# My dog is sick after vet visit



## stealthtech (May 7, 2014)

Took my 13 year old Chihuahua in for a routine rabies-distemper vac. and we decided for the first time we would have her teeth cleaned. So, the vac. + anesthetic to put her to sleep + an antibiotic injection because they said they had to extract a tooth. Sent me home with 2 pills, Rimadyl and Rilexine. After 3 days of giving this medicine she began to vomit every hour all night into the next day with bloody diarrhea. I called the vet and took her back in and they gave her an injection for hydration and anti nausea. Sent me home with metronidazole liquid form. Came back home and she laid around for 24 hrs and then today more vomit and diarrhea but not as bad as before. She has not ate any food going on 5 days. A little bit of water. Im really confused as to whats really going on, the vet blames it on the medicine but I'm wondering if they have any clue and maybe I should seek out another vet. She was perfectly happy and healthy when we took her in now its like she is on her death bed. I would love any suggestions, ideas that anyone may have.


----------



## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Ugh, that's a lot at once for a little old body . I think I would stop the Rimadyl and metro. Rimadyl can cause all kinds of tummy trouble and I think she'll be OK without a painkiller at this point. The metro is to stop the diarrhea, but if the Rimadyl is causing the diarrhea then maybe she won't need it. Keep giving the main antibiotic until it's gone. 

Try anything to coax her to eat/drink. Whatever she likes best. Boil up some chicken, feed her the meat and offer the water it was boiled in to get her to drink something. If she just won't drink anything, drip Pedialyte into her mouth with a plastic medicine dropper (easily found in the baby section). If she won't eat, you can water down chicken baby food and drip that in her mouth too. Be careful so she doesn't get any in her lungs. A little dog like that can lose condition quickly, so she needs nourishment. You can also try vanilla Pediasure/Ensure (I think there's a dog version at pet stores but the people version will work), Nutrical, goat's milk, etc. 

Of course, if she still won't eat/drink, you will have to take her back to the vet (*a* vet anyway. . .if you don't like this one it never hurts to get a second opinion). But just try cutting out the Rimadyl and see if that helps.


----------



## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

haven't eaten in 5 days that's a long time. did you tell your Vet she hasn't eaten in 5 days? i don't
knoe medical stuff but i think she needs an IV. a 2nd opinion doesn't hurt but i think you should act fast.
good luck.


----------



## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Well a rotten tooth would make her sick in time, it needed to go. So sorry you two are going through this. 

If you google the two meds you will find that Rimadyl can cause diarrhea and vomiting and Rilexine is an antibiotic and antibiotics tend to disrupt the intestinal fauna which can cause diarrhea as well. I am sure it was the meds that started her on this. Did you stop the original meds with the permission of the vet? That would be the first thing to do! She may be feeling so ill she doesn't want to eat now. I'd go back to the vet for more fluids. Dehydration kills appetite, is very dangerous and she hasn't had much in the way of liquids for a while. Perhaps onion free baby food dotted on her nose so she licks it off would get her started eating again once she is better hydrated. You could use a feeding syringe to get some food into her so her gut gets used to having stuff in there again if that doesn't get her started. Many people find that a probiotic helps get the gut back on track too.


----------



## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

A Chihuahua absolutely needs to be eating daily, they are too small and frail to handle it for long especially at that age. Do whatever you can to get something in her, boiled chicken or rice would be good.


----------



## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

I would be taking my little dog to an E-Vet if she was that bad off ........ Hope she gets well!


----------



## stealthtech (May 7, 2014)

went back to vet this morning and they gave another injection of anti-nausea meds. Still no clear cause of here issues. They seem to blame it on the anesthetic and the other meds. I have reached out to another vet and an animal hospital to see if they will respond with there own thoughts and suggestions. The vet I'm seeing which now has been two different individuals say that she is not at the point of hospitalization just yet. She is an applehead at 20lbs. not the skin and bones of the typical breed. She is back home and not currently vomiting (9 hrs now) so waiting and watching.


----------



## Fade (Feb 24, 2012)

did they run bloodwork before this all? a 13 yr old dog all the stuff they did goes right through the liver. we don't usually do that stuff without a full blood panel for good reason.


----------



## Ischa (May 4, 2014)

Hi there,

Visit a vet ASAP. Vomiting and diarrhea can be caused by many things, anasthesia, rimadyl, viral, and many more. Dogs after anasthesia should eat and drink within 12-24 hours. Especially smaller dogs are prone to developping renal failure (because of dehydration). I would check renal function (and maybe more), start IV therapy with fluids and check stool for parasitic causes. Often with IV fluid combinjed with metronidozole these patients recover quickly when you are in time.

Ischa.
Veterinarian from Holland


----------



## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Has she been able to drink at all? A 20 pound dog needs to take in a total of a couple cups of fluid from food and water daily.


----------



## stealthtech (May 7, 2014)

It devastated her kidneys and we had to put her down. Damn money hungry vet with no regards to my dogs outcome.


----------



## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

stealthtech said:


> It devastated her kidneys and we had to put her down. Damn money hungry vet with no regards to my dogs outcome.


I am so so very sorry. RIP sweet baby.


----------



## stealthtech (May 7, 2014)

Its a heart wrenching loss for sure and I am devastated. this was my only dog of 13 years and I did however learn from this especially for older pets. By all means take your dog to a well qualified, compassionate vet and if your pet needs to be put to sleep for a procedure or any immunizations, etc... make sure a blood panel is done to verify their organ functions and overall health. A good vet will inform you of this and will not do a procedure if the organs will be compromised. I can only type so much before I start getting mad but if you guys want the details of this whole mess I will share that as well in hopes of maybe saving someones pet from the same demise.


