Please pray for Digi .... UPDATE PG3 #37

**Daisy and Delilah** · 03-10-2009, 12:17 PM

How scary. I'm so sorry to hear this. I'm sending thoughts and prayers out to both of you right away. Feel better Digi!!
{{{{{HUGS}}}}}

**king2005** · 03-10-2009, 01:24 PM

Thank you everyone!

Glacier, if Digi does have pancreatitis I'll gladly listen to what you have learned & do for your pups to help them through it!!!

Also what do you feed your sled dogs to keep their weight up?
This vet (there are 2 vets I love at that office & trust) said he wants me to look into what mushers feed high energy dogs, as he thinks that'll help Digi put on healthy weight. Then I can walk her all the time & run her in the yard often without her turning into a bag of bones

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Update:

The vet doesn't know what it is yet, as it could be several different things, so he took some blood. He is leaning towards Parvo or a bacterial/viral infection (I forget the names of everything, I'm freaked out & functioning on no food & 2hrs of sleep).

Digi is an Out Patient. As the stress of being at the clinic locked up & then alone all night long could cause far more issues with her getting crazy stressed & spazzing out. The vet said she is in great spirits for such a sick dog, & he doesn't want that to change by keeping her at the clinic (unless things get worse). So we're working off of plan B.. Plan A is her staying at the clinic if she gets worse

She was given 2 balls of fluid under her skin, an anti vomit shot, and an antibiotic shot. I have to take her to the vet twice a day. I have NO issues with it, I just wish it wasn't 80km/trip.. but my baby is worth every km!!!

She is full of gas & very tender. She was very good through all the poking & proding & grabbing.. she fought but calmed down the second I put my face to hers & spoke to her... The vet was very impressed with her fight as he said most dogs like this just lay there & mope... SO he said its ok to gently play with her to keep her spirits up as thats whats gonna help her fight off whatever she has. Just nothing crazy, like fetch, no rough play.. just toss a toy a foot away or just high enough into the air she can catch it without jumping.. its fun, but its not going to make her tired

The vet knows I only have 500.00 & I told him I can give him the 500 right away & 100.00/pay. He said thats fine. We'll work something out as we go on & learn whats wrong with her.

SO lastnights visit cost 200+60, & today cost me 200.. Tomorrow should cost me a little over 100 & if I have to come in again, it'll be another 100.

Much better then 1500.00 min, & these guys aren't scaring me 1/2 to death!! They said I shouldn't worry about her dying, there is plenty of hope for her right now.. So I finnally feel relieved enough that I haven't cried in about an hour... I'm so tired & worn out. But can't sleep as I feel I have to keep a super close eye on her.. just incase she crashes.

**Taz_Zoee** · 03-10-2009, 01:35 PM

I am glad to hear it's not as bad as the ER vet lead you to believe.

I will keep you and Digi in my thoughts for a speedy recovery.

**king2005** · 03-10-2009, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by Taz_Zoee

I am glad to hear it's not as bad as the ER vet lead you to believe.

I will keep you and Digi in my thoughts for a speedy recovery.

Thank you

**MonicanHonda** · 03-10-2009, 03:46 PM

Well parvo and bacterial infections sound better than pancreatitis. Well, they all sound bad but you know what I mean.

I worked at a vet's office and all the parvo patients I've seen are really lazy and can't move much. So maybe you caught it early and that's really good. If it is parvo of course. I'm glad Digi is going to be okay!

**lvpets2002** · 03-10-2009, 03:53 PM

Oh Bless your Heart Jessie.. I wish I was close to you to give you & Digi some Huggss.. I know your tired Honey but you have to make yourself get some sleep.. You dont want to have a wreck from falling asleep on the road taken Digi to the Vet.. Take some care of your self as well.. Also sending Lots of Prayers & Prayers && PT positive vibes..

**Tollers-n-Dobes** · 03-10-2009, 03:56 PM

I hope Digi will be ok! If it is Parvo, here's hoping you caught it early enough and that she'll make a fully recovery soon. Someone I know just went through Parvo with two dogs, both of whom are pretty much back to normal now.

**Glacier** · 03-10-2009, 04:38 PM

Originally Posted by king2005

Also what do you feed your sled dogs to keep their weight up?
This vet (there are 2 vets I love at that office & trust) said he wants me to look into what mushers feed high energy dogs, as he thinks that'll help Digi put on healthy weight. Then I can walk her all the time & run her in the yard often without her turning into a bag of bones

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When my dogs eat kibble, they eat Acana Performance(the "Red" formula). It's designed for working dogs. Ozzy is a hard keeper. He gets dangerously skinny in a hurry, so much so that he has been tested for thyroid cancer. He eats Acana Extreme. It's an extremely high fat, high protein formula. It's also ridiculously expensive, almost 80 bucks for 35 pound bag. I buy the other stuff by the ton literally, so I have no idea what it costs a bag, but I think it's about 50 bucks. It might be cheaper down south. You might want to check out Red Paw too. It's a common sled dog food.

