Sick from the Heat?
When Hubby stopped at home between chauffeur duties for me tonight (I have back-to-back rehearsals on Tuesdays), and Benson had vomited AND lost her bowels inside the house (right at our bedroom door, of course). She has NEVER defecated in the house, even as a puppy, so this is highly unusual. She definitely seems a bit down tonight, mainly sleeping near both of us, but her color is very good. I gave her a quick face-and-bum wash when I got home, and she jumped in and out of the tub on her own. We are racking our brains trying to think of what she could possibly have eaten that has disagreed with her, and honestly we cannot come up with a single thing. No food changes (not even a new bag), no treat changes, she's not a counter-surfer or a clothes/shoe thief. She is on a leash every time we are out, so we know if and when she grabs something off the ground. Has anyone else had similar issues with a sudden a temperature/humidity change like this? If she hasn't improved in the next 24 hours or so, we'll head to the vet, of course. |
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| Charm has never had any problems like that with the heat/humidity. Was Benson exposed to the extreme temperatures over a long period? Hope this was just heat related and Benson is feeling much better this morning  |
auntybren wrote: Charm has never had any problems like that with the heat/humidity. Was Benson exposed to the extreme temperatures over a long period? Hope this was just heat related and Benson is feeling much better this morning No, the temperatures just gave a really sudden spike yesterday afternoon - the change was almost 30 degrees within 12 hours. No one has had time to adjust, and lots of people yesterday were feeling pretty drained. Today's high should hit 95 F, and by Friday the high is only supposed to hit 59 F. We've got a 3-day heatwave going on. She's marginally better this morning. Our midnight potty trip last night netted a brief spurt, and very bloody, which worried me. This morning is still pure liquid (she's not eating, as you might guess), but no blood in it. She was also happy to go on her regular property walk, which she cut short last night, so I'm calling that improvement. I've got some chicken boiling for her, so we'll go that route today. All this started sometime between 4 and 7 last night, so it's been less than 24 hours. Poor baby, she's never had a stomach upset like this before!  |
| Tis better the fast 24 hours with just water rather than trying to feed so quickly after an episode. The fast is necessary to let the bowels quiet down rather than forcing food, even just rice or chicken, back through. |
| Keep us posted on poor Benson, Diane. So much to worry about out there. |
Jonsey wrote: She's marginally better this morning. Our midnight potty trip last night netted a brief spurt, and very bloody, which worried me. This morning is still pure liquid (she's not eating, as you might guess), but no blood in it. She was also happy to go on her regular property walk, which she cut short last night, so I'm calling that improvement. Were her stools bloody yesterday or just last night? Very bloody sounds worsening, glad that has disappeared. As Susan mentioned, fasting is recommended to rest the already irritated bowel. Just provide plenty of liquids. Will she play with and eat ice? Although the walking seems encouraging, our dogs are so stoic and strong. I've experienced (and read from others here) that mostly they don't usually experience physical strength symptoms until very ill. Hoping that Benson is improving, but maybe just call your vet, and see if they think she needs an evaluation. Too, they may have several local animals with the same acute symptoms. Won't hurt to check. And it will make you feel better  Huge hugs to you, I know you are terribly worried about your sick baby |
auntybren wrote: Were her stools bloody yesterday or just last night? The only bloody stool was the late night trip last night. No blood before, and none since. She's not a big ice eater, but I'll definitely try to get her interested. And no chicken until later this evening, at best. My biggest challenge today is going to be judging how much of her inactivity is because of being sick, or just way too stinkin' hot. Thanks for the advice, and keeping me on track! (I'm good at handing it out, but when it comes to my own baby, my thinking mind sometimes takes a hike!) |
