I don't know what this is but I don't like it. I have a vet appointment in about an hour...

Rudy had some diarrhea last week, some 'pudding poop' accidents in the house while I was at work. I fed him bland stuff for a few days and he seemed to return to normal, but he also seemed to lie around a bit more than usual. However, he went for walks and had a great appetite.

This morning I left him in the kitchen, because he had wanted to go out very early and I thought his tummy was upset. Turns out, it was. He had several major episodes of liquid diarrhea and vomiting today -- this after a small portion of DeliFresh for breakfast -- and tonight I came home to a puddle (my petsitter had cleaned up the earlier messes) of blood/diarrhea.

I'm really worried. He hasn't eaten anything unusual, he hasn't had a recreational bone for weeks, he hasn't even had a chicken neck since last Friday, so what could this be? And the bloody diarrhea is REALLY scary.

Can I get some good thoughts for the Rudy-Dude, he's a senior and I don't know much about his history before November 2005 and I can't bear to think this might be something serious.

Very good Rudy thoughts coming your way. I hope it's nothing serious.

OH Rudy buddy, you got all sorts of get well wishes coming your way and Connie, I know how you must worry,,,,fingers crossed, my friend.

Good vibes that is't nothing serious.

Oh dear, sending good thoughts your way, please keep us posted.

Sending lots of positive healing vibes for Rudy-Dude and you!!!

Uh oh. Fingers and paws crossed that it's nothing big. Let us know what the vet says.

Oh no - good vibes headed for Rudy. I hope that it's something that can be easily treated.

Okay, Rudy's at the vet. He has to stay there for at least 24 hours, he needs IV fluids at the very least. They are running blood tests on him too.

Right now Joe (the vet) thinks it is hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Rudy had another episode of bloody diarrhea in the vet clinic. He was extremely lethargic by that time, worse than he was when I got home from work. I couldn't argue when Joe said 'he needs to stay here.' What's worse, Rudy didn't argue either.

They will call me and let me know what blood tests show; if his hemocrit is very low, they will tell me to come get him and transfer him to the ER vet where he can be monitored overnight.

Causes of HGE are many and HGE is really a catch-all term. This might be some sort of virus. We may know more after blood tests. In any event, supportive care is a must, and that's what he's getting.

I miss my Rudy-Dude.

I hope it isn't serious. Hope the vet can get to the bottom of it.

Awww, poor Rudy.

Poor baby! I hope it's settled soon. It's scary when they get that compliant.

oh Rudy, buddy....get well soon buddy boy.

Oh dear, I hope that supportive care is all he needs to get through this and come back home with you.

I'm so glad he's getting the supportive care at the vet that he needs. My old airedale, Rush, had several bouts of HGE over the years and usually recovered well with IV fluids, very bland diet and rest. His trigger was always stress. Hang in there Rudy, we're pulling for you!!!

Poor Rudy, I hope the vet can do something to make him feel better.

Yes, I've been reading up on HGE and stress is mentioned as a trigger, as well as the likelihood that once a dog has it, he is more prone to have it again. Rudy, I have to say, has the closest thing to a stress-free life that is known to man or dog! ! I think my vet knows this, that's why his guess for the cause was a rotavirus.

Anyway, I've not heard from the vet since I left Rudy there, which means that the bloodwork results were not scary, and so I will hear from the vet tomorrow with an update.

I thought about taking Rudy to the ER vet overnight, because they do have staff there and my vet clinic does not, but I decided that there is more stress at the ER clinic than at my clinic, which is also familiar to Rudy; I'm hoping he can just sack out in a crate and sleep, with his IV fluid pump and his shot of abx. I think he'd be more anxious at the ER vet.

Oh Rudy....get better soon! I hope this is something you can treat successfully.

Poor guy...hope they can get this cleared up soon.

Yikes. I hope the fluids perk him up. He's your oldest isn't he?

No, Good Guy is the oldest but I think Rudy is more fragile health-wise than Guy.

