It all began with some KFC. I had been out with friends all day and ordered a 3-piece meal and sat down to chomp on it while watching a movie. I don't give bones to dogs because you shouldn't do that especially if your dog is a tiny little thing like Nadi is, but in this instance I placed the finished product in a bag on the floor and then got called down for one last round by a friend downstairs. A trip that I now really wish I had said "no" to.
When I returned Nadi had found the bag and ate the bits of bone that were left over and was now in a prone position on the floor struggling to breathe. This is a common thing for dogs and they are actually very good at not dying from choking. They instinctually know how to keep themselves alive in these situations.
She was able to cough a bunch of it up but it was apparent to me that there was something terribly wrong as her breathing was labored still but it was late, so there was nothing I could do but try to make her as comfortable as possible on the bed. Sleep did not come easy for me that night. I'm sure it was even more difficult for Nadi.
The following morning I woke up to multiple piles of throwup on the bed and I have to admire my little fluffball because she did everything she could to not vomit on the bed. All of the piles, one of which contained another bone, were near the edge of the bed. I didn't take photos of this because her health was much more of a concern for me.
This is where the real frustration for me began because my local clinic that is within walking distance to my apartment, they don't speak English very well. I think Nadi could sense this because when I was approached by the vet, Nadi threw up a pile of stomach juice or bile or something right in front of him. So this at least helped me a bit in saving some time as to what is wrong with her.
I tried to explain that she ate some chicken bones and was now having trouble breathing and will not eat or drink any water. I don't think that they paid much attention to me talking about the chicken bone incident because they immediately recommended that we do bloodwork and a bunch of test for various parasites.
I don't understand blood-work results but you don't really need to in order to understand that the blue figures and especially the red ones are not good news. The test results for various parasite infections were not the best news either. If you know the song 2 outta 3 aint bad then you'll understand what I mean here. Nadi was negative for two of these things but tested positive for one of them.
They tried to explain to me how serious this is and now she has to go through a bunch of antibiotic treatments and other injections and this is why in the first picture she has that blue bandage on her arm. It is covering up her doggy IV connection.
Nadi is a very well-behaved dog and didn't give the vets any problems when they were treating her, even if it meant putting valve into her paw. Now we have to go get infusions or whatever it is called 2 times a day for the next 7-10 days until the issue clears up.
This all sounds rather routine but there is something I have a really big problem with here: The initial chicken bone situation was all-but-ignored by the veterinarians. While I do believe the test results are accurate and that this is something that definitely needs to be taken care of (and will be taken care of) in the meantime I don't think this is the most important issue.
She is still breathing very lightly and seems to be somewhat struggling for breath, perhaps by a bit of bone that is still stuck in her respiratory or digestive tract. She is lying on the sofa next to me right now and is taking much more shallow breaths than she normally would.
I believe the parasite infection is real and need to be treated but I also don't think that loading up a dog with meds that is already struggling to breathe from some other affliction is a very good idea. The doctors are almost completely ignoring the chicken bones incident and are fascinated with treating this blood parasite problem.
What do you think is the more likely thing that happened here?
- The blood parasites were lying in wait, with Nadi running around and playing all day for months beforehand, and then they strike at exactly the moment that she choked on some chicken to attack her respiratory system?
OR
- Her current breathing situation might just have something to do with the chicken bones that she ingested moments before the breathing problem began?
It is frustrating to me that the doctors are insisting that we carry on with loading her up with drugs twice a day when by doing so she is all messed up the same way that you would be if a doctor loaded you up with prescription drugs when the more immediate problem very well could be a bone fragment that is lodged in her system somewhere.
We have an appointment at another, much more expensive international clinic today that has foreign doctors that speak 100% of my language. I don't put a price on my dog's life and will spend whatever it takes to heal her. We just want to get back to going on walks and hanging out with her being able to breathe.
We'll get back to these days soon, hopefully
At the moment there is no genuine fear that she is going to die, thankfully. But this was a real eye-opener to me about how I need to be more careful with those bones. I'm still upset with myself for going out for that "one last drink" and am now spending all of my nights at home comforting her on the sofa as she struggles to find a comfortable way to lie down.
Noooooo
I am so sad to hear about this. :(
I have to give my pup anti worm // parasite drugs every month to keep those things in check. I have been told a few horrible stories about things like this by other people as well.