The majority of their diet is raw wild game meat. I dont' know any musher who feeds strictly kibble or raw; everyone I know mixes the two. Ozzy maintains his weight much better on raw meat than he does on any kibble. I get pure fat from a butcher for him too. Ozzy weighs 40 pounds(about 47 would be ideal). He eats more than my 130 pound malamute. Ozzy also gets fed twice a day, the only one of my dogs who gets breakfast.

Unfortunately, if it is pancreatitis, none of those options will work. The key to managing pancreatitis is limiting fat to just about nothing. My two chronic pancreatitis dogs eat Acana Senior. One, Earle, is also hypothyroid so keeping weight on him is not a problem! He has the opposite problem! Paxil has always been a hard keeper with a poor appetite. It's part of why her first musher rehomed her. He was a distance musher. A distance racing dog needs to eat no matter what, no matter where...Paxil just won't do that! I bribe her to eat occasionally with a couple tablespoons of senior canned food on top of her kibble, which is always soaked in water. Strangely, her appetite has increased this winter and she's holding her weight well. She eats pretty consistently lately. Odd because she's fully retired now and getting much, much less exercise than she did before, when she was my main leader.

**Karen** · 03-10-2009, 05:14 PM

I am glad to hear this vet thinks there is hope. I know there will be some stressful times while you find out what it is, but your little cutie is worth it, to you and to all of Pet Talk! She couldn't have a better, more caring mommy.

**Daisy and Delilah** · 03-10-2009, 05:38 PM

Could Digi have eaten something that could be causing this? Something like clothing or something other than food? A sock, hosiery, etc.

king: Sorry I don't know your first name. I hope you can get a little food in your stomach and get some rest. It sounds like you're wearing down. You don't want to get sick yourself. Sorry.....it's the mother part of me talking.

**K9karen** · 03-10-2009, 11:12 PM

We obviously care about you and Digi. I'm so sorry that Wigglebutt is so ill but glad you were able to see your regular vet.
Whatever it is, I hope Digi recovers quickly and comfortably. She sure is a beauty and I, too, fell in love with her. Please keep us updated. Hugs to you too!

**king2005** · 03-11-2009, 07:08 AM

Thank you everyone!

Digi seems to be ok. Shes been begging for food like crazy (can't feed her anything) & hasn't puked up anymore blood or her 1 liquid med (for her tummy). No poop which means she is empty so thats really good so her system can reset its self.

Shes been so good when getting fluids under the skin (gets poked twice) & getting 4 shots/day & blood taken from both front legs.. thats 8 pokes total yesterday!

Last night she had a normal sized drink of water & nothing has come up

I'll be taking her outside to potty around 9am, unless she gets up before that. Shes resting so I don't want to get her up & going as shes going to need all her energy so she can be all wiggly and happy at the vets for 10-11am.

When I woke up this morning I had a Digi on the bed hehehe I've been tieing her to the bed so she can be near me & when I hear her starting to puke I can move her to the puke blanket & help make sure she doesn't puke on her paws again.. silly thing

oh ya...The vets & attendents noticed that Digi was becoming fearful of them, from all the poking, proding, grabbing & feeling they have been doing to her yesterday.. So 4 of them (1 vet, 2 attendents, & Dr. Hills son) got down & gave all sorts of loving to Digi to let her know they still love her & don't mean to hurt her. She was so happy she was kissing everyone & was so wiggly!

Dr. Hill's son got to help in giving Digi her fluids. The attendent poked Digi & he held it in. Digi was a very good patient for him to work with, as shes non-vocal, doesn't squirm much, & is a sweetheart. He did a good job on her

I think hes between 14-16yrs old. He wants to be a vet like his dad, so his dad brings him to work to help do minor things & observe everything. If hes anything like his dad, I think he'll turn into a wonderful vet

AWWWWWW... Digi got up, sniffed Cash (cat) & curled up beside him! of course he didn't like that too much (she was laying on him) so he got up & left... Digi is all sad, so I'm gonna go cuddle up to her & take a short nap before we have to leave.

**Daisy and Delilah** · 03-11-2009, 10:13 AM

Great news. I hope she continues to do better. It's refreshing to hear of such a wonderful vet staff there. Feel Better Digi!!

**king2005** · 03-11-2009, 04:52 PM

Originally Posted by Daisy and Delilah

Great news. I hope she continues to do better. It's refreshing to hear of such a wonderful vet staff there. Feel Better Digi!!

Thats why I travel 40km to go there

They are awesome! She got 3 new Bandanas yesterday from them too

Digi is an all time fav there, so she gets spoiled rotten everytime shes there.

Work is trying to find a spare camera so I can take it home & monitor Digi while she's sick.. Then I can monitor her from home.. The joys for working with the company & being well liked

YAY toys! I mean yay I way to monitor Digi while shes ill