Hello. Today was the worst day of my life and I had to make the hardest decision and euthanize my best little friend. Let me start from the beginning, I'll keep it as short as I can.
My Pomeranian dog had GI and aggression problems since he was a baby. He had diarrhea and vomiting issues on and off every few weeks. He would get any time he ate something other than chicken and rice, he would vomit when he did not eat in the very early morning. When his stomach was upset he would get aggressive and not let anyone touch him. He was always shy towards strangers and only let his family pet him. We worked with few behaviorist and the aggression issue got better, it showed only when he was uncomfortable due to stomach issues or dirty bum (which happened at least once a month). He's also been prescribed Prozac (Reconcile) daily and Xanax 0.12mg on occasion, to treat his anxiety issues. We've been to many vets with his GI, diarrhea and vomiting but they never found any problem and just prescribed some medications and prebiotics. A little over a month ago he had a severe diarrhea so we took him to a vet hospital, he had exam, Xray and bloodwork done byt the vet said that it all came out completely normal, we had a follow up visit a month ago and insisted for repeated bloodwork because he became a little lethargic and I felt like he is getting skinnier since you could clearly feel his ribs, spine and back bone, results came back normal again. Vet just advised preventive care. His stool got better after a few days and ge gor back to normal.
Two days ago, he had a severe diarrhea again and his poop was stuck to his bum, he would not let us take it off and since it was night-time we decided to take care of it the following day. In the morning he was trying to poop but couldn't do anything, I've noticed that he has some leg problems and his rear legs are tripping. After that he just went to his spot and stayed there the whole night, he was wiggling his rear leg and butt every few minutes. Today morning he would not get up or eat anything, we decided to get an emergency care and took him to another vet. Before that we gave him 0.12mg Xanax to keep him calmer. They made a full bloodwork and ultrasound. They found lots of water in his bowels and stomach, his glucose levels were extremely low, so was protein levels. He was wining and snapping a lot when touched so they decided to give him Buprenex, I believe it was 0.05mg. They were aware that he got Xanax few hours earlier. The Vet said that his state is very critical and we need to decide if we want to transfer him to a specialty hospital or put him down. They stated that he needs a blood transfer, IVs and special treatment with overnight stay. They said that we need to make the decision within an hour, they gave him 25% chances of making it through the trip to the hospital (located over an hour away) and same for surviving the procedure. The ballpark cost was $8k. We were under huge pressure and were advised that it would be better to put the dog to sleep since he is suffering a lot. They did not give us any clear diagnosis.
Just to add, dog went from being lethargic but very aware to unconscious, feverish and seizurous within an hour, counting from taking him to the vet to deciding for euthanasia. We are struggling a lot with making that decision.
My questions are:
- Was it the right decision to put him to sleep?
- Is it possible that he got so severe within a month of his previous vet visit? Did the last Bloodwork and Xray show anything suspicious?
- Is it possible that the dog went from being a little sick to critical within an hour?
- Might that been due to interactions of Buprenex and Xanax?
I would really appreciate your advice as I can't sleep without knowing the answer.
I don't have todays medical records yet, but I'll try to get them tomorrow. I've attached his bloodwork and Xray from a month ago.
- **Species:**
Dog
- **Age:**
5.5
- **Sex/Neuter status:**
Male/Neutered
- **Breed:**
Pomeranian
- **Body weight:**
5lbs
- **History:**
Diarrhea, Vomiting, Aggression
- **Clinical signs:**
Diarrhea, Lethargic, Low protein and glucose levels, Water in stomach and bowels, Euthanasia
- **Duration:**
2 days severe problem, but mild on and off since a baby
- **Your general location:**
Florida
- **Links to test results, vet reports, X-rays etc.**
Bloodwork and Medications from last month
https://imgur.com/a/qdBTGhO
XRay from last month
https://imgur.com/a/5318FLf
Bloodwork from a year ago
https://imgur.com/a/XLcXOrr
I will add todays records later when I get them