----------



## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

I'm so sorry  I can't believe the vet even considered doing all that to a 13 year old dog! My vet considers that to be a big nono. I asked about a dental for Happy at her check up last year because her teeth are pretty nasty, she was 12(almost 13) at the time and the vet said her teeth are not bad enough to risk surgery on a dog her age, even though she had a full blood panel done and came back perfectly healthy. I didn't even say anything about vaccines(wasn't gonna happen reguardless, Happy has severe vaccine reactions) and she just outright stated that she would not vaccinate a dog her age either.


----------



## stealthtech (May 7, 2014)

Miss Bugs said:


> I'm so sorry  I can't believe the vet even considered doing all that to a 13 year old dog! My vet considers that to be a big nono. I asked about a dental for Happy at her check up last year because her teeth are pretty nasty, she was 12(almost 13) at the time and the vet said her teeth are not bad enough to risk surgery on a dog her age, even though she had a full blood panel done and came back perfectly healthy. I didn't even say anything about vaccines(wasn't gonna happen reguardless, Happy has severe vaccine reactions) and she just outright stated that she would not vaccinate a dog her age either.


I believe thats key. I wish I had known ahead of time but I thought the rabies vaccine was required by law and in order to get things like trifexis. But as I said even if you think your dog is in good shape make sure you know what your getting your pet into. It could be the difference of living or dying. Looking back I should have just left her alone. The second vet I saw said after seeing the blood results he would have not done any of those things and just told me to take her back home. She probably could have been put on a med to help the kidneys along to her final days.


----------



## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I am so sorry you lost your dog. 

I have had the opposite experience with two different medium sized dogs. 13.5 year old 42 pound Sassy had a tiny growth on her eyelid that either came off or it was her time as it was rubbing her eye and extremely painful. Her pre surgical bloodwork showed kidney damage so she was supported with fluids and came through great. 35 pound Max was also over 13 years old with the same growth on both eyelids and he also came through with flying colors, his blood work was normal however. Difference in these cases was it was life or death - death because of an eye rubbing lump or take a chance on surgery to live.

I am continuing to give rabies to the dogs even as seniors but am not giving any other vaccines. Titers have shown that the levels are fine year after year and I have stopped getting them done. I really wish rabies titer was accepted for senior and dogs with health issues.

Was blood work normal before the surgery? If so it was the meds or vaccine that caused this and the vet should be reporting to the manufacturer and FDA. Asking for your state veterinary medical board to review your case wouldn't be a bad idea if you are up to it. They really dropped the ball and just dismissed your concerns about your dog's recovery.


----------



## stealthtech (May 7, 2014)

Was blood work normal before the surgery? If so it was the meds or vaccine that caused this and the vet should be reporting to the manufacturer and FDA. Asking for your state veterinary medical board to review your case wouldn't be a bad idea if you are up to it. They really dropped the ball and just dismissed your concerns about your dog's recovery.[/QUOTE]

Blood work was done which they did not share with me, I did not see that report until I went to another vet and they transferred the records. And yes the blood panel showed signs of kidney and liver issues. Im not sure how you read those panels but It kinda looks like a DNA chart with little blocks and certain levels of chemicals in her blood were elevated. Then there was the panel the new vet did were those same levels were thru the roof. I basically went to the wrong people, lesson learned the hard way. I will be writing a letter to the manager asking for a full refund + the other vets expense. It was about $600 total to watch my dog suffer and then put to death in my arms. I'm a 50 year old man and I cried like a baby !! Here it is Mothers Day and I should be happy but this is really eating me away. I actually feel sick and have no appetite. Seems I'm kinda taking on how my dog felt the past week, is that not crazy how the human mind works. I guess I feel so guilty and that its all my fault for not paying closer attention. I certainly know much more now and if I choose to get another dog I will be so much more cautious. The Chi breed can live to 25 years old so mine could have made it so much longer if I had been going to the right vet in the first place.


----------



## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

stealthtech said:


> Was blood work normal before the surgery? If so it was the meds or vaccine that caused this and the vet should be reporting to the manufacturer and FDA. Asking for your state veterinary medical board to review your case wouldn't be a bad idea if you are up to it. They really dropped the ball and just dismissed your concerns about your dog's recovery.


Blood work was done which they did not share with me, I did not see that report until I went to another vet and they transferred the records. And yes the blood panel showed signs of kidney and liver issues. Im not sure how you read those panels but It kinda looks like a DNA chart with little blocks and certain levels of chemicals in her blood were elevated. Then there was the panel the new vet did were those same levels were thru the roof. I basically went to the wrong people, lesson learned the hard way. I will be writing a letter to the manager asking for a full refund + the other vets expense. It was about $600 total to watch my dog suffer and then put to death in my arms. I'm a 50 year old man and I cried like a baby !! Here it is Mothers Day and I should be happy but this is really eating me away. I actually feel sick and have no appetite. Seems I'm kinda taking on how my dog felt the past week, is that not crazy how the human mind works. I guess I feel so guilty and that its all my fault for not paying closer attention. I certainly know much more now and if I choose to get another dog I will be so much more cautious. The Chi breed can live to 25 years old so mine could have made it so much longer if I had been going to the right vet in the first place.[/QUOTE]





I am so so sorry. I know how hard it is. I lost my heart dog at the age of 5 in 2012 .... due to misdiagnosis. If I had listened to my gut ... and gone to a different vet ...... I will never know and it still haunts me to this day. I am 58 and I still cry like a baby over my Leeo. It is hard not having a guilt trip ... I know . But some things are just beyond our control. We are not Vets ........... We trusted our Vets ..........

My boy spent a week in the ER hospital and could not be saved. It was horrifying to watch. His pancreas was eating itself and all his other organs ... and there was a huge mass of probable cancer in his stomach. He was misdiagnosed with idiopathic seizures and bladder stones.


----------

