Worried sick about Ajax

[NicoleLJ]

I am so worried right now. Ajax is really sick. Since yesterday morning he has not been able to keep water or food down. And he is now starting to get lethargic. I thought maybe he might be feeling better this morning because he drank some water and it stayed down. So hubby went to church and I stayed home to keep an eye on him. Well a few minutes ago up came all teh water.

When hubby gets home I am having him phone the vet and take him straight over. I am worried that since he can't even keep water down that he might have a blockage of some sort. Hubby should be home in an hour and a half. I hate waiting that long but I have no way to get him to the vet before that. I am so worried. I just don't know what to do.
Nicole

[Cinder & Smoke]

I am so worried.
I just don't know what to do.

Prayers for Ajax!

Spend the waiting time to looka ALL around the house for signs of something
that might have been eaten or chewed upon.

Are there ANY critter poisions that could have been found?

Spilled or leaking vehicle coolant (antifreeze)?

Hopefully it's "just" an upset tummy.

[NicoleLJ]

Someone gave me the idea to phone a friend with a cell phone. I phoned our doctor friend, he is usually on call so always has his phone on him. He gave hubby the phone and hubby is now on his way home. I will keep you posted as to what happens.
Nicole

[NicoleLJ]

He is now on his way to the vet. She said she would meet them there in 15 minutes. Now I just have to sit and wait to find out what is wrong.
Nicole

[Grace]

Prayers for Ajax.

[NicoleLJ]

Sadly I was right. He does have a blockage. And hubby is pretty sure what it is too. He says they suspect it is the leg off of one of Dedrick GI Joe toys. He found teh toy in the yard yesterday. He think he chewed it off the night before when he had them in the back yard for about 15 mintues as he shoveled the front sidewalk and such. The toy must have been under the snow so he didn't see it when he let the dogs out back. I feel just awful now.

So Ajax is staying the night at teh vets. He is very dehydrated. She said she could feel the blockage. And that tomorrow they would know more. She wants to wait till he is hydrated before they do anything. She said she doesn't know yet if they will have to do surgery. She says it depends on where it is located. If they can get it out without surgery then she would prefer that. And so would I. They x-rayed him but she had to go get them developed so we don't know the results yet.

I feel like the worst owner in the world. I thought i was doing a good job of making sure the toys were picked up or he was being supervised when they were out. I pray they don't have to do surgery.
Nicole

[Catty1]

Nicole! At least Ajax will be ok...you know what it is!

This has happened to other pets, too - and if you weren't as careful as you have been, this could have happened more often, or worse!

Snow hides things, and puppies love to dig.

And hey - PT People are always happy to chip in for surgery costs (and others too), so please let us know.

HUGS!

[NicoleLJ]

Thanks. The vet told hubby that it will be between $750 - $1000 depending on if he requires surgery or not. Hubby's parents are covering the cost for us and we will pay them back when we can. The last thing on my mind was money. I just wanted my boy checked out.

I hate this not knowing and not being there. He has never spent a night away from home or even away from Sheena or Luca before. I worry as much about my dogs as I do my kids. But with my kids I would be able to spend the night in the hospital with them. I can't do that with Ajax at the clinic.
Nicole

[Grace]

I'm so sorry - but at least you do know the cause. Will keep all of you in my thoughts and prayers.

{{{{{ Nicole }}}}}

[Taz_Zoee]

Poor Ajax. I will be hoping he will not need surgery and that everything will be fine, so he can be back home with the family soon!

[NicoleLJ]

Ok the vet just called with the x-ray results. What ever it is it is stuck just before the secum(sp?) in teh small intestine. So unless he passes it tonight they will have to open him up tomorrow to remove it. She says what is showng up on the x-ray is 4 little metal ball bearings close together. But she says when you feel it it is not round but long and hard. She says plastic will not show up on the x-ray so she thinks what is showing up is the metal pieces that are in the G I Joes leg. I am praying that he passes it tonight so that they don't have to operate. But that is what we know so far. I don't think I will be getting much sleep tonight.
Nicole

[chocolatepuppy]

Oh no Nicole. I will keep Ajax in my prayers. I'm sure he is in good hands. This could happen to any one of us, no matter how careful we are.

[NicoleLJ]

Thanks for your support everyone. I am so worried about him.

We had people over when the vet called to update me so I didn't remember to ask some questions. When she calls agian this evening I will ask her but until then I was wondering if you guys might know the answer. If he has the surgery, with it being in the small inestine what does the operation entail? And what is teh survial rate of it? I know I should have asked when she called, and I know that surgery is the only option if he can't pass it. But these details I need to know. With him only being 5 months old I am wondering if that means he will have a harder time recovering or handling the surgery. Does anyone know?
Nicole

[lizbud]

I am so sorry about Ajax. :( I couldn't remember which came first, the
small or large intestine, so I looked this up.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1571&articleid=512


I hope the mass is small enough to be passed. Prayers for Ajax from
us in Indy.

[NicoleLJ]

Thanks. Actually a friend on another forum was able to give me this link:

http://www.thepetcenter.com/sur/io.html

It tells you all about the surgery, pictures included, and even how to feed them afterwards. It was hard for me to look at and read but it helped me knowing what he might go through tomorrow and knowing now what to do when he gets home. For anyone going through this I would suggest they check out that link,
Nicole

[lizbud]

Thank you for the link given. Looks like an excellent reference & I'm
going to bookmark it myself. :)

[Daisy and Delilah]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Ajax was just being a puppy. Don't blame yourself, sweetie. We can't keep track of everything.

