Hello Everyone,

We've had a bit of a crisis with one of our dogs today.
Vinnie, our Bullmastiff, has been to the vet and he will probably need an operation tomorrow to save his life.

Last night he nicked some red hot food from the grill and he was sick. I thought that he had burnt his throat or stomach. By 2am he was throwing up bright red blood. I 'phoned the emergency vet and explained what he had done. They too thought the same as me and said to see what he was like in the morning. This morning he was a lot brighter but I got an appointment for 5pm anyway. I nearly 'phoned to cancel 'cos by 4pm he seemed almost back to normal.

When we got him to the vet he was going on as if there was nothing wrong with him.
The vet checked his mouth and found no burns. She took his temp and it was a wacking 110degrees. She felt his stomach and found a blockage a bit bigger than a ping pong ball. Apparently it is just coincidence that he stole the food.

He has had two injections, one antibiotic and one to bring down his temp, and he has been sent home with Glucalyte. Tomorrow, if he hasn't 'got rid' of whatever it is he has to have an X-Ray and the operation to take it out. The vet doesn't think he will get rid of it by himself.

This is a dog that has eaten two pairs of my glasses and just dumped them in the yard. He hasn't chewed anything now for about a year. He's 2 years old I thought he was over all that.

The worst thing is I had to cancel the dogs insurance because I lost my job and couldn't afford to pay it any more. I've managed the few vet bills up to press. Even the regular Demedocosis treatment that Vinnie has.

This is going to cost £500 if he needs the Op. I'm hoping the vet will let us pay in a few installments. Better still that Vinnie doesn't need to go through an Operation at all and the object will just pass through.

Oh Dawn, I do hope Vinnie is ok and that he doesn't need surgery tomorrow.  I'm sure if you have a good relationship with your Vet and explain the circumstances they will be more than willing to allow you to pay by some instalments, especially since it is an emergency situation.  Our Vet has posters up saying everything must be paid in full at the time of treatment, but the reality is that they are very sympathetic to regular clients with regards to paying up the bills and also in allowing those who do have insurance to not have to pay out, with the Vets doing the claim themselves.  With any luck you'll find your Practice equally accomodating :)

Good luck with Vinnie tomorrow and keep us posted on how he is doing.

Lesley

Lesley,

Vinnie is laid on the sette at the moment. I can't believe he is as ill as the vet says. He looks so peaceful. Sometimes his stomach is 'lurching' though, as if he is trying to retch.
I've had dogs all my life and I lost a tiny puppy when my 23yr old daughter was a baby because he swallowed a dummy teat. The vet left him too long and he was just too weak to have the Op.
I know Vinnie is a big hulk of a thing but I'm worried all the same. I've had dogs have to have operations for all sorts of clinical reasons and not been as bad as I am tonight.

My partner Dave is very attached to Vinnie. When Dave was in hospital recently Vinnie missed him terribly and his demedocosis came back.
Dave was on life support for some time and the first thing he asked for when he 'came round' was Vinnie.

The good thing at the moment is that Vinnie hasn't been sick since 2am this morning. He has managed to open his bowels a tiny bit, he passed a small amount of digested blood. I'm hoping he might pass whatever it is that is causeing the blockage.
We have been racking our brains to find out what it might be but we can't come up with anything.

The other dogs know that something is wrong.

Dawn,
I hope Vinnie passes what ever it is. Sorry havnt been in touch.
Keep smiling, He may just surprise you :) :) :) :)
Lea :)

Hope Vinnie gets better soon :)
How worrying for you - and him
Keep us all posted
Lesley

My heart goes out to you Dawn, you've had so much to cope with lately.  Hopefully Vinnie will continue to improve overnight and the vet will be more upbeat in the morning.   It's amazing how other dogs are so empathetic to one of their own being poorly!

All sorts of fingers and paws are crossed here that Vinnie will soon be back to normal, bouncing about and wondering what all the fuss was about :D  Try to get some rest tonight as best you can :)

Take care

Lesley

Aaaaaw sorry to hear :( Do hope things get better and he is able to pass what ever it is

Hi Dawn, My heart goes out to you, I am going throught he same thing, my Neopolitan Mastiff has just come out of surgery, hoping to get him home for the weekend (no insurance either-dreading the bill). Fingers crossed for your boy :)
Kerrie

Dawn i have emailed you(Tuesday) to ask after Phoenix but now i am worried about Vinnie,, i had this with one of my Bullmastiffs please dont let your vet leave it any longer with out doing x-ray as the gut does twist as my boy's did and this was just because he had eaton a raw bone and it had made him so constipated. let me know how it goes love to all of you xxx  try him with  liquid parrafin

Hi Dawn,

How's your boy doing????? Did he pass it???
Fingers crossed things are ok.
Karen.

Hi,

Sorry I haven't got back sooner to let you all know how Vinnie is.
We've just had news that my partners Grandma has liver cancer so I'm afraid everything else has been out of our minds at the moment.

We took Vinnie to the vet on Wednesday and as she could no longer feel a blockage she decided to leave it another 24 hours.
We were sent home with Cimetidine and a course of Co-Amoxiclav for Vinnie and told to feed bland food for 24 hours.
Well, Vinnie seems fine at present although he still has a bit of a sore tummy if he eats too much at once. I am feeding him four small meals a day. We are keeping an eye on him just in case there still is something in there. He hasn't 'passed' anything so maybe there was never anything there.

Kerrie,

How is your Neo?? What was the op for??
I was so worried about Vinnie I don't know what I would have been like if he had needed surgery.

Corsogirl,

I thought you weren't meant to use liquid parrafin anymore!! I thought it was dangerous if given for the wrong symptoms.
I got your email. did you get my reply.

Hi D4wn yes i got your email sorry but this b***** PC got a virus which up set my hard drive
any way one of my males got blocked i just gave him LP for two days and it moved it so that he could he poo again a week later he was back to normal done him no harm made him better. But yes you have to be sure it is a blockage that can move.
Sorry to hear about Dave's Grandma xxxx give her my regards
speak to you soon love to all..

Hi Dawn
Thorn ate a small animal wrapped in a nest of twine! It unravelled inside him and got wrapped around his intestines, it was very touch and go if he would survive and the vet said he had never seen such a bad case, but Im pleased to say he made it! Hes still having daily jabs, but as he's such a big strong boy for 7months old, he has hardly lost any weight:D We have to give him a diet of mush for now but Im sure he'll be back to normal soon xx Hope your boy is ok :)

Kerrie,

I'm so pleased Thorn is getting better. You must have been in a heck of a state. I know I would have been if Vinnie had had to have the op.
Vinnie used to do that kind of thing regularly at that age but now he's 2 I thought he had grown out of it.
He hasn't been in the bin or tried to chew anything he's not allowed since so maybe he's learned his lesson. Doubt it though 'cos he's brain dead. We're giving Vinnie four small meals a day for a while but he is eating his regular food now.

Jackie,

I lost a pup with a blockage when I was 18. the vet left him too long and he wasn't strong enough for the op. He was only a tiny lurcher, his dad was a miniscule whippet.
He was 10 weeks old and I tried to tell the vet to operate but she thought she new better. He'd swallowed one of the kids dummies so it was my fault. It took me 2 years to forgive myself and get another dog. He was treated with LP but it didn't shift it. That was all the vet gave him. She decided that she would operate on the fifth day and sent me home to 'starve' him, he hadn't eaten in five days. He died that night in my arms.