Pig News
So Pig is in the animal hospital. :(
I actually had to take her into the emergency room last night at 11:00 p.m.. Right after our last walk, she started choking and gagging and threw up a few times. And the choking and gagging didn't stop so after 15 minutes of watching her heave, wheeze and cough, I decided to take her to the animal hospital. She threw up a few more times in the car, and in the process made some of the scariest human sounds I've ever heard come out of an animal. It seriously sounded like there was a 250 lb man dry heaving in the back of my car.
Anyway, the emergency vet was pretty useless. She took some X-Rays which didn't turn up anything hard, but she guessed maybe something soft like a leaf or fabric might be caught in her esophagus. She explained the only way to know what was in there and to get it out was to go in with a camera scope. Unfortunately, the camera scope is not available after hours (at which point I really wanted to give her the "then what the fuck kind of emergency animal hospital is this???" but I was too tired and worried to) so she told me take her home and just bring her back for the endoscopy (sp??? this is a total guess) tomorrow. Actually, at first she told me I should leave Pig with her, just in case she throws up whatever is bothering in her esophagus and inhales it - thereby blocking her windpipe - but an overnight stay would cost me a cool $200. No thanks.
So Pig got to sleep in my bed for the first time ever, although she obviously was in much pain. She cried the whole night (5 hours) and kept swallowing and drooling. My whole apartment is now covered with dog drool.
After calling a few vets this morning and getting a few referrals, I finally opted to go back to the same hospital I went to last night. My regular vet said he could do the endoscopy, but if that didn't turn up what was bothering her, I'd still have to take her to the animal hospital I took her to last night, which is better equipped and has a staff of surgeons. And that would cost me even more money, so better just to go to the animal hospital this morning. So we did.
The vet this morning was really nice. He disagreed with the emergency vet and said that the x-rays don't even show a soft object in her esophagus. Anyway, he is going to sedate Pig, and look into the upper part of her throat first, to see if he can spot what the problem is. If he doesn't find something wrong, then he's going in with the scope through esophagus. And he still doesn't find anything wrong, he's going to dig deeper to check for ulcers and other problems that might be the cause of the vomiting. And the he might even do some biopsys.
Poor Pig.
I actually had to take her into the emergency room last night at 11:00 p.m.. Right after our last walk, she started choking and gagging and threw up a few times. And the choking and gagging didn't stop so after 15 minutes of watching her heave, wheeze and cough, I decided to take her to the animal hospital. She threw up a few more times in the car, and in the process made some of the scariest human sounds I've ever heard come out of an animal. It seriously sounded like there was a 250 lb man dry heaving in the back of my car.
Anyway, the emergency vet was pretty useless. She took some X-Rays which didn't turn up anything hard, but she guessed maybe something soft like a leaf or fabric might be caught in her esophagus. She explained the only way to know what was in there and to get it out was to go in with a camera scope. Unfortunately, the camera scope is not available after hours (at which point I really wanted to give her the "then what the fuck kind of emergency animal hospital is this???" but I was too tired and worried to) so she told me take her home and just bring her back for the endoscopy (sp??? this is a total guess) tomorrow. Actually, at first she told me I should leave Pig with her, just in case she throws up whatever is bothering in her esophagus and inhales it - thereby blocking her windpipe - but an overnight stay would cost me a cool $200. No thanks.
So Pig got to sleep in my bed for the first time ever, although she obviously was in much pain. She cried the whole night (5 hours) and kept swallowing and drooling. My whole apartment is now covered with dog drool.
After calling a few vets this morning and getting a few referrals, I finally opted to go back to the same hospital I went to last night. My regular vet said he could do the endoscopy, but if that didn't turn up what was bothering her, I'd still have to take her to the animal hospital I took her to last night, which is better equipped and has a staff of surgeons. And that would cost me even more money, so better just to go to the animal hospital this morning. So we did.
The vet this morning was really nice. He disagreed with the emergency vet and said that the x-rays don't even show a soft object in her esophagus. Anyway, he is going to sedate Pig, and look into the upper part of her throat first, to see if he can spot what the problem is. If he doesn't find something wrong, then he's going in with the scope through esophagus. And he still doesn't find anything wrong, he's going to dig deeper to check for ulcers and other problems that might be the cause of the vomiting. And the he might even do some biopsys.
Poor Pig.
posted by S at 11:41 AM
7 Comments:
I am so sorry to hear about Pig's problems. It reminds me a bit of when Spots had to have surgery because she kept eating plastic bottle caps, string and other sundry items she found lying around. I hope she gets well soon.
poor pig:(.
How are you holding up?
(I hope this goes through, I've been having trouble with the word verification--it keeps telling me I'm not putting the word in as it appears!)
Hope Pig feels better soon. And that you hold up okay too.
Thanks for your comments, emails, and phone calls guys. Pig and I feel very loved.
I just talked to the vet - apparently her throat was fine, esophagus was fine, stomach was fine, and then bam when he got to the small intestine, he said it was all torn up and inflammed and the lining was all off place. He explained that an intestine should look like you're looking down a hose - smooth and stuff, but hers looked like a roto-rooter had been pushed through it. It could be something more minor like an allergic reaction to something she's eaten, but possibly cancer, so I'll know tomorrow when we get the biopsy results. Either way, it's this inflammation that's causing her severe nauseau.
I am hanging in there fine. I would obviously had rather heard that it was something that scratched her throat, but if it is something awful like cancer, well, there's not much I can do about it. If it's an allergy thing, the vet said she'd probably just have to take some sort of medication from now on for it. So we'll see.
Oh, hon. I am so so so sorry to hear that Pig isn't feeling well. We will just cross fingers that it isn't cancer. I know this must be awful for you- I send a big hug.
-aj
are we sure it isn't just the package of crackers ;) ?
sorry to hear she's not feeling well- i can't imagine how upsetting that is. i hope she's back to pigging cookies quickly.
aw, poor pig. i'm so sad for you both that she's going through this... wish there was more we could do for the sweet girl. :(
sending good thoughts on the wind for her.
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