Sickness

[mikegoodson1]

Hi all,

I'm not sure posting here will make me feel better or worse but here goes.....Sasha has been sick off and on all week and I'm getting worried about her.

She started last Friday (10th) and was sick in the afternoon and evening, we decided to wait until the following day before we took her to the vets, just in case it was some 24 hr thing. We put her on the Royal Canin gastro-intestinal food (which is quite bland for them) and by Saturday, sure enough, no more sickness and she seemed more herself. We didn't take her out for a walk or anything, just let her take it easy. Sunday and Monday were much the same, still on the Royal Canin, no walks, just taking it easy.

Tuesday morning (5am) she started being sick again (four times in total between 5am - 8am), so as soon as the vets opened, I called them and arranged an appointment. Her temperature was fine (boy, she didn't like the way that was taken, can't say I blame her) and she wasn't dehydrated. She was given an anti-sickness jab and we were asked to monitor her, bring her back straight away if the sickness continued and keep her on the Royal Canin.

The next morning (Weds) at 5am she was sick the once, I was torn whether to take her into the vets again but it was just the once, so I didn't and she was fine the rest of the day. Again no walk, same bland food.

Thursday she seemed good as gold so we walked as normal and even went to our agility class, her appetite was good etc.

Friday, sick again from around 5am to 7am, so back to the vets. Another anti-sickness jab (apparently the one-off sickness on the Weds could have been due to the effects of the jab on Tuesday wearing off) and some tablets to counter acid in the stomach. The rest of the day Sasha was fine.

Now Saturday morning, she was up at 5am and pacing around like she wanted to be sick, I didn't let her out because I wanted to see if she was or not and what it would look like. So far, she hasn't been sick but she was making those noises. Presently, she is asleep here with me, in her bed, so it may just have been the effects of the jab the day before wearing off, unsettling her. I'll see how she is this morning before deciding what to do.

The vet mentioned yesterday that there is a bug going around and that she has seen quite a few dogs come in with similar symptoms.

I just wanted some re-assurance (or not) that I'm doing the right thing.

Sorry for the long post.

Cheers, Mike

[zeta1454]

Hi Mike, sorry to hear about Sasha vomiting. It can be so worrying when you don't really know what is going on. I can offer a bit of advice from our experience over the years but obviously this is just general comments not diagnosis.

If any of ours start with vomiting (and/or diarrhoea) I give a YuDigest Plus powder on their food and a teaspoon of Dorwest Herbs Tree Barks powder. I wouldn't change their food although might reduce the amount just because changing food of itself can upset the digestion but if you think the RC food is helping that's OK.

Vomiting is one of the ways a dog rids itself of toxins so unless they are dehydrated I would be cautious of giving anything to stop the vomiting (as with diarrhoea) as if it is something they have eaten or a bug I feel it is better for them to get whatever is causing the issue out of their system but that again is my personal perspective.

This is is the time of year when there does seem to be more bugs around causing digestive issues and dogs can be prone to bouts of vomiting / tummy upsets as a result. If so, it should be nothing to worry about as long as Sasha stays OK in herself. Probiotics like the YuDigest powder can help boost the immune system to fight unwelcome bacteria in the gut and Tree Barks powder can soothe the lining of the gut if it is inflamed. It may just be a question of time for Sasha's immune system to clear her system of the bugs and for everything to settle down and sometimes this can take a little while. If Sasha is fine in herself, I am sure she will soon get over this and be back to normal. Try not to worry and let us know how things go over the weekend.

[Oscar 12345]

Hi Mike, poor Sasha. When the dog is down the whole house is down and I hope she gets back to normal soon. There is a lot of something going round at the moment and I imagine something to do with the mild weather. Just remember that if, other than the signs of being sick, she is behaving/eating normally then this is very likely to be an intestinal bug that she has picked up. Not eating, being lethargic and depressed is a different matter. Otto had a day of very dodgy poop a week or so ago but I use slippery elm which is made into a syrup and put on his food and that solved the problem in 24 hours. I used to change Oscar's food to RC Gastro Intestinal when he had a problem and I always found that to work well. With Otto now I tend to use his normal food but smaller amounts/more meals over the day with the slippery elm. The strange thing is the on/off nature of Sasha's bug. Just check her when outside in your garden to make sure she isn't going back to something and eating it causing the tummy issues to continue.

[Schnauzer Sam]

Hi Mike, you've not mentioned Oscar which makes me think that he's been OK. Have you kept Sasha away from him or have they been mixing? The reason I ask is that if it's a bug that's going round then he would have been very likely to have picked it up.

I'd just keep a watching brief on her and not to overload her digestive system. Give her little and often. I can vouch for the efficacy of Yudigest and it's now available in Petsathome should you want to pick some up for her.

