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Home > A $486 tummy ache

A $486 tummy ache

September 13th, 2006 at 04:25 am

Poor Henry, my basset hound, has had a tummy ache today. He was fine when he woke up, but his first taste of food this morning sent him running outside to start desperately eating grass. He was drooling copiously and the initial meds I tried giving him had no effect, so after 3 hours of periodic bouts of tummy upset, I canceled class and made a vet appointment.

The vet said his vital signs were good and offered me two options: give him a shot to calm his tummy and take him home, or do an x-ray and blood work to see if there was an underlying problem to deal with. Since Henry has had episodes of this type before (though not so badly), I opted to have the tests done so that I know what I'm dealing with.

The good news is that x-ray only showed gas in his digestive system and no problems. Blood work indicated that kidneys, pancreas, and liver are fine.

The x-rays also picked up two large bladder stones which have to be dealt with before they cause problems plus indicated that his hips are not in great condition (arthritis down the line). Plus he has an ear infection. So I left today with two tummy meds, two ear meds, and chewable glucosamine, plus a week's worth of special low-residue food.

Henry has been doing mostly ok since he's been home but has had two short bouts of his tummy bothering him. He's sleeping now. Nothing upsets me like my dog being sick (Bassets are vulnerable to Bloat, which is deadly, and he was displaying some of the symptoms). I'm exhausted but wired and hope that *I* sleep tonight--I really need it.

2 Responses to “A $486 tummy ache”

  1. moneycents Says:
    1158151054

    Sorry about your dog. I know how it feels when they are sick. I, really feel helpless. I have two precious babies myself(2 of the sweetest Rottweilers on earth). Two vet appointments this week. One of the visits is for bad hips and knees. That is on my 2 year old. I'm hoping to get good news that he is improving.

  2. Ima saver Says:
    1158151461

    i can relate, nothing bothers me more than knowing my little holly is not feeling well.She won't eat regular dog food or take medications, so she has to get better on her own, poor thing! I love her to death and we have never spent a day apart.

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