What a scary night…and pet insurance???

[wrx227wrc]

Hey guys-

So we just got back from the emergency vet and we almost lost Piggy tonight! The good news is she made it. I let her out in the back to go potty and she was only out there for about 10 minutes. When I went back to get her she was kind of laying up against the fence funny but she got up and walked in. I got her in and she couldn't stand up. She fell right over. I knew something wasn't right. I checked her vitals and they weren't good. We ran out of the house and raced to the E-vet. She was in shock from an allergic reaction. Her temp was 96 and her heart rate was 150. They brought in the estimate and I almost threw up, it was $1100! We decided to just have them get her stable and take her home (rather than leaving her there). They assured us we didn't make a bad decision but I am still so nervous about it. We got out of there paying $400 and I figure I will just bring her back if it worsens overnight. They don't know what caused it, though they are assuming a bee. They said that we may not be so lucky next time. Jason has poison ivy that we are assuming he got from the woods behind our house, which is close to our kennel. So I haven't ruled that out myself.

Has anyone ever had anything like this happen??

The emergency vet said they don't have "epipens" for dogs but the all knowing internet tells me otherwise. Has anyone ever heard of this?

I am really considering pet insurance now. Do you guys have it? What are your experiences?

I am going to try to get some rest while she does, I am sure it will be a long night…

Jordan, Jason, Pig, and George

[Basenjimamma]

Wow, I am so sorry to hear about Piggy. What did she have an allergic reaction to? Do you know? I wish I had any info on epi pen, but I don't
Take a good nap,I am sure you might not sleep well tonight. I will keep Piggy and you in my thoughts.

Petra

[kiroja]

Yes, they do have Epi-pens or something similar for dogs. One of my pups has one. When he was young he passed out and the owner worked on him as she rushed him to the vet. He had come around by the time they got there, but he was sent home with an epi-pen. He's never had a problem since. They don't know exactly what happened but most likely multiple bee stings.

I would try contacting some other vets in your area to get more info.

Big hugs to you and Piggy, hope things are ok now.

[Quercus]

Yes, something like this happened with our Bella, and just about at the same time of year. We were on vacation, so our house sitter had to deal with it. By the time she got her to the vet Bella was starting to come back around, and by the time they left the vet she was pretty much fine. Same symptoms, though…she couldn't stand up, was pretty much unresponsive, hard to detect vitals, and very pale membranes.

We never did figure out what caused the reaction...I am guessing a spider. She has never had one again. We have had a discussion like this on a few of the other Basenji boards, and lots of people have had a bitch (in particular) have a one off reaction like this. We do have injectable benadryl shots the vet gave us for emergencies. But we haven't had to use them yet. This was five years ago.

I hope Piggy is feeling better.

[wizard]

Absolutely a scary thing to have happen.
I hope, too, that all is better.

[Borbasuk]

Glad to hear your B is on the mend.
Re. Insurance: it's quite popular this side of the Pond. All mine are insured. The problem is that premiums are going up at a rapid rate; I was quoted ?50 a month for the 14 year old's renewal this year, so I have switched all of them to a fairly basic policy to take the worst of the sting out of any large bills. I'm paying about ?35 for all of them at the moment, but that doesn't include any extras like cover for kenneling fees, purchase price etc.
Check the small print, and try and get some recommendations from others who have used the company.

[bellabasenji]

My Bella had an entirely different type of allergic reaction… When we had her spayed, we went to pick her up and she was "as to be expected." But on the way home she started to rub her face like it was itching... By the time I got home (I live 10 min from the vet) she was rapidly breaking out in "bumps." Sort of like hives all over her body. I took her back to the vet (by then her face was becoming terribly swollen). He tried to say maybe a bee stung her or she was allergic to something in my car...:mad:

Well there wasn't time for a bee sting and this was the same car I took her in, so I know neither was true! My instinct told me it was more likely she was allergic to something they were cleaning with. Anyways, the Vet. gave her two shots and told me to give her Benadry. It was a scary situation!!!:eek:

I found out later, she is allergic to Lysol... I was cleaning the house and sprayed some and she broke out in a less severe form of hives. Needless to say, I have banned Lysol from my house now. Thankfully she has not broke out again since then.:) Hopefully you can figure out what caused Piggy to react. I hope she feels better soon!

[tanza]

Yes, there are types of epipens for dogs…. glad that Piggy is OK.....

[Basenjimamma]

Wow, it sounds so scary. I guess if Otis starts acting weird like that I should get him to the vet asap ( across the street, which is a good thing in case this would happen). Would you say it is fairly common for Bs to have allergic reactions? I am only guessing since a few of y'all have similar stories.

Petra

[tanza]

@Basenjimamma:

Wow, it sounds so scary. I guess if Otis starts acting weird like that I should get him to the vet asap ( across the street, which is a good thing in case this would happen). Would you say it is fairly common for Bs to have allergic reactions? I am only guessing since a few of y'all have similar stories.

Petra

Any dog can have allergic reactions… I would not say that it is common for B's... it just happens... especially with bees, spiders, etc....

[Schouiffy]

Insurance is really popular here and for good reason. Lycia's random medical spill cost me around 15,000 dollars. I WISH I had sprung for the insurance then..