I'll keep Ajax and all of you in my thoughts and prayers. Pass that thing Ajax and get better!!

[sasvermont]

Oh my gosh. GI Joe? I surely hope the pup recovers quickly.

My brother had a dog (lived to a ripe old age) that ate rocks for fun. She once had one that didn't go through the usual process and they did surgery to remove it. It was expensive. She continued to eat rocks for years after that. :rolleyes: She was an odd pup, but loved dearly.

GI Joe's legs? Rocks? etc. etc. We once had a dog that loved old cigarette stubs found on the street. Go figure.

Lots of prayers and positive thought coming your way for a quick and steady recovery.

(((((((((((((((((((Ajax)))))))))))))))))

[Freedom]

Oh dear, I am so sorry to be reading all this. The good news is: it shows up on the xray, so they know WHERE to go if surgery is needed; you suspect you know WHAT it is; you caught this fast and got him to the vet quickly! That is a LOT on the plus side.

Hugs to you, Nicole. And Praying for Ajax to recover swiftly one way or the other!

[NicoleLJ]

Thanks everyone. Here is the update. The vet says Ajax is active and happy and is being a very good boy. He still has the IV in and has peed several times when he was taken out for his walks. No poop though. She did give him something to loosen him up to hopefully help him pass it through. So only time will tell if it works. She has an appointment to go to first thing in the morning but should be back by 10:30 or so and will call me to let me know if they will be doing surgery or if he has passed it instead. That is the update.

I am so glad he is back to being active and happy. The last I saw of him he could barely walk his tail could barely wag and his head would hang down. He has always been such a happy pup. And to know he is back to his happy self relieves some of my stress.

I know you are all as worried as I am so I thought i should update you on what I just found out. I will post mroe tomorrow as I hear from our vet.
Nicole

[Daisy and Delilah]

Thanks for the update Nicole. I really have a feeling that he'll pass this G.I. Joe part soon and be 150%. {{{{{HUGS}}}}}

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear about Ajax.:( I hope that he'll be able to pass the GI Joe part so he won't need surgery. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

[wolf_Q]

I'm very sorry to hear about Ajax. Don't blame yourself, puppies will eat anything and everything. I hope it will pass and he won't end up having to have surgery.

[Karen]

How good to hear that he's perked up. I hope Dedrick now realizes that he has to be much more careful about his toys. Even small children can learn that "if the toy's left on the floor, the pup will eat it and you'll have it no more!"

[kallisto4529]

Oh no I am so very sorry to hear this. I am right there with you on the worrying part, I was so upset when Reilly had to have his surgeries, only being a baby, never having been away from us and not being able to stay with him. Ajax will be in my prayers and thoughts, I do pray everything goes ok and he does not have to have the surgery, but if he does he is strong and healthy and he will be just fine!!!!! Hopefully you were able to get some rest and know all of the wonderful people here are praying for him and sending him positive thoughts.

[NicoleLJ]

Thanks all. Here is this mornings update. The vet called to let me know he passed some type of toy, though it is too mangled to tell what. It had material and plastic. So maybe two toys? Anyway he passed it this morning. He has had breakfast and drank some water. All good signs. He is in a very happy mood and is cuddling with everyone. No surprise there. Anyway she is going to take some more x-rays this morning and will look at them when she gets back from her appointment. If it has passed and he is all clear then he will most likely be able to come home but will have to take it easy for a little while. If it is still there in teh same spot then she will have to go in to get it. So that is this mornings update. She said she should be able to call me around 11 to let me know what is happening.

I didn't sleep much last night so it was really nice to get this update. I thought you would all want to know. As soon as I hear from the vet later this morning I will let you all know.
Nicole

[anna_66]

Oh my gosh, I'm sorry I missed this thread yesterday but am glad that you have a good update.
I hope what they found is all of it and that he doesn't require having surgery.

Lots of prayers

[lizbud]

Thanks for the latest morning update. It does sound promising so far.
Please let us know if you hear any more from the Vet. I'm glad he seems
so much better.

[pitc9]

Sorry to only just now be seeing this thread.

Glad to hear he passed something. I hope he passes everything and doesn't have to go in for surgery.

{{{HUGS}} to you and Ajax!

[NicoleLJ]

Ajax is coming home. The vet called and said teh X-rays were all clear. So he did pass everything. She says he is fine and to just give him soft food for a couple of days so his tummy can relax. But other then that he is fine. Hubby is leaving in a few minutes to pick him up. As soon as he is home I will take a picture of my boy and post it so you can all see that he is happy and healthy.

Thanks everyone for your support.
Nicole

[chocolatepuppy]

Oh thank goodness! :D

[*LabLoverKEB*]

OMG! Poor Ajax! Nicole I am SO glad to here that it passed, and he's going to be okay!

[cassiesmom]

Dear Ajax, I am so sorry to hear that you ate something that gave you a blockage :( and I am so, SO very relieved that you passed it on your own! :D I bet your mommy will be glad to have you home. What do you bet she gives you major hugs and smooches for all your fans on Pet Talk!

[kimlovescats]

I'm sorry that I didn't see this thread yesterday! WOW, that's so scary, but I am so relieved to read that Ajax is fine now and coming home!!!!

Give that nawtee boy a hug for me, please! :)

[kallisto4529]

Oh I am so happy i actually got teared up!!!!! Thank God he did not have to have surgery, I am sure he will be very happy to be home, as will Mom.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so glad to hear that he's able to come home and that he passed whatever was causing his blockage.:) I look forward to seeing his picture.:)

[loveallfurryfriends]

I am so glad to hear that everything went so well!!