Hope she's fully better soon.

[mikegoodson1]

Hi Leigh/Julie and Sam,

Thanks so much for your messages and support - as always

Oscar ended up getting the same bug last Saturday (11th) and I had to take him to the emergency vets last Sunday (12th), he had the anti-sickness jab but they also gave him a probiotic 'gloop', that I squeezed onto his food. Oscar (even though he has a more sensitive tummy) seemed to crack on to getting better quicker than Sasha has, maybe down to the probiotic? Interestingly, when I mentioned this to the vets I took Sasha to twice, they both said they would only recommend a probiotic if there were loose stools as well as sickness and as a result, neither gave me a probiotic for her.

I will definitely purchase some of the YuDIGEST PLUS, it's worth having in the cupboard.

Sasha seems a lot better but I'm not counting my chickens, for some reason this morning she had no appetite at all. I fed Oscar as usual at around 8am and Sasha just turned her nose up at it, until around 1pm when she let me know she was hungry.

As a side note, Oscar now has picked up cystitis (I noticed blood in his urine Friday night and Saturday morning), a trip the vets later for some medication and tomorrow (Monday) he is booked in for an ultrasound and urine test as they are concerned about 'stones' in his bladder!

It's been a real nightmare 7 days or so with them both, especially as they are usually healthy dogs.

Hopefully we'll get there!

Thanks again, I'll keep you posted

[Oscar 12345]

Hi Mike, hopefully Sasha is now over the worst. But poor Oscar bless him. Hope it is something easily treatable so fingers and paws crossed. Not a good way to start the new year....

[Schnauzer Sam]

Mike,

When Rosie was younger I was forever running to the vet as she had recurring tummy trouble. They sometimes gave her a jab and usually gave me Pro-Kolin+ paste. I got myself some online and kept it in reserve. Although it did help I was forever trying to determine the cause of the trouble and finally got a few packs of RAW from a local supplier and we simply haven't been back to the vet since !!

I'm sorry if I sound like an evangelist for RAW (none as zealous as a convert) and I'm not telling you this is what you must do. If it's something that is constantly happening though you might want to think about their food but if it's a one-off then all's well.

Poor Oscar and Sasha, the pair of them are going through the mill. Hope all improves soon.

[GoEmGo]

Hi Mike

I'm sorry to hear about Sasha and Oscar. It does sound like quite a bug that they've caught. I have no advice at all, but just wanted to wish them both better!

[mikegoodson1]

Thanks everyone and no offence taken regards eulogising over raw feeding. Funnily enough the vet mentioned yesterday that dogs can have an allergic reaction to their food at any time even if they have been eating it without issue for years but......I'm not going to jump on the 'raw feeding' train just yet, as good as it is for those on it.

Oscar came home full of beans, literally, obviously very happy to be home. He seems back to normal, no nasties found on the ultrasound although we wait to hear back on the urine test which apparently can take a few days.

Both Oscar and Sasha seem pretty much back to normal now, thankfully. They even wanted me to play with them this morning (before I went to work), a sure sign they are feeling good.

So I'm hopeful that all the dramas are over, funny what a change a few days can make. I can remember how I felt Saturday morning, when it seemed that Sasha just could not shake the sickness bug she had, then again Sunday evening, when I had the worry of Oscar and potential stones in his bladder.

Now I feel we are over the worst of it (fingers still crossed)

Again, thank you for the 'arm around my shoulder' - I really needed it

[zeta1454]

Great to hear that Oscar and Sasha are fully recovered!

I would agree with Sam that raw feeding our pack has certainly seemed to keep them well as we rarely go to the vet and only twice in over a decade with anything related to digestive issues. Interestingly, the only one of our eleven dogs who does have a more sensitive digestion is the only one who was not raw fed from weaning. She has never been ill enough to need veterinary attention but does periodically have a day or two of runny poo or the odd regurgitation of her dinner which the other dogs rarely suffer.

Anyway good news re your two and for Oscar's ultrasound result too

[Oscar 12345]

Mike, fantastic, now perhaps you can all get back to your normal routine. They really are nothing but trouble aren't they, hope you have told them that is it for 2020, no more scares...

[schnauzer]

Hope everyone is feeling better

[Oscar 12345]

Mike, I suspect this is what your two have had. https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-n ... EwWXmVPUA4

[mikegoodson1]

Yes I saw that too

[BeeBee]

There's definitely something nasty about.
One of ours went downhill very fast a couple of weeks ago, but we're in France, so can't be directly the same as what's affecting the UK. But our vet did say that the persistently wet, mild winter we're having - and I think a lot of the UK is too - provides ideal conditions for the proliferation of these bugs.
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/182078 ... 7AYGQFif-4