Sick Puppy

Well, it has been a long night here with a sick puppy. Shotgun has been very sick and I have been up with him most of the night. He seems a little better this morning, but is still lethargic. What happened you say? Well, I don't think he was de-wormed at his previous home. When we got him I meant to de-worm him right away but didn't have de-wormer safe for such a young pup. Then I went a little while with forgetting to pick up what I needed when I went to get feed. So it was a couple of weeks and then we de-wormed him. We are now dealing with the issue of toxic worm die off. When an animal is heavily infested with parasites and then they are de-wormed if the worms die off in massive amounts they cause toxins to be excreted into the bloodstream of the animal. Essentially, the dying parasites poison your animal. They can also cause intestinal blockages after they die. Day before yesterday after his second dose of de-wormer, Shotgun was really sleepy most of the day. I just thought he was tired but watched him anyway. Yesterday morning he wouldn't eat. I watched him some more, made sure he wasn't dehydrated and got a little concerned. No fever, no loose stools and no vomiting. I thought he just had an upset stomach. Well after several hours, he wasn't drinking either and his stools had gotten soft. Not runny but soft. So I drenched him with some pedialyte and called my vet. We talked and agreed to keep him home for a bit, keep drenching with the pedialyte and watch him. Well again a couple hours later and we had a really loose stool that was loaded with....you guessed it...roundworms. Some very large roundworms. Called vet and told him and we decided it was toxins because of the worm die off. Since Shotgun was not completely out of it we agreed on treatment at home. My vet and I do this a lot. Actually at home is better because I can monitor the situation 24/7 whereas my vet who is all by himself can't. So, we are keeping him hydrated and we have given him an antibiotic to fight off septicemia (from the worm toxins). I prepared a tea for him yesterday to alternate with the pedialyte. In it I put chamomile, peppermint, lemon balm, catnip, golden seal, feverfew, and echinacea. This concoction will sooth his tummy, support his immune system and support his liver to remove the toxins from his bloodstream. Since the loose stools have stopped, I am going to give him a Diatomaceous earth enema to help flush out anymore worms that might be in his intestines. Blockage from the dead worms is now a big concern. He felt chipper enough this morning to pounce on the cats and give them a bit of a chase in the yard so I think we are doing ok, but we aren't out of the woods yet. Since he hasn't eaten anything in 24 hours I started him on some homemade venison broth to get some protein in him. He has drunk some on his own but not much so we are still drenching. I am so thankful that I had everything I needed to treat him because with puppies time is of the essence. They dehydrate quickly and dehydration will kill them fast. An hour round trip to town could have cost me precious time in treating him and his condition. I am so thankful that I try to stay prepared for anything that might happen even if it means that because of all the critters here on the farm my medical supplies are pretty extensive. Please keep Shotgun in your thoughts today, he is still a sick little puppy. Blessings, Kat