1am Sunday 1st February: I was woken to the sound of Indy whimpering and trembling! Immediately I rushed Indy to the Animal Emergency Centre.
The on duty vet commenced triage of Indy’s presenting condition; trembling, abdominal pain and fever. After running x-rays it was quickly determined that he had what appeared to be a small piece of raw chicken wing bone; approx 1 cm x .5cm stuck somewhere in his bowel. Concerned about a potential bowel perforation he was admitted to hospital, provided pain relief, IV fluids and was to be monitored very closely. We were advised to go home and wait for an update.
I Miss My Little Brother
The problem was that in order for the bone to pass, Indy needed to eat. Refusing to comply, the vet suggested a “food trial”; this is when the fur-parent is asked to visit and try to encourage the patient to eat. Arriving with a small bag of boiled chicken thigh, a couple of his favourite toys and Amber in tow (her role was to be Indy’s emotional support or at the very least a food threat that would make him eat!)
I Am So Happy You Came To Visit Me!
Interestingly, Amber seemed to sense Indy was not far away as she panted and paced the room. Indy was ecstatic to see us, equally so were we. He raced back and forth with Amber frankly licking his muzzle. You would NEVER have guessed he was unwell! After almost inhaling the chicken, the vet suggested Indy be monitored in the comfort of his own home until the bone passed. I agreed to bring him back immediately if he experienced any level of pain or discomfort.
With the exception of now having to dissect his poo in search of the illusive piece of bone – GROSS! Everything seemed almost back to normal again. Wishful thinking?
Amber “Helicopter Sister” Refused To Leave Her Little Brother’s Side!
3am Monday 2nd February: Indy starting yipping, spinning around and looking at his rear end. Recalling that the vet said pieces of bone can sometimes get stuck in the rectum. Ouch. I rushed him back to emergency. After a poke around in his bottom and some further x-rays, we were happy to learn that the bone was gone and his anal glands needed expressing – which could explain his discomfort. YUK!
The vet still focused on the cause of Indy’s yipping behaviour; proceeded to say that he was worried the problem was not just his Anal Glands, that Indy may be suffering from “Spinal Issues” or “Meningitis” – WHAT! I felt sick with dread and shocked that a small piece of bone obstruction could suddenly now be two very major medical conditions. Feeling at a terrible loss and not wanting to put Indy through any level of unnecessary and invasive testing, I decided to seek a second opinion.
4pm Tuesday 3rd February: Indy’s “local” vet undertook a thorough examination and concluded that Indy did not appear to have either of these conditions and looks to have pinched some muscles, quite possibly from being stretched out for multiple x-rays, that was the cause of his current discomfort. He was prescribed .15ml “Meloxicam” an anti-inflammatory drug once a day and advised against any running or jumping for a couple of days. The medication worked a treat and within hours Indy was well on his way to being his cheeky self again.
Look What They Did…They Shaved My Leg!
9am Wednesday 4th February: Indy started vomiting – A LOT! Back to the vet, a quick blood test was carried out to eliminate “Pancreatitis” as a cause; the vet believes that Indy may just have had a tummy upset from the medication. He was given an injection of “Convenia” to relieve vomiting and prescribed .5ml “Peptosyl” three times a day to line and settle his tummy.
The Last Few Days: Having cried for how many days, my swollen and puffy red eyes are finally going down, my twisted stomach is slowly untwisting and I have cautiously put the tissue box away; I breathe a sigh of relief as I say Indy is feeling much better. Amber is happy to have her cheeky little brother back again and I have learned that it would seem Indy will do whatever it takes to get out of being de-sexed…which coincidentally was supposed to happen on Wednesday.
Updated 14th April 2015: Read More On Indy’s Meningitis Diagnosis!!!
I Am Feeling Much Better Now!
“A hospital bed is a parked taxi with the meter running”
– Groucho Marx
Author Bio: Nikki is pack leader at Pressplay Pets, a blog for the modern age pet parent interested in health & care, news, reviews & personal accounts of unconditional love & at times heartfelt pain of pet parenting. She is also proud mum to cute and cheeky Papillons ‘Amber’ and ‘Indy’ and one crazy Rainbow Lorikeet named ‘Ralph’! Follow my Facebook and Twitter.
Pressplay Pets a blog for the modern age pet parent interested in health & care, news, reviews & personal accounts of unconditional love & at times heartfelt pain of pet parenting!
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It was awful to read of the trauma you and Indy have been through lately, lets hope things are improving and he stays well.
Thanks for your comments when we lost our darling Bonnie, I still feel sad and miss her everyday.
We have to make a hard decision about little Lucy, she has an allergy and the treatment options all have unhealthy consequences for her longerm, she has not been able to tolerate the Atopica which was the first line of treatment. Without treatment she gets a horrible lesion that grows bigger and bigger in the roof of her mouth, she a type of ?? Granuloma which cats, huskys and corgies generally get. How weird and sad for her, its so hard being Mums to our furbabies at times.
I am so sorry to read this Jean. Poor little Lucy that must be quite painful in her mouth. I hope you are able to find a treatment for her that is safe and works well. I must make it hard for her to eat and drink. Yes it is hard being mums to our furbabies but I would not have it any other way. I love them both so much. Little Indy did give me quite a fright and I felt so sick just looking at his little face, he just did not understand what was happening. But he is doing really well and back to his very very cheeky self. Amber well and truly has her naughty brother back LOL. Please let me know her how you go with Lucy. All the best!
I hope Indy recovers quickly. You must have been frantic with worry!
Thank you Clowie. Yes I was terribly worried.
I was sitting at the edge of my seat as I read what was going on with your baby! I’m so glad that all is well now. Was the bone raw or had it been cooked?
It has been a terribly scary week and all the thoughts rushing through my mind. Yes, it was a raw bone…which is what was so surprising! I have never had an issue with raw chicken wing bones before, however, can only come to the conclusion that Indy is not much for chewing his food.
As you know when your fur-babies become unwell it feels like the world has been turned upside down. Thank you so much for your concern with my little boy.