Ollie Emergency!

~ beetleypete

After finishing his course of antibiotics and steroids yesterday, Ollie’s skin was clearing up nicely. But something else was happening. He was beginning to pant a great deal, and seemed to be out of breath after not much exertion. Late last night, that started to get much worse and his respiratory rate increased to over 80 per minute around four times faster than it should be. By 2 AM, he was getting visibly distressed, so the Emergency Vet was called. After telling her the symptoms, she agreed to travel to the surgery in Swaffham, and told us to meet her there.

Luckily there is little traffic at that time of the morning around here, so the journey was quick and easy. With social distancing still operating, she met us in the car park and took Ollie inside to examine him. It was a worrying wait, but when she came back with him she looked relatively unconcerned. She suspected he might be carrying too much fluid from the recent infection, and had given him an injection of Furosemide to make him urinate more often, as well as booster injections of both antibiotics and steroids in case the rapid breathing was caused by a chest infection. There were lots of tablets to take home with us too.

By the time we got home it was close to 4 AM, and time to try to get some sleep. This morning, Ollie is very tired and his breathing is a lot slower, if not quite back to normal. It was the first time since we got Ollie that we have had to use an emergency Vet in the middle of the night.

I hope it’s the last.

113 thoughts on “Ollie Emergency!”

  3. I hope he is fine. I am not liking the sound of this infection spreading and I also hate that this is happening to poor ollie. Please keep us informed about his conditions. I will pray that he gets better soon. 😞✌💖

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    1. Thanks, Suzan. He is on reduced walks, and extra food. When the tablets finish on Sunday, we will have to decide if he is still ill, and whether or not he needs to go back to the vet for x-rays.
      Best wishes, Pete. xx

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    1. Thanks, chuq. He was looking so distressed, I thought the vet would give us bad news. He hasn’t improved as much as I had hoped, but she said he must finish the full course of tablets.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. I slept from 9:30 last night until 6:30 this morning. Ollie is still not very well, though vastly improved on how he was when we took him in. The new tablets have to have time to work, so I am banking on seeing more improvement by Sunday.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  15. I would do anything for my dog, as I know you would for Ollie. I’m glad that things appear to be moving in the right direction. Our vet also does the social distancing thing with the animals she examines. It’s so weird to sit in a parking lot, wondering what is going on inside.

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  17. It is distressing that his breed is subject to chest infections. I hate the adrenaline that rushes through us when our dogs are in trouble. I am not surprised you couldn’t go back to sleep. I hope that any future visit is in the day and that Ollie fully recovers.

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    1. We are hoping it doesn’t affect his lungs too badly, or give him high blood pressure. Unfortunately, the painter is coming tomorrow to start on the kitchen, so we have had to clear a lot of stuff away.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  25. Poor Ollie! I hope he feels better soon, and it is nothing serious. I’ve always been in awe of vets (and paediatricians who work with very young children). I know how difficult it can be to diagnose an illness even when the patient can tell you how they feel. It must have been scary for him and you. Take lots of care. ♥

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    1. Thanks, Olga. We were all so tired, he has slept most of the day, other than a shorter walk. At least hs breathing has retruned to near-normal.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. Thanks, Pit. If the tablets don’t work, he has to go back for x-rays and blood tests.
      She couldn’t do x-rays last night because she was there on her own.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  29. I’m so sorry to learn that Ollie’s been feeling poorly. Those emergency vet trips are very stressful. Unfortunately, I’ve had to go on a few myself. It sounds like the beauty boy will be back in business very soon. Keep us posted.
    –Pam

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  30. How frightening. I’m glad you managed to get the vet. It’s horrible watching a pet suffer. We had a scare with Diesel a while back but the only problem he has now is that he can’t jump onto his chair without a run up. Apart from being deaf I sometimes think he has dementia but he is still eating well and barking at the foxes who use the next door garden. People tell us that 15 is a good age for a dog but it is difficult to see them get older. You can only do your best and your love and care shines through. Julie.

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    1. Thanks, Julie. Ollie was 8 in February, so much younger than Diesel. Sadly, his breed are very prone to all sorts of infections, and this one seems to have migrated into his chest. We are hoping he is spared having to go in for more extensive tests and x-rays if he doesn’t improve in the next week.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  44. Oh no! Poor Ollie. I’m afraid that’s the problem with well bred dogs. I’ve had a few mutts in my life, and I don’t think I ever took them to the vet except for vaccines. Hope he’s better soon.

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    1. Thanks very much, Marina. He is so tired today, it is hard to work out if he really feels better. Fingers crossed that he doesn’t have to go back for more tests and x-rays.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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