What is it about Moose and Summer?

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

09 Jun 2009 09:35 AM

Oh yes, it's time for another thrilling installment of How My Dog Moose Tried to Scare Me to Death.

A quick recap: in June of 2007, Moose slipped his collar and got hit by a car. He broke his tail very close to the base of his spine, and had to have the whole thing removed. In July of last year, he started throwing up blood clots thanks to a giardia infestation.

Once again, the warm weather brings out the worst in Moose.

My poor boy has always had a sensitive stomach, so I'm pretty familiar with how to handle a round of "pudding butt". At the first sign that things aren't quite right down south, I start the rice and chicken broth diet. This time around, it didn't help. Moose went two days without eating and barely drinking -- I was worried about dehydration and tried to get him to drink some Gatorade (unsuccessfully). I checked my pet first aid books and saw that Pepto was safe, so I tried that.

Nothing helped.

By the fourth day, he was throwing up and passing a lot of blood. I'd already made an appointment with the vet, but upon seeing the blood, I managed to get our appointment moved up.

Moose spent Friday at the vet's, sedated for x-rays and rehydration. The first round of x-rays showed a possible obstruction -- not a huge surprise considering all the weird things Moose eats or chews on. Subsequent films showed clear passage through his stomach and intestines.

Lally joined in the fun on Friday with some tummy troubles of her own, leading the vet to believe that it was probably a virus or bacteria to blame. When I finally picked Moose up, the doctor told me that she'd seen several other dogs recently with the same problems (diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, refusal to eat, dehydration).

It's been a fun week since the trouble started -- I've been setting my alarm clock for every 2-3 hours so I can take the dogs outside. Still, I ended up cleaning up lots of messes on the carpet. Both dogs seem to be feeling better now, thanks to some meds that coat and protect the stomach and intestines (doggy Pepto, I suppose).

But really, it's enough to make a dog-momma really dread summer!

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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