Yesterday my neighbor lost her new little dog, Lucy, to a disease that neither of us knew existed. Canine Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritus (HGE). The symptoms of this disease are very much like those of Parvo but it is different in that your dog is not protected by vaccines. I know this is a quick diary, but after the shock of last night I wanted to get this info out to as many of you dog lovers that I could.
Lucy was a four year old Shih Tzu, a dog who had lost her home to the ongoing mortgage crisis. She was bright, full of love and life, the kind of dog that instantly takes your heart.
Launa, my neighbor, has Fibro and R A. She loves dogs and needed a small dog that she could handle without putting too much strain on her illness. Lucy fit the bill exactly. Lucy got her out for a walk in the morning and kept her active. She cuddled her when she hurt and became a neighborhood favorite in the few short weeks that she was here.
Yesterday Launa took her in to be spayed. She came from the local pound with little personal information and had clearly been bred at least once. Her health was good and she had all her shots before she came home with her new mom.
The surgery went fine and she came home a little groggy, but was coming around when she suddenly took a serious turn for the worse. She became unresponsive and deathly cold. We rushed her back to the vet. At first the vet thought that she was having a hard time with her anesthesia and dehydration then she began bleeding from her anus.
Lucy had HGE http://www.sniksnak.com/... a disease that has unknown causes. It mimics Parvo, but you can't immunize against it. Your only weapon is knowledge. I've had dogs for thirty years and had never encountered this.
We think that the pre-surgery protocol and the stress of the surgery caused it to become active and the cascade of shock took Lucy in a matter of hours.
If you have a dog please click that link and learn the symptoms.