| Poor Benson. Heat can affect them, but hanging out in the house, I would be surprised if that alone caused such extreme symptoms. I'd at minimum take a fecal sample in, and likely would take my dog in. Did you take her temp? Check her gums for cap refill? Palpate her abdomen? (OK, nurse me would do all that automatically). There is also that circovirus crap in Ohio, so I would be especially worried about the vomit/diarrhea - those are the symptoms. |
| Dawn, the thing here in Ohio is now being reported elsewhere. Diane, I'd get her to the Vet if there is ANY chance she's been near any area where any other dog might have dropped a deuce. Sounds a bit reactionary but with the stories I've been reading about, I wouldn't take any chances with our girls and I know how much the Bensonator means to you guys. Is it worth an office visit for a clear conscience? I think so. Bloody vomit and stool are noted symptoms of the circovirus reported here and now elsewhere. Vance |
| I think the circovirus has only been reported in CA earlier in the year and is now suspected in the OH cases. Still very scary and I would probably bring her in sooner rather than later, just in case. Diane, Is your house air conditioned? |
| It has been confirmed: As part of its investigation, the department also announced the presence of canine circovirus in a fecal sample taken from an ill dog in the state. This is the first laboratory detection of canine circovirus in Ohio. Further work is being done to verify the significance of this finding. Canine circovirus is newly isolated and there is very little information available about the virus, where it came from and how it spreads. The limited research available shows that canine circovirus can cause vasculitis and hemorrhaging in infected dogs. *Please read the entire article for more info. This is serious stuff http://www.fox19.com/story/23403328/ohi ... -that-died |
got sheep wrote: Did you take her temp? Check her gums for cap refill? Palpate her abdomen? (OK, nurse me would do all that automatically). Temp is 102.6, so just over the top end of normal. I've also been checking her gums, and they look good. CamVal1 wrote: Diane, Is your house air conditioned? And no air conditioning. This is one of those 5 or 6 days a year when I wish it was. She's eating ice cubes, but not drinking at all - bad with the diarrhea, and worse with the heat. Plus, the potty trip we just took was pure liquid again. So we're going in to see the vet at 4 today, just to be absolutely safe. And we lucked out - her regular vet is available at that time, so no need to see a new doctor. (Good thing Hubby got paid yesterday!  ) |
| Good luck!! |
| Please keep us posted. If you do go into the Vet, don't let them just blow it off as symptoms of a Parvo strain. it does look like that to some degree but isn't. Several of the kennel clubs around me have been VERY much on top of this. A lot more info can been found on Ft. St. Clair KC's Facebook page. The girl who heads up this club is pretty sharp - https://www.facebook.com/fsckc Vance |
| Home from the vet. Poor baby lost 3 pounds! Good news is there's no blockage. We'll have the results of the CBC/Chem Screen tomorrow morning, and will definitely know more then. The vet thinks it might be a delayed reaction from her vaccinations (we got them 2-1/2 weeks ago). We're starting off by treating the tummy and bowels first, and will decide the next step after the bloodwork comes back and we know more. She still had plenty of energy at the vet's office, though I suspect she'll be asleep again soon now that we're home. But I'm glad we went today - waiting until tomorrow probably wouldn't have improved things much. I'll let you know the bloodwork results tomorrow. Thanks! |
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| We will be sending positive thoughts Benson's way. Hang in there Diane. It is always hard when our "babies" are sick. |
| If you can forgo the chicken and just start back with rice, that may help....rice gruel, except is messes the beard. I just go with sticky rice. We finally got Kensie solid again and it took 2-3 days of a rice diet only, then we skipped the chicken all together and began incorporating her kibble, one handful to start along with the rice. Hope B gains a solid foothold by end of weekend. |
| Definitely keep us updated! The thing going around in Ohio is scary! I know exactly how you feel about the heat wave, we enjoyed some nice, no humidity days with mid 70 degree temps and then yesterday it jumped to 101 with alllll humidity, UGH! I am in Central Jersey. Can't wait for this cooler weather this upcoming weekend! |
