alex has pneumonia, long

[joycenalex]

alex the wonder dog continues to stupify me. he managed to develope a case of aspiration pneumonia over the weekend, he spent 2 nights in the ver er at ohio state university. he's had some problems with nausea over the last 10-12 days, my regular vet checked him out and gave him an injection of pepcid and he did well for 3 days. on saturday, the nausea returned and some how he managed to inhale some of the vomit into his lungs. late saturday pm, i noticed he'd started to cough, a coughing dog is never a good thing. i gave him a small dose of robitussin on sunday am, and when the cough continued, i took him to the er in the early afternoon, just for the record, an er is an er, human or animal, so bring a book. we spent a lovely sunny sunday inside where after a few hours and an xray, he was diagnosed with pneumonia. he had to stay, they hooked him to an iv, he was slightly dehydrated from his vomiting, so they gave him fluids and an antibiotic. on monday they took a culture from his trachea(tube from the mouth to the lungs) and it's growing e. coli, which is normally in the digestive tract. it's a real problem anyplace else in the body. i got to visit him monday night after work. osu has a visiting area for humans and their animals with 2 comfy chairs. on monday night, he looked horrid, green mucus dripping from his snout and an iv and they had to take blood from his jugular at one point (the blood vessels in his throat). i took him outside for a potty break, and his nose was so stuffy that he couldn't smell the next door cow barn (osu is an agriculture land grant school and does a lot of animal research) as i could smell it. we came back in to the visit room, he got in my lap and licked my cheek for a few minutes, then he fell asleep lying on my chest and lap. he slept for nearly 2 hours, i bet he hadn't slept too well in the crates in the icu, and well, i'm the humom. the very nice vet student, jessie (and i want to adopt that boy:) ) is very smart, kind and sweet. he came in and found me reading and alex sleeping when it was time for the visit to end. we spoke about alexs' medical condition and that he would call me in the am with an update. it was hard for me to leave alex again, he whimpered as i left.
on tuesday am, jessie called and said alex was ready to leave, alex had carefully removed his iv line himself, but all the antibiotic had run in first. :p . i got to pick him up, we got home and, after checking out the cats, and cuddling with me, he fell asleep for 10 hours.
he still is sneezing, doesnot like having his nose wiped AT ALL and is slowly getting better. i am thrilled to have him home.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Hey Alex ~

Wunder Dawgz aren't supposed to be :eek: sick ~

You GET BETTER reel Quick!! ;)

{{{HUGGs}}} to Joyce!

[clara4457]

Alex - I am so sorry you are having such a rough time of it. Hope you feel better real soon. {{{{{HUGS}}}}} to you and your mom. Sending you healing vibes!

[tatsxxx11]

Dear Alex, you ARE a WONDER of a dog:) I'm SO happy to know you're home again with your Mom. Reading of her cuddling you in her lap at the hopsital brought tears to my eyes. What a tough week you and your Mom have had. You rest up now sweetheart, wipe those sniffies and get better very soon! Love and hugs to you sweetheart....Sandra

[Logan]

Sweet Alex, I was so distressed to learn that you had been sick all week long!!! :( Poor Alex!!! Poor Mom!!!! When I saw your mom's post last night in the Dog House, I started worrying! But I am so glad you are home and ok. Hope that runny nose will stay put very soon, sweetheart. Many, many hugs and prayers to you and your mom. :)

Logan

[lizbud]

I too read another post & learned that Alex had been sick.

I am so glad to hear that he's on the mend now.:) I really
had no idea that dogs could have this problem as well as
some humans do. Must have been very scary for awhile there.
Hope Alex is feeling better & happy again soon.:)

[KYS]

Oh Dear!!!
Alex please get better ASAP!!
Lots of hugs and good thoughts comming
your way.

Karen

[RobiLee]

Awww Alex, please feel better soon. I am sending out big hugs for you. Joyce you and Alex have been through alot. Make sure you get some rest too!

Hugs to you both...Robin :)

[ChrisH]

Aww, poor Alex, and poor mom too, I am glad to hear he is home and doing better. Sending out positive thoughts and prayers for you both.
Hugs
Chris

[anna_66]

I'm sorry to hear that your dear sweet Alex has been so sick:(
I am glad to hear that he is home and sleeping well (noone sleeps good in the hospital do they?).
Hope to hear he's back to his old self in no time! I'll be keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers.
Anna

[Albea]

Wonderful Alex,
I'm sorry you were sick and had to stay at the hospital.:( It sounds like you are feeling better now that you're home with your mommy. We send you many get well wishes and a big hug.

