HGE in dogs?

[muley4x4]

Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis (HGE) Has anyone ever dealt with this. I got off the phone with the vet earlier. One of my Heelers had some blood in her stool and has had diarrhea off and on for the last week. I noticed some horrible sounds coming from her stomach yesterday. He told me they probably should start antibiotics first thing in the morning.

The vet in alvarado told me they had 5 cases in the last week. Agvet???

[muley4x4]

Anyone??

[muley4x4]

Up!!!

[muley4x4]

Just got to the vet. Keep y'all updated on what's going on

[TomB]

My dog had it on Thanksgiving last year. Almost lost him. IV fluids and antibiotics is what it took for him to recover. Oh, and once they get it, they are prone to getting it again. Getting him to the vet was what saved his life, even if it was an emergency call on Thanksgiving.

[Jerryg]

There is a post on east Texas hog doggers on this. May want to go peek overthere.

Jerryg

[muley4x4]

She's been placed on a bunch of meds. They acted like it wasn't that big of a deal. Antibiotics and some other stuff. Then having to feed her a bland diet for a bit.

[Brannon74]

Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE)


Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis is a potentially life-threatening intestinal condition of dogs that manifests as sudden onset of bloody, watery diarrhea. It is extremely dehydrating, much more than might be expected from the amount of diarrhea. If it is not promptly treated, the dog can go into shock. Vomiting is often part of the syndrome.

Smaller dog breeds seem to have a predisposition towards HGE, though any dog can be affected.

Stress and hyperactivity seem to be predisposing factors.

How is this Condition Diagnosed?

There are no specific tests for HGE but a test called a packed cell volume (also called PCV or hematocrit) is helpful in making the diagnosis. This test can be performed in most veterinary hospitals using a few drops of blood. The percentage of the blood volume made up by red blood cells is measured. A normal PCV for a healthy dog would be 37-55%, meaning 37-55% of the blood volume should be red blood cells; the rest is fluid and white blood cells. When the patient becomes very dehydrated, there is less fluid in the blood stream and the percentage of blood fluid drops, and consequently the percentage of red blood cells rises.

A dog with HGE will have a PCV greater than 60%.

The measurement of the PCV also usually includes some sort of measurement of total protein (sometimes called total solids). In HGE, the total protein measurement from the blood sample is low.



Blood sample in a PCV tube being read against a chart


The very high PCV, low total protein and acute onset bloody watery diarrhea in a dog is generally all that is needed to diagnose HGE.

What Causes HGE?

The actual cause remains unknown. What happens is that the intestinal lining and intestinal blood vessels become permeable to fluid. Fluid and associated proteins leak out of the blood vessels and into the intestine (though the blood cells are too big to leak and stay behind). In this way, fluid is lost into the intestine, thereby dehydrating the patient, and the PCV rises.

There is some suspicion that a bacterium called Clostridium perfringens may be involved, so treatment often includes an antibiotic appropriate for this organism.

Treatment of HGE

The heart of therapy is aggressive fluid replacement. The idea is to get the PCV back to the normal range and keep the patient out of shock. Food is withheld for at least a day and only gradually introduced over several days after the vomiting has resolved. Symptomatic treatment for nausea is typically included, as is antibiotic therapy. Several days of hospitalization are commonly required for treatment

[Captrix]

Hope she starts to feel better. My 8 month chocolate lab is having hip surgery next month. He got stomped by my mare 2 months ago. Sometimes I am amazed at the money we spend on our pets.

[muley4x4]

Hope she starts to feel better. My 8 month chocolate lab is having hip surgery next month. He got stomped by my mare 2 months ago. Sometimes I am amazed at the money we spend on our pets.

she is doing much better today. I tried to baby her and I'm doing my best at being sympathetic to her needs. She had a chicken and rice this morning. she was a happy camper.

I know I can't believe the money I've pumped into my heelers.

[LSU FAN]

brannon74, where do you get all of your info from? Just curious because I am starting to compile information on diseases so I can make handouts to send home with clients after I graduate in may.

[Brannon74]

brannon74, where do you get all of your info from? Just curious because I am starting to compile information on diseases so I can make handouts to send home with clients after I graduate in may.

Most of my stuff I take off of veterinarypartner.com it is a wesite ran by VIN.com. very user and client friendly.

[LSU FAN]

awesome thanks. sent you a pm as well

[Captrix]

she is doing much better today. I tried to baby her and I'm doing my best at being sympathetic to her needs. She had a chicken and rice this morning. she was a happy camper.

I know I can't believe the money I've pumped into my heelers.

Didnt you post last year about one of them getting into something at the lease?

I think she needs a new ortho bed from Petsmart to help her feel better They're on sale for $39 Glad she's feeling better

[agvet2004]

I am sorry I missed this one, slipped past me this time. Sounds like things are better and it looks like Brannon covered everything pretty well. Let us know if you have any other questions.