Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My 12-year-old French poodle went for a dental cleaning on Wednesday and there were severe complications. When we picked him up, he was awake but barking and panting a lot. He couldn't stand or sit and he seemed disoriented. The vet assured us this was ''normal'' and he was just waking up and that he would fall asleep in a few hours. Well, 6 hours later we took him to an emergency vet because he got more distressed as time went on and we worried. When we get there, turns out his blood pressure was incredibly high and he had a fever. Luckily, the doctors there were able to stabilize him and gave him something to help him sleep. The next day, he would wake up and continue barking and breathing heavy, still unable to walk or sit and without any reaction in his eyes (it seemed like he lost his sight but we were told it was too early to know if it's temporary or permanent). They ran other tests and found he is positive for ehrlichiosis so he was given meds for that and he slept all night. We went back the next day to visit him, and he seemed slightly more alert, still unable to sit or walk but he was moving his legs and moving his head a lot more than the previous day. He also did some of his usual behaviors like licking you when you ask for kisses and I carried him and he fell asleep in my arms for a little while. He even had some food and water and seemed much stronger so we were told to just give it time. Unfortunately, today his glucose levels were extremely low and he became unconscious so they intubated him for oxygen. We aren't sure what is going on anymore and no idea if there is even any hope. The new vet says they are doing everything they can and we do believe it but as you know, you always wonder if more can be done. At the same time, I'm not even sure if I want him to keep suffering so much but my entire family is absolutely heartbroken and we are at a loss for what to do.
Has anyone experienced anything similar and miraculously found that their dog survived? I'm not even looking for answers I guess, mainly just support and any advice you may have for dealing with this immense stress and pain. We are heartbroken, angry that the first vet didn't run all the necessary tests that could have seen he had an illness already, and feeling like we'd do absolutely anything to save him. It's such a hard situation and I will definitely never subject any future dog to anesthesia for dental because this has been a nightmare...
I’m so sorry. This is indeed heartbreaking. I wish I knew what to say.
The first vet really does not sound very good. We had a dog who died from undiagnosed kidney disease because the vet ignored me when I told him repeatedly that she drank excessive amounts of water. By the time I changed vets, it was too late. I still feel guilty, but I did the best I could at the time.
Clearly you love your dog and have done everything for him that you can. Sending positive thoughts your way for improvement.
I’m so sorry. This is indeed heartbreaking. I wish I knew what to say.
The first vet really does not sound very good. We had a dog who died from undiagnosed kidney disease because the vet ignored me when I told him repeatedly that she drank excessive amounts of water. By the time I changed vets, it was too late. I still feel guilty, but I did the best I could at the time.
Clearly you love your dog and have done everything for him that you can. Sending positive thoughts your way for improvement.
I echo this. It's heartbreaking and I don't have much to offer that is helpful. But as CLfan says, you are doing the very best you can as you get new information, and it's clear you love your dog. That's what matters here.
I am glad you have switched vets. But it's also the case, with humans and other animals, that anesthesia or a virus can suddenly accelerate a problem (sometimes dementia, sometimes other diseases), particularly in elderly patients. So, it might be just an unhappy confluence of factors here.
In any case, it sounds just awful, and you certainly have my sympathy. I hope things start to improve now.
We are heartbroken, angry that the first vet didn't run all the necessary tests that could have seen he had an illness already, and feeling like we'd do absolutely anything to save him. It's such a hard situation and I will definitely never subject any future dog to anesthesia for dental because this has been a nightmare...
Always, always, ALWAYS do a blood panel before any procedure involving anesthesia. No matter what the age of the animal or how much in good health they seem to be. Any vet worthy of that DVM title will insist on it. If they don't, find one who will.
Unfortunately, a proper dental cleaning and full exam can only be done when a dog or cat is under anesthesia. Dental issues never stay up in the mouth, they will migrate to and affect other areas of the body.
Always, always, ALWAYS do a blood panel before any procedure involving anesthesia. No matter what the age of the animal or how much in good health they seem to be. Any vet worthy of that DVM title will insist on it. If they don't, find one who will.
Unfortunately, a proper dental cleaning and full exam can only be done when a dog or cat is under anesthesia. Dental issues never stay up in the mouth, they will migrate to and affect other areas of the body.
