Tuesday, August 16, 2005
The Pantyhose Incident

Wendy asked about the "pantyhose incident" I referenced in a post a while back. It's the kind of thing that strikes terror in the souls of dog owners. It involved an 8 month old puppy, a pair of panty hose, perforated intestines and a really big vet bill. To make a very long story as short as possible...

Puppy eats pantyhose, puppy gets sick but no one knows puppy has eaten pantyhose.

Puppy goes to vet, is treated for a "tummy ache", put on fluids for 24 hours and sent home.

Two days later puppy begins screaming in pain, is rushed into emergency surgery Saturday afternoon where they discover and remove pantyhose from her stomach (2 incisions) and intestines and suture up 7 perforations in her intestine.

Puppy comes home 3 days later and spikes a 105 degree fever. Puppy is rushed back into emergency surgery late Wednesday night where they discover two more new perforations and that several of the original perforations have opened back up.

Puppy is transferred to a specialist Thursday morning where they discover still MORE perforations. They remove a foot of intestine as well as all the remaining original repairs which they redo. Put in an intestinal feeding tube. Give her multiple plasma transfusions. She gets round the clock care. It's touch and go for awhile.

Puppy recovers remarkably well.

Total vet bill? Let's just say I could have bought a brand new, small foreign car. Or a lifetimes worth of yarn.

Was it worth it? You bet. CH Polar Mist You've Got Mail HIC, aka "Kelly", is a joy to live with each and every day!


Kelly at almost 2 years old
What did I learn?

1) Dogs lie really well. They can be in a lot of pain and not show it.
2) IV or subcutaneous fluids mask symptoms. I now insist that any seriously ill dog be off fluids for 12 hours before they are released from the hospital into my care.
3) When a dog is really sick, see a specialist. There is a reason they are called SPECIALists. In the end it will save you money and possibly your pets life.
4) Dogs will eat ANYTHING.

Anne at 11:02 PM        
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