Since Panda is a rescue, it was particularly heartbreaking as I knew that she probably thought I was abandoning her at her weakest and sickest - I went back that afternoon with a big towel that smelled like home and the vet was kind enough to let me sit with her for an hour. She tried incessantly to crawl out from under my feet and begged me with her eyes to let her come home. Nobody was able to tell me that she would be ok, so it was a terrifying day. By that night they felt more confident that she was stabilizing so I went home and tried to eat, but the heartbeat of our house was gone and I could barely stand to be there. Third sleepless night, coming right up.
The next morning, I called the vet as soon as they were open and received the best news: Panda was smiling and had eaten a tiny bit of food. So far she was holding it down. If she was able to hold down food, she'd be able to take her medication orally, and she'd be able to come home. A few hours later I got the ok: come and get her! Much to the hospital's chagrin, as they had all fallen in love with her. Why am I not surprised.
Panda had to follow a pretty involved food and medication schedule for the next week, and she continued to lose a bit of blood for a few more days before things cleared up. But she continued to improve and is now back to her kibble, her carrots and her usual self. Needless to say, I have become a hovering nightmare. Panda has added "puzzled and annoyed" to her gallery of daily expressions.
Why am I posting this long story? Because: another sweet doggie in our neighbourhood got the same thing. Unlike Panda, she started bleeding in the middle of the night - and by the time she was seen by a vet the next morning, it was too late. She passed away hours later. I can barely imagine the pain and sadness her family has experienced. She was a friend of Panda's that we always made a point of saying hello to and cuddling with, and I was devastated to learn that she had died. The entire neighbourhood is in shock and worried for their own pets.
There are many theories circulating - it's been a very rainy summer, things have been more damp than usual - maybe they ate a bad mushroom, or perhaps bacteria was growing on a toy or a bone and they ingested it accidentally. Perhaps they inhaled some pathogenic spores. Or, worse, perhaps they consumed poison that was left out by somebody - for rats or raccoons I guess, which is bad enough, but I can't even bear to think that anybody was deliberately trying to poison anybody's pets. I can confirm that Panda has had all of her shots and has been vaccinated against Parvovirus, which is a very serious and highly contagious disease that exhibits symptoms similar to HGE. I spoke with some officials at city hall, discussed the situation with a well-respected local vet just to get a second opinion, emailed all the neighbours I knew who had dogs, and went door-to-door for those whose names I didn't know and whose emails I didn't have. I'm writing this blog post because perhaps sharing what happened will help save your dog's life.
All I can say is that I'm convinced Panda and our neighbour/dog friend were affected by HGE. This is a general condition that can be caused by many things, so it's not very comforting to identify it as a cause because it doesn't mean you can protect your dog any better. The only solution to HGE is to catch it as soon as possible, go straight to the vet, aggressively re-hydrate via an IV and pump their system full of antibiotics. Dogs often don't show that they aren't feeling well until they are in really bad shape - Panda was eating and otherwise behaving normally until Friday morning, but then she became dehydrated at lightning speed. In smaller dogs it can happen even more quickly.
If you ever see blood, or suspect dehydration, don't wait - if it's the middle of the night, go to an emergency animal hospital. But please, please - do not wait. Panda sends her best. xo
