Dog is throwing up and not eatting :(

[wangjt]

Hi,

I have a 2 and 1/2 year old basset hound that has been sick for the past 2 days.

He has had no appetite for the past 2 days and does not even eat chicken strips (his favorite treat that he never ignores).  He can not even hold the water he drinks.  He will just vomit it out after after 30 minutes so he's probably also dehydrated.

Yesterday, I came home from work and saw a bunch of vomit stains (over 10 times).  

A couple of days before this, he was licking the corners of my house looking for hair.  He has previously done this all the time when he doesn't feel good and will usually end up throwing it all up.  I was told that this was a normal behavior for some dogs and that as long as it comes out and there's no blockage, he should be fine.  However, this time, he started ingesting the strap on my backpack, the handle of my duffel bag and some other random items and I do not believe it has come back out.  

He has already been admitted to the vet.  I don't know if I'm getting ripped off or not but they've already charged me
50 bucks for admitting the dog into the clinic, 80 bucks for no appointment (considered emergency) and 200 bucks for an x-ray.  I'm not trying to say I'm unwilling to spend on these fees but the no-appointment fee threw up a red flag.  But what can I do?  I'm worried for my dog.  

How can I prevent him from doing this in the future?
Are these fees normal?  What can I expect them to give my dog?  Surgery?  Pumping out the stomach?  Medicine?  

Please help
-Joe

[wangjt]

Ok.  So I have to apologize about the clinic.  There was a mis-communication over the phone.  

I went to the clinic to personally speak to the Vet.  Turns out there was something in his stomach.  I guess they were trying to tell me they couldn't identify what was in his stomach... and somehow it got miscommunicated as they couldn't identify anything in his stomach.  I saw the x-ray myself and knew exactly what it was when I looked at it (a big dense ball of hair).

Anyways... I told them to go ahead with the surgery since that hairball has been there for the past 2 days and if it hasn't come out yet.. it wasn't going to come out anymore.   Went great and they showed me what came out... (the hairball).  We took him home for the night to personally keep an eye out on him and brought him back in this morning so they can make sure everything is alright.  He's already walking and wagging his tail but I'm trying to keep the walking to a minimum.

I guess I was worried about the vet for nothing.  they did a great job and it looks like he'll have a speedy recovery.

Thanks for everyone's help and concern.  
Joe

[Ghilly]

It's possible the dog has an intussesception, which is when one part of the intestine telescopes back over itself.  It causes the symptom of constant vomiting with no probably cause, and it's very dangerous because the part of the intestine that is telescoped back over itself can die, and when that happens, the dog's life is definitely in danger.  It can sometimes be spotted on an ultrasound, but sometimes the only way to tell if an intussesception is present is for the vet to do an exploratory surgery and see for himself.  This might be what he suspects and wants to see if that's it.  Most vets won't cut for absolutely no reason, so I'm thinking that there has to be SOMETHING that he has in mind.  With the advent of MRI and ultrasound, exploratory surgeries have virtually gone the way of the dodo, except in some rare instances like intussesception.  Please keep us posted as to how your pupper is doing and what the outcome is.

Ghilly

[Jaybay]

Get him out of that clinic and to any other one you can find.  Yes, it's possible he has a foreign body obstruction, but that usually shows up on an x-ray.  You mention your dog likes chicken strips.  Are they fried, and how often does he eat that kind of food?  He may well have pancreatitis and not a bowel obstruction at all.  I certainly wouldn't put my dog through a major surgery without doing some basic blood work first.

Like you, I've got alarm bells going in my head - not so much about the money, but for the lack of a reasonable explanation of their treatment plan.  There is no way it should cost $2,000 for an exploratory.  Sure, if there's something major going on that would make sense, but if they open and find nothing and close again well... $2,000 is completely out of order.  

As a comparison, my dog had emergency surgery last summer because she jumped at a critter on the fence and landed on a plant stake.  It impaled her through her rectum and she had over 10" of said stick in her body.  The first surgery involved opening her up stem to stern and removing the stick.  It cost just under $1,000.  That's my justification for objection to a flat $2,000 fee just to start with.  As for my dog's outcome, we had to rush her to another hospital for repair to her intestines that the first surgeon couldn't reach.  That, and a 4-day stay in a state-of-the-art vet hospital with human-level ICU care cost us $6,000.  Yeah, we love our dogs.  :-)

[suzi-q]

I would definitely think so....maybe they want to do exploratory surgery...but that should be the last resort.  There are so many other tests that should be done first.  They need to do blood work and they do have doggy CAT scans and sonograms...pricey, yes, but I would think that would all be first before cutting your baby openned.  Did they say why they would want to do surgery?  Is the stomach distended?  Is there a blockage?  They have to give you SOMETHING!!

I suggest you post your question on the ASK A VET forum.  The doctor gets back to you pretty quickly on that site.  

Did they say this was an emergency?  Are you able to pick up your dog tonight or is it staying over????  You must be so upset...Hang in there.  

[wangjt]

I've only admitted him into the vet clinic this morning at 8am.  The clinic I went to closes at 5:30pm (horrible times) and does not admit pets during the night so I did not get a chance to bring him in yesterday since I got home after that time.  Although there are other clinics nearby that do, I've heard very good and strong recommendations for the clinic I went to but I'm beginning to have doubts (see below).  The dog looked uncomfortable.. not eating and the occasional going outside to throw up but it wasn't too bad so I let him sleep in his bed at home for the night.  

They admitted him this morning because the doctor was not in yet and I was about to head to work.    

I just got a call for the x-ray results.  They said they couldn't find anything in the x-ray and they said the dog threw up while getting x-rayed.  They suggested surgery for $2000 + hospital fees even thou there was nothing on the x-ray?  It sounds weird at the moment because they don't know what's wrong with him yet they want him to go through surgery.  Is that out of the ordinary?

[suzi-q]

You did the right thing for your dog.  I commend you on that.  I gather he is staying overnight or is he home???  The fees are very expensive but many vets do charge you like that.  The nickel and dime you to death.  Do you like this vet? Are they good with your dog?  Do you feel comfortable with them?  That is most important of all, although it hurts the pocketbook.  

Did they give you any results of the tests that they have done?  an x-ray result should be back right after they are done.  The doctor should have spoken to you about that if they saw anything.  i am sure that they are also going to do a lot of blood work.  I know, from my vet, those fees are very expensive also.  

I truly hope your dog is feeling better.  How was he when you left him...any fever?  WHAT DID THE VET SAY AND WHAT IS THE REASON FOR KEEPING HIM???