Poor Little Joe

Well, it's been an interesting couple of days. I come home from work to find my sweet baby Joe laying in a big mess of blood, diarrhea, and vomit. Without missing a beat I called the local animal hospital and they told me to bring him in as soon as possible.

When we got there they did blood work and an X-ray and determined his GI tract was basically in knots and he was on the verge of being dehydrated. They wanted me to bring him back for another X-ray after a night of special gastrointestinal food and antibiotics, but he wouldn't touch the food or drink ANY water. I shot the medicine down his throat with the syringe they provided and followed it up with several syringes of water hoping that would keep him  hydrated through the night, but it didn't.

We went back to the vet and he was so dehydrated from all of the fluid loss they told me he wouldn't make it if we took him back home, so I had to leave him there. That was tough.

Thankfully this morning they told me they got his bowels moving again with food and fluid and they were able to take another X-ray, which showed them the gas bubbles were gone (which means that his GI tract is "un-knotted") and they just want to get more fluid in him to get him as far away from dehydration as they could, and he'll get to come home in the morning!

This is a picture of him with his IV in...poor guy.

I went to take him his blankee before bedtime so he wouldn't be so upset about being away from home, and this is the sad face I got. =( Broke my heart! He stayed there on my shoulder until I made him get back so I could close the door. Sweet boy.

I'll be glad to get him home! The house is quiet without him!