 24 hour vet, so there is a vet and a vet tech there all night. They know I am a bit nuts and promised to call for any reason they may need to. Hopefully, she will be feeling a little better by morning. I am off to try to sleep, but I have a feeling it will be tough to do that.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Poor Baby! Sending ((((Hugs)))) and healing wishes to Cassie. What is HGE?


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## HannahBearsMom (Jul 31, 2011)

I hope Cassie has a good night and can come home to peer, and I hope you get some sleep.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

(((((HUGS))))) poor baby, poor you... praying you both get some rest tonight and that she feels better in the morning.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

So sorry to hear that your little Cassie is so sick. Hope the morning finds her feeling much better. And hope you get some rest too.


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

Sending healing vibes to Cassie; I'll be watching for your next report. Hope you're getting a bit of sleep; I'd be freaking out, without revealing my freak-out to my dog, if possible!

Glad you left her with the vet; lucky you to have a 24-hour vet in range!

Camellia waves greetings to Cassie!

Lots of love and hugs,
Sat, 7 Jul 2012 01:54:43 (PDT)


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## shimpli (Mar 24, 2010)

Ohh Karen, I am so sorry your princess is sick and had to stay at the vet's. Hope you got some rest. My prayers for Cassie and you. I know she will feel a lot better today. Hugs.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

I just called to check on my girl. I spoke to the vet and she said she is comfortable. She had some diarrhea when she got there last night and just had some again, but did well through the night. They are going to give her another dose of the metrodondizole by IV this morning. I am going to call back at 9:00 and see how she is. They said she is quiet and comfortable. She said she wags her tail when she walks by her. I told her I want her home, but I want her to get better, so I want her to stay as long as she needs to in order to get well.

I am not very familiar with HGE. Here is what I found online about it. 

Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis (HGE) in dogs is a sudden-onset episode of diarrhea, often very bloody in nature. Some dogs may vomit. The exact cause is unknown, but there are many theories. Stress may play a role in the development of HGE. This disease may affect any breed, gender, and age.

What does HGE stand for?
HGE (at least in terms of veterinary medicine) stands for Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis, and it is a disease of dogs. In human medicine, HGE commonly stands for Human Granulocytic Ehrlichia (HGE). Click here to learn more about the human HGE disease.
What are the signs seen with HGE in dogs?
The most notable sign seen with HGE is a very sudden onset of bloody diarrhea in a previously healthy dog. Vomiting, not eating (anorexia), and listlessness are also seen. Dehydration is not usually clinically seen on initial presentation, but shock can develop quickly without treatment.

What causes HGE?
At this time, the exact cause of this disease is unknown. There are many theories - diet, a bacterial infection or bacterial toxin, virus, reaction to an intestinal parasite, etc. - but nothing has been proven. Stress may play a role in the development of HGE. Dogs that have an episode of HGE may be prone to another occurrence. Many dogs never experience HGE.


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## Dory (Jan 4, 2012)

Sending healing thoughts to Cassie!


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## gertchie (Jan 28, 2012)

Thanks for posting about HGE....that is awful & I would freak out too!!!! I hope Ozzie never knows about this! I sure hope Cassie is feeling better today ((hugs))


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## Pipersmom (Jul 27, 2009)

Oh Karen! I'm so sorry Cassie is sick. I think I remember someone going through this - maybe you can do a search and find the thread? Hope you both got some rest and today is a better day. 

Feel better soon Cassie!


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

My baby girl is still at the vet. I am going to visit her later today and see if she will eat anything for me. She still has not eaten anything for them. They do not want to send her home until she will eat something (so we can get meds in her) and drink. I have started reading stories of HGE online and it is really scary. A lot of dogs have died from this. Now, I am really worried. The vet assured me that she is improving. She has only had 2 episodes of diarrhea since she has been there. That is an improvement. They feel she is comfortable and will continue to watch her. I am just worried sick!


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## shimpli (Mar 24, 2010)

Karen, my 4 1/2 pounds Chihuahua had an episode of HGE last year. It was very scary for me. She had to stay 2 days at the hospital and they did everything she needed at that moment. I think it took some time for her to have normal stools again as she was not eating normally but she was improving. So if you don't see a normal stool yet, don't panic. She will get better soon. I hope she eats something with you and she holds it nicely. Keep us posted. Hugs.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

Thank you everyone!

Tere, I feel so much better knowing someone that has been through this. Sorry you went through it, but I am grateful to hear that you did and that your little one is okay. I will keep you posted. I am so worried about her


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Karen, I'm so sorry to hear about Caaaie I hope she eats soon and can come home. I'll be watching my computer to hear more news.


