The Importance of Dental Hygiene

Millie does NOT enjoy having her teeth brushed. So I tricked her into brushing her own teeth. Me 1, Millie 1. We both win.

One Sick Puppy

In my last post, I shared how life's been a bit crazy around here lately. Well, the chaos continues. Millie has been fairly sick the past couple of weeks, which has had me in a little bit of a frenzy.

A couple of weeks ago, Millie started throwing up for no apparent reason. I didn't think too much of it at first because she likes to eat anything she can get her paws on, and of course this can make her sick. But when she didn't stop after quite a few episodes in 2 days, I took her to the vet. We took away all food and water to try to let her little tummy settle (though I could hear her poor little stomach growling) and she got an anti-vomiting injection from the vet. She improved and all went back to normal.

Then a couple of days later, the same pattern emerged. I thought about what she could possibly have eaten that made her sick such as a houseplant, about whether or not she had perhaps picked up a stomach bug of some kind at daycare, or as the vet pointed out, whether or not she could have possible eaten something non-digestible and it was now stuck in her intestines. The vet did an x-ray and there was good news. Nothing stuck inside, therefore no drastic surgery fixes. She got another injection, was given the medication Cerenia to help with her nausea and vomiting, and appeared to get better.

As she took the Cerenia I noticed she stopped throwing up but started to have severe diarrhea constantly, so you could tell something still wasn't quite right. I took her off of the Cerenia and the diarrhea finally stopped.

Then today, the vomiting began AGAIN. At this stage, after 3 whole weeks of this cycle, should I be concerned that perhaps there's something more going on here? She acts like she feels great still, tail up, smile on her face (yes, Millie definitely has a recognizable smile). Her regular vet doesn't know what's going on. Would you consider going to a specialist or is it possible she just has a weak stomach?

Poor Millie.

Surgery Update - Are You Confident in Your Vet?

We had a little scare last night with Millie's recovery. Last night, we noticed she was panting very heavily, her tummy was very warm, and it appeared as if some of her internal tissue was poking through her stitches. As you can imagine, I was very concerned. We went to the vet as soon as they opened this morning to let her doctor take a good look at her and he assured me that she was fine, and that her stitches look normal.

While I am no doctor, I can't help but still feel a little uneasy because I just am not convinced that it looks normal. And her heavy breathing still concerns me. I try very hard at this point to trust that, of course, her doctor knows what he is doing, but my maternal instincts (yes, I have maternal instincts for my dog) make me still feel uneasy.

At what point do you have to let go and trust that you are just being overly paranoid and irrational, and at what point do you seek a second opinion?

How do you know you've chosen a good vet?

Panting... Should I be Concerned? from Banjo and Millie on Vimeo.


More Panting... from Banjo and Millie on Vimeo.

Millie vs. the Cone of Shame, Part 2...

Today is a big day for Millie. And Mama is anxious. Millie has an umbilical hernia, and today, she has surgery to repair it.

According to VetInfo.com, an umbilical hernia occurs when the contents of the abdomen extend beyond the belly button.  It appears as a soft mass that protrudes from what you would consider to be your pup’s abdomen. Some sources say that this isn’t dangerous, but the risk comes when, if the opening is large enough, the intestinal loop can slip through. If trapped, the result can be life-threatening intestinal loop strangulation (where the blood supply to the herniated tissue is cut off).

But that’s about as much black-and-white information as I can find on the condition. We know that it’s usually an inherited condition (Millie’s had it since she was little – we discovered shortly after her spay procedure), but what I cannot discern is whether or not treatment is required.

• VetInfo.com says that umbilical hernia surgery is meant only for severe cases, and that in most cases, the hernia is not life-threatening.
• PetPlace.com recommends elective repair of a larger hernia because of the risk of intestinal loop strangulation.
• PetEducation.com says that in many cases, a hernia that goes untreated can have a fatal outcome. “As an owner, do not take a hernia in your pet lightly. In many cases, they are disasters just waiting to happen.”

Since hernia surgery of course is done under anesthesia, vets recommend that you have the surgery at the same time your dog is spayed or neutered. Unfortunately for us, we took Millie to a spay/neuter clinic. And while this clinic is reputable, and very good at their specialty, they do not perform any other procedures. If only we had known Millie had a hernia at the time she was spayed.

While hernias can spontaneously close in young animals under about six months, Millie wasn’t as fortunate. Our vet recommended we close Millie’s hernia (rather than let it “run its course”) so that means Millie will be having umbilical hernia surgery to repair it. During the procedure, the vet will make a small incision below the hernia and then push back the protruding tissue into its normal position.

I’ve been told that umbilical hernia surgery is fairly routine (“fairly” doesn’t calm my nerves though). There are risks, of course, with the surgery that are true of any procedure, infection and anesthesia complications being the main two. Also, after surgery, be on the lookout for potential problems such as redness, swelling or discharge, and go back to your vet if these occur.

EMERGENCY SYMPTOMS OF INTESTINAL STRANGULATION

If your dog has a hernia and any of the following occur, call your vet ASAP:

Hernia is warm to the touch

Zero appetite

Abdominal pain or discomfort

Vomiting

Hernia has grown in size

Depression

Fever

Lethargy

IF UNTREATED, INTESTINAL STRANGULATION CAN RESULT IN DEATH IN AS LITTLE AS 24-48 HOURS.

I worry about putting Millie through something that may not be necessary, but the risk of intestinal strangulation scare me half to death. I hope that I have made the right decision in choosing to treat her hernia.