Agree with all of this. It is easy to assume all is well with our dogs because many of them mask underlying health problems until something (such as anesthesia) upsets the apple cart. My vets have always done blood panels/health exams before procedures that require anesthesia. I'm so sorry you and your poor dog are going through this OP!
Do you have neighbors who have used the vet you did who might share with you some info such as they were not happy with that same vet? Perhaps group pressure would get more info out of your vet who is probably hiding what the vet or assistance did wrong or didn't help when a problem was encountered. Or maybe the vet/assistants didn't keep a vigilant eye. Sometimes it's an overdose and inattentive employees/vet.
See if you can get the paperwork on exactly what meds were used and what was done.
See if you can go to the best area vet. See if they can get truthful info from your vet employees. Hopefully they'll have better info there that a better vet can use to solve the problem.
So sorry you and your poodle are dealing with this.
So very sorry. Pets are members of the family and when they suffer extreme health issues, its like our child is sick and its impossible to enjoy ourselves until the issue is resolved.
Thank you all so much for such kind responses. It's oddly comforting to read well wishes, even if I don't know all of you. I've found only fellow pet owners understand what this is like and not everyone will sympathize, but I'm glad I found this forum in the midst of my endless research trying to maybe find a solution.
Our dog is awake again and no longer intubated, so yay! We were able to feed him solid food yesterday (he was very hungry!). He is still not walking or even able to sit/stand, but he does seem to have a little more strength in his legs as he definitely does try and push himself to stand and he's moving his legs more and more. He is also moving his head/neck more, but he does wobble from side to side which the vet recognized as a sign of possible neurological/nerve injury. We don't know whether it is permanent or temporary yet, we hope it can be reversed with time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ContraPagan
Always, always, ALWAYS do a blood panel before any procedure involving anesthesia. No matter what the age of the animal or how much in good health they seem to be. Any vet worthy of that DVM title will insist on it. If they don't, find one who will.
Unfortunately, a proper dental cleaning and full exam can only be done when a dog or cat is under anesthesia. Dental issues never stay up in the mouth, they will migrate to and affect other areas of the body.
We did do a blood panel and the first vet claimed everything was "fine." We were told he would easily survive the procedure and there was no cause for alarm. We made the mistake of trusting that too much because the new vet we have now told us there should have been more tests done, especially because of his age. It wasn't until after the surgery that the first vet mentioned he may have a heart problem because apparently, she noticed it during the procedure. Why he wasn't tested for more potential issues we don't know, and sadly, we weren't as informed as we should have been to demand more. I guess the silver lining to all this is that now we've learned our lesson.
Quote:
Originally Posted by petsandgardens
Do you have neighbors who have used the vet you did who might share with you some info such as they were not happy with that same vet? Perhaps group pressure would get more info out of your vet who is probably hiding what the vet or assistance did wrong or didn't help when a problem was encountered. Or maybe the vet/assistants didn't keep a vigilant eye. Sometimes it's an overdose and inattentive employees/vet.
See if you can get the paperwork on exactly what meds were used and what was done.
We haven't had much energy to pursue this but the new vet did speak to the other vet to try to understand what he was given. In the new vet's opinion, the anesthesia and medicine doses were a little too high for a dog of his size/age. So, yes this could have easily been the trigger for all these complications. I've been advised by many to find out more since this entire situation seems like a bit of negligence on the vet's part.
I am so sorry you are going thru this. It is hard to make the decision on when to stop treatment since they can't tell us how they are feeling. You know your dog best. If the quality of life is not good they we need to step up and make the hard decision.
I will tell you I just went thru a similar issue but my dog is only 3 - got sick overnight, emergency vets could not find out what was wrong. Not poison, not an infection. We were near the point of having to make a decision. Vet tried everything - including vitamins - and for some reason my pup turned the corner and survived.
Whatever you decide, know that you are making the best choice.
I had a similar situation with my ”first”, and had everyone I know pray for him even though the emergency vet hospital said to be prepared to say goodbye. He made a miraculous recovery and I enjoyed 4 extra years with him. I a truly sorry your ”boy” is suffering and pray he will make a recovery so he can go home to you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
