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New Member, advice needed

2K views 32 replies 16 participants last post by  mylissyk 
#1 ·
Goodmorning all,

I am the proud mommy to Austin, a 5 year old golden. I'd first like to mention he is the light of my life, love him to death.

I am sorry to introduce myself seeking advice, but I am worried sick about Austin. Last Sunday am, Austin had emergency surgery to remove a wine cork from his small intestine. I realize this is a fairly common procedure, as my then 1.5 year old cat had this surgery 5 years ago to remove a miniature Christmas tree lightbulb and recovered without incident. The problem with Austin is he has been running a fever between 103.2 to 105 fahrenheit or 39.56 to 40.56 celsius far for the last 3 days. He has been seen daily, whether it be in emergency, regular office call, or a house call. His incision was leaking a lot, but they feel it is serous fluid and not to be concerned. His white blood count was elevated but not raging and they contributed this rise to natural defences kicking in to heal the trauma of surgery. He just started to truly eat yesterday, and is peeing and poohing fine. He is on antibiotics and Metacam.

My question is, should I be really concerned about this persistent fever, or should I just try and chill out?

Thank you in advance for any advice or thoughts.

With sincere appreciation,

Margo (mommy to Austin)
 
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#2 ·
Hello and welcome to the forum! Great to have you with us! I do hope Austin will be on the road to recovery very soon. I don't have any advice for you & I too would be worried about that temp. It does sound like he's getting the best of care & I hope it is just a matter of leaving him to some healing time.

Wishing you & Austin the very best. I hope others will have some advice &/or suggestions that will help.
 
#3 ·
I would be concerned about an ongoing fever. I am surprised that your vet is not. The vet is saying this is normal?

Keep a very close eye on the incision. Is it hot to the touch? If it is leaking clear fluid, this is normal. However if the drainage has a strong odor, or becomes cloudy or has pus, RUN back to the vet!

Hopefully the antibiotic will kick in and knock the fever out. It is good that he is eating and eliminating normally.

Welcome to the forum, by the way. I hope Austin is back to normal very soon!
 
#4 ·
So sorry about the surgery. Welcome to the forum!

I have not had this happen either, but of course I would be concerned, like you. Do you trust your vet? I can only say to trust your instincts and get another opinion if you think necessary.

I hope there will be progress today. Sometimes, like babies, they just bounce back all of a sudden.

Good luck!
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the quick replies!!! The incision is looking pretty normal, other than the clear fluid that is leaking. It has improved significantly over the last 3 days, has very swollen and hot to the touch. I have conflicting opinions on the the persistent fever...my own regular vet shows not much concern, but emergency vet (Wednesday evening) said that is not right and is concerned. I'm sure my own vet feels I am highly neurotic, and maybe tries not to raise alarms in my own mind. I am just really scared for Austin, he was such a healthy boy and now looks miserable.

Margo
 
#7 ·
So in essence you have a second opinion from the ER Vet. If he is concerned, did he have any ideas? Maybe a different antibiotic or additional. I love my vet, too, but sometimes I feel he throws his hands in the air way too early. It seems you are doing everything you can, but maybe you'll need to get him see today, too? You must be going crazy! Hang in there.
 
#8 ·
In med background with humans any fever after surgery is a major concern, b/c of the risk of infection, I would seek treatment from the ER vet, if you are not getting satisfaction from the reg. vet. still running a fever 3 days later , and that high post op in a human would be very concerning , as i would logically assume it would be in a pet.
 
#10 ·
Welcome to the group---so sorry you have to introduce yourself under these circumstances. I'm right with the others above me - elevated temp after surgery is something I would be concerned about also. You're not being neurotic at all - I would call the emerg. vet and ask him for a plan of care. Prayers and thoughts coming your way for Austin.
 
#11 ·
Welcome! Sorry you found us while your boy is sick, but as others have posted I would be concerned about the fever. Fever indicates the body is fighting infection. Please talk to the ER vet and ask what they would recommend. The antibiotic may not be strong enough.

It sounds like you are doing everything you know to do, just find out if there is a better/stronger antibiotic he should be on.
 
#12 ·
Margo,

Welcome even if it under these circumstances. That is how I found this site and one other. The people here have helped me with my goldens problems. If it was me I would take Austin back to emergency vet and find out what is causing the temp spike. You are not being a neurotic mom just a loving one. If the temp hasnt gone down after couple of days of antiboitics then they are not working. Hope he feels better soon. My golden went thru bloat surgery in February so I know exactly what you are going thru in the worrying. Let us know how he is doing and when both of you are feeling better we would love to see pictures of him.
 
