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Hi, this is all new to me but I need to find an answer to the questions I can't seem to get... My beloved pomerian Tequila was almost 14. She was diagnosed with heart problems in June of 2012 and put on all the normal meds the give. Almost over night (4th of July 2013) she became very ill. (She was fine before then, the meds kept her normal and allowed her to continue living her normal life). With it being the holiday I stayed with her day and night (she would not walk, would urinate and poop without moving so I put her in diapers and changed her regularly) I thought she was dying and wanted her to know I was there. After about 5 days (I know that is long, I am not a mean person, she wasn't in pain and I didn't have the money to take her not only on a weekend but a holiday) she was diagnosed with pancreatitis. Our vet said her heart was still so strong and he didn't want to put her down. He gave her fluids and sent us home with antibiotics, he told me that she had a 50/50 chance, it wasn't worth it to keep her in the pet hospital, and I should be prepared that she might not make it. We'll the love my Tequi (Tiki) and I have for each other is so strong that my baby beet it, and all though she didn't act as energetic as she once was her eating returned and she was walking around and going potty like normal. About 30 days later (again just overnight) her abdomen became very bloated and the eating started suffering again. The vet said this time that the pancreatitis could have returned or it was fluid or worse case she had a tumor (cancer). I didn't believe she had cancer since the bloating happen so quickly. We tripled up on her water pill (yet again vet said her heart was still so strong) and said we would just see what happens. Her stomach would go up and down, her appetite came back and she was a happy girl again. On September 9 she started acting funny and we made an appointment for September 11. We saw a new vet (same office but our vet was not there) she suggested that even though she was not in pain I should put her down. THIS WAS NOT AN OPTION, I could not kill my beautiful and amazing little girl if she was not suffering. Her next solution was stick a small needle in her abdomen and drain some of the fluid, this she said was a temporary solution but it would help her be more comfortable. They drained 2 lbs of fluids and I took her home. (We got home at 6pm, I was told to call at 9pm to give them an update). When I called I told them that I was having to changer her doggy pad every 10 -15 minuets because she was still leaking from the drainage site and the pad were soaked. "Is this normal" I said, my reply was "yes, she has to clot so leaking was normal". This continued all night and day, even though she wasn't peppy when I called the vet to give them her update they still reassured me that it was normal. I left her with my mom because I had to pick my son up from school, I kissed her, told her I loved her and I would bring her home a surprise when I got home. I left at 11am and at 4:45pm my mom called me and told me Tequi wasn't waking up and wasn't breathing. (I know this is a long story for this little question I have, but I wanted to explain everything so I can get answers). Being in the medical field I know when fluid is extracted from a body to quickly it can mess up the electro lights and levels, what I don't know is can that result in death? I am having a hard time grasping this outcome when her heart was still so strong. She survived pancreatitis and that disease made her act like death with no interest in anything and no energy to even go potty standing up. Tequila was the daughter I never had and the best dog (we had a connection that I can't even explain, it was just strong and pure and the love was pure). Please help me find the answers I am seeking. Was the leaking from the drainage site really normal after 24 hours, does depleting your electro lights to quickly mess up your levels and results in death... Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little story and if you reply, thank you for offering me help... God Bless...
(Tequila (Tequi) 1/4/2000-9/12/2013 I will love you forever pretty girl)
I am so sorry for the loss of your little furry friend.
From your description of the events, I think that the last vet you saw felt that Tequi was already near death. The fluid was drained only to make your pet more comfortable near the end.
For that much fluid to build up, her electrolytes were probably already normal. She had something going on that could not be fixed by the vet.
I know you are heartbroken that you were not there with her at the end, but I am sure that she passed knowing how much you loved her.
I think when the 2nd vet suggested putting her to sleep, it was because it was close to the end...
to drain 2lbs of fluid off even a small dog is not something "meds and love" is going to help, if shed built up that much fluid on a triple does of water pills she was already dying...with fluid build up form a heart problem whe it starts getting to that point its the end...
the fluid they drained off the abdominal cavity woulnt have effecte electrolyte levels...electrolyte levels are he electrolites in the BLOOD stream, thi fluid builds up in the cavity, the body cant use it and drining it form a cavity wont effect whats in the blood thu shouldn't effect levels...
I ust think rapid fluid build up was occurring and the vet knew but didn't want to ay it.
the added stress of the proceure and vets visit was probably ust enough to force her little tired system over the edge.
she may have even been waiting for you to leave before letting go. not through want of being alone but through want of knowing you would be sad.
she was a good age and very very obviously well loved! you gave her a great life and I dnt think she will ever forget that so don't you. *hugs* so sorry for our loss!
Of three dogs that I've known that have had digestive type cancers, bloating happened very suddenly - overnight. I don't think you should dismiss so quickly the vet's suggestion that it might have been cancer, but even a bad case of pancreatitis would be very dangerous in an elderly dog with heart issues.
In the last visit to the vet, actions were taken to make the dog comfortable, but it appears there was nothing to be done to actually fix what was causing this. I think, with an elderly dog who is already struggling, the options are limited. Maybe they could have kept the dog there on an IV but most likely that would only have prolonged the inevitable.
