Hi, I'm not sure if this is the proper subreddit so please forgive me if it is wrong.
I have a pug named Penelope and she is currently four years old! She has a liver shunt that was diagnosed when she was around 8 months-1 year old? I'm not too sure but I remember it was during one of her first visits to the vet. For the past four years, she hadn't been showing any signs of the shunt taking effect. Besides vomiting bile once in a while. We had put her on a proper diet that the specialist recommended so I am assuming that has helped. Unfortunately, she never got the surgery/procedure done which could have possibly helped or cured the shunt. This was due to the fact that it was only available in a different country and we weren't able to do it due to personal reasons. But starting maybe 2-3 months ago she started to "leak" a clear fluid which apparently was her urine? So we started to give her medication for that which prevented her from I guess unknowingly urinating. It had helped, however recently we started upping the dosage as recommended by the vet. I can't exactly remember why, but I know that it was for the better.
I would say maybe 3 days ago she started to feel very unwell. She had thrown up around 5 times and had been having diarrhea with blood around 4 times during the day and throughout the night. She was very restless and she didn't get much sleep. Which for a pug who normally loves to sleep almost all day, was shocking to me. We had taken her to the vet and she got bloodwork done etc.. She was severely dehydrated and they had to keep her there overnight on an IV. They told us that she had gotten an infection and I believe it was gastroenteritis We were able to take her back home the next day (yesterday) as she was active again and feeling better. The hospital gave us three different medications for her. Unfortunately, I don't have the names of the medicine and ill get into why in a moment, but she took those medications twice when she came back, once at dinner and then the next morning. Last night she was fine, she had an appetite and was playful but you could tell she was tired still as she was in a deep sleep and wouldn't wake up as easily in comparison to her normal behavior.
This morning was different though. She was ok right in the morning but after she took her medication and ate a bit we noticed she was kind of having trouble walking and balancing? She was ok walking outside but we decided to monitor her a bit more. We read the side effects of her new medication and consulted the vet about if these were normal and they said to keep a close eye on her, so we did. During the afternoon I noticed she had no control over her right thigh a few times. The first time I noticed is when she was laying down and trying to get up. I had thought it was just her being lazy but soon realized she couldn't move her leg. I helped her up and watched her some more throughout the day but it kept happening sometimes and then there were other times where she moved fine but was slipping a bit as she walked. Today she was sleeping most of the day and was tired but she still had an appetite which I think is crucial to know.
Today around dinner my dad took her outside so she could do her business but with him having had many dogs before he released that her not being able to keep balance and looking dazed was not normal. We called the hospital and prepared to take her there. I noticed that maybe around 1 min before we left her right paw started twitching a bit but I thought nothing of it. But in the car, when we were around 5 min away she started to have a seizure. It started with her twitching her paw but soon become more aggressive. Then that's when her whole body started to shake and she was foaming at the mouth. Her head was limp and kept going back almost but lucky I was holding her head so thankfully she did not injure her head or any body part. It was so scary and surreal since it had happened so quickly and unexpectedly. This was in the car too so the time felt so slow. I wasn't too sure what to do so I hope I did the right thing by holding her and comforting her. When we arrived at the vet they took her in right away and did some tests on her. Her vital signs are ok as of now but she is going to stay at the hospital again overnight. They said if it was not due to the shunt, it could be neurological. Either way, things are not looking good. We had to bring the medication back and that is why I don't have the names of it which is so dumb of me. My dad knows the names of the medication but I'm a bit afraid to ask him since I don't want to stress him out anymore than he is.
I feel so lost right now and don't know what will happen. There's a possibility that the gastroenteritis may have caused her liver shunt to "kick in"? I feel at fault for her gastroenteritis though. It could have been started as far as a month ago we're not sure. But eating dirt may have caused it as I read online. I feel like an idiot since I was the one who allowed her to eat some dirt while we were playing outside. It sounds extremely irresponsible because it is but it wasn't a bunch of dirt it was like a small chunk and I tried to catch her to take it out but she is such a small and fast dog that she either swallows it while running or spits it out, quickly digs and eats another piece. I don't want to make excuses though since I know I am still accountable for it. If the dirt is seriously the cause of the gastroenteritis then that could be the reason why her liver shunt may kick in. I keep finding myself blaming her breeder for not telling us that the liver shunt runs in her family. Although I know it wouldn't change anything if she had told us before since we would still love her and take care of her. But I'm just so angry she didn't tell us before we had adopted her. I'm angry because what if we were not financially stable enough to pay for her medical expenses? Luckily, we are able to pay for her medication and for her treatments but think about those who are not. It is so irresponsible as a breeder to be so sneaky. But I don't blame the breeder for any of this, only wished that they were more considerate.
I don't know what to do now since we have to wait overnight for more news. but I am preparing myself for the worst. I have hope that she will be ok since she is so strong but you never know what will happen. Especially for a dog who already has underlying health conditions. I want to do as much as I can to help my dog but being only 16 I can't do much I guess. I regret not spending as much time as I could have with her but I'm confident she'll be ok and that I can spend many more years with her.
If anyone has anything tips or help to give, it would be greatly appreciated. Any tips on handling these conditions and seizures? Is there any way I can prepare myself for the worst and make things easier? I really hope I won't have to, but you can never be too sure.
Thanks for taking the time to read/help, take care.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/jmioxz/dog_currently_in_emergency/
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