Author Topic: Reassurance please!  (Read 1136 times)

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Offline cockersarespecialpeople

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Reassurance please!
« on: May 15, 2017, 09:44:52 PM »
Hope someone out there can give me some reassurance please.  Our dear little 20-week old boy has ingested a stone and has had emergency surgery tonight to remove it.  The vet has said that it wasn't a straightforward procedure and ended up being fairly major surgery involving an anastomic repair where both ends of the gut were removed and then rejoined.  The stone was so sharp it had perforated the gut in two places.  He has had a habit of picking up gravel in his mouth if we've not been quick enough to stop him and it is always removed immediately.  It's going to be touch and go for the next 3-4 days, after which they will know whether it has been successful.  There is a danger apparently of leaking between the sutures. To say we are devastated doesn't even begin to cover it.  I feel we've let him down and his perfect little body has been violated. Has anyone else experienced this awful situation who could offer some words of comfort and reassurance?  I feel our lives will be on hold until the end of the week.  Please could everyone keep their fingers crossed?  Is this something they grow out of?  I don't remember either of our other two doing this.
Sorry to ramble on.
Thank you
Millie & Raffles running free over the Bridge.  Miss you always our special ones.

Offline MIN

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Re: Reassurance please!
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2017, 10:19:56 PM »
poor little pup. sending you and him  :bigarmhug: all fingers and paws crossed here for him.

Trouble is with the little monsters, everything is new and wonderful and they do not know what the dangers are. We do know the dangers but we are not doggy mind readers. The little buggers are so quick we can not possibly get to them in time.  I can not say anything that will make you feel better, that is the  price we pay for loving these little critters. At least you acted quick and got him the assistance he required.
Run free and fly high my beautiful Gemma
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Offline Pop-Star

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Re: Reassurance please!
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2017, 10:46:04 PM »
Poor little pup :'(
I have no experience of surgery but do remember a few days of worry when my 10 week old puppy swallowed the (in my head enormous) zip toggle off my fleece. Fortunately it was smooth and eventually came through uneventfully! She also had an obsession with stones, and at 7 years she still carries them occasionally but I know they can be swapped for a treat.

Fingers and paws crossed your boy makes a full recovery  :bigarmhug:
Janet & Poppy
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Online bizzylizzy

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Re: Reassurance please!
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2017, 10:46:57 PM »
Can only really endorse what Min has already said. Its the nightmare we all dread but no matter how careful you are, its impossible to protect  them against  everything however hard you try so please try not to blame yourself.
Sending healing thoughts and keeping everything crossed that he'll be ok. Try and stay positive, these are tough little fellas and he sounds like he's in good hands.
Sending  :bigarmhug:
Jayne & Humphrey

Offline feelreid

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Re: Reassurance please!
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2017, 08:12:53 AM »
Our boy swallowed a 6 inch rib bone whole just before his 1st birthday, I remember the worry - and guilt - well.  He was so quiet and mopey for a day or 2 then he was back to his normal self.  It is so important that you keep the cone on so he can't lick the wound, you might think he's not doing it but he will and it's so easy to get infected. 
Let us know how the wee guy gets on, lots of love xx

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Offline Mari

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Re: Reassurance please!
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2017, 09:41:02 AM »
How is he doing today? I (thankfully) don't have experience with foreign body surgery, but my cocker has eaten plenty of things that could have ended with surgery. Cockers are extremely clever and quick when they want to be so do not blame yourself! Will cross fingers and paws for your little boy! Since he is so young he might grow out of eating non-food items like stones. There are unfortunately more tasty things that can be harmful for the gastrointestinal tract too. But most dogs stop putting stones and other inedible things in their mouths when they get older. And there is always basket muzzles to help you monitor him for shorter periods if you need it   :016:

Offline cockersarespecialpeople

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Re: Reassurance please!
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2017, 08:42:12 PM »
Hello again everyone
Very many thanks for your lovely replies.  I knew I could rely on you forum-ites for some reassurance! It's heartening to know there are so many lovely cocker owners out there. :blink:
Well, we called the vet first thing this morning to be told that he has had a comfortable night, he's on antibiotics and painkillers being administered intravenously, he hasn't yet eaten anything which I thought might be a good thing not to strain his gut so soon, he'd been out  twice to stretch his legs and his temperature was normal.  His very long eyelashes have won over all the nursing staff and he's getting lots of fuss and cuddles!  Bless him.
We're very mindful not to get too blase about it though, fearing a possible sudden deterioration during the critical 3-4 day post op period, so fingers/paws/general limbs are crossed for that stage.  We are hoping that his age and chunky build will be in his favour for his recovery.
We collected the stone he'd had removed today - 4cm  long x 2.5cm wide and it was a piece of gravel as we feared.  We are going to fence off the lawn from the back door so he can't go around the front of the house into the gravelled courtyard.  The thought of this happening again [I've heard of dogs doing this multiple times] sends shudders through me, so we must do all we can to ensure it doesn't.
Thank you, Mari, for the tip about the basket muzzle - hope we won't need it as it would restrict the enjoyment of his "sniffaris" but it's worth bearing in mind.
The next challenge will be when he comes home to try and prevent him from jumping up in his enthusiasm and compromising his stitches.    He's a very bouncy little boy.  Our vet offers a snug fitting, stretchy t-shirt type garment to prevent the animals licking their stitches as an alternative to a cone collar, so we may well go for one of those.  Does anyone out there have any experience of them?  They seem like a good idea.
A big thank you to everyone out there.

xx
Millie & Raffles running free over the Bridge.  Miss you always our special ones.

