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Grim ER Vet - Sigh -

6K views 59 replies 26 participants last post by  LisaT 
#1 ·
This morning I took Grim (now 8) to the Emergency Vet Clinic because something seemed profoundly wrong (not interested in food or ball and whining) and the vet diagnosed constipation (no signs of an obstruction - as tight as his belly was I feared bloat and it was sudden onset .) --

Tramadol, stool softeners, a drug for motility and getting him to eat pumpkin - he sent us home and the digital exam broke up some of it and he went while we were there......but he said there seemed to be a lot of backed up feces. Strange - he has been going. But he said there would be more evidence if there was a blockage.

However, he also noticed an anomaly with the spleen and they are going to work us in for an ultrasound tomorrow. So my first though straight on is hemangiosarcoma.

He said there are spleenic tumors that are not cancerous and that it was a good sign his blood panel was perfect, (other than slight glucose elevation but he said that was probably from stress of being x-rayed and the pain) ......Well we take it one day at a time.

Right now he seems groggy from the tramadol (he gave him a shot) but he did heat half a can of pumkin and his stool softener and I am just keeping him with me all day.

So I may be struggling with what to do / how to process what I will hear tomorrow. FWIW he also appears to have benign prostate hyperplasia and some spondylosis mid spine but he said it was all in normal range for his age.
 
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#4 ·
Wishing a speedy recovery for Grim. May he completely recover from all these issues. Hugs
 
#5 ·
Aw, so sorry he isn't feeling well. Sending many positive thoughts that it's not hemangio.

Half of a can of pumpkin is a lot--I would give a couple tablespoons at a time first and see how that goes.

Cleo, my 19 year old cat, has had problems with motility for a while. Apparently hair balls were causing a back-up in her system and she even ended with pancreatitis because of it! I started adding pumpkin and that helped but she still wasn't great. A year ago I started giving her refrigerated, heavy-duty people probiotics and the supplement Perfect Form (by Honest Kitchen) twice a day. She goes three times a day now.

Also, when Chama was a senior she could not handle Tramadol the way she could when she was younger. It made her into a nauseous zombie. :(
 
#10 ·
i hope everything turns out ok. the unknown can be quite unnerving. sending healing and positive thoughts your way.
 
#11 ·
We are getting worked in tomorrow for the ultrasound.
He said normally that we just follow up with the routine vet who would schedule with the specialist in a week or so but he said he could justify getting him in sooner and chatted with the other one about it.

The Greenville Emergency Vet Clinic has a very very good repution.

He said there are a lot of splenic issues that are not hemangiosarcoma and it was real good that the bloodwork was so good.

We had a 2nd poo and the pumpkin is setting fine on him. A bit woozy and he wanted to play ball so I threw it one time. (( Normally he likes to go with a bal in his mouth))

Tramadol has him pretty mellow though.
 
#12 ·
Nancy, Kyra was the same way and saw the vets a half dozen times in 5 months before she got rushed to the ER and had her spleen removed....she threw a clot we think and we lost her 10 days after surgery.....get him ultrasounded ASAP - if there is something there, they can remove the spleen before it gets bigger/spreads/ruptures!!! If her foster parents (or if I had thought about it more!!!) had moved to a better vet earlier, I really believe she would still be here!!!

Hugs!

Lee
 
#13 ·
I think this vet will be rapid if they do anything....just that fact he is getting me worked in NOW makes me feel real good. I am so sorry about Kyra but I will remember that lest any complacency sits in.
 
#14 ·
it's so hard when they're older and you're not sure what's wrong or how to help them. sending more good thoughts to you and your boy.
 
#16 ·
Well, we are on our 4th poo of the day - none of them really big but he does not have a lot of stool volume ....anyway the latest was soft and orange so I imagine that is the pumpkin moving through.

Also he has not been thirsty (pumpkin has a lot of water) but I am getting some fluids in him (figure out if I drain tuna water into his bowl with the regular water he goes bonkers.....it is no salt added tuna......so I figure extra hydration can never hurt.....he was drinking so much I had to take it from him)...Guess I will be having a lot of tuna salad this week.

Last trip in the yard he FOUND a stray toy and brought it to me. So he is definitely feeling a LOT better. Of course that does not resolve the spleen question. And we now know we have spondylosis and an enlarged prostate-but the latter two come with age I think.....first things first.
 
#17 ·
Don't forget some big time tick testing - given your area and SAR - there are ticks that are more common there I believe - I think it's NC State that has a lot of tick tests that are more specialized than a SNAP.

I hope he's okay. He probably just wanted you to take some pictures of him for me.
 
#19 · (Edited)
You know it has been a tick festival year. A teammates dog had an enlarged spleen they waited a week and it was back to normal I have heard similar on ticks and even GI irritation causing the spleen to enlarge

The way he described - stomach rotation was off and spleen at bottom of belly did not look "normal" One thing that can do that is an enlarged spleen. He felt an ultrasouind was in order given all the factors. They are not as urgent due to him doing well right now. Of course he is the right age and breed....

I am being scheduled for Tue or Wed - right now he is back to his old self.

LOL he moves too much for a good picture - I coulda got one yesterday.

-----------

Just got the call. Tomorrow at 11am
 
#23 ·
NC State is good. A fellow on another team had a dog wind up with pseudorabies and they figured it out. Of course it is 100% fatal but it is so uncommon.
 
#26 ·
If we don't have a major spleen issue, Grim will be loosing his testicles, and we will see what we can do to reduce inflammation from spondylosis both of which can be cotributing.

In the meanwhile I think pumpkin and stool softeners are on the table. It does seem to make a big difference.
 
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