Ugh, we had a visit to the ER

[littlebuddy]

Well at 1:00 a.m. christmas morning, Django woke me up with horrible tremors. I called the vet and decided to wait it out for about an hour and a half before we decided to take him in. The vet on call (who is at the clinic he goes to so they have his file) told me that based on what was going on it appeared Django was suffering from toxicity due to the flagyl he was on for his gastro. issue. He was lethargic, wasn't eating, had a fever, etc. etc.

They gave him a shot of prednisone (which although his tremors weren't addisonian it was amazing how in about 10 hours it worked miracles) and she told me to stop the flagyl and gave me other pills to give Django. Well, I took the meds but decided not to do anything till later Christmas day, went on line and read about the meds the vet prescribed. She also thought we needed to scope his lower colin because of the blood on the bottom after a bowel movement. This of course will occur after I talk to the vet, if at all.

All the side effects were what Django was already experiencing that day (minus the tremors) and his system is so hypersensative to meds. that I opted not to give him anything. Of course, I put a call into the vet this morning and waiting for his call. Plus, the dose was for a 20 lb. dog and D weighs in at 11.4 right now.

He ate all his food, soft and kibble last night when we got home, had good energy before we left and stopped pooping 4x a day. Why do these things always happen right before we leave for a couple of days? The dog sitter is great but of course, I always worry about him even when we travel.

Hopefully the vet will have encouraging news on how to handle the situation.

[Murphysmom2011]

Oh, poor Django! I hope he feels better soon and you get his medicines sorted out.

[Pipersmom]

Feel better Django! I hope it's nothing serious and your vet can reassure you so you can go away and not worry too much.

[littlebuddy]

Just talked to vet. going to give him half the dose of the antibiotics. We have had bad luck with other antibiotics but he's confident the ones for his belly will be okay. Keep fingers crossed. He just ate all his kibble. Very happy (both of us!)

[The Laughing Magpie]

So sorry you and your pup went through that. Boo Boo had a two week bout with his addison's (remember it waxes and wanes), sometimes if I give him extra prednisone when I notice symptoms of stress, that often works and keeps him from a bad bout, this time he had been started on Tramadol for pain it is believed he may be developing a stomach tumor (this is not unusually for an Addison dog), we now know he is very sensitive to this drug it made him worse, dogs and humans with auto immune problems are more likely to have a bad reaction, so they need to be monitored carefully. Many people fear the side effects of prednisone...but for dogs with Addisons it is a miracle drug and a life saver. Boo Boo's stress was compounded by being boarded two days after starting the Tramadol, he mostly slept, the morning I picked him up he started the vomiting etc., we now give him prednisone everyday and that has been enough to help him with pain. Also for his stomach he is getting 'Vibrant Pets Senior Complete' at 1/8 tsp per day this has given him more energy, this is a lower dose then recommeded, but my Vet often changes the amounts to a smaller dose then on the label...I was skeptical but he gave me two weeks supply...it did make a difference, he does not sell it, so I order some.

I am so glad your pup is better.

[krandall]

Glad to hear Django is a bit better. Hope he's MUCH better soon!

[littlebuddy]

Oh I know, it's so hard to monitor a dog with Addisons. The meds are a killer, I have learned the hard way especially with Tremidol. I usually give him half or 1/4 recommended dose. That's what i am doing with the Baytirll. The ER vet suggested 1 22.7 mg dose 2x a day. i talked to his regular vet and we are going to do 1 10.4 dose once a day. I wouldn't worry so much if I wasn't leaving for florida for new years but I am and I worry.

I have made several tupperwares of ground turkey and chicken for the freezer along with a tuppy of rice for those days while I am gone that he won't eat. He will only be on one dose of the meds before we leave and I can't give him anything tonight because I found out he can't take it with his antacid which he takes everyday around 5:00

Pred is a wonder drug. D is on a bizarre dose. It's as needed and we have been averaging 1/8 of 1mg every 20-23 days. It's in liquid for so it gets into his system quickly.

Hope all goes well with him tomorrow!

[sandypaws]

I hope poor Django will be better soon and you can go away without having to worry about him. It sounds like a long bumpy road with this disease. Hang in there. We're thinking of you both.

[littlebuddy]

Well we just had an explosion of diarrhea. Poor guy, I am so concerned about starting the antibiotic tomorrow but will try to stay positive and hopefully it will start to clean things up in his system.

[Suzi]

That is to bad. Try the brat diet rice no chicken for a day or so. Lots of water.