Many small dogs in the toy and miniature breeds suffer from a condition called Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis or HGE. This is a condition of the intestines where the lining of the intestines get inflamed. If this happens and your dog is untreated, it can begin passing blood through the bowels and die very quickly. After you have read this article, you will be able to determine if your dog suffers from this condition, and be able to possibly even save its life.
Eating is one of a dog's favorite things to do, but when they have HGE that is the last thing they want to do. Your dog will begin shying away from their food, and being lethargic; vomiting and diarrhea are more prevalent signs of the condition. You may be interested to know that there is no cure for this condition, only treatment. Once your pet suffers from this condition, the possibility of it recurring greatly increases.
Vomiting a yellow/green foamy substance is one of the first signs. After a few hours with no treatment, your dog will begin with diarrhea. Even water is stressful to their intestines and will be vomited within a couple of minutes. If the dog is still not treated, it will begin shedding the lining of their intestines through the bowels and bleeding. This is a totally involuntary action. If this happens to your dog, get it to the veterinarian immediately! This is when the dog can die very quickly. Diagnosing this condition is difficult. Most veterinarians diagnose the animal with Parvovirus before any testing is completed. Parvovirus has to be eliminated before treatment can be done. However, only a vet can complete the testing necessary to determine this condition.
Treating your dog for this condition is a difficult task because it takes round-the-clock care. If you are lax in your care it can cause the dog to have a relapse immediately and die regardless of the care you have given for a short period of time.
If your dog begins vomiting and having diarrhea for no apparent reason, seek the advice of a veterinarian. Allowing the dog to lay for a long period of time, can cost you your pet.
Do not attempt to feed your dog. This can and usually does cause the animal pain and cause the condition to worsen fast. Do not wait until morning to seek help for your dog. It can die before morning arrives. Begin treatment by either seeking a veterinarian's advice or, if your dog has already been diagnosed once with this condition, begin treatment quickly. Gather the materials except the chicken.
You can boil the chicken later. Forcing your dog to ingest the Pedialyte and the Kaopectate is probably not your idea of caring for your dog, but it is necessary for the treatment. Depending on the weight of your dog, begin force feeding them at least 5 cc's of Pedialyte every 15 minutes and administer 1/2 teaspoon of Kaopectate after every bowel movement. Continue this process for at least 12 hours. If you have to use a timer to remind you to give the dog more, then set your timer for 15 minutes. If the dog continues to vomit and have diarrhea after giving treatment, contact your veterinarian. It is normal for the dog to continue with some vomiting for the first hour or so after the onset of treatment. If this happens, simply continue administering the fluids every 15 minutes. Treatment of this type should continue at least 12 hours. After 12 hours you can begin giving your dog small amounts of boiled chicken. The chicken should be boiled and then removed from the bone, making sure there are no bones, skin, or fat attached to the meat. If the initial amount of chicken is tolerated and not thrown up, continue giving the boiled chicken for at least 12 hours. The chicken should be given at intervals at first. Try administering the chicken every 30 minutes. The amount of chicken given at first should only be a couple of tablespoons. After seeing this is tolerated, you can increase the amount of chicken given.
Eating normally is the point you are trying to achieve. If the dog is eating normal, then you can begin giving the dog his normal food. Avoiding HGE is not a simple task. Many people enjoy giving their best friend some of the same things we eat. However, there is a possibility that these foods can trigger HGE. It is best to keep your dog on a canine diet and refrain from feeding him table food. If your dog weighs more than 10-12 lbs, administer more Pedialyte and Kaopectate as these are given according to the dogs weight. If your dog continues to vomit and have diarrhea for a period of 3 hours after treatment has begun, seek professional help immediately. Do not be lax in the administration of fluids to your dog. Not keeping with the schedule can be fatal to your dog. The dog needs fluids to replenish what they have lost and to keep from dehydrating.
The author of this article is not a professional and is not responsible for injury or mishap while performing tasks in this article.