| Well, the vet called, and Benson's bloodwork has come back completely normal. I'm calling that good. BUT, she's still feeling bad. She's only eating tiny bits of rice, and still has diarrhea. (Of course, with no solid food in her stomach to speak of, that's not a big surprise.) She is drinking, and seems hydrated. We have her on Flagyl and Pepcid right now, letting her sleep, and I'm offering her a teaspoon of rice now and then to try to tempt her appetite. If she's still off tomorrow, we'll take her in for some fluids to give her a little boost, and go from there. I specifically asked about the circovirus, but so far there's been no sign of it in NY, and she's not showing ANY symptoms other than the diarrhea and loss of appetite. (And they haven't been seeing an uptick of dogs with these symptoms coming through recently.) (Forgot to mention, the temperatures outside are dropping, too, so the heat discomfort is almost gone now.) |
| Patience, re: heat. Right now we are enjoying the cooler temps and WET. Granted not the 8 inches rain they got in Boulder Co yesterday. Today in town in the a.m. and got drenched but by time I got within 5 miles of home, the sun was shining and no wetness on road or in our rain tube. Bummer, but cool temps are being enjoyed. |
| Our temps are crazy where Diane and I live. 75 on Monday, 89 on Tuesday, 94 on Wednesday, 78 today, and 58 tomorrow. |
CamVal1 wrote: Our temps are crazy where Diane and I live. 75 on Monday, 89 on Tuesday, 94 on Wednesday, 78 today, and 58 tomorrow. Our outside thermometer actually touched 100 yesterday, though I think it was catching some reflected heat from the car windshield at the time. And just last week we had a couple of sub-40 degree nights here on the hill. It's the sudden, dramatic change that's making it tough. There's no time to adjust. On a bright note, Benson was pretty perky when I got home from rehearsal tonight. She even begged for a bit of food, and pounced on her hedgehog stuffie - which is the first hint of play-energy in 2 days. So she's had a bit more chicken and rice, got her evening meds, and is chilling here with us. I wouldn't call her "good" yet, but it is a definite improvement. Improvement is good. We like improvement! |
| Benson had a good night last night! She was doing her guard-dog woof out the back windows before bedtime, she hopped up on the daybed with us, she moved around the house during the night to her favorite sleeping spots, and there was no vomit or diarrhea waiting for us this morning - all for the first time since Tuesday! She also asked to go on her full property walk today, and insisted on a trip down the little "maze" that Hubby has mown in the half acre next to the cornfield behind us. (We're letting her dictate where she wants to walk at the moment.) She begged for food this morning, and asked for more after licking her bowl clean. Which she didn't get, sorry to say. No sense overloading her, even with such a bland diet! The only thing that would make me happier at this stage is a solid stool. She hasn't had any sort of bowel movement since yesterday evening, but I can't imagine there's much if anything left in her intestines at this point. I'm very happy with her improvement. I was fully anticipating taking her back to the vet for fluids today, but it looks like that won't be necessary. |
| Sound encouraging. Will fingers & paws crossed that she finishes mending. |
Yes, it's all moving in the right direction! Hope she continues to feel better.  |
got sheep wrote: Yes, it's all moving in the right direction!  |
| So glad to hear that Benson is on the mend. Don't be surprised if she doesn't poop again for a couple of days. When Oscar has a severe pancreatic attack, or IBD flare-up, it takes a loooong time for the first doo doo to make it's way through the digestive system. And when we reintroduce food after four to five days of nothing, we feed tiny meals every two to three hours, to ease his body back into working properly. We've done this, oh, about 20 times throughout his life.  (Oscar is high maintenance!)  Laurie and Oscar, the Digestively Challenged |
| Well, the last trip of the night netted a successful poop. Soft, but not diarrhea. She's bouncing back like a champ (thank goodness!), though I'm nowhere near ready to call her "all better" just yet. And I'm still keeping her on bland food in small, frequent portions. As careful as we are, and as good as she is, I'm thinking she probably got into something that set her off, probably exacerbated by the sudden, dramatic temperature spike. Hopefully, she doesn't get into it again, whatever "it" was. (And don't you love that we're on a forum where "poop" discussions are no big deal!)  |
| So glad that Benson is on the mend and feeling better! |
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