Since were no other actions they could take to save the dog, the dog was made comfortable and sent home to be in familiar surroundings with the people it loved. Had the drain actually clotted, there would likely have been another rushed trip back to the vet and just more pain and trauma instead of peace. With a heart condition, the options for pain meds are pretty limited as well. You didn't need the drain to clot as much as you needed the fluid to stop leaking out of the system and into the abdomen. If there was an electrolyte problem developing, it was due to the continued leaking of fluid into the abdomen, not the removal to relieve the pressure.
In June 2013 our four year old female golden, Ellie, got in heat and was mated. We believed her to be pregnant. Her abdomen got very large, then by July, her chest cavity got very very large. We brought her to the vets, were told to put her down, that she was very sick, they did not believe she had puppies. We had xrays and ultrasound done, then they thought that maybe there were maybe a couple of puppies but told us that the puppies would not survive, and we should put her down. She had fluid in both the chest and abdomen. We had the vet refer us to Cornell Veterinary in Ithaca NY, four hours away. If we couldn't save her, then we wanted to save the puppies. Cornell told us to put her down. We had them drain fluid from her chest, for her comfort. They got four liters total. There was no leakage at the site. She was like a puppy herself after they drained her chest. They did not believe puppies would survive. Our local vet who had not been available earlier told us not to put her down, and not to do a C-section for the puppies but have her deliver naturally and they might survive. This was all over a two day period. Her heart sounded strong. Was told probably cancer. Her blood work was good. Visibility on xrays and ultrasound were not good because of fluid. At home I obtained fish zole (flagyl) an antibiotic that also had anti-inflammatory effects on the abdomen, and clavamox (augmentin). I was trying to cover all gram negative, gram positive and some yeast, and molds, that could possibly be causing the systemic issues. We had the fluid tested from her chest and that showed some mesothelio cells, but that was probably because of irritation from fluid in the chest. Otherwise the report was uninformative. Neg. cultures. She delivered three very beautiful healthy puppies, on Aug. 25. vaginally. We weaned them early from her supplementing with formula, so that Ellie had fewer demands on her body. After puppies were born, I started her on doxycycline, another broad spectrum antibiotic which also kills bacteria from lyme and various bacteria that ticks carry, and it is an angiogenesis inhibitor (stops tumors from developing blood supplies). She's been doing great. We had her stomach drained after the puppies were born and got another one liter. Her chest has not had any further fluid buildup (we measure it with a tape measure, at first daily, now every couple of weeks). We've never had leakage from any site where fluid was drained. And they took four liters the first time and another liter the second time. God bless. I'm really sorry for your loss.
Tequi so sorry for your loss, I think you did everything you could for your beloved little dog but in the end her body just couldn't do anymore. She was very old and it was time. I'm sure she knew you loved her and were there with her. I hope that soon your memories of her replace the pain you feel over her loss.
You did everything you could for your beloved Tequi and you shouldn't have any regrets. She is now in peace and no longer has to suffer. I hope you cherish the memories you have of her.
In June 2013 our four year old female golden, Ellie, got in heat and was mated. We believed her to be pregnant. Her abdomen got very large, then by July, her chest cavity got very very large. We brought her to the vets, were told to put her down, that she was very sick, they did not believe she had puppies. We had xrays and ultrasound done, then they thought that maybe there were maybe a couple of puppies but told us that the puppies would not survive, and we should put her down. She had fluid in both the chest and abdomen. We had the vet refer us to Cornell Veterinary in Ithaca NY, four hours away. If we couldn't save her, then we wanted to save the puppies. Cornell told us to put her down. We had them drain fluid from her chest, for her comfort. They got four liters total. There was no leakage at the site. She was like a puppy herself after they drained her chest. They did not believe puppies would survive. Our local vet who had not been available earlier told us not to put her down, and not to do a C-section for the puppies but have her deliver naturally and they might survive. This was all over a two day period. Her heart sounded strong. Was told probably cancer. Her blood work was good. Visibility on xrays and ultrasound were not good because of fluid. At home I obtained fish zole (flagyl) an antibiotic that also had anti-inflammatory effects on the abdomen, and clavamox (augmentin). I was trying to cover all gram negative, gram positive and some yeast, and molds, that could possibly be causing the systemic issues. We had the fluid tested from her chest and that showed some mesothelio cells, but that was probably because of irritation from fluid in the chest. Otherwise the report was uninformative. Neg. cultures. She delivered three very beautiful healthy puppies, on Aug. 25. vaginally. We weaned them early from her supplementing with formula, so that Ellie had fewer demands on her body. After puppies were born, I started her on doxycycline, another broad spectrum antibiotic which also kills bacteria from lyme and various bacteria that ticks carry, and it is an angiogenesis inhibitor (stops tumors from developing blood supplies). She's been doing great. We had her stomach drained after the puppies were born and got another one liter. Her chest has not had any further fluid buildup (we measure it with a tape measure, at first daily, now every couple of weeks). We've never had leakage from any site where fluid was drained. And they took four liters the first time and another liter the second time. God bless. I'm really sorry for your loss.
Yes it is normal.
OK your situation is nothing like the OP's. Her dog was 14 with a preexisting heart condition.
Her post focuses on pancreatitis but IMO she was already in Congestive Heart Failure and the OP didn't understand the situation. Her dog was beyond the stage where she could have survived.
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)))
Not normal