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## Lsprick (Jul 8, 2010)

Karen, hope your little princess turns the corner real soon and is back home with you. Gracie had an emergency vet visit a year ago and everyone here literally held my hand through the whole ordeal. Praying for all the best for Cassie.


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## Cindi (Sep 5, 2011)

Karen,

My little guy went through a nasty bout with HGE last summer, too, so I know how serious and frightening it can be. For Mojo, we got the bloody diarrhea under control quickly, but it took a few months (and trials of different probiotics and foods) to get the stools "normal" again. 

Cindi


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Sending good thoughts out to Cassie. Cash had HGE twice, once when he was a puppy and once older. It was horrible to go through...but he bounced back. I am praying that Cassie bounces back just as well.

There is a wonderful fast acting probiotic by vetri science that you can ask your vet about. It comes out looking like what you want to prevent... but I once used it when the boys were passing something back and forth with out any other antibiotics and it worked amazingly to wipe it out. But it also helped Cash when he had HGE. I don't remember if I was able to give it during the antibiotics or afterwards. You will probably have to use it in between doses of antibiotics. But it really helped Cash (and Jasper too) bounce back.

http://www.vetriscience.com/fastbalance.php

feel better little princess Cassie.


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Karen, I am very sad to hear you and Cassie are going through this, these things are so scary. Your Vet has labeled this as HGE it is...but Cassie's most probably came from the Temaril-P and Metronidazol. I am just explaining this to help you put your mind at ease, as this could happen to any one of us.

Temaril-P is a cortisone, it is a steriod, Vets consider it a milder form. If a dog is in much distress with itching often the first choice is predinsone, this year as it was mild winter there is a hugh bug and allergy problem in both humans and pets, my Vet is out of Prednisone and waiting for more (I was called about my supply for Boo Boo as he takes it for Addisons, I always have some ahead). Most dogs do well with Temaril-P but the ones that can't tolerate it get nauseous, have vomiting, diarrhea and in some dogs the diarrhea is bloody.

Metronidazole is for Bacterial infections of the protozoal type, usually some parasite, it is given with an antibotic for mixed Bacterial infections. It makes most dogs nauseous and should always be given with food, some dogs need to have pepcid with it. I don't know why but many Vets forget we are not Vets, we do not know how to give meds unless it is explained.

So your little Cassie has had two drugs that can cause her symptoms, plus she is stressed, itching non-stop can put their bodies under stress, then often there is emotional stress. 

The Vet knows she needs fluids to flush the steriod out of her body, it can be accomplished a lot quicker at the Vet. 

None of us know if our dog is going to have a reaction to any drug, this is also why the Vet likes to give the pills instead of the longer acting shot, they can counter act the smaller oral dose drug quickly and have more control over this type of event.

Hopefully Cassie will be home soon. The only reason I know a good bit about Allergies is I have spent the last many years with a child and two dogs with allergies ( and my granddaughter was nick named Bubble Baby before she turned 5). Last year Misty had a reaction to a cortisone shot, along with the diarrhea she dropped her undercoat (we are lucky our dogs coats are a mix so she was not left bald). She started dropping her coat first, at obedience class it looked like a dead dove on the floor. My dog Boo Boo has allergys so bad he's need IV steriods sometimes. These things are scary and can come on quickly.

I hope you and your Vet come up with a plan to control Cassie's itching, today they usually try to use fatty acids and a drug like benedryl 2x a day after they get things under control. Getting them under control is the first step, allergys can not be cured but they can be managed.

I often seem harsh on members who do not take their Pets to the Vet for itching, the reason is it can get serious. I know you are one of the ones who always takes your guys in a timely manner to the Vet. My heart goes out to you, I know how scary these things are, sometimes life is just not fair.

Hope your princess is home soon and you can catch your breath. Thinking of you. Hugs


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

Hi Robbie, 
Thanks for the information. The vet and I both agreed that the medicine could have kicked things off. We certainly will not be giving her the Tamaril-P again. I had the metrodonizole in the house and gave it to her in the middle of the night (while I was 1/2 asleep to try to help her). I really wasn't awake enough to think that I should have given it with food. The vet did tell me to try to give it to her with food when I brought her home. They diagnosed the HGE by blood test. In talking to the vet and reading up on it, it sounds like the circumstances could have led to it (stress, itching, medication....). 

I spoke to the vet again around 12:30. They said no major change. She still will not eat anything. They said she is alert and wags her tail when they walk by her. She has not had diarrhea since 6:00 AM, so we are making progress. I am going over around 6:00 to spend some time with her and see if she will eat anything for me. If she will eat a bite or 2, I may be able to bring her home. If not, she will stay there. I feel good knowing she is alert.

