Question regarding stomach issues

[nobarkus]

On a camping trip in 1977 my first Basenji got real bad bacterial infection from eating garbage (old food left on the ground) around the camp grounds. I had to have it stay at the vet in town for 2 days on fluids and meds. I fed it cooked ground beef and cottage cheese for about 1 week or so. But unlike Otis I did not see any items in her poop. There was blood though coming out of the anus. She was walking around really hunched backed with tail down in bad shape.

[lvoss]

Yesterday, I was browsing websites looking at people's litter plans. I came across a name I recognized as being recently passed and was surprised because the dog was not even 9 years old yet. I clicked on her page and found they had lost her this spring to a blockage. I thought I would share her page in this thread.

http://www.skyhibasenjis.com/OurBasenjis/DogPages/AbsolutePower.htm

[Basenjimamma]

He has been drinking, if squirted down his throat, some homemade pedialyte..and when my hubby came home from his hunt,,he jumped off the couch to go great him..a very good sign, since he hadn't even picked his head off the pillow on the couch before that..I offered him some of the rice/foods I made for him and it ate all of it, slowly but shurely..since then he has been sleeping. No vomiting and just a little diarrhea..and oh by the way, I forced the pills down his throat..I didn't expect him to take them whether he felt good or bad..that is just how he rolls..LOL
I agree with the suspicion on whether he ingested something from the trash..will gauge him very closely tomorrow, and if I don't see improvements speedy enough, I will go back for a recheck ..

[tanza]

@Basenjimamma:

He has been drinking, if squirted down his throat, some homemade pedialyte..and when my hubby came home from his hunt,,he jumped off the couch to go great him..a very good sign, since he hadn't even picked his head off the pillow on the couch before that..I offered him some of the rice/foods I made for him and it ate all of it, slowly but shurely..since then he has been sleeping. No vomiting and just a little diarrhea..and oh by the way, I forced the pills down his throat..I didn't expect him to take them whether he felt good or bad..that is just how he rolls..LOL
I agree with the suspicion on whether he ingested something from the trash..will gauge him very closely tomorrow, and if I don't see improvements speedy enough, I will go back for a recheck ..

If you saw it in the poop.. it is no longer a suspicion… it is a fact... My Kristii had a blockage... about 5yrs ago.. and while we never saw anything that she got into, she started with tummy upset, not eating, then vomiting.... and sure enough the ultrasound showed a blockage.... even after surgery... we never figured out what it was... but it was a blockage....

[Basenjimamma]

Yes I agree, but and I am only asking, just because it came through does that mean something is still stuck in there? Either way he is doing better for now, tomorrow I will reacess and see how he is..
Thanks for your help guys..

[tanza]

@Basenjimamma:

Yes I agree, but and I am only asking, just because it came through does that mean something is still stuck in there? Either way he is doing better for now, tomorrow I will reacess and see how he is..
Thanks for your help guys..

Yes… for sure just because some came though.. there can be more that is causing a blockage... because you don't know that amount or exactly what might have been eaten.. you can not put together the "puzzle"....

I can only again offer what I when through with my Kristii... while she never wanted to eat... at times over about three days she would feel off and on better.. but not normal.... when we finally did the ultrasound (and that is what I highly recommend) the blockage was clearly visable...

Did they do blood work?... that would also usually show there is something else going on....

[Basenjimamma]

no, the vet opted to do these meds that he is on, due to the high bacteria count he had on his fecal tests. He did say that if Otis is not feeling better in two days for us to do a bloodwork..and maybe I should then request a ultrasound and an xray?

[lvoss]

I am amazed that you were able to collect enough fresh fecal matter to do testing on. Usually if mine have had the amount of stomach upset you described, there is not enough material to test.

[Basenjimamma]

Well, lets just say that they had to dig for it..he was not happy..
As far as fecal matter, it was more like liquid, mixed with blood, so not good news.

