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I just got off the phone with my vet. He had been in surgery all morning and this was the earliest he could call.
Basically – he said keep doing what I’m doing – FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS. The Kaopectate – FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. The Metronidazole – ANOTHER WEEK. The Erythromycin – until the prescription ends.
I need to keep syringing water and electrolytes down her throat every hour during the day – FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS. And of course, this means changing the paper almost as frequently, and washing the floor with an Anti-Bacterial solution, and bleaching everything she touches.
Her Gastro-Intestinal system has had massive damage to it. The lining of her intestine has been ‘shredded.’ Recovery from this kind of bacterial attack will be more than a month and she will likely have problems for the rest of her life. Any normal dog should have been able to fight off this infection with a couple loose poops and be done with it, but given my track records of visits with him (four vet visits in the first two weeks), it’s obvious this puppy had problems right from the beginning.
Naturally, normal dog food is not going to be part of her life. We are going to be switching to a dog food designed for damaged ‘systems.’ So, special dog food now means “special pricing” – more expensive.
Daisy will need to be quarantined in the bathroom of my home for the next three weeks and will only be able to roam the rest of the house in a month from now. If she goes outside, she needs to be carried and never touch the ground/grass.
Despite her general demeanour today (she had lots of energy and has decided that the newspaper on the floor is there to be ‘killed’), my vet cautioned me to only let her bowel movements be my guide. And with being on Kaopectate, we won’t know what normal is for quite awhile. Once we go off Kaopectate, things will need to be re-assessed from there.
I’m very fortunate that I have a job where I work at home. This kind of attention and care could not be provided by anyone that works downtown/outside of home. My concern is how can I care for her if I have a meeting that takes me away from home for more than 2 hours? (It takes 45 minutes to get anywhere it this city…..)
In September, I have a 3-day trip to Ottawa – no kennel will take her in a condition like this. I can only hope that her immediate recovery is speedy and that by September we can MAYBE consider dry kibble. And MAYBE she won’t be on any medication……

This is going to be our on-going schedule…. I will need to make arrangements with my manager to start work late, as the morning routine of cleaning her, cleaning her area, replacing all the papers, preparing her food, etc. etc. takes more than an hour each day……. If only my office had a sink with a supply of water and a floor of linoleum ……

Upon waking 0.15 ml Metronidazole, 0.3 ml Erythromycin, 5 cc Water
Sanitize entire area – toys, water bowl, replace newspapers and sanitize syringes (on a continuing /on-going basis)
8:00 Breakfast - 2 Tsp MediCal Development canned Dog Food, mashed with 1 tsp water
8:30 5 cc Pedialyte with treats
10:00 0.1 ml Kaopectate, 5 cc Water with treats
11:00 Early Lunch – 2 tsp MediCal Development canned Dog Food, mashed with 1 tsp water
12 noon 5 cc Pedialyte with treats
1:30 5 cc Water and 0.3 ml Erythromycin with treats
2:30 Late Lunch - 2 tsp MediCal Development canned Dog Food, mashed with 1 tsp water
3:30 5 cc Pedialyte with treats
4:30 5 cc water with treats
5:30 5 cc Pedialyte with treats
6:30 Supper - 2 tsp MediCal Development canned Dog Food, mashed with 1 tsp water
8:00 5 cc Pedialyte and 0.15 ml Metronidazole with treats
10:00 0.3 ml Erythromycin

Total – 45 cc fluids, 8 spoons canned dog food

Is this the new puppy? Do you think it is just her genetics (ie. breeding/breeder) or something she pick up from the environment (parvo etc)? I dont recall reading about anything earlier but I'm going to skim through the posts.
Hope all goes well, good luck with the next month or so.
Is the vet able to board her when you go away (or can recomend someone who can). The clinic I worked at had a full boarding facility and we had several 'special needs' visitors.
Meaghan/DragonRider

Do you have pet insurance?

I am a student and know that if my puppy was going through what little Daisy is going through, it'd be really hard for me to afford everything. For $30 I am paying for pet insurance that will help cover things like this - because it sounds like it's pretty expensive for an 11 week old puppy!

I hope she has a speedy and healthy recovery

I hate to sound... well, uncaring, but to help answer your question, DragonRider?

If you look at her profile, the pup is listed as a "Miniature" Beagle. But of course, we know no such thing exists. Any pup that a person tries to pass off as being "miniature" or "teacup" is simply a small, sickly runt-of-the-litter who is a lot more likely to have health problems for many reasons, including a weak immune system, which sounds like the case here. So yeah, this is very likely the result of poor breeding.

I wish the best for your little pup, but sadly, if she lives through this, she's probably got more bad things coming at her in the future.

Wow. That sure is a lot of work! Kudos to you for putting the time and effort into saving your puppy. I'm sure others out there would have given up long ago.
We're pulling for ya, and Daisy too!

Well - all that said Kat, Minitaure Beagles have existed for a long time, since the early 1900's, but have never been AKC registered.

And, about her health, what I fear is now true - she will be challenged all her life. My God - she's completely quarantined now and can't even have visitors unless we all wash our hands before and after.

I am planning to report this breeder - Eveyln Smith in Nebraska - when I have the energy to make a very storg case. Right now, I'm to tired and emotional... As one of my very good friends pointed out - I had decided to adopt a puppy - not take on a job and a new life's work....

I don't know how much or if this would even help, but maybe start giving her some acidolphus(spelling?). It's available at drug stores, and it's supposed to help the good bacteria balance in the intestines. Definitely check with a vet, but I thought I'd mention it.

I'm really pulling for Daisy! And karma to you for being such a good puppy mom--and remember, we're never given more than we can handle, even if it seems overwhelming at the time!