Sarah Jordan
New Member
We began noticing a couple weeks ago that Wally was looking bigger than normal. He's always been a normal weight, so it bothered me that he was looking so wide. He looks like he swallowed a watermelon. Even our sons noticed his sudden weight gain. I googled possible reasons for his stomach being so distended. A few things piqued my interest and those were possible puncture caused by eating bones (we give them leftover rib bones every once in a while) and bloat. I know this sounds bad, but Wally hasn't been to a vet in a few years. His last vet experience was not good, so we only go to have his rabies shot. From my former post about our inability to have him groomed, you see that Wally doesn't do well with many people other than us. I really felt like he needed to be seen, so I put my big girl panties on, muzzled him, and took him to an animal hospital that came highly recommended by a good friend.
When we arrived, I went to let him out of his crate and saw that he was wet. He had peed in his crate and was sopping! Great, how's that for a first impression? LOL We got him checked in and he was weighed; he was a whopping 40lbs! We went into an exam room and as soon as the vet walked in, Wally peed again. This is not normal behavior for him. They attempted to get him on the examination table to no avail. The doc agreed that he was distended and wanted to take him back for some blood testing. I returned to the waiting room and about 5 mins later the doc pops his head out and says, "we're going to have to tranquilize him just to look at him." This is why I avoid interactions as much as possible.
A little while later the doc called me in and said that his blood work looked good. A few things were a touch high, but not so high to be concerning. Yay! He does have a UTI, so they gave him an antibiotic for that. As for the swollen abdomen, the doc thinks it's fluid retention possibly caused by very early congestive heart failure. When he finishes with the antibiotic, the doc wants to try him on a diuretic to see if that will help release the excess fluid.
On a happy note, I am thankful to have FINALLY found a vet that isn't scared or intimidated by Wally! Next thing I want to do is find supplements for kidney/bladder function and heart health. We feed him Earthborn Holistic grain-free food, so I would like a supplements that are natural if anybody uses them or has used them.
When we arrived, I went to let him out of his crate and saw that he was wet. He had peed in his crate and was sopping! Great, how's that for a first impression? LOL We got him checked in and he was weighed; he was a whopping 40lbs! We went into an exam room and as soon as the vet walked in, Wally peed again. This is not normal behavior for him. They attempted to get him on the examination table to no avail. The doc agreed that he was distended and wanted to take him back for some blood testing. I returned to the waiting room and about 5 mins later the doc pops his head out and says, "we're going to have to tranquilize him just to look at him." This is why I avoid interactions as much as possible.
A little while later the doc called me in and said that his blood work looked good. A few things were a touch high, but not so high to be concerning. Yay! He does have a UTI, so they gave him an antibiotic for that. As for the swollen abdomen, the doc thinks it's fluid retention possibly caused by very early congestive heart failure. When he finishes with the antibiotic, the doc wants to try him on a diuretic to see if that will help release the excess fluid.
On a happy note, I am thankful to have FINALLY found a vet that isn't scared or intimidated by Wally! Next thing I want to do is find supplements for kidney/bladder function and heart health. We feed him Earthborn Holistic grain-free food, so I would like a supplements that are natural if anybody uses them or has used them.
