Last night Walley began passing loose stools and the poor little pup was lethargic for a while. Today morning, along with diarrhea he vomitted twice. I gave him half a tablet of Pepcid along with some food to get rid of the acidity which was probably causing the vomitting but the diarrhea was persistent. Despite his playful and active behavior, I made an appointment to take him to his Vet. I was only able to get an appointment for 6 pm so the entire day was a difficult journey for Walley and me. Elwyn wanted to stay home too with us but I thought it was something I could handle so I told him to go to work and I kept him posted all day. Walley's diarrhea just would not stop. I didn't give him any food after the morning meal as his diarrhea was getting worse. I just gave him lots of water after his vomitting stopped. This way he would not get dehydrated. I could not wait for the clock to turn 5 pm so that I could walk him to the Clinic. All day, he was playful, alert, responsive and wagging his tail but the persistent diarrhea was troubling my mind. I kept thinking all along if he ingested anything that he shouldn't have or if there was any diet change. But nothing like that really struck my mind. We are so careful about what Walley's puts in his mouth but who knows about unnoticed accidents. It's so hard to figure out.
Anyway at 5:30 pm, I began walking Walley to the Clinic and he was as usual very energetic and playful but he would stop couple of times, as were walking, to poop and the stool was still very watery. It was impossible for me to even collect a stool sample for the Vet because of the consistency. We finally reached the Clinic and both of us were so relieved to be indoors again. It was bit of a wait before the doctor would see us so Walley was getting a little impatient and restless and would cry at times. I kept reassuring him. Finally the Doctor's assistant approached us and asked me about Walley's symptoms. As I was telling her about the diarrhea and vomitting, I was petting Walley's ears and I felt something. It was strange. His right ear flap felt swollen at the tip. I asked the Doctor's assistant to feel it and even she noticed the swelling. She made a note of it for the doctor to check it out later. Now as we were waiting for Doctor I was getting concerned about Walley's ear more than anything else. I kept wondering what could have happened that caused it. I mean, I felt his ears this morning and they were fine and now all of a sudden I feel and see this swelling. I could not wait for the doctor to examine Walley. Just when I began getting restless myself, we were called in. What a relief! The wait was challenging!
When Dr. Tufaro walked into the examination room, Walley, as usual, gave him a warm welcome. Dr. Tufaro's assistant also stood by Walley and petted him to make him feel comfortable. Dr. Tufaro did a thorough physical examination of Walley and asked me a few general questions about his diet and activities etc. He checked his temperature which was a little elevated than normal and did a Per Rectal examination. During the Per Rectal Examination, Walley winced a little but Dr. Tufaro always reassures Walley in the best manner I have ever seen so in no time Walley stopped crying. The doctor had a diagnosis by the end of the examination. He said that Walley has a bit of bacterial overgrowth in his small intestine which is spreading to the large intestine causing the diarrhea. He prescribed Flagyl (Metronidazole) twice a day for the next ten days and the diarrhea should be effectively treated. So, that was about the tummy trouble. A good tip that I took home from the Doctor's Clinic is that "When a dog/puppy has loose stools, do not give him any food for 24 hours and if he has diarrhea accompanied by vomitting, then do not give him food or water for 24 hours". That was quoted by Dr. Tufaro. Of course along with that noteworthy tip, just like we did, take him to a Vet as soon as possible to get treated. What a blessing we took Walley to the Vet today. Read on below and you will know why.
Dr. Tufaro discussed Walley's ear with me. This had been troubling me since I incidentally felt it while I was petting Walley at the Clinic and apparently it seems to be the more pressing matter at the moment. Dr. Tufaro asked me if I noticed Walley shaking his head or ears lately. And yes, actually I did notice Walley shaking his head/ears a couple of times over the past couple of days but it was always associated with his play time so both Elwyn and I thought it was nothing to worry about especially when his ears felt fine at that time and he never complained of pain whenever we petted his ears. Dr. Tufaro said that dogs/puppies usually shake their heads when they have seasonal allergies but in Walley's case he ruled that out because he didn't have any other symptoms of allergies. Also , when Dr. Tufaro examined Walley's ear canal he didn't find anything abnormal so he ruled out Ear infection as well. So the reason for Walley shaking his head/ears still remains unknown but the fragile little capillary beds in his right ear flap have might become inflammed or injured and is leaking blood and/or serum into the space between the skin and and the cartilage of the ear flap. Dr. Tufaro said it is nothing to be really worried about; it's not a serious issue but felt the need to treat it immediately. So he drained the fluid out of Walley's ear with the help of a syringe and said he could he go back home today. But tomorrow, I will be taking him to the Clinic again as Dr. Tufaro recommended surgery to treat the Ear-flap problem. He said that as small as the swelling was today and as little as the fluid accumulation was, it can recur again so it is better to operate on it now and prevent it from further recurrence and I totally agreed with his decision. Better sooner than later. If operated on now, he will not have any scars but if operated when the problem becomes a bigger mess, it will lead to scarring. And why wait especially when it's much easier to treat the problem now. Walley was happy to be home after the Doctor's visit and Elwyn and was so relieved to see Walley when he got back from work. After all, phone conversations about these kind of things are never easy. Elwyn couldn't wait to come home and see Walley. Walley, as usual was wagging his tail as though telling Elwyn," It's OK; I'll be fine"
Dr. Tufaro loves Walley and always tells us that Walley is a very healthy and lovely dog so we know his decisions are always made with good intent. As hard as it is for me to even begin imagining that tomorrow is the surgery and it will be performed under General Anasthesia, both Elwyn and I know that it is in the best interest of Walley and that's what really matters at the end of the day. While Walley is under General Anasthesia and being operated on his right ear flap, he will also have his teeth cleaned ( an annual requirement for all dogs). Tomorrow is a big day. I am trying very hard not be scared. If I stay calm then I can reassure Walley better that all will be well and he will come home happy and healthy. Let it all be in the gracious God's hands so that Walley's surgery goes smoothly in the morning and we will have our munchkin come home in the evening as bubbly as ever.
I will blog more about Walley's surgery tomorrow after we bring him back home in the evening.
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