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Took Carrotchops for a mostly routine vet visit today. Was going to have to anyway for monthly worming (has to be weighed each time on account of speedy growth ;p)but as it goes, he's had a bad tum for last few days and yesterday it was proper bad.
So, anticipated I'd probably have to starve him and then do bland food for a day. That's about all i was anticipating though.
Anyways. He had his temp taken, and that is a little elevated. So, he's had some anti-biotics. Whilst checking him she noticed an irregularity in his heartbeat. She listened three or four times across the visit. First couple of times he was intermittently dropping a beat, then after that it sounded normal.
Ended up with him having an ECG. Which again showed a spell of normal heart beat then a couple of places where the beat dropped.
Now have to wait to hear from the cardiologist.
It is, she said, most likely nothing. Since he hasn't displayed any other symptoms (no faintng fits for instance - not nice when the vet asks if your puppy has had any fainting fits). It's possible it was the stress of the visit. This was the first time he'd acted afraid in the waiting room. Or, it could be the temperature, which itself may either be a bug or teething trouble. The bad stomach could also be either teething related or a bug. And the couple of days of dire rears may have dropped his potassium levels, which can make the heart do funny things apparently.
It was also not either of our regular vets. I think this one is a bit of a stickler for protocol. See something irregular, do a test. I suspect neither of our regular vets would have considered it necessary unless there was still something there after the bug/bad tum's been sorted.
I have since wondered if, when I spilled some coffee granules earlier, and he was trying to grab the cloth whilst I was cleaning up, he may have hoovered up a few granules...caffeine can dangerously increase a puppy's heartbeat, even in small quantities.
Anyway...poor baba is being starved apart from an ikkle scoop of food to carry his tablets. And he had the indignity of a thermometer up his bottom. And then the vet took him away from me and into a different room to do the ECG. I heard him crying at one point. Thought they'd hurt him. Turns out having made not a peep with the needle (blood test) or the ecg pads being attached, he freaked the fuck out when they sprayed a little white spirits onto the contact points.
So...most likely nowt. But I have that niggly worm of worry that won't entirely go away.
Routine vet trip suddenly ended up costing £160. Fortunately £100 of that should be covered by the insurance.
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