The Tiny Dog Site
Dedicated To Tiny Dogs Everywhere
11
Nov

What Is Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis in dogs (HGE)?

Posted in Health & Nutrition, Home | 8 Comments

My dog Lucky (Pug X Chihuahua) recently had an episode of HGE – if you aren’t familiar with what it is, the most important thing you need to know about it is this: It is fatal if left untreated for 12-24 hours. Symptoms are severe vomiting, and diarrhea.

Ever notice your dog throwing up? Having diarrhea? These are signs of illness, and it could be a plethora of things. Make sure you do not take it as something that will pass, and check the vomit and diarrhea for blood. If there is blood in the stool or vomit, take your dog to the vet right away – he could be bleeding internally. MY little Lucky was bleeding from his anus and constantly throwing up foam with traces of blood in it. We rushed him to the vet immediately where he was given antibiotics, and hooked up to IV. To my joy, he started to recover slowly. He had to spend two days at the vet, with constant IV treatment as well as painkillers and antibiotics.

After doing some research on the internet, and asking my Vet – the cause of this episode of HGE is unknown. It is apparently very hard to trace what the exact cause of HGE is – which is frustrating as I would never want this to happen to my dog ever again. I suspect however, that the cause of the HGE was an abrupt change in diet. My two other dogs (Chihuahua, and Yorkie x Min Pin) had been on Orijen dog food before, which was working well for them. When we adopted Lucky we tried to switch him to the same dog food, and the quick change in diet might have been too much for his stomach to handle (we suspect he has a sensitive stomach now) as Orijen is a very rich, and high in protein type of dog food.

We were told to feed Lucky a Gastrointestinal food for his recovery, which he actually really enjoyed and brought him back to full health. We have since switched to a food made by the same company, and it’s a food that is good for small dogs with sensitive stomachs. The food is Royal Canin – Special 30.

I hope this post gets found by someone who needs the help – if you happen to read this blog while searching for reasons why your dog is throwing up, or having heavy diarrhea, PLEASE take your dog to the vet asap!

8 comments on What Is Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis in dogs (HGE)?

  1. Clara
    November 17, 2011 at 9:17 pm

    Thank you for stopping by!

    Reply
  2. Stephanie
    January 13, 2012 at 11:28 am

    Great info – my maltese is recovering from it right now. I wish this post would have come up while googling her symptoms. Parvo, cancer, bloat and many other things popped up – this is a great article. LOVE the sweet picture – such a sweet face!

    Reply
    • Clara
      January 13, 2012 at 11:01 pm

      Thank you for the kind words Stephanie. I’m glad your Maltese is recovering as it is a very severe episode! Hope she stays healthy!

      Reply
  3. Laura
    February 20, 2012 at 6:11 am

    My shitzu-bishon mix just went through HGE last week. He was in shock by the time we got him to the ER, almost two hours away, but made it through with great treatment. We don’t know what caused it but I switched his dog food about 10 weeks ago because the only store in our area that carried his old food discontinued it. I am wondering if his new food, Exclusive Lamb and Rice, caused it. I will call my vet today and ask about Royal Canin-Special 30. I can’t go through such a terrifying event again. I’m glad I found your blog.

    Reply
    • Clara
      February 29, 2012 at 12:14 pm

      Laura, thank you for the kind words!

      It’s such a tragedy when our dogs go through such a harsh time. I remember changing my dogs food prior to HGE as well. We were feeding them Science Diet, but then I decided to change their food to Orijen. I thought it’d be best if we switched to a high protein diet, but did not know that dogs with sensitive stomachs can not digest the amount of protein.

      Have you called your vet and asked about Royal Canin Special 30? Another good food for sensitive stomach is Medi Cal’s Gastro Intestinal , that’s what the vet recommended after Lucky being in the ER for 3 days.

      Let me know how your pup is!

      Clara

      Reply
      • martha
        November 7, 2012 at 7:57 pm

        where can i buy royal canin special 30 or medi cal’s gastro intestinal my chihuahua was diognosed with gastro intestinal problems my vet gave me liquid tagamit i am feeding her petcos wellness dry dog food for small dogs. thank you clara

        Reply
  4. Clara
    November 13, 2012 at 5:03 pm

    p.s- I wil be writing an updated post on Royal Canin’s Medical Gastro Intestinal food tonight, so please come back later tonight or tomorrow!

    Reply

Leave a reply