[Basenjimamma]

He asked for some more food in the only way he knows how..counter surfing..yeah.
So I gave him some more rice/egg mixture and he ate it with gusto..He went out afterwards and did not poop at all, only peed..maybe he is in an upswing..
let's hope he sleeps well tonight..

[JennnAL]

I had a Golden that had a fetish for paper items in the trash and socks…
and were at the vet for blockages 3 times with her - all socks.

This dog would eat any food you gave her, and so the biggest sign was not only when she would refuse food, but when she would drink tons of water and then throw up the water. When that happened, she was too dehydrated to pass the sock, and I took her to the vet to be put on IV, and fortunately, she passed the sock each time once she got hydrated.

ALl that to say you must get the xray/ultrasond for a blockage.

"Female" items would be a different story, so I would go get her checked as soon as you can.
Female items are made to absorb liquid, which is NOT good in a stomach or intestines.

Hydrogen peroxide was a life saver a few times with her, when I caught her having just eaten a leather jazz shoe, or a padded bra, or... ballet tights... (After a couple of hours, using it would be too late...)

[renaultf1]

When Ruby had her ultrasound when she was bred, it was around $100. At an emergency vet it might be $200. Not a lot of money to rule out a possible life threat.

I'm also really surprised that the vet didn't do bloodwork or check for a blockage, (bloodwork is pretty much the first thing my vet wants to do when ever anything is off) especially with how feminine items are designed to work. I wonder if the bacterial infection wouldn't be from those items because of how blood/bacteria is trapped inside - think toxic shock.

[thunderbird8588]

Petra, glad Otis is feeling a little better, hope he continues to improve.
I used to use a blob of butter to medicate Benji, i know not too good for him but i had to weigh it up.It was impossible to force them down him, he4 was a very snarky boy.
Keep us posted

[Basenjimamma]

He slept like a baby, I was convinced we had to go out a lot during the night, because of the diarrhea earlier in the day and night.
We just went outside and he peed for what seemed like forever..thanks for the homemade pedialyte..I really believe that is what perked him up finally. I am going to give him some food here in a little while and once my vets office opens up I will call and ask the questions regarding bloodwork and xray.
I was a little surprised myself about the xray, but being that he was so woosy and the kids were fighting, I just wanted to come home with him again..

[Rita Jean]

Hope Otis improves today get's back to his old self. Take care.

Rita Jean

[Basenjimamma]

Thanks Rita. he has perked up a lot since yesterday. I will updat eif things change.

[Basenjimamma]

Otis is feeling much better. He has eaten three small meals throughout the day and have had no isseus with the food, bland though.
I did speak to my vet and he is really thinking this is just a bacterial infection in his intestines, and that he does not have any blockage..He wants me to keep on looking after Otis until two days have past, before we move on with more investigative procedures..one day down, one more to go.
I was concerned when I spoke to the vet, because he had not had any bowel movements, he still haven't, and the vet basically told me that Otis has nothing left in his intestines to get out..he needs to eat a few meals before we can expect for it to come through, unless he has diarrhea, then it goes straight through..so far neither has happened. He is very playful in between long naps. He has started stealing, or should I say trying to steal food again, so I think he is feeling much better.
I am so glad I googled homemade pedialyte, I think that did wonders for him..

To all of y'all, thank you so much for your thoughts and inputs..without y'all I would be lost in the wild world of Basenjis..

[Rita Jean]

Way to go Otis so happy your getting better.

Rita Jean

[Basenjimamma]

Today has been a normal good day for Otis. He is very playful and rambunctious as usual, he is the king of thieves so he is back to normal there too, and we went for a walk not too long ago and we had…normal poop..yeah. I never thought I'd see the day when normal poop makes me go yeah!!, but here we are.!!
Thanks to all of you for your thoughts on all this stomachy stuff. I will go out and get heavyduty trashcans for my three bathrooms so we will not have any issues with trash digging again..

[Kananga]

Congrats. Glad to hear Otis is doing well. He's back to being that Brindle beast that he is…