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not eating, now being sick

Bella

Bella has not eaten properly for 5 days. Took her to the vet 2 days ago, no temperature, they gave her pain killer, she was better the rest of the day, still not eating until that evening. Then she was sick the following morning and had diarrhea ( 3 days after initial not eating started), As she was very weak and lethargic and also crying before being sick took her to vet again yesterday. All vital signs checked ok, they gave her something to make her feel less sick and also some paste to improve her appetite, Heart and breathing ok. I am really worried as she is still eating very little and the vet can’t seem to find out what is wrong. She is not urinating much and seems to have some pain when she does so.

Any ideas ?

• Master Advisor Matthew says:

  December 03rd, 2007 at 03:40 PM

  Hi, Has Bella had a course of broad spectrum antibiotics yet? Most cases of vomiting and diarrhea are due to bacterial gastroenteritis. Although one would expect her to have a raised temperature in that situation, it is not always the case. e.g. her 'normal' temp might be a degree or so beneath the normal range, so when she measures normal now, that could be raised for her. I think alot of vets would advise going for xrays at this stage if she isn't better and it has been going on for about a week. This is because an obstruction in the stomach or intestines has to be ruled out. Being a young dog, we can almost certainly rule out a tumor, but Bella could either have swallowed something (toy, stick, bone etc) which is stuck, or have something called an intususception, where 1 part of the intestines telescopes inside another part. The danger with obstructions is that the animal can get dehydrated very quickly. The abdomen is usually tense and uncomfortable when squeezed. The urinating thing could be significant, or could be a red herring. If in doubt, collect a fresh urine sample before your next visit to the vet. This can be checked for crystals (indicates the presence of bladder stones) Abdominal xrays would also enable the vet to have look at the bladder at the same time as assessing the stomach and intestines. Good luck.

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