Posie started vomiting white foam this morning and after an hour or so with no signs of it easing I called the vet. They couldn't see her until late afternoon but I could be seen by one of the other branches out of town, so I drove us out there. The vet said she could feel an obstruction in the abdomen and wanted an X-ray, which meant a trip to another out of town surgery. They got the pictures and diagnosed "most likely gas trapped in the colon". Basically a "fart waiting to happen" was the diagnosis. She's had a mild sedative and has some pills to take for the next day or two and were to get in touch if she doesn't get better or gets worse.
As with every instance of a poorly puppy, it was worrying and stressful, but reassuring to know that the vets we use have 5 practices within 20 minutes drive of our house and as they share the same computer system they have her records to hand. I don't think either of us could've managed the extra 3 hours wait for the appointment time and I doubt we'd have got the results today if it had been much later and needed the X-rays. Or more likely, we'd have been into out-of-hours rates. As it is it's cost us £360 for consultation, two X-rays, one ultrasound scan, one injection and a couple of pills.
Of course, I'd rather pay that than wait to see how it panned out naturally. The likely explanation is that Posie has eaten something that has fermented in her gut, and I can't help but think that giving her pizza crust might be the cause. No more treats for this little mooch.
She's now sleeping on the sofa, alternating between sleeping on a sofa to herself and sharing mine. She has a twitchy tummy which I'm putting down to contractions trying to shift the gas. The real proof will come later when we get the gas-off. Despite not looking forward to the smell, I am looking forward to my little girl being back on form.
