Dehydration

7-ish year old, spayed, 25 lb American Eskimo mix. Hx of panniiculitis which is in remission at this time and recurrent UTI's. (I adopted her from the pound 5 years ago so her age is a guess.) 4 days ago she stopped eating and drinking and was not her energetic happy self. We have had flooring installers in and out for the last week so I assumed the change in eating and behavior was anxiety related. She continued to not eat/drink after they were finished Thursday so I became more concerned. I caught her trying to chew on the floor trim two times and the wall, which is definitely odd behavior. Her gums were pale and tacky so I began syringeing water in small amounts. We live in rural ND and are on day 4 of an epic blizzard which has roads and businesses closed across the state. Her normal vet was contacted but she is unable to see her because of the storm. She was able to suggest rubbing honey on her gums and continue syringeing water/broth into her mouth. She vomitted one time prior to me giving her any honey. Approximately 2 hours prior to the vomit episode she accepted a bite of some bread. That is food in seen in the picture. I called two other vets but neither have openings and neither could offer advice on if this is emergent or provide other advice. I caught her trying to eat the trim again this morning! Help!

Hello - and I'm sorry to hear that you are in this situation.  An animal that is continuing to vomit and can't accept food is likely to be or to become severely dehydrated, so intravenous fluids would be needed.  I'm not familiar with North Datoka - what would happen if you were taken ill as an emergency where you are?  In most countries you can't use human aid systems for animals.  However, if there would be a way to help a person where you are, I wonder if there is someone with similar transportation who can help you to get your dog to a vet?  Unless you have the necessary materials and qualifications to assess and put your dog on intravenous fluids and monitor them, veterinary assessment and treatment sound to be vitally important and it is not, frustratingly, something I can replace by talking you through it at home, although your vet sounds to be trying hard to help.  There are possibly some oral fluids that can be bought that are a little more hydrating than water, but this is much less likely to change the overall outcome than access to medical care.  A person can only do the best they can with a the situation that they have; we feel for you and are anxious to know how this story ends.

Hello - and I'm sorry to hear that you are in this situation.  An animal that is continuing to vomit and can't accept food is likely to be or to become severely dehydrated, so intravenous fluids would be needed.  I'm not familiar with North Datoka - what would happen if you were taken ill as an emergency where you are?  In most countries you can't use human aid systems for animals.  However, if there would be a way to help a person where you are, I wonder if there is someone with similar transportation who can help you to get your dog to a vet?  Unless you have the necessary materials and qualifications to assess and put your dog on intravenous fluids and monitor them, veterinary assessment and treatment sound to be vitally important and it is not, frustratingly, something I can replace by talking you through it at home, although your vet sounds to be trying hard to help.  There are possibly some oral fluids that can be bought that are a little more hydrating than water, but this is much less likely to change the overall outcome than access to medical care.  A person can only do the best they can with a the situation that they have; we feel for you and are anxious to know how this story ends.