Our 8 year old Brittany started acting a little off a couple of days ago. Her bark sounded strange, she drank a ton of water, and then threw it up. The next day her breathing got a little labored so I took her to the vet. Blood work and X-Rays revealed no diagnosis. They gave her some antibiotics in case of an infection and sent us on our way. A couple of hours later she was having a hard time breathing. So I took her to the emergency clinic. After a couple of hours the vet noticed on her earlier X-Rays fluid outside and inside the lung. Not infection.

He then asked if she had maybe been exposed to rat bait. No way in the last few days, but then he told me it often takes a week. Well, we were at my folks last weekend for Easter. Sure enough, my step dad put some out a couple weeks earlier.

Vitamin K, plasma, and she was a little better this morning - breathing better and gums pinking up. I transferred her to my normal vet this morning but she hasn't gotten any better. Not worse, oxygen levels are still good and her blood clotting is getting better, but not a lot better like we all had hoped.

I know the vet it gonna want me to take her back to the emergency clinic and I have mixed emotions about it. If there's a chance she'll recover I'd give her my own kidney if I could. But if it isn't realistic I don't wanna prolong her agony. If anybody has any words of wisdom I'd really appreciate it. If not, I'd appreciate a prayer.

That's her on the left in my sig.

Good luck. I know vitamin K works to ward off symtoms right after dogs have been exposed. I've heard of it bringing them around after symptoms show as well. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it works for ya"ll.

Send SniperJohn a pm. His vizsla Blaze was saved after eating rat poison.

Done, I appreciate it.

You have my prayers, I know what you are going through.

Perhaps just needing more time to build back up her red blood cells. We had a point where Blaze could have used a second blood transfusion, but because her percent of red blood cells was improving and all her vitals for becoming normal, though slowly, it was decided rather than give the ok on the blood transfusion, we had her stay another night at the ER vet and let her build up that blood count on her own. It was cheaper to to pay for another night than it would have been for the blood transfusion. Your Brit very likely will survive this. Just give it time and wait and see, and hope there was no organ damage/bleeding. With blaze, most of her bleeding was around her chest and belly subcutaneously. Probably where she had been touched by the first vet that saw her. Your Brit was bleeding internally somewhere or several areas, but if her gums have started pinking back up, that is a good sign. Her body will absorb that blood back into her system. Recovery for Blaze seemed slow at first, but once she built up those red blood cells, it was like flipping a switch and she was like nothing ever happened. In case you start to see it with your Brit, Blaze showed a lot of pooling of the blood she had lost visibly turning areas purple around her belly, inside her legs, etc. That was a normal thing for what she went through. Her body absorbed and recycled it fairly fast.

I found the posts that were related to Blaze's ordeal if your want to compare with her timeline and what she/we went through.
http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1819215/
http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1826779/
http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1850384/

In our thoughts and prayers for a fast full recovery.

Give her time.

prayers up. Hopefully she will be ok.

She saw an internist this morning. At first he was very pessimistic, couldn't understand why she wasn't getting better with the treatment she has been getting. He had a gut feel there may be an underlying condition. X Rays and a sonogram showed her heart, liver, and kidneys are all strong. No signs of tumors. One lung is completely filled full of fluid. He probed it and found blood, definitely from the rat bait. That gave him hope.

So, her prognosis has gone from 30% chance of survival last night to 50% as of this morning. He put her on some meds that should drain and repair the collapsed lung. The worry is that if the other hemorrhages before the other is cleared she won't survive. Once she has both lungs back she might have a fighting chance. Tomorrow morning will tell us, I don't reckon I'm gonna sleep much tonight.

Good luck and here's hoping all is well in the morning.

You have my prayers big time. My dad lost the best hunting dog he ever had to rat poisoning. Our then next door neighbor actually threw the rat poison over the fence... its very sad.. anyways Prayers are being sent your way.

How is she this morning?

My daughter and I dropped by to check on her last night around 10. She was sitting with her head up and had been eating and drinking on her own. The tech didn't say much and the mood was pretty somber, but I still took it as a good sign.

Got the call a few minutes ago from the doc. In his words she is "out of the woods"! She is responding well, the lung is clearing, she's off oxygen, and if she does well today I'm gonna pick her up this afternoon. There are oral versions of the meds to clear her lungs and vitamin K that we can give her at home. Just gotta keep her from being a spaz Brittany for a couple of weeks until she recovers.

My family and I appreciate all the help and support. This deal was really screwed up cuz it was my own step dad that accidentally poisoned her. Even tho I know it wasn't on purpose and just a terrible accident, I didn't want me or anyone in my family to have any resentment towards him about it. He isn't the easiest guy to like as it is, if ya know what I mean. I'm glad we don't have to find out how that would have gone.

Mama took Dewey to the vet this morning with similar symptoms. I don't know how he could have found poison, but choking and puking all night. I'll go pick him up this afternoon and see what gives.

I hope it all turns out!

That's good news, and she will be glad to be home.

Vet thinks it's a respiratory infection. All the coughing makes him throw up. I hope she's right.

I agree with ya and I hope so. If breathing gets labored and weakness sets in don't wait. I had convinced myself to hold out until morning still thinking it was an infection. Another half hour later it hit me like a ton of bricks she was gonna die. Rushed her in and if I didn't she would not have made it.

Mamma I'm coming home!



Still gonna take time, but at least it looks like she is gonna make it!

Good girl!

Dewey is home and much happier. Not so much coughing and ate a bunch.

Great news!!!

...

Glad she's doing better.

How's she doing this morning. Dewey is better this morning, but Izzie has a cough now.