Guy is about 15, going by looks and teeth and skeletal conditions; he just had that bout of vestibular disease, but otherwise he is perking along. Guy was a stray when found by rescue in 2006 but he was once someone's dog, he is trained and very social, and my guess is that along with that care, he probably had a better nutritional regimen in his life than Rudy did.

Rudy is 13 or 14, he was a stray in 2005 and almost dead from being so emaciated and he had no coat, which meant a longer-term malnutrition; he has a frozen hip (femur calcified into the socket) which could very well be from an old untreated injury like being hit by a car -- our conclusion is that Rudy had more neglect in his life than Guy, so they are almost the same age but Rudy is in some ways older.

I hope he is okay, I will call the vet clinic as soon as they open.

Good thoughts sent your way

Well, the vet called me at one minute after 9 this morning, the clinic opens at 9.

The news is good, but Rudy's condition was pretty serious. Joe said he ended up staying at the clinic last night until quite late, he was worried because Rudy didn't want to sit up or even raise his head.

The bloodwork showed nothing of concern aside from the fact that Rudy was severely dehydrated. He is not anemic, and his other values are fine. The abdominal x-ray showed nothing out of the ordinary except that he was full of fluid; and he had another episode of diarrhea shortly after I left him there.

They got him stablized, though, and Joe said that they are going to give him IV fluids until 6 p.m. today, and I can take him home when the clinic closes at 7. Rudy has not eaten anything yet but that's okay. He will be on metrodizanole for two weeks. I am to introduce food back gradually and make it really bland, with lots of rice.

That was scary! I will be so glad to take him home tonight ... Rudy has a big dog bed right next to my bed, it's prime real estate in my tiny bedroom, but last night with Rudy not there, neither Sunny nor Shiri (who also sleep in the bedroom) used the bed or went near it. I guess out of respect for Rudy.

Thanks everyone for the good thoughts, support is much appreciated at a scary time like this!

Wow, I'm glad the news was good and your vet was able to get him on the right track! Continued good thoughts for the Rudy Dude.

Thank goodness! I found that after Rush's bouts, he would really not be interested in food much for weeks afterward. He did really well on super mooshy overcooked minute rice and boiled chicken burger that was heavily rinsed to remove all the fat. I'd have to hand feed him to get just a few teaspoons in him at first. I'm glad to hear he's on the mend. Keeping you both in my thoughts for a full recovery with no repeats!

Phew! So glad to hear the relatively good news. I hope he continues to recover.

So polite of your dogs to respect his bed, even when he was not in it. I'm impressed!

I never sleep well when one of mine is sick or in hospital. I'm glad he's coming home and he'll be OK.

I woke up twice during the night with the sense that something was wrong, and remembered immediately what it was: Rudy wasn't in his bed. Since the day he came to me, in November 2005, he has opted to sleep in that spot, and that is why his bed's there. He never sleeps anywhere else.

It was really good of my vet to stay with him, Joe could have had me move Rudy to the emergency vet clinic overnight, which would have been stressful for both Rudy and me. I really appreciate my vet clinic.

What a great vet you have. Lots of healing vibes for Rudy!

Do they know what caused the HGE? Or any ideas? Heh I remember when Perry had HGe a few months ago, the first thing the vet told me was that we would probably never find the cause, and aside from what guesses i had, that was pretty much the case.

I'm glad he's doing better. I just went through this a month or two ago. Only in my case, Inga had gotten into garbage 4 days prior and we traveled in the car 6 hrs. from Connecticut. So a combination of eating really tasty table scraps and stress from the car ride and she had us going to emergency at 2:30 am. She also had a ton of gas built up that was pushing on her heart and causing her heart to race. You're lucky your vet was so dedicated to stay with him. In our case I didn't want the stress of moving her and then not having her monitored round the clock, so it was an $800+ vet bill from eating garbage. And what gets me is if you tried feeding her the scraps by hand she would act like it was poison, and have to sniff it, lick it, and push it around on the floor before biting off a tiny piece! So maddening!

Anyway, she lost about 5 lbs between the hospital and bland diet, which really showed because she's super skinny to begin with, and it's taken a while to get it back on her. Otherwise she was back to her old self in 2-3 days. Good luck!