Offline Mari

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Re: Reassurance please!
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2017, 09:21:23 PM »
Our vet offers a snug fitting, stretchy shirt type garment to prevent the animals licking their stitches as an alternative to a cone collar, so we may well go for one of those.  Does anyone out there have any experience of them?  They seem like a good idea.
A big thank you to everyone out there.

xx
Those body suit things are great, but it really depends on him and how much the wound bothers him. Some dogs will still be able to irritate the wound by licking or biting at the fabric. But for most dogs they work very well. So you should keep an eye on him at first in case he needs a cone as well. Cones are usually cheap compared to the suits so it's not a huge investment if you need one. Maybe the staff at the vets have an opinion since they have seen how he is there.
Sounds like he is getting the best treatment, so hopefully you'll be worrying about him jumping around in no time :) Great idea to fence off the lawn. The muzzle thing is more of a last resort type thing, I get not wanting to start there. I think you are going through something we have all feared (everyone who has had a cocker or a labrador in the family) so it's easy to sympathize.

Offline elaine.e

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Re: Reassurance please!
« Reply #8 on: May 17, 2017, 05:56:58 PM »
No experience of this, but I know of somebody on a Cocker Facebook group whose puppy recently needed some of his gut removed in a very similar operation after swallowing something sharp that perforated his gut. Her puppy has made a full recovery. I hope your boy does too.

Sending positive thoughts for him :bigarmhug:

Offline cockersarespecialpeople

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Re: Reassurance please!
« Reply #9 on: May 17, 2017, 10:25:31 PM »
Our vet offers a snug fitting, stretchy shirt type garment to prevent the animals licking their stitches as an alternative to a cone collar, so we may well go for one of those.  Does anyone out there have any experience of them?  They seem like a good idea.
A big thank you to everyone out there.

xx
Those body suit things are great, but it really depends on him and how much the wound bothers him. Some dogs will still be able to irritate the wound by licking or biting at the fabric. But for most dogs they work very well. So you should keep an eye on him at first in case he needs a cone as well. Cones are usually cheap compared to the suits so it's not a huge investment if you need one. Maybe the staff at the vets have an opinion since they have seen how he is there.
Sounds like he is getting the best treatment, so hopefully you'll be worrying about him jumping around in no time :) Great idea to fence off the lawn. The muzzle thing is more of a last resort type thing, I get not wanting to start there. I think you are going through something we have all feared (everyone who has had a cocker or a labrador in the family) so it's easy to sympathize.

We had a call from the vet today to say he is currently sporting a cone collar and apparently, it's not bothering him!  So I'm hopeful that the little chap will be so used to it when we collect him, that he'll think nothing of it.  They do offer the body suits too at a cost of £20.

He's not been eating the food they've been offering him [RC canned] so we had to take some of his usual kibble in today to leave with them.  Much as we wanted to see him, we thought it best not to excite him.  He's still not out of the woods yet but seems bright enough and his temperature is still normal, thank God.

We're just terrified about the possibility of him eating another stone in the future, when out walking for example.  He's so quick!

Thank you.
Millie & Raffles running free over the Bridge.  Miss you always our special ones.

Offline cockersarespecialpeople

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Re: Reassurance please!
« Reply #10 on: May 17, 2017, 10:34:14 PM »
No experience of this, but I know of somebody on a Cocker Facebook group whose puppy recently needed some of his gut removed in a very similar operation after swallowing something sharp that perforated his gut. Her puppy has made a full recovery. I hope your boy does too.

Sending positive thoughts for him :bigarmhug:

Oh crumbs! Another poor puppy.  Am so glad that he made a full recovery, that's very encouraging.  Our vet said today that he's not out of the woods yet and said she'd be happy once the 5-day [having previously mentioned 3/4 days, although he's not really eaten anything yet so that may be why she's extended it]  post op period has passed as she will then be confident that the stitches have held.  So, we're not allowing ourselves to relax yet.
I'm not good on Facebook and don't really understand how it works [yes there are a few of us still!!] but would be interested to know how I find the group if you could tell me please?  It would be interesting to make contact with this person to compare notes.
Many thanks
Millie & Raffles running free over the Bridge.  Miss you always our special ones.