Sending the best for a fast recovery to Nadi .
I give Nadi these things as well and based on the information that is flowing in about this particular clinic I don't think I even believe the positive diagnosis about these parasites either. I'll get a second opinion about this as well.
All of my prayers for Nadi! I'm sure the parasite is an issue but it seems odd that her breathing is still labored this long after the bones. Did she have any kind of breathing issues prior to the bones? If not I would certainly still be concerned abuot some kind of blockage since it wasn't an issue before.
This is why I am going to another clinic where they speak English better. I don't know why but they seem completely unconcerned about the bones. They claim they looked for them and didn't see any but how can you look all the way down a dog's throat? I suspect they just opened her mouth, had a quick looksee and said "nah, nothings there, move on to the blood tests!"
I don't blame you at all on this. I hope she gets better from here!
I hope Nadi is okay and can continue to live many more years with you.
If it makes you feel any better… I once had a toy poodle as a child and he swallowed an entire chicken wing. I thought for sure we was dead, but he just kept going on like nothing at all was wrong. I’m not sure if we got lucky or if dogs can swallow bigger things than we imagine.
Nadi has eaten chicken bones in the past. Once she got a hold of an entire 6 pack of buffalo wings and when I got home she had buffalo sauce all over her face and this look of "what, I didn't do anything." We didn't need CSI to get involved to figure out who the guilty party was. How she managed to not get any ill effect from 6 sets of bones is pretty amazing to me. I guess this time it was just bad luck.
It has been my experience that dogs are instinctually good at staying alive and can handle a lot more than we think they can. I would imagine if I simply did nothing that Nadi would naturally recover on her own over time but I cant look at her sad face all day as she stares at me with this look of "why aren't you helping me?"
Dang, that sucks. That is horrible that you are having to go through that. We are actually in the middle of a health issue with our dog now too, so I totally appreciate your concerns. Our pup has a UTI that didn't go away with the initial antibiotics so they have her on some more for a bit longer. I think it is a smart choice to go to the other doctor. Especially given the breathing issues Nadi is having. I hope they can get everything sorted out. I know it is hard, but try not to beat yourself up too badly.
Yeah it is tough seeing her in that state when I know her normal state is to be excited about just about anything. She is not here now as she is currently under observation at the hospital. I got to see her for a bit yesterday and she was doing a lot better. She was also still under the effects of the anesthesia so it was pretty funny to see her having trouble walking in a straight line.
Oh good. I am glad she is somewhere where she is getting the proper care. I'll be thinking of you two.
it is nice to see the priority you place to take care of your little one in doing whatever it takes, smart to get a 2nd opinion that is exactly what i would do as well if i thought they were ignoring the chicken bones being a problem, i hope Nadi recovers fully and gets back to normal soon.. this makes me sad to think of Nadi suffering
Thanks. yeah it is pretty difficult to see what is basically my child suffer in silence. She doesn't even understand why she hurts I would imagine and looks at me with her puppy dog eyes constantly probably wondering why it is that I am not taking the pain away.
Take her to a vet where you can communicate better. I think it has more to do with the chicken bone situation that anything else.
Wishing her speedy recovery
Thanks. That has already been done this morning. Hopefully I'll have some better news this time tomorrow.
Poor Nadi. I love the last picture of her smiling. I had no idea dogs had this defense mechanism when their airways are compromised. Wishing her a speedy recovery.
Sometimes vets can be entirely clueless. It is really frustrating. They told me my cat's heart murmur was her purring -_- she passed away the next day. I'm glad you're going to a different place. They will give her the help she needs.
That is so tragic about your cat. I'm sorry to hear that. I'm very hopeful that this other, more expensive clinic will be able to help because I've kind of lost faith in the first one.
Man, what an awful situation. I hope she starts feeling better asap and that the other vet you found was actually useful and checks her out properly. Sending some good vibes both of your guys way.
Things are already looking up my dood. Got a lot of good news yesterday and will update soon.
!PIZZA and !LUV bro
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Hang in there Nadi, hope whatever it is, chicken bone-related or not, that it gets sorted and she's tip-top shape soon. Anything you post is always welcome in ASEAN Hive my friend, no need to worry about if it's SE Asian-y enough or not. You live in this part of the world, so all your content is welcome, especially Nadi news, she's the most famous ASEAN Hive animal.
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