Today was an interesting day. It actually started yesterday evening when our dog, Charlie, started getting sick. He threw up three times and then made multiple urgent trips outside overnight. He didn’t want dinner at all, barely even gave it a sniff.
This morning he didn’t want breakfast and was so lethargic. He only wanted to lay around and look very sad. I am going out of town for work for the day tomorrow, so I didn’t want to wait for things to get worse. I got him a late morning vet appointment and they looked him over. It’s hard to tell what is wrong, so we decided to start by treating symptoms and see how he does. He got iv fluids, an antinausea shot, and some more antinausea meds to take at home from tomorrow on. He’ll be eating a tragically bland diet until he’s feeling better.
Unlike when people get IV fluids, the idea behind giving Charlie an IV was to get them in as fast as possible before he pulled out the IV. They let it flood his body just under his skin which causes him to have a bubble on his back just under the fur that his body slowly absorbs. It was very strange to watch, but a much better idea than trying to keep him still for 30-60 minutes!
Part of the concern is that Charlie has a serious heart condition so any illness could be a big deal. When we found out about it, we were told he could go at any time, and probably wouldn’t live past age 2. There is an operation he could have to make an attempt to correct it, but the consensus is that he would not survive the operation and it would not be successful. He is now going to be 8 in November. So we take his health extra seriously.
So far he’s doing ok. He’s still sleepy and lethargic. I’ll give him chicken and rice dinner tonight and see if he eats. And we’ll keep giving him lots of pets and telling him he’s a good boy. But then, we do that anyway.
More to come!
Lara
September 1, 2024
2024 Lara Johnson