Vomiting/Fever/High White Blood Cell Count

[rmhand1]

Sun a.m., March 8th I gave Sheba pres. meds(2 Benadryls & 1 Vitamin E UI200), but she threw up & refused to eat. She'd been on D/D Science dog food since Dec & taking Pilocarpine Hydrochloride 2% in her food twice a day. Mon. Sheba’s white blood cell count was 60,000, she had mild dehydration & huge infection. temp was 103.5. All organs appeared to be okay from X-Rays, & she was given anti-biotics intravenously. Pancreatitis test = neg, her liver ok, gum color improved after therapy & there were no abdominal masses. I was told liver cancer could not be ruled out, but an ultrasound would confirm. There was no obstruction or perforated bowel. I brought her home. I had to carry her outside & she tickled in the grass Mon nite. She walked back, but stopped & lay down. I guided her back in & she went to the water dish, but stopped in the middle of the floor to lay down. She got up & drank water. I guided her to bed&she stayed there most of the pm until I picked her up to potty one more time then go to bed. She rested fairly well, but at 3 am was panting. She stopped after we turned on the ceiling fan & ac.

Wed. they were about to release her at 2:20 p.m., when she took a turn for the worse. I wonder if she was stressed. The prognosis was "grave" so I rushed over to find her not doing well & then it was over.

My regular vet whom I trust said it appears she had a stroke. Over the past two months I noted Sheba ate a rope toy on Jan. 24th, tried eating a 6-inch Loofa dog that I pulled out of her throat in Feb, lay on her side 2/23 & 2/24 after coming inside & cried out as if she was in pain (we thought it was her anal sacs because that was an ongoing problem), swallowed a stuffed toy leg on 3/3, passed the leg on 3/6, then the illness on the 8th.

[rmhand1]

Thank you for the reply.  Sheba had ear infections often and she fought with me like the dickens whenever I'd put anything in them for cleaning.  She hadn't been shaking her head to indicate any ear problems lately, but one thing I read about is "head pressing" which the article said could be a sign of liver problems.  Whenever Sheba finished eating her food or drinking water she'd run to her bed in the living room and push her mouth & head into the bed.  I thought she was just wiping off her mouth, but now I wonder.  

It scares me that it happened so suddenly out of the blue, but understand sometimes these things do happen quickly.  Would they do the barium study in an autopsy?  The vet didn't find anything objects inside during the autopsy she performed in her office.  The results won't be back for awhile since cultures, etc. were sent to LSU in Baton Rouge.  

I'm having problems dealing with this and keep beating myself up with guilt. What in the world would possess her to start swallowing toys?? In all these years she has never eaten anything strange; only dog food and treats. She was 13 years old and doing better with her allergies, but had arthritis. I stopped giving her treats and she's been on a special anti-allergen diet since December '08 and I wonder if she was doing that because she was still hungry. Or was she jealous of the new dogs who are very active and play most of the day. I think the toys contributed to her problems and probably put toxins throughout her body. That is my fault for having those toys around for her to get hold of. I have no idea how or when she got hold of another Loofa toy because I've accounted for all the ones we have. I took the pink one to the vet's office to let them know I located it. I also have orange, green and red ones. I had a blue one which was six inches long, but caught Sheba eating that one a couple months ago and pulled it out of her throat before she completely swallowed it.

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

A stroke in a dog is called geriatric vestibular syndrome and can be caused by a middle or inner ear infection, a brain lesion or is idiopathic.  Idiopathic means of unknown origin.  The stroke may be coincidental to her other problem or could be related, if she has a liver tumor and there is metastasis to the brain.

I am a bit concerned about the ingestion of foreign bodies also.  Ask your vet if a barium study would help.  With her history of eating foreign objects, there may be a partial obstruction due to a left over piece of a foreign body that is creating a nidus for infection.  Many foreign bodies cannot show up on X-Rays, (or ultrasound) because they are not radiopaque, but when barium is added, it coats the foreign object to make it visible on X-Ray.

Please keep us informed if possible.  Thanks