TeckelMama
New Member
My 7 month old mini dachshund Waldi was diagnosed with HGE this week. He's on the road to recovery, but he gave me quite the scare. I had never heard of HGE before this, and my guess is that a lot of people are like me. I wanted to write to see if anyone has a dog who has experienced HGE, and to make sure people know the warning signs of this fast, potentially fatal disease.
Earlier this week, I noticed Waldi had a bout of diarrhea. (Nothing too abnormal for a puppy.) The diarrhea continued into the night, accompanied by bright red blood. Around 2:00 am he threw up twice. Despite all of this, Waldi remained his same energetic, playful self. Still, I decided to take him to the vet first thing in the morning.
After taking a fecal sample and ruling out obstructions, my vet diagnosed Waldi with HGE (Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis), which means he was losing fluids in his intestines. She told me we needed to be aggressive - dogs with HGE can become dehydrated within 24 hours, slip into shock and die. She needed to keep Waldi and get him an IV with fluids immediately. I was shocked, scared and not ready to leave my poor little pup.
Thankfully we caught the HGE early, so Waldi is expected to make a full recovery. We should be able to get him off fluids and take him home tonight. I've read countless stories about dogs who didn't make it to the vet in time, and I just can't imagine if we had waited. Bloody diarrhea or vomit in an otherwise healthy dog is the main symptom of HGE, so please take your dog in immediately if this happens!
I'm not trying to scare anyone, but I've heard too many stories of people waiting too long. Does anyone have a pup who went through HGE?
Earlier this week, I noticed Waldi had a bout of diarrhea. (Nothing too abnormal for a puppy.) The diarrhea continued into the night, accompanied by bright red blood. Around 2:00 am he threw up twice. Despite all of this, Waldi remained his same energetic, playful self. Still, I decided to take him to the vet first thing in the morning.
After taking a fecal sample and ruling out obstructions, my vet diagnosed Waldi with HGE (Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis), which means he was losing fluids in his intestines. She told me we needed to be aggressive - dogs with HGE can become dehydrated within 24 hours, slip into shock and die. She needed to keep Waldi and get him an IV with fluids immediately. I was shocked, scared and not ready to leave my poor little pup.
Thankfully we caught the HGE early, so Waldi is expected to make a full recovery. We should be able to get him off fluids and take him home tonight. I've read countless stories about dogs who didn't make it to the vet in time, and I just can't imagine if we had waited. Bloody diarrhea or vomit in an otherwise healthy dog is the main symptom of HGE, so please take your dog in immediately if this happens!
I'm not trying to scare anyone, but I've heard too many stories of people waiting too long. Does anyone have a pup who went through HGE?
