My Cody is Sick!
By lelin1123
@lelin1123 (15594)
Puerto Rico
February 20, 2013 5:50pm CST
Cody my Shih Tzu who is now 14 almost 15 woke up this morning fine. We went through the same routine we always do. He gets a bone, I give him fresh water, he goes outside to do his business. About four hours later I let him outside again and this time I hear him making painful type noise. Usually when he wants to come back in the house he barks once. Well I let him in and he's walking uneasy and it looks like he wants to vomit but nothing is happening. His tougue is getting white and he is still making this noise that he never has made before. So we rushed him to the vet. He has Gastric Dilation-Volvulus which is bloating and very dangerous. They sedated him and put a tube down his stomach to get the air out. They kept him overnight for observation. The vet claims if this happens again either its surgery which has no guarantee or we put him to sleep. We are praying he will be ok tomorrow. The doctor claims this is very rare in small dogs especially this breed. Has this ever happened to your dog if so, please let me no the details and results. Thank you so much!3 people like this
10 responses
@Octav1 (1419)
• Romania
22 Feb 13
I am sorry for what happened to you and your little Cody.
I've never heard about gastric dilation at small dogs. From what I know, it rarely happens in medium sized dogs but never heard about small dogs being exposed to this risk. Have you asked for a second opinion? Especially that your Cody is quite old and he could have other health problem.
2 people like this
@lelin1123 (15594)
• Puerto Rico
22 Feb 13
Well the vet said it was very rare in small dogs, however, when I researched it on line I found a few people with shih tzu's who had this problem. In fact one of the dogs was only a year old. I didn't get a second opinion because this is the vet hospital where they do everything and they are the best in our town. They did x-rays and you can actually see the problem on the x-ray.
@ladym33 (10978)
• United States
22 Feb 13
I am so sorry this must have been really scary. Of course I read your post from today and I know he is home now, but that would be so frightening. That has never happened to one of my dogs before, I would be freaking out though. I am glad he is home now and I hope he will stay good.
@lelin1123 (15594)
• Puerto Rico
22 Feb 13
Thank you so much. He seems to be back to normal, thank God!
@wolfie34 (26770)
• United Kingdom
21 Feb 13
I find it heart-breaking when one of our pets is ill, you want to take the pain away from them, you feel so helpless and they can't tell you what's wrong, even more heartbreaking is the vet telling you that it's in their best interest to put them to sleep, they are like your children, the bond you form with them is a strong one. I wish Cody pulls through and I know with your love and support he will get through it, you have to be strong for them too.
1 person likes this
@lelin1123 (15594)
• Puerto Rico
22 Feb 13
Thank you so much! I'm hanging in there and just hope he gets home soon.
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
21 Feb 13
I'm so sorry! I hope that he has had a comfortable night and gets to come home today.
You know, he's lived a long and lovely life and you've brought each other a lot of happiness. I hope you don't have to euthanize him because I know from experience how painful that is to those who love a pet.
1 person likes this
@lelin1123 (15594)
• Puerto Rico
21 Feb 13
Thank you! We didn't get any calls last night so I'm praying that he is ok. We are on our way to go pick him up, hopefully. Will give an update later.
@Raine38 (12387)
• United States
21 Feb 13
Oh I'm sorry to hear that. We have a 15 year old havanese and he's been having aches and pains in his sides because of his bones. And he is asthmatic now. He can only walk one block and back and he would be wheezing and coughing. It is painful to hear him but the vet says he needed the exercise. So far he's having problems with his ears, nothing more serious and so far the medicines have been working wonders for him.
1 person likes this
@lelin1123 (15594)
• Puerto Rico
21 Feb 13
Thank you for your response. Hope your havanese will be in less pain due to the medicine.
@teotimoponcerosacena (1550)
• Philippines
21 Feb 13
Yes I do but I just leave it to the doctor to do his job and do the same routine in treating him except that I give him more water to drink.
1 person likes this
@Kashmeresmycat (6369)
• United States
21 Feb 13
Awww, I'm very sorry to hear about your Cody. I hope he gets better overnight for you. That happened so fast, and I do know what it is, and it is unusual for small dogs to get this. I never had a dog who had it but I have read about it and they always mention bigger breeds of dogs.
I'm glad your vet kept him overnight for observation. Lets hope for the best.
1 person likes this
@lelin1123 (15594)
• Puerto Rico
21 Feb 13
Thank you so much. I'm praying we will be able to take him home tomorrow morning and that he will be fine.
@kprofgames (3089)
• United States
21 Feb 13
I am so sorry to hear this. Our pets aren't just pets they are part of our family. I hope all turns out will for you.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
23 Feb 13
I have to admit that this is not something that we've ever had happen with one of our dogs. However, several years ago we took a long weekend vacation to Atlanta and we had some friends of mine come into the house to feed the dogs while we were gone. When we got home, our Sara was very sick. It turned out that she had pyometra and had to have an emergency spay and it was also quite touch and go with her for a little bit. Luckily she was able to make it through and lived for several more years, but it was definitely a very scary situation for all of us.
1 person likes this
@lelin1123 (15594)
• Puerto Rico
21 Feb 13
Thanks, however, he's is not back to normal because he is not home. He has to be nervous, cold and missing us and very hungry. The vet has no idea what brought it on. He is staying overnight at the vet. He ate the bone about 9:45. If he had a problem then he would not have eaten the bone. It was about four hours later that he came in from outside making painful sounding noise. If it happens again tonight or tomorrow we will have to put him down due to his age. There is no guarantee that he will survive surgery at his age.
