Addisonian crisis - looking for hope and sharing story

[u/cle_native_]

Hi everyone,

As title says, just want to put this out to the universe to see if we can get some hope and some additional good vibes and prayers sent to our baby. He is a 7-year old mutt and late Thursday/early Friday began his fourth bout of Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, or so we thought!

It has always started the same: lots of puking, followed by an eventual turn into diarrhea with some blood, rapid dehydration. The first time he just needed a subcutaneous fluid bubble and that was it. Second time he was hospitalized overnight with IV fluids. Third time was ambulatory again. This time….he puked more times than he ever has before. They actually sent us away the first time we showed up even though we knew how this would progress because his vitals looked fine. Then, about two hours later he was panting and pooped his classic raspberry jam color & consistency stool so we brought him back in. The vet checked his heart rate and said it was 90, which is low for a dog with acute gastroenteritis so he said there was a possibility for Addison’s disease, which was then confirmed as atypical later.

Yesterday was a rollercoaster. From being told they could manage it and he would likely be discharged at night, to being told he was actually much sicker than normal and might need a mainline IV, to then being told he didn’t need one because he was improving on his own, to then his blood pressure dropping to 55, being told he had a 50/50 shot to survive and to come into spend time with him, to being told the mainline iv seemed to be helping and his blood pressure had stabilized.

We got to see him, and he has a bag hooked up to his bowels which is basically just continuously dripping blood out of him. We’ve been told this is concerning but not altogether surprising. They have given him lots of albumin to replace the protein and his levels are improving. They sedated him to put in a nasal feeding line and will try nutrition later tonight.

This has been absolutely awful and I’m having a hard time seeing stories similar to this one. We’re hoping his odds have gone up a bit since last night since he is holding stable but the vet says we are still in a critical point.

We are so worried and just looking for advice or reassurance or i don’t even know. We just want to get him through this now that we know so we can manage it well for him.

Please please, if you can send some well wishes to our boy Ardy, or some prayers if you pray, we could really use all the good energy.

Thank you.

And if your dog has repeated issues like excessive shedding, chronic GI issues, and other subtle symptoms, look into Addison’s disease.

[u/cle_native_]

Pet tax ♥️♥️

[u/PoorlyRuddyTwenties → u/cle_native_]

Oh that face, what a sweetheart. The drip bag situation is terrifying to see but it's actually doing exactly what it needs to, keeping his fluids moving while his gut heals up.

My old dog went through something weirdly similar a few years back, the blood pressure crash and everything, and she pulled through after about 4 days of looking absolutely miserable. Addison's is sneaky like that, once they figure out the right steroid dose they bounce back way faster than you'd expect

[u/cle_native_ → u/PoorlyRuddyTwenties]

This is so reassuring to me, you have no idea. The bag looks so alarming but you’re right, it’s doing what it’s supposed to. Thank you for sharing this with me and I will update this post when we know more. Thank you thank you

[u/Mejay11096]

I don’t have anything to share except that I had an addisonian girl many years ago. She lived a full life but had a rough first few years until her diagnosis. I just wanted to say I hope your pup is home and feeling better very soon. Best wishes.

[u/cle_native_ → u/Mejay11096]

Thank you! Everything makes so much sense with him now, I can’t believe we never knew! Thank you for the well wishes ♥️

[u/dvmdv8]

ER vet here. Feel free to reach out but most Addison's dogs do quite well once the steroids are started. I assume sodium / potassium were normal. Sometimes we were fighting low blood pressure and they need a special medication to bring that up, but most of them will turn the corner if you can stick with it. Not all, but most

[u/cle_native_ → u/dvmdv8]

Thank you. I really appreciate this. Yes, sodium and potassium were normal but they are rechecking them in a bit. So grateful his blood pressure is still stable and hoping when we visit tonight he’s a little more alert. Thank you. He’s a fighter!

[u/dvmdv8 → u/cle_native_]

Good luck. It usually just takes time

[u/wovenwebs]

Ugh, I’m so sorry. My girl was at the emergency vet for a weekend with HGE recently and it really sucked. It’s so confusing to know there’s not really a specific cause for it. It’s an awful feeling to not even be able to make a lifestyle change to prevent it. Four rounds of this is so scary!

Thinking of you and Ardy!! Please make sure that YOU are eating, drinking enough water, and being gentle with yourself. You’re doing right by him, and he’s in good hands. If it is Addison’s disease, you’ll be able to manage it with daily and monthly meds. In a way, it can be better to have a diagnosis so you can have a dedicated treatment plan.

[u/cle_native_ → u/wovenwebs]

We are so grateful to this new vet for helping us know what’s going on now! We are just hoping he pulls through so that we can manage it. Thank you thank you for the thoughts, and I’m sorry for your girl with HGE. It really is so scary and I hope you never have to experience it again ♥️