Non-Stop Vomitting - Need Help ASAP Please!

[Kathy29]

OK, to make this short, I'm going to cut to the point.

Loppi started vomitting this evening and I counted at least 12 times. I rushed her to an animal hospital right when I felt things weren't right. The vet there cared so much more about the money than actually helping her, he got mad when I told him just to do a thorough physical exam first and I'll monitor her carefully throughout the whole night and bring her back asap in the morning if things didn't get any better. He wanted me to pay $400 there right on the spot to have x-rays, bloodtests, IV, and a couple of injections done all at once. It just didn't sound right to me to be doing SO much to my poor baby all at once. She's so small and she can only take so much. But inserting IV, plus 2 different injections of something, plus bloodtests? That sounds like a lot of things for her system to handle altogether.

After I got home, the last 2 times she puked, there was a spot of blood in each puddle. I'm getting really really scared.

Being a holiday tomorrow, I'm asking around on a local forum for good vets that will be open tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I would appreciate it if someone who's gone through this or knows how it works, could tell me what I should expect the vet to do and not to do tomorrow. A lot of vets here are just in it for the money and I honestly don't want to overstress her by performing so many "tests" on her.

Thanks in advance!

 

[elegy]

bloodwork, x-rays, and an IV catheter sound like EXACTLY what she needed. small dogs dehydrate QUICKLY from vomiting and that can be FATAL. they can also get their electrolytes all out of whack and that needs to be corrected asap. that too can be fatal. without bloodwork and xrays, it's going to be awfully hard to find out what is wrong or what needs to be fixed.

i think the vet's plan of action was spot-on and even more urgent BECAUSE she is so small. i really think you need to get her back to the vet who sounds like he knew what he was doing, and get her the help she needs before she's much sicker than she is now.

 

[fillyone]

X-rays look for an intestinal Block
IV helps with dehydration which happens really fast with vomiting
Bloodtests look for over all general health
Don't know what the injections were for but the in my opinion you should have paid the $400.00 and got started on a diagnosis already

 

[nancy2394]

I agree... xrays will show them if she's got a bowel obstruction which could be causing the vomiting. And the blood tests would definately show them her electrolytes. If her electrolytes get unbalanced she can have some real big problems. Typically with a lot of vomiting they will get out of whack and need to be corrected with iv fluids. It's really not a big deal to have those things done whether it be a small dog or not. Think of all the one and two pound babies that endure far more than that. I would get her back to the vet and have her looked at again.. especially if she's vomiting like you describe. And it could also be a sign of parvo, did they screen her for that?

 

[Meggie]

I know that what the vet suggested seemed like a lot, but it's all towards getting her diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible. A dog vomitting that much... the blood... you need to take this very seriously. She's already overstressed, she needs to be seen and treated at the very least for possible dehydration. Take her back to the animal hospital, they'll be able to do more there for her than at vet clinic.

Besides, you're in Canada, there probably won't be a regular vet open today.

 

[nancy2394]

Oh, I forgot to mention... the blood in her vomit could be due to the strain of vomiting. She's probably ruptured a little vessel in her esophagus from vomiting so much. Or the acid from her vomit could have irrated her esophagus or her stomach causing it to bleed a bit.

 

[SeniorPetLover]

The injection was probably an anti-nausea medication to make her stop vomiting. Hope she is doing better.

 

[Kathy29]

Thanks to everyone who replied. I'll have an update shortly (she's at the vet's).

 

[bubbatd]

Glad you took her in !! Give us update when you know .

 

[PoodleMommy]

I hope she is okay!

I will be awaiting an update!

Elissa

 

[Kathy29]

Well, turns out my instinct of the vet we saw yesterday being a not-so-good one was correct. A few people mentioned in the forum that they haven't had good experiences there. I took her into another vet and he seemed much more helpful (being people friendly is a bonus as well!).

Loppi is going to have to stay there overnight with IV, I requested both x-rays and bloodwork be done and I was told to call them tomorrow morning to see how she's doing.

Thank goodness, I was SO worried. The reason why I didn't go right ahead and do it last night was because I've had my share of really bad vets. I just moved here and so don't know whom to trust and whom not to. On top of that, all the procedures I was being pressured to do sounded absurd because she was acting normal, wagging her tail, eager to eat, urinating, etc. Well, I now know what's expected to be done if something like that happens again. It's just really hard for me to trust just any vet and I am always cautious about things like this. Of course, if she was acting lethargic and abnormal, I would've let the vet do everything last night, no hesitation.

Thanks again!
Updates as they come...

 

[MomOf7]

I hope she is ok!! I wonder what made her so sick?

 

[Lizmo]

Hope you hear back that she is fine and doing well!!!!

I agree, if you have had you share of bad vets you are going to be hesitent with what you do with her at a new vet!!!!!

 

[fillyone]

Well, turns out my instinct of the vet we saw yesterday being a not-so-good one was correct.

I'm confused, isn't the vet today doing just what the vet wanted to do last night? Or did I miss something?

 

[GlassOnion]

That's what I was wondering. Why is the other vet a bad guy when you had the new vet do the same thing's anyways?

 

[SeniorPetLover]

Hope she is okay...been thinking of you both...I have a little one at the vet's tonight too...

 

[Kathy29]

Yes, the same thing, but there are unhappy customers due to the way he handles situations and his attitude towards their pets. They went in for different reasons obviously and came out unsatisfied. Doesn't mean every single customer is going to be like that, but if I hear enough bad things about a certain vet, I'd prefer to stay away.

I think being a good vet isn't just about knowing how to cure the animal - being able to deal with the owners and their concerns are equally important. Last night as I was paying for the physical exam fee, he looked totally angry that I brought Loppi in for just a $20 exam. He said, "People don't usually come in this late just for $20. I had to drive all the way from home just for $20." I asked him on the phone what time they were going to close and he never mentioned he was at home. I don't think it was fair for him to be angry with me since he never told me there was a "minimum" I had to spend at his office before he'd be happy to come in and see my dog. I thought vets do it because they care about the animals, not whether the money is worth their time.

Based on that, the only thing I could conclude was that he was trying to make everything worth it for HIM and his car ride to the office. Had he not said anything like that, I would've had a different impression. He already had given me a weary look and attitude when I first went in and requested a physical exam be done FIRST and then I'll decide what to do from then on. That made me extra cautious as to what I should/should not let him do to Loppi.

 

[Kathy29]

Hope she is okay...been thinking of you both...I have a little one at the vet's tonight too...

Thank you, I hope so too! What's wrong with your little one?

 

[Whisper]

I hope she will be completely fine! She will be in my thoughts.

 

[bubbatd]

I do hope all is well . This is a perfect example of when you move and have animals , find a clinic you may like and go in to introduce yourself. You can tell from the desk , what kind of operation they run from their workers. Fill out paperwork so if there is an emergency that will behind you . As it doesn't cost you anything , you can do this at several and then pick the most impressive . If you're like me , under stress I can't remember anything !