Question:
My dog has been to 2 different vets in the past 2 days- the first was our regular vet, second was an emergency care. I was able to get no real answers from them and after spending close to $700 I was hoping I mgiht get some insight here-
Some background- my dog hasn't eaten in about 5 days now- she has been vomiting yellow bile. She drinks water but has no interest in food. Xrays and an ultrasound showed no clear problem, the ultrasound showed more solid matter in her stomach than should be there considering she hasn't eaten. Her bloodwork showed her white blood count was high and her electrolytes were low (most likely from the vomiting). The vet gave me cephalexin for the infection-
I tried to ginve her the med last night and this morning with peanut butter, which she took, she didn't want the medicine though I got her to take most of it-
Any thoughts? The vet wants me to come back for more xrays, but the cost is getting to be a bit high, I love my dog, but really can't afford this-
Thank you so much for any advice you may have

Answer:
Try giving her some BOILED hamburger and cooked rice. Try a very small amount to see if she can keep it down.

Answer:
she hadn't eaten anything in your back yard in the last week or so that could have poisoned her or made her ill - have a look around, plants, gone off food (she is showing signs of food poisoning), or slug pelts???

...try boiling white lemonade (spirte or 7up) and give it as a drink, it settles dogs stomaches just as good as dogs and keeps up energy levels...

boiled brown rice is a good idea put a little chicken or beef in it and try little portions regularly and see if it stays down...

your little one has starved herself for quiet a while now trying to make herself better so her stomach is 'closing' so it can't handle large amounts and has got in the 'habit' of chucking everything that goes down there up! So small amounts every hour or so and see if she keeps it down...

Answer:
the ultrasound showed more solid matter in her stomach than should be there

Has your vet mentioned a blockage? The not eating, vomiting bile, and the mass in her stomach make it sound like one. A dog who hasn't eaten in 5 days should have an empty stomach.

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I have to echo LR's concern here also. This could be a problem..along with many others ..I would rush your dog to another vet without haste! After 5 days I would consider this an emergency..I do not intend to alarm you but your dog needs more than Keflex..did the vet check for any endocrine problem? How old and what breed is your dog? (I may have missed that part of your post, sorry)
Please do not wait..

Answer:
So she's not eating and taking antibiotics...thats gonna make her more sick!

Try giving some baby food or boil potato and chicken (boneless and skinless) cut into very very small portions.

Only give a teaspoon or so at a time to let the digestive system begin to work. Feed slowly and should have food on the stomach before having the antibiotics.

Answer:
Originally Posted by Luba
So she's not eating and taking antibiotics...thats gonna make her more sick!

Try giving some baby food or boil potato and chicken (boneless and skinless) cut into very very small portions.

Only give a teaspoon or so at a time to let the digestive system begin to work. Feed slowly and should have food on the stomach before having the antibiotics.

After 5 days I have to disagree , she should be NPO..anytime a dog vomits for 5 day's until the cause is found..drinking water only will not suffice with hydration. There has to be a reason for this..

If she was totally blocked she would surely show more serious signs by now.
Partially blocked she would have watery stools..very fluid and a rank odor. (solids are held back by a blockage..only fluid gets by with constant bowel contractions) ..
The dog needs to be on iv fluids and more tests than just bloodwork and rads, ultra sound...more info would be helpful also.
If the Vet sent the dog home with cephalexin (Kelfex) and nothing more I would not stop at home, I will be at another vet's in a heartbeat.
Cephalexin is a good drug, been around for a while..somewhat harmless...
It can be used as a "hail mary" drug..give the owner a drug that covers it all and the OWNER will feel better going home with something..

I'm ranting again...need to cool off.


..where's that doggie pool I saw on another thread?

Answer:
I agree about holding back the food but the vet didn't seem to tell her that! I would have suggested that if the vet was concerned.

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I just have to reiterate that a dog (or anyone) who has not eaten in 5 days should have nothing at all in the stomach. I'm surprised the vet did not suggest surgery right away to see what is in there.

Answer:
Originally Posted by LuckyRescue
I just have to reiterate that a dog (or anyone) who has not eaten in 5 days should have nothing at all in the stomach. I'm surprised the vet did not suggest surgery right away to see what is in there.

I was surprised also but by the original post, not much information was offered. My guess is there is much more to it than we know, I hope the poster comes back and elaborates more so WE know more.
I, for one would not spend $700. at a Vet's clinic and be happy to walk away with antibiotics and know there is a question about the contents of my beloved pets stomach, and still not a clue? Especially after 5 days...
just a hunch..I believe there is more to it. Any Vet, even the evil one I once worked for would go further and would also address the immdiate crisis at hand first. For less than $700.00! Something is missing here..

Answer:
Thank you all for the feedback- she seems to be doing much better today-she pooped this afternoon, which I don't think she has done in a few days. She took her medicine with peanut butter and kept it down. SHe has been drinking water regularly and peeing as well.
As for her breed- she is a mutt- she looks like a black lab, but her mother was a beagle/basset hound mix and she has some chow in her (purple tongue), she is 5 years old.
She is in much better spirits today as well- I took her for a ride earlier and she ran to the car- yesterday, and the day before, she wasn't as cooperative.

The vet did mention a possible blockage but seemed very iffy about it. I will see how she is doing tomorrow morning and if she seems worse, I will look for another vet.

The total amount I spent was between 2 different places, it was 350 for the ultrasound and about 330 for the regular vet- I am also not happy about this, which is why I came here, hoping to find some more insight considering I saw 2 different vets and neither one seemed to offer much

Answer:
Emergency clinics are horrifically expensive!! I rushed my 20 yr old cat in one night at midnight after he sneaked out of the house and got beaten up by another cat.

They put him in an oxygen chamber overnight, hydrated him, took one x-ray and gave me antibiotics, and the bill the next day was nearly 300$.

Oh, and they also insinuated that I abused him, because he reacted badly to them spraying water from a hose on him to get the blood off his paws!!!

But what can you do when you have an emergency?

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