Oakley-emergency surgery

[Chealsie508]

Just called to get an update on Oakley. He got a lot of rest last night. This morning he started to act more like himself, jumping in his crate to try and reach IV cords, getting out of his e collar and bucking when the dr tries to check his heartbeat…they stopped pain meds and he's on an anti inflammatory...they tried feeding him without great success, he regurgitated. So the injection of motility medications last night wasn't good enough so they started him on a drip of motility meds to get his intestines functioning again...they also put him on medication for esopogeal irritation...they'll try to re-feed at three. If that goes well there's a chance of a late night discharge however our vet believes Oakley will likely need another night of supportive care, IV medications since he indeed seems to be slow to get his GI tract functioning again.

This is torture. Didn't sleep well...trying to get motivated to do chores, and prepare for oak to come home but it's hard if he's not coming home tonight
I know it's best for him to stay until he's ok, it's just hard! Good news is they didn't have to use any sedation meds today for his anxieties!!

I want my little boy back

[krunzer]

I am so glad to hear that he is doing better. Hopefully he can come home soon!

[tanza]

Hugs.. and hope that he is home soon!

[agilebasenji]

Poor you, but it does sound he is getting excellent care - and more sleep than you are

[ownedbyspencer]

Sometimes I think it's harder on us than it is on them! How's the little guy doing? Is he keeping his food down and coming home to mom?

[Chealsie508]

I'm ecstatic to announce that Oakleys coming home tonight!!! He's being release at 8 tonight. The vet said she's not 100% comfortable with him coming home and if it were ANY other dog she'd keep them for another night of supervision and fluids BUT now that Oakleys feeling better and back to his old behaviors they have to sedate him and doing so only slows down his GI tract which isn't good either. She'd rather him be comfortable at home. The dr said the pain meds were having an effect and he was sensitive to them which was suppressing mood. Once she made the med switch he flipped a switch and started to perk up, have an appetite and start trying to escape his crate, buck and be a "doodle"…he's able to eat a couple teaspoons at a time of food and she said he eat more of they let him but for the next two days round the clock feeding o a tablespoon to keep something moving his tract at all times. He did regurgitate "one drop" but Dr. Thomas was sure it was because he was spinning in circles (lol)...he will come home with a slew of meds (I think 7) which includes: motility meds for his intestines, anti nausea meds, esopogeal irritation meds...Prilosec..and so on. It'll be an intensive couple of days but I can't be happier to hear the little stink is acting up and is hungry...totally thrilled and nervous at the same time... Perhaps it's time to think about emergency pet insurance...considering he's two and a half and has been admitted twice to the hospital?! As Dr. Thomas says "he's a dog that likes to eat stuff"...and he is.

Will update once I get him home and settled!!! Thanks everyone

[MacPack]

So glad the surgery was relatively simple and that he is acting more like himself , thinking of you and sending hugs.

[agilebasenji]

I am so happy for you! the only thing i can add, is to ask the vet if there is anything you need to get before you pick him up. I know when Zest! had her HGE they told me to feed her baby food. (never had a baby, so never had baby food in the house) So hubby sat in the car with her while we stopped at the grocery. If you don't have a second person, it would be easier to pick the food up without having to worry about him eating the inside of your car.

I'm sure you'll get lots more sleep tonight and happy dreams!

[ownedbyspencer]

Great news! So glad to hear. And excellent idea about stopping by the grocery first. Sounds like you're in 24/7 caregiver mode for a while… but it's SO much better to have them home when they're sick.

When Spencer had that touch-n-go surgery and recuperation, Hill's a/d canned food saved us. He would keep that down when everything else came back up. It's critical care food for dogs after life-threatening illness or surgery and is like canine souffle. If the vet's anticipating any issues, you might ask-- though it could be too rich for Oakley's situation.

[Chealsie508]

Thanks agile- I preboiled his hamburger and pulsed it through the food processor and picked up his Prilosec…glad I got that done. On my way to the ER to get him!!!!!

[QuizBasenji]

It's nice to see an Emergency story with a happy ending….

[QuizBasenji]

The bad news about insurance, Chealsie, is that nothing he has had wrong with him before will be covered (which could be anything gastro-intestinal now…) and they will also charge a fortune....

[stash]

Great news for you, make sure you rest when he rests. Hoping he has a speedy recovery and things get back to normal for you.

Jolanda and Kaiser

[Chealsie508]

I'm exhausted

Oakley needs round the clock care…his med schedule literally gives me a headache...
Metacam- at noon, with food

Tramadol- 8am,4pm and midnight for three to five days then twice a day for an additional 3-5 days

Sucralfate- 6am, 2pm,10pm...dissolve 1/2 tab into a slurry and syringe feed- give 20 minutes before food or other meds * two hours away from Prilosec!!

