Editor’s Note: There are times when the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital Emergency and Critical Care must turn away patients because it has reached capacity with critical cases. Diesel is one case that required a long-term stay.
Dogs with Acute Hemorrhagic Diarrhea Syndrome (AHDS) can suffer in varying degrees. Some just have mild symptoms that can be managed on an out-patient basis. A few other canines can have severe symptoms.
Diesel was one such pooch.
The two-year-old German Shepard had been suffering from vomiting blood and had profuse watery, bloody diarrhea when he was admitted to the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital ER earlier this month.
“Diesel was significantly affected presenting in hypovolemic shock, requiring hospitalization,” said Dr. Floris Droees, small animal emergency and critical care specialty intern.
Diesel was given fluid therapy to support him from becoming further dehydrated along with intravenous antibiotics to prevent him from developing sepsis through his leaky gut and a special rectal catheter to help measure how much fluid he was losing. Dogs with less severe symptoms can be treated at home with an easily digestible diet, anti-nausea medication, free access to water and frequent bathroom breaks.
“Luckily, since Diesel was seen by our ER service quickly and supported adequately, he is on the way up,” Droees said. “In general, the prognosis for ADHS is good. Most dogs take a few days to recover, however sometimes it takes them as long as a week or so.”
An exact cause for AHDS has not been found, although it is speculated that viruses, bacterial toxins and dogs eating something they shouldn’t have may cause the disease.
If you and your animal need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at 515.294.4900.
September 2025