[lovemyshiba]

Oh poor sweet Alex:(
I'm sorry you are sick honey, but glad to hear that you are home with your mommy now!!
Get better soon!!!!

{{{{hugs to joyce and alex}}}}

[tatsxxx11]

How are you feeling today, Alex?? Hope you're feeling lots better and catching up on your rest!:) Thinking of you sweetheart...you too Joyce!:) Check in when you can!

[Sudilar]

Oh no, poor Alex!!!! I'm so sorry to hear you were in the hospital. I hope you are feeling better now. I hope your nose and lungs clear up quickly!! Get well wishes from me, Killian and Shiloh!!

[joycenalex]

alex is doing better. the vet student called and said the trachea culture is growing e. coli, so it is a true aspiration pneumonia, and i could stop one of the antibiotics. the sneezing and coughing is milder, he still has a drippy nose from time to time, but it's no longer constant, and best of all, he's asking for walks and playtime instead of sleeping. magic his cat has started sleeping next to him again, magic had stopped b/c of the coughing. as i type this, magic is next to alexs' tummy, curled up. :) .
thanks for all the support, it helps so much.

[Logan]

That is great news, Joyce!!! :D

[tatsxxx11]

What a welcome update, Joyce! So glad to hear that Alex and his kitty Magic are back to snuggling together again!:D Please give Alex the Wonder Dog a hug for me, ok??:)

[Sudilar]

Great news!!!

[joycenalex]

alex is going in for a follow up chest xray tomorrow. he still coughs occasionally and shows fatigue 3/4 of the way into our every other day walk. poor dog!

[anna_66]

Ohhh, poor Alex:(

I do hope it shows the problem & can be easily taken care of.
You and Alex will both be in my prayers.
Please update when you can.
Anna

[Sudilar]

We'll be thinking of you tomorrow, Alex. Good luck!!

[joycenalex]

his chest xray is clear! he'll finish the antibiotics on tuesday. the vet said the fatigue would lift as time passed. he's spent about 2 hours supervising leaf raking this morning and since i came in for lunch, he's sleeping in a sunny patch in the living room. hard life huh?;) :p

[Sudilar]

Glad Alex got the "all clear" sign!!!

Killi and Shi supervised leaf collecting today, too from INSIDE the patio doors. If you let them out, they just run through the leaves and scatter them all over again!! Must be some fun "dog game"! LOL

[Krystal12345]

I know It's kind of late to be talking about this, because it was almost a month ago, but I want to tell you that my hamster had Pneumonia, not my dog. And my hamster died because of it. His name was Teddy Bear, or Teddy. Because he was a TeddyBear Hamster. I really miss him. I know you probably don't care, because this subject is supposed to be DOG health. But I thought I would just tell all you people, because this topic was Pneumonia. Sorry to bother you guys.

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Krystal12345

[tatsxxx11]

Yay, Alex!!:D So happy to hear the good news, Joyce!:) I had penumonia a few years ago. And even after my xrays were clear, it took 2 months or more before I really felt strong again. Before long Alex will be back to his old self!!:D A nice nap in a sunny patch...heaven!:) Love and hugs to you Alex!

I'm so sorry to hear that your lost your beloved little Hammie, Krystal. Of course we care!! So many of us have critters other than dogs and cats and they are ALL special! Bless you sweet little Teddy. I know you're having a happy time at the RB with all of our departed furkids. And some day in the distant future, you and your Mom will be together again:)

[Krystal12345]

AWWWW!!! Thanks Tatsxxx11!!! I hope I will see him too at RB. Also, my beloved little bunnies, Lollipop, and Fluffy are at RB now, too. Thanks. I appriciate it. P.S. Does anyone know of any places where people can bored you animals? (Just like a dog kennal place.) Cause I'm going on vacation soon, and I need a place where people can take care of your pets. (In MAINE).


Thanks everyone.
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Krystal12345

[tatsxxx11]

Welcome to Pet Talk, Krystal! My best advice would be to check your yellow pages or do an internet search. But if you can get a reference from someone who has boarded near you, that would be best. There are some great kennels out there and some not so good!:( Maybe your vet could give you some suggestions:) Lollipop and Fluffy...look after your little hammie pal, Teddy:)

[joycenalex]

dear krystal, i am sorry for your loss. pneumonia is an ugly condition, and there are no critters i'd wish it on. ((krystal))
joyce

[Krystal12345]

Thanks Joyce and Tatsxxx11! I guess I will ask my vet or the kennal I take my dog to if there is any places. Thanks guys. If Teddy, Lollipop, and Fluffy could talk, I'd bet they would thank you. There is something about my dog. He has allergies. And I don't know why I thought you wouldn't care about my hamster. Once again, Thanks.

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Krystal12345