I will tell you that the diarrhea was terrifying. She had no control over herself and there was quite a bit of blood in it. My poor baby girl. 

As for the itching, I didn't see any itching once I got her home from the vet that day. I am going to have my groomer cut her shorter. The vet and I agreed to revisit the itching once we get this under control. She has dry skin, so we discussed shampoos, vitamins, etc. We will address it further once she is feeling a little better!

Thanks again for all of your good thoughts and prayers. I really do appreciate it. I would do anything for these dogs! They give me so much happiness and I just want them to be happy!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Glad she is doing a little better. I know the itching can be such a problem and it is so hard to pin down what is causing it. I know that if I see Kodi itching, it is most likely caused by a flea bite, and I might not even see a flea, or flea dirt.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

All I know is that we are overdosing ourselves and our dogs with drugs. The drugs /vaccines/pesticides /crap food are causing a lot of these problems. It's a money making business. Good luck with this. Thirty years ago , the dogs I met never had allergies.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

Dave, I am actually one of those people who does titers and doesn't believe in vaccinating unless necessary. I also am very careful about not feeding anything from china, etc. I actually suspect that she has seasonal allergies.


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## Becky Chittenden (Feb 4, 2009)

Glad Cassie is feeling better. If she doesn't eat anything when you go to the vet, see if you could bring her home for a few hours and try feeding her. I've had young dogs at the dog show who wouldn't eat, but when they were comfortable in the motel, after an hour or 2 sitting (lying) on the bed with me would eat. My best guess the reason for not eating is stress in an unfamiliar place.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

Thanks everyone for your advice, thoughts and prayers. Here is a quick update on my princess.

Update - I went to visit with Cass. She was very excited to see me! Her tail was wagging and she was very engaged with me. I stopped and picked up Boston Market rotisserie chicken to see if she would eat a little. She was very excited about the chicken. I sat with her and fed her a few small bites of the chicken and we relaxed together for a while. She was still licking her lips which they say is a sign of nausea. I was with her for about 45 minutes. I wasn't able to meet with the vet, but the vet I have been working with will be in again at 9:00. She will call me when she gets in. We will see how she does keeping this down. They took the chicken to keep giving her some small bites of it. I am so happy that she was alert, engaged and wanting to eat something. Hopefully, she will continue to improve and I can bring her home tonight or tomorrow morning. The vet tech told me that she loves her and she has been making her laugh all day. She said she looks at her and wags her tail and have the expression that says "hey lady, I do not belong in a cage. Get me out of here". Yep, that is my girl. She screamed when she took her back from me. I know she is fine, she is just a little manipulator .


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

So glad she's feeling better, and you did good by getting her to a vet and IV fluid going in her soon enough. More than a few have been lost to HGE. No personal experience, but we've heard of too many not getting help soon enough.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

She's home!! We just got home about 20 minutes ago. She was very happy to see me and go home with me! She came running into the house with her tail wagging. She had a drink of water, peed outside and is now resting comfortably on her favorite chair. No more diarrhea today. Hopefully, we will have a good night tonight. She is on 3 different medications. I will post tomorrow what they are. I am supposed to start feeding her a few teaspoons of food at a time and gradually increase it. I am going to keep feeding her the rotisserie chicken and mix in a little rice. She wouldn't eat for them after I left, but I know she will eat for me. Cassie thinks food from strangers may be poisoned and never eats anything a stranger gives her. My little girl is a piece of work! 

The vet didn't say much more about the HGE except that it was great that we were able to treat it so quickly and that she responded very well to the treatment. She did feel that it could have been triggered by a combination of things (the allergies bothering her, stress of going to the vet which is very stressful for Cassie, July 4th fireworks and thunderstorm which she doesn't handle well, medication for the allergies....). I had also just started to switch my dogs to Fromms. None of them reacted well to it. It was just a small bit of it that I was mixing with their current food. I stopped that a few days before this happened. They were busy there tonight when I picked her up, so I didn't get to talk to her again. I spoke with her for a few minutes when she called to say I could come and get her. For something that most of us have never heard of, it is pretty scary! 

Thank you all again for everything!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Great news. Get some sleep.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

SO glad Cassie is HOME where she belongs!! Can someone enlighten me about HGE and it's symptoms?? Seems sudden and scary...


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

TilliesMom said:


> SO glad Cassie is HOME where she belongs!! Can someone enlighten me about HGE and it's symptoms?? Seems sudden and scary...


when looking up stuff like this Tammy go to reputable sources only. http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/23311.htm


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Glad Cassie is home! Once a dog is rehydrated and stablized they usually let them go home, dogs are remarkable in their ability to bounce back. I wish we could bounce back from these scares as quickly. 

