My puppy is in the hospital...(long)

[Lokie's Mom]

Hi -

Our 5 month old, Lokie, got sick on Saturday. She became very lethargic and stopped eating and drinking. She also started to get a green discharge from her nose. We were all up in the mountains, so we took her to the nearest emergency vet. She had a fever and was dehydrated. The vet gave Lokie IV fluids, a "booster" shot of antibiotics, and a prescription for Clavamox. She said if we didn't see improvement in 2 days to take her to her regular vet.

So, two days later, no improvement! I have been able to get her to eat baby food, boiled chicken and rice. But not enough to maintain her weight. She is down to 26 lbs from 29 last week. And she won't really drink. So back to the vet we went. She's been in the hospital since last night, back on IV fluids to treat the dehydration. They are doing a full blood workup (which they say takes 24 hours) and they will do a chest x-ray.

I am a wreck! I can't work, and I can't even talk without crying! I need to know what is going on, and I am getting extremely poor communication from my vet's office. I have called three times this morning to try to get a status update. Finally a technician told me "we have no news, she is the same as when you brought her, we need to wait for the blood work and can't tell you anything until then." Basically, please stop calling. I also asked twice if I can come in and sit with her because I know she is probably scared. And they said no, they don't let people in the back.

I want to pull her out of there and take her to another hospital, but I'm trying to be patient at least until they get the blood results back. I also don't want her to have to go through a third IV stick.

Anyone have any ideas as to what may be going on with my baby? She is fully vaccinated (DHLPP, Lyme, Giardia, Bordetella and Rabies).

Is it normal for vets to not let people back where the patients are? I just want to pat her head for a few minutes and give some kisses! Should I go get her and take her somewhere else?

Sorry for the long rant, as I mentioned, I am a bit of a wreck. Any and all advice is appreciated.

[Ronin1]

I am so sorry to hear about Lokiei! Poor baby I don't know that it would do you any good to pull her out of this Vet office until the bloodwork comes back. Then, depending on what they find, you can take the bloodwork results to another Vet if need be. I do think it's strange that they won't let you back to see her. I think I would be raising Holy H-ll if a Vet wouldn't let me back to see my baby. I've had dogs/cats all my life, and have never encounterd a Vet office like that. I am sending many healing ***vibes*** for Lokie. Please keep us posted and let us know how she is doing.

[Az Boxr Lovr]

Hi. I'm so sorrry to hear about Lokie. It's so hard when our babies get sick. I know my vet lets me go in back all of the time. Actually, when I was in a few weeks ago with my BT, he called me in back to show me a dog he just operated on! I really feel that you need to be comfortable with your vet AND his staff. We did have a vet in AZ many years ago that I just loved. I did not however, like the girl at the front desk. I found her to be very rude. I finally brought it up with the vet and he thanked me over and over.Turns out he had compalints about her before, and my complaint was the straw that broke the camel's back. She was fired. The vet then went on to tell me how much he appreciates it when he gets feedback on the front desk. He said he can't always know what is going on up there. So, perhaps you need to let the vet know that she was short with you. My suggestion would be to call and ask to speak with the vet directly. Ask HIM if you can go sit with your baby. Hopefully, my suggestions help and I will keep little Lokie in my prayers. Please keep us posted.
Cheryl

[jessie30]

Hi

I'm so sorry about Lokie. I feel that everyone should feel comfortable with their vet. We switched vets a couple of time and now we have one that we trust 100%. I think that they should let you go to the back to see your baby, I don't think I would be able to handle someone telling me that I "can't" see my Jessie. Being that she is so young, they should understand how you feel not knowing what is wrong. You can try to call a couple of vets offices and get their opinion on the situation. Most vets would give advice over the phone.
Please keep us posted.

[heartsong12]

I am so sorry to hear about your fur baby! I think the hardest part is waiting to find out info. I had a dog a couple of years ago that got very sick and all I wanted to do is be with her. My vet would not let me go in the very back. Something about it might upset the other dogs, but he did let me take her home every night, but she did not have an IV. They did her blood transfusions in the morning. I hope everything turn out well for you.

[BoxerDaneFam]

I am so sorry to hear about your baby. I would really have a problem with the vet's office not letting me in to see my dog. That doesn't really seem right, or at least be kind and update you. I worked in a vet's office and they would allow the owners to visit there babies in the evening.

Hope all is well soon!

[Mama_Zookeeper]

I am very sorry to hear about your baby...I always go into mental overload when any of my babies are sick. I think Cheryl made a very good point...the tech who answered the phone may not be representative of the whole office. Ask to speak to the vet when you go in and let him know your concerns...the vet may not be aware of what is being said ove the phone. I wold not move my baby quite yet....be patient and wait for the blood work before you make a rash decision. Please keep us updated, I will say a prayer for Miss Lokie!

Dora

[shannonlt]

First of all there is no reason that you cannot visit your baby. I work at a rural vet clinic and there has never been an issue with a pet owner wanting to visit their child. Next, you can call as much as you want, you are paying money for their services. Another thing is that if you feel that you want to move your baby, you should go for it. Many things can cause a fever and dehydration. I would ONLY wait the 24 hours for the labs to come back. If they don't know something then, there are other clinics who will gladly take your baby in. Do what you feel is right, a parent's gut feeling is always right. Good luck and God Bless you and your baby!!!

[Lokie's Mom]

Hi everyone -

Thank you all so much for your responses. I am glad to know I am not crazy for wanting to visit!

So last night after work, I went to the vet's office. They showed me her chest x-rays and her lab work. They seemed a little bewildered, but offered a preliminary diagnosis of congestive heart failure and a mass on the liver. She also has a lot of fluid in her lungs. Something about the diagnosis just didn't seem right to me. They had no explanation on how a 5 month old puppy could go into heart failure in a matter of days. They offered to send her x-rays to a specialist who would review and confirm within 7-10 days. They said they would put her on the heart medicine (a diuretic) and send us home, or they offered to keep her another night for more fluids.

I took the third option, which was not offered, and took the x-rays, labs and my puppy to an emergency acute care hospital. I met with a wonderful doctor there who advised me to switch vets immediately because the diagnosis was just wrong. He said, based on his cursory review of her x-rays and general condition, that it looks like a pneumonia. He says that there is no indication of enlarged heart or other cardiac problems and he is not sure how the other vet came up with a congestive heart failure diagnosis. The nurses who work in the office gave me a recommendation for the vets that they take their own animals to, which I am so grateful for.

Lokie stayed there overnight. They told me to call as much as I want. She is going to be seen by an internal medicine specialist this morning and they are going to do a tracheal wash to find out what kind of bacteria or virus might be in her lungs.

She is still a very sick puppy, so continued healing vibes are definitely needed. But I do feel so much more comfortable with where she is at. At least I know everyone at this new hospital loves her and will do everything possible to take care of her. It is going to be $$$ to try to get an accurate diagnosis, but oh well! They offered me a CareCredit credit card, which will have no interest for one year if the charges are over $1000 (they will be).

I'll post another update after I talk to the specialists later this morning.

Thank you again for all of your support!

Natalie (and Lokie)

[lafsalot]

Glad you trusted your maternal instincts and brought your pup to another vet for an accurate diagnosis. Hope he has a speedy recovery now that he is receiving the proper treatment ~ Cathy