she was vomiting all night and all morning. took her to the vet. he checked the stool sample, examined her and determined it is a bacterial infection of the digestive system.
gave her a shot of antibiotics and something for the nausea. sent us home with more antibiotics.
it’s now 9 hours later and she’s not looking any better. she’s still lethargic and she vomited around 5 p.m. i’m getting nervous but maybe i was expecting improvement too fast?
what’s a reasonable time frame to expect improvement? vet’s office is closed for the weekend now, so i can’t even call and ask.
Did he tell you to withhold food? If he didn’t, withhold food. No water for 6 hours or so. No food for 24. Then rice and chicken, in small amounts. Ask about probiotics too.
Just Jingles & AO ~ ((hugs)) for you both ~
Jingles & AO for your dear dog ~
((hugs)) for both ~
hoping you post a good news update in the morning ~ :yes:
No radiographs done?
Sorry, I think you need to get your dog to an ER clinic for a better diagnosis.
why would you think x-rays are necessary ?
she’s not interested in any food or water. i got her to eat the antibiotic and then offered her some water with honey which she finally drank. I actually thought that was a good thing because I was starting to worry about dehydration.
I’m with Squish, xrays for a physical obstruction and blood work for, god forbid, toxins. Either ingested or blood poisoning.
Good luck.
I agree with Squish, she sounds like she needs more diagnostics. Xrays on vomiting dogs are always a good idea, to check for any foreign bodies or anotomical abnormalities. This is especially true since she is still vomiting, lethargic and inappetent.
Maybe I misunderstood your post, but based on a stool sample and physical exam this vet diagnosed a “bacterial infection” of the GI tract?
The GI system, from stomach to colon always has bacteria in it. Certain types of bacteria are more sinister than others, for sure, but unless the stool sample had an abundance of e-coli, salmonella or other nasty bug, there is likely something “causing” this bacterial unbalance.
I would find it strange that the vet would not do bloodwork or radiographs to support the diagnosis of bacterial infection (based on poop sample?). A simple radiometer bloodwork can point to an upper/lower GI obstruction etc.based on the presence of a metabolic acidosis or alkalosis. General organ function tests such as BUN, Creatine, ALT, AlkPhos, Amylase, Lipase etc. can rule out kidney/liver and pancreatic involvement as well. A CBC wouldbe useful in determining whats going on with the white cells (especially if the bacteria is invasive).
Did your vet say bacteria in the GI tract specifically, or bacteria in the abdomen (this can mean a HUGE difference) Did the vet also mention that antibiotics can cause vomiting/nausea?
I’d be concerned about the vomiting after the anti-nausea injection was given.
Drinking water will not prevent dehydration, if they are actively vomiting or have diarrhea they will eventually loose more than they take in. If you run your fingers across your dogs gums, if they arent moist and slippery than this could indicate the beginnings of dehydration.
If she is still lethargic, uninterested in food or any further vomiting please take her to an ER clinic for supportive care or further workup if you can 
Hopefully she will get better soon, but its always better to be safe than sorry!
thank you for the explanations.
she seems to have improved somewhat over night.
to clarify there was no diarrhea at any time, and no repeat vomiting other than the 5 p.m. vomit.
i realize there is always bacteria in a digestive system and i understood his diagnosis (we’ve experienced similar problems with her and with other dogs we had in the past) to be that she ate something nasty which caused the bacterial overgrowth.
she was passing regular stool and she’s not a dog that eats socks or balls, so i really wasn’t thinking obstruction, but thanks for raising that as a possibility for me.
i’ll see how things continue today and if necessary make plans for another consult.
but the one thing i really was trying to find out through my post was how long it would take to see improvement. guess none of you were able to provide an answer to that…?
Oral antibiotics usually start taking effect within a few hours. However, not all bacteria is susceptible to all antibiotics. This is the reason why we culture sources to ensure we are giving the right antibiotics. This is usually something done on fluids such as urine or abdominal fluid if septic. I would think in stool you couldnt do this as to the amount of various normal bacteria?
Eating yet? I would still be concerned until the dog is eating normally and able to keep it all down.
Glad she is starting to feel better.
Our vet has a very specific medical name for that, “garbage gut”.
Yes, it will take some hours or a day for the dog to feel better, if the “bugs” involved are susceptible to the antibiotic given.
If not, the dog will get worse and another trip and examination will help decide if the diagnosis still seems correct, no bloat/impaction/other and if so, try a different antibiotic, maybe and if necessary, supporting treatment like fluids.
Unless you can keep your dog from eating all kinds of for us humans disgusting things, I am afraid that may keep happening a few times a year, for what I have seen.
If so, ask your vet how to treat initially at home, if the dog is not too sick.
I hope your dog is better by now.
[QUOTE=marta;6560784]
but the one thing i really was trying to find out through my post was how long it would take to see improvement. guess none of you were able to provide an answer to that…?[/QUOTE]
Last month my Boxer had no desire to eat, vomiting (once) and diarrhea. Took her to the vet and they did x-rays, blood work and checked a stool sample. Found an ‘extreamly large overgrowth’ of bacteria. X-ray showed tons of gas in lower intestines, blood work said just over the line for dehydrated. I left the dog overnight so she could be put on an iv drip. They gave her iv antibiotics that night and the next morning. AM blood work showed she was no longer dehydrated. Vet said if I could get her to eat then she could go home with me as her antibiotics would need to go with food. Chicken FTW. First couple of days she was only offered chicken and rice. It took 2 or 3 more days for her to decide to start eating as she normally would but we wonder how much of that was waiting for the good stuff instead of her kibble.
happy to report she’s on her way to recovery.
she got out of bed on her own yesterday a.m. and came into the kitchen wagging her tail. still weak and had a hard time until the evening walking down the stairs.
one residual we had yesterday and most of last night was urine incontinence. not sure whether this is related to her overall weakness or to the antibiotics (amoxycilin). she has not peed since i placed a fresh towel on her bed around 2 a.m. so maybe that’s ended, too.
thanks again for all the advice and support. i have to say that while we’ve had some stomach issues over the years, this one really knocked her down. it was v. scary to watch her become so extremely weak, lethargic. and of course, the shaking which was clearly pain or nausea related was just heart wrenching.
when she gets like that i feel so helpless.
Good to hear she is better.
My neighbor had such a bout of intestinal trouble that landed him for a few days in the hospital, he became so dehydrated.
A bad hot dog at a trucker’s stop, they thought.
Those stomach bugs can be very serious.
Glad that she is on the mend.
Jingles & AO continue for a full recovery ~
Jingles & AO for a full recovery ~
My female had urine incontinence from the amoxycilin. She was on a 7 day does of it I think, and at the final day we were driving home, her in the crate and I heard her whimpering, and by the time I’d pulled over she had peed in the crate.
fwiw Tylan also causes urine innocence in her as well.