Dave, Thanks for putting up a great source. I love the internet but...it can scare you to death, and some sites give out dated or just plain wrong information.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

The Laughing Magpie said:


> Glad Cassie is home! Once a dog is rehydrated and stablized they usually let them go home, dogs are remarkable in their ability to bounce back. I wish we could bounce back from these scares as quickly.
> 
> Dave, Thanks for putting up a great source. I love the internet but...it can scare you to death, and some sites give out dated or just plain wrong information.


yeah the web is very dangerous; LOL


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

thanks Dave!


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I am so happy to hear the princess is well on her way to feeling 100%!


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

So glad Cassie is back home and on the mend. Hope she feels back to normal soon.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Thank goodness she is home I read the imformation on Daves link and at the bottom it stated this:

. When vomiting has ceased, food can be gradually reintroduced. Because of the possibility that food sensitivity may be an inciting factor, the protein source chosen should be one not previously fed to the dog, eg, cottage cheese, lamb, or tofu, mixed with rice. This diet is fed for 1-2 wk, after which the dog’s regular diet can be gradually reintroduced. 
Just thought I would point that out.:grouphug:


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## shimpli (Mar 24, 2010)

Karen, so glad Cassie is home and getting better. I hope you had a great night. Go, princess!!! Get well soon.


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## CarolWCamelo (Feb 15, 2012)

I'm here watching and cheering you and Cassie on! Go, Cassie! Uh - do take things a bit easy! You're getting wonderful care, and that will help you a lot!

Love from Camellia and Carol!
Sun, 8 Jul 2012 06:34:24 (PDT)


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

Good Morning,
Cass is recovering. She got up a few times during the night and either went outside or on the pad in the room. She is getting very tiny portions of chicken, so there wasn't much in her. No blood, so that was a good sign. She is eating what I give her and drinking some water. She is pretty quiet and I can tell she is still not feeling well. She is still licking her lips indicating that she is nauseous. But, she is resting comfortably and I think we are definitely making some progress. I am off to see if I can catch a few zzz while she is resting. Every time she moved during the night, I jumped right up to see if she needed me. I am just so grateful to have her back home. I just want her to feel all better! I also can't wait to give her a bath, but she is not a fan of baths, so I don't want to do it until she is feeling better.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Good news Karen. I hope you have a nice nap. and continued prayers for Cassie to be 100% real soon.


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Cassie had a good night the nausea may take awhile to completely go away.Home with you is the best place for her to recover. Hope you recover, I know the feeling of waking up to check everytime they move, it's part of our nurture gene.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Glad to hear Cassie is home with you and enjoying your comforting "Mom care"!


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## ivyagogo (Sep 11, 2007)

Karen - I'm late to the thread. I'm glad Cassie is feeling better. It's so scary when they are sick.

Ivy


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Karen, hope things are stilll improving. I thought I'd mention to you , I asked Sabine about HGE . She acknowledges that it can be food related. She gets referals from vets at a large animal hospital in California to do customized diets for dogs with this problem. She does agree with the info out there , that quite often even the vet won't know what causes the attack. But since you mentioned allergies as well. who knows the cause in your case. I mentioned to her that I'd let you know about this, so feel free to ask her any questions. Maybe give her an email and let her know your story if you want. Here's her address if you're interested [email protected] 
She did say , it was good on your part for getting to the vet asap . She said it can be even more dangerous for small dogs.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Hi Karen, just checking in on you and Cassie!!! better today?


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

Cassie is much more like herself today. She is attached to me like glue, but that is fairly normal for her. No diarrhea since early yesterday. Here she is supervising some play outside today. She ran for a minute and decided she wasn't quite up for that yet. She is still eating small portions of chicken and rice and taking lots of meds. I can see the light in her eyes again which makes me very happy. She is also behaving in her typical Cassie ways. She yelled at me when I sneezed today (a Cassie thing - she gets right in my face and barks when I sneeze), she blocked Harley out of the bedroom last night by staring him down and not letting him in. I couldn't figure out why he was crying in the hall, but they I saw her in her bed just staring him down. So, I escorted him in. These are all very typical princess Cassie behaviors, so they were good to see .


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Happy to hear your Princess is getting back to normal.


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## Pipersmom (Jul 27, 2009)

Yay Cassie! Good to hear she's feeling better, someone's got to keep those boys in line :wink:


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I missed this, was out of town last week. Sorry to hear Cassie got sick, I am glad to hear she's on the mend.


hugs,
Kara


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

So glad to hear the little princess is doing better.


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