Metoclopramide- 6am,6pm and midnight....1/2 tab every 6 hours for 24 hours then every 8 hours for 2-3 days then x2 day for 1-2 days then x1 day for another 1-2 days

Metronidazole- noon and midnight...1/2 tab every 12 hours for 2-3 days

Omeprezole- 4pm

Oof!! I'm trying to wrap my head around it all while keeping him from getting at his incision and trying to pill him without being able to wrap the pills in any food...figuring out how I'll do this when I start work onwednesday....and watching him like a hawk bc he's still licking and upset after food...which is normal to be burpy and unsettles but it makes me worry...and he hasn't pooped since Thursday...again normal but I just want conformation his GI tract is ok...

Worried non stop but happy he's home. The tech practically shoved h at me...they kept telling me they're never met a dog like him: that he's a punk....many time he escaped his crate and was found walking around the hospital, chewing his IV cords, getting out of his e collar that was already lengthened to that of a big dogs bc he'd still get at his stitches...getting into the trash when leashed to go out.. They called me in and told me he was a punk and that they felt bad for him when he was feeling lousy but since he pepped up they all wanted him to go home..they call him Houdini..

[Buddys Pal]

Gosh! when I read it was Oakley, I am soooo sorry. Not one of us has NOT gone through something with our babies that grieves us and puts us to wits end! What a literal nightmare, but so glad you found the strength you needed in the forum which is therapeutic to write out your worries….. God bless the Vet, you and prayers out for your Oakley for a rapid comeback. Not even easy now, but just think, one day you may even laugh about all this!

[Terry]

Know what you're going through with the meds, Chealsie! We had almost the same ones for Tex the last time he had surgery for his extracurricular dining - and the last time he passed the plastic in the office before the surgery, thank goodness. Some good news, the Tramadol is for pain, so you can ease him off on that if he doesn't seem to be in pain, especially the midnight one (although it will help him sleep) The 'pill poppers,' which you can get at Petco or PetSmart, are great for giving pills when you can't hide them in food. Keeps your fingers from getting chomped and you can get them way back in the throat. And when he's eating a little better, you can give them with a small amount of food (scrambled eggs worked well for us). If worst comes to worst, ask the vet for a prescription and go to a compounding pharmacy and see if they can make everything liquids!

Tex was also kicked out of the vet hospital for the same reasons as Oakley, except he didn't manage to get out of the crate!!

[vickayx]

Hope all is well with Oakley!! What king of cone does he have on? They have the inflatable ones that might be better for him and def more comfy.. I remember taking Dolce with me to my job when I was doing vet tech work and putting her in the cages she was able to escape one of the cages so I had to put her in the super duper large dog cage but she would try to climb it to the top do flips in it.. the thing is even if I was there she would go crazy

[Chealsie508]

I don't have a cone on at all..they had to keep upping the size bc no matter the length he'd find a way around it. I have an inflatable one which I bought after his neuter but the incision is long and he can still get to it. He seems to be responding to my corrections and isn't as incessant about getting it as last time. Thanks terry.. Makes me feel better someone else has had to keep this schedule- Oakley had a whole staff to monitor his meds…I'm just one person..lol. Luckily I spent the last hour writing out his med schedule for the next week...so that makes it less overwhelming. I ended up calling about the tramadol bc I didn't think he needed it and they confirmed it was as needed ( thank goodness!)

They also confirmed I can feed the pills with cheese (except of course the sucralfate)..so at noon that will come in handy...his esophagus is irritated so the pilling doesn't help!

I'm starting to get organized and less stressed. I'm going to takeoff Monday and Tuesday at work... I want him to start poopibg again before I go back..my poor punk....

His last stand at the hospital was the tech leashed him to come greet me and I heard her tell him he was naughty..apparently he jumped up on his ER vet who was on the phone and got into the trash...lol. They were all glad not o have to worry about "the runaway"...and the cats were happy too (apparently that's where he go to once e made his escapes!)
Many of the techs and even the receptionist told me they thought their dogs were inventive and naughty but that Oakley is by far te worst they've seen...it's sick that I'm proud of that! Lol

[stash]

Wow I have great admiration for you and everyone else that has gone through this sort of thing, I found it hard giving my cat 3 pills a day and I know the stress of worry must be tremendous for you. Keep up the good work and I can't wait to hear Oakley's back to eating and pooping like a Basenji.

Jolanda and Kaiser

[ownedbyspencer]

The pilling is hard. One of my old reliables was alfredo sauce in the jar. I would pour some into a teaspoon, dip the pill into it, make the dog sit, then dispense the pills one by one like treats. That even worked with Ava. Tramadol is the most difficult, as I'm sure you've discovered. It's very bitter and the least little whiff of it will make it a tough sell. It has a sedative effect, though, which is an added benefit at night.

I'm glad Oakley is safely home, and it sounds like he's recovering from his ordeal! It's hard to keep a "punk" down. (I guess that's like a brat, which Ava has been called countless times.)