HGE almost killed my pet (Baby)

Froggy just got bath and now resting

MY youngest daughter  ( Erica ) with Froggy
the next morning  letting me rest

I have been gone for sometime . Mostly because my Frog(my dog,umm excuse  me ,my baby ) all of a sudden  started vomiting and passing (gross) jelly like clots of blood . Now I know that he is past the parvo age ( adult dogs can still get it) and the only thing it could be is poison..... but no it wasn't. The vet (at 1 am in the morning ) gave him a bag of fluids and allot of shots.He was so cold and scared ,but he didn't have any energy to do more that lay there. The vet stayed there for hours and I think he was sure frog would die by morning.At one point I looked at him and told him ' The problem is that Froggy is like one of my children.' The vet looked at me a second and then he got a book and looked up what he was sure frog had. It was breed and age specific  . Froggy was at the right age and was one of the breeds this can happen to .It is not common and it mimics parvo almost to the letter.It was HGE Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis.


 It happened so fast and within one hour Froggy was  on his death bed and I was struggling with the decision (b4 the vet trip) to put him to sleep.
One minute he was playing and he turned around and looked at me and my oldest daughter and started vomiting foam . He did this for about  minutes and my daughter took him outside  It was within minutes she got him back in and said 'he just fell over , and when I picked him up he just collapsed in my arms'  She and I was worried at that point. I made him a bed by me and places plastic bag under his cover for easier clean up. I would say within   minutes he started passing blood.It looked like jelly clumps and fluid blood. To the vet we went . He got dehydrated very fast and that was the first thing that would have killed him. The vet hooked him up to iv and over 2 hrs later Froggy was doing a little better . He was still passing a little blood but no loner vomiting ( he got a shot for that) he was able to stand up and  urinate (allot due to fluids) but wanted to be held.By the time we got home he was  only having to urinate but no more blood or vomiting. He got a fast warm bath,clean covers ( well until he peed on them ,but that was ok he got more) and was snuggled up to me on our chair. We took him back to the vet the next day and the vet looked at him in my arms and said .' that is not the same dog I saw last night.' He was surprised that Frog had lived, but I like to think that the love we have for him helped him want to live and the praying helped most of all.
http://www.vetinfo.com/hge-dogs-explained.html
HGE or Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis is a disease that hits quickly and can be fatal if not treated immediately. Veterinarians and pet owners remain frustrated by Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis because symptoms appear rapidly and often without explanation. A perfectly healthy dog will be fine one moment and then seriously ill the next.
The problem with Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis is that there is no known cause. Experts believe there might be a link between this disease and a loss of beneficial bacteria in the intestines. What is known is that fluids leak from blood vessels within the intestines and exit through the rectum.

Common Symptoms of HGE

Most cases of this acute gastroenteritis begin rapidly with explosive bloody diarrhea. The dog may also experience:

• Dehydration
• Depression
• Lack of appetite
• Lethargy
• Nausea and vomiting

In many cases, the dehydration occurs later after diarrhea and vomiting drain the body of fluids. Urgent treatment is required to keep the dog from slipping into shock.
Other illnesses share these common symptoms, so it's important to seek veterinary advice. Dogs with Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis will survive if they receive immediate treatment.

Breeds Commonly Affected by Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis

Most cases of HGE occur in young dogs, ages two to five. It is prevalent in toy and miniature dog breeds, particularly:

• Dachshunds   ( my dogs)
• Miniature poodles
• Schnauzers
• Yorkshire terriers

These dogs are generally high strung and easily stressed and that may be another factor in the disease.

How Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis Is Diagnosed

A veterinarian will test an animal with bloody diarrhea and vomiting for HGE by completing a number of tests. The most important is a blood test. Animals with Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis will have unusual packed cell volume (PCV) levels. A healthy dog's PCV is 37 to 55 percent. In a dog with Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis, the PCV rises over 60 percent.

Treatments Your Veterinarian Will Use to End HGE

Once Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis is diagnosed, intravenous fluids are critical to saving a dog's life. It's important to get the dog properly hydrated to prevent shock. Your animal's veterinarian will hook up an intravenous fluid therapy program that lasts until your dog's diarrhea and vomiting end.
Food is restricted for at least 24 hours or until the diarrhea ends. Medications to stop the nausea may be offered. Antibiotics to kill off any bacteria irritating the intestinal lining will be offered.
A dog remains in a veterinary hospital for several days. During this time, bland foods are offered in small portions to rebuild the dog's appetite and provide important nutrients. Many vets find plain canned pumpkin is very effective in stopping diarrhea, so that is often offered to dogs.

Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis Prevention

There really is no way to prevent Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis because no one knows why it occurs. It is important to recognize the symptoms and seek immediate veterinary care if your dog is showing symptoms of Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis.
Some experts believe that it can be beneficial to switch your dog's food following a case of Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis. There is that chance that a food allergy caused Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis. If your dog eats beef foods, switch to lamb or chicken. There is no guarantee that this will prevent future cases, however.

 

Read more: HGE: Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis in Dogs Explained




We have another dog that is the same breed and age as Fog and they are rarely separated .Her name is Rana (frog in Spanish ) She would not leave him once we got him settled..My oldest took her to her room and when her back was turned Rana ran for the door and got in  my lap right beside Frog and refused to leave him she was that way for about a week then she started  staying away in other parts of the house.
I has been a few weeks but I still get scared and he still refuses to be away from me for very long. I watch  him and think of how we almost lost him and it hurts my heart.
When a grown man 2 grown women and 1 young woman show up at the vet's office at 1 am  it means you have not only a sick pet , you have a member of the family that will not  ." go softly into the night.'