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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
  
Location: North Dakota | Ridenrun4745 - 2014-06-24 6:38 AM casualdust07 - 2014-06-23 9:40 PM I really don't know for sure, but is there some kind of contrast medium they can use and then do another set of radiographs? I would want to maybe consider exploratory surgery as well.. Have they done an xray series with barium? When I worked at a small animal emergency clinic we could... I think rads were taken at the time of administration, maybe 5, 10, 30 and an hour? Or something like that? But would maybe just almost consider an exploratory at this point. I agree that it sounds like something might be partially blocking in her intestines... Edited for autocorrect...
I completely agree with this, the exploratory surgery probably would have been cheaper and she would be recovering nicely by now. Strange things happen in those guts, that's for sure. Seen several foreign objects removed from intestines but at least something showed up with barium and radiographs. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 861
 
| I havent read all the replies, but wanted to let you know my experience. Very much same symptons, etc. Vet prescribed a medicine that was compounded, dont remember name. Seemed to help short term. I asked my equine vet what he thought and he said that if it were a gastrointestinal isssue plain old pepto bismol would help. Much cheaper and yes it helped!! She has issues only every so often now and a few doses of pepto and all is well. (She is an 11 yr JRT. The dog vet cost me around $2000.) Not sure your dog has the same issue but hope you get an answer soon. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 512
| Also worked as a vet tech. In these cases we usually did a exploratory and either found a blockage or mass. The fever is what concerns me very much! Is the dog spay? I highly doubt this is the case because the timeframe is so widespread. But if we saw these symptoms in a closer time period I would think possibly a pyometra. With elevated WBC the body is obviously fighting a infection somewhere-the fever also represents infection.
Edited by Blueridgedreaming 2014-06-24 11:12 AM
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | Was the horse being shod? Because it sounds to me like the dog might have picked up a tip of a nail cut off for clenching. So it might be too small to show up on an ex-ray.. |
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 Scorpions R Us
Posts: 9586
Location: So. Cali. | I am going to back up the blockage suggestions and xrays with barium.
We had a similar situation with a large dog of ours that started acting sick. Took her in one night, minor exam vets suggested blockage and sent me home with dog xlax. No change over acouple days, Took her back in, hooked to IVs, overnight stay, Enema, X ray, Xray with barium. Finally confirmed complete blockage in her stomach (had swallowed a towel) and gravel all through out her intestines, and what appeared to be a hole and gravel leaking into her body. Unfortunately due funds and limited chances, we had to make a decision no one wants to make. Exploratory surgery in her case didnt look promising.
Inshort, if they havnt already, and I dont understand why they havnt yet, xray with the barium.
Edited by Three*C*Champs 2014-06-24 4:20 PM
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 Quack Quack Woodle Woodle
Posts: 7905
Location: Texas | If perforation is in question, DO NOT use barium....It is inert and cannot be absorbed by the body, it will cause horrific peritonitis if it exits the digestive tract. Ask for a water soluble contrast like gastrografin or omnipaque, whatever the vet can get their hands on. |
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Regular
Posts: 56
| My guess would be a partial obstruction or some kind of bacterial infection caused by the hoof trimmings.
If you haven't already, I'd go to another vet for a second opinion - preferably a referral clinic or a board certified vet.
I hope your dog recovers soon. It's always scary to not know what's going on! :(  |
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