#13 ·
An update;

Do I trust my vet 100%, no. I had a less than desirable result from a cruciate repair done by him, had to be redone with a TPLO. During the recovery for this surgery, I kept telling him I didn't think he was right, and he responded let the dog be a dog, to the point Austin couldn't even walk, had to carried outside to do his business. I stopped going to him, and started using a vet near my hometown, which is 3 hours away, we will be moving there in the near future. I was forced to go back due to this even though an emergency vet performed the surgery, but they only work Friday evening from 7:00pm to Monday morning 7:00am and then weekdays 7:00pm to 7:00am. Having said all this, I have an appointment today @ 2:15pm to ask for a more aggressive treatment plan. My biggest fear is peritonitis. He is clearly not well, and when he stands up he is hunched over somewhat, and quickly squats down. I don't know if this is a sign of severe pain, or his anal glands are acting up also. He had one anal gland expressed the other night in emergency since they saw the odd squatting, and thought that might be his problem at that end.

He is drinking a lot of water, but is not peeing as normal. He went yesterday at 2:30pm and then not again until 6:30am. Maybe he is dehydrated or it hurts too much to make the effort to get up. I just don't know.

Once again, thank you for all your welcoming wishes and thoughts on his condition. When I get through this, I will be excited to tell you all about my sweet boy. I did upload a couple of photos, as like all goldens, their warmth radiates in the eyes.

Cheers and thanks,

Margo
 
#17 ·
I am a little concerned about the vet not being concerned about the temp thing. If the ER vet has a regular practice I might seek him out for more guidance (ie, change of medication, blood panel etc etc).

That was the only thing I didn;t like about the vet that really taught me eveything about dogs is that he would lose4 patience with people that would come in at the drop of a hat worried about anything. I am the same way and want a vet that will take me seriously. No one knows your dog better than you do and if you aer smart enough to keep a tem watch after surgery you are smart enough to worry when it is elevated and think you might need help.

Oh yeah by the way, welcome to the group. Pictures we love pictures here.

Get well soon Austin!!!!!!

Hooch
 
#18 ·
Another Udate -Post Vet Visit

Hi everyone,

Okay, so now my vet is taking me seriously. Austin's temperature was 105 at 2:30pm (taken by the vet). He is now in a full blown infection of the incision site, and he feels it is in between 1 of the 3 layers of the abdomen. We are now on a more aggressive antibiotic, (Clavomax) and I have to do hot epson salt compresses to draw out the infection. I know Austin is ready to kill me and I really am scared about touching that area as he is clearly in a lot of discomfort.

So, wish me luck and thanks again for all the well wishes.

Margo
 
#19 ·
Thank you for the update. I am so glad that you got him back to the vet. I was concerned about that persistant fever!

Hopefully the new antibiotic will kick in soon. Sounds like poor Austin is miserable. He deserves some relief! I am sure you do as well.

Hang in there. Hugs to Austin, I hope he is feeling much better very soon!
 
#21 ·
Did they take any pics of Austins bowel? Not to worry you more, but are they sure the incision made into the bowel to remove the cork isn't leaking, you mentioned peritonitis as a concern before, did they cover all the bases? Just trying to be helpful. Hope he is getting better!
 
#24 · (Edited)
Hi again,

Thanks for asking about Austin. They have not taken any pictures of the bowel, the doc is pretty sure that it is not periotonitis because Austin does not mind having his tummy palpitated (said he would scream in pain), there is no swelling, lots of tummy noises, no vomiting and he is eating well. This is not to say I am not always thinking of this and worry none the less. As I mentioned late yesterday, we changed his meds, and this morning his temperature was down to 104.18 and this afternoon it went down even more to 103.10 and holding at 103.10 tonight. We have noticed a remarkable mood change today, happy, following us around, greeting me at the door with a slipper and rolling over on his back with all fours up begging for a belly rub. He is really loving the epson salt hot compresses, he just lays there with his head on my husbands lap, while I gently massage the compresses to bring out the liquid. He is still draining form the incision, but it is slowing down, so I am hoping by tomorrow it will slow even more and I hope to see the temperature drop to at least the 102 mark.

I would love to add some photos of the boy, but am not sure how to do it. Can someone give me a quick 101 on attaching a picture to a post?

Once again, thanks for asking about Austin, and I'll let you all know what the morning brings for us.

Cheers to all and I hope everyone is having a peaceful Saturday evening.

Special hugs to all your babies!

Margo
 
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