Our French Bulldog, Zelda, has had a rough week. Late Tuesday night she had an allergic reaction to something (we still aren’t sure what), causing redness and swelling in her face as well as around her eyes and jowls. We gave her a Benadryl and took her to the pet ER where they examined her and gave her a steroid. Both medications did the trick and reduced the swelling, and further examination by the vet showed nothing of note. We took her home, only to have the swelling come back yesterday afternoon, accompanied by some vomiting.

Another trip to the vet, another round of Benadryl, and she was sent home when the swelling went down again.

Well, this morning at around 1am, she woke up and was very agitated. She just could not get comfortable, wouldn’t settle down, didn’t quite know what to do with herself. I thought maybe she was hungry (her dinner last night was small because of her earlier vomiting episode), so I gave her a very light meal, which she gobbled up. Yet she remained restless for another hour or so. After a quick phone consultation with the vet ER, I gave her another Benadryl to see if that would help her sleep. It did, but only for an hour or so.

Around 5am I tried to feed her again but this time she rejected her food. I tried one of her favorite treats and she rejected that, too. When any dog poo-poos food, it’s generally not a good sign.

And so we made another trip to the ER this morning. This time they have decided to keep her for the day and overnight. They ran some labs and we are told that everything looks relatively normal. Her liver enzymes are slightly high, but that is to be expected with what is going on. X-rays are normal. They are going to keep her overnight for aggressive treatment – IV fluids, drugs, constant observation, and if she continues to improve, we can pick her up in the morning.

Fingers crossed our girl snaps out of whatever this is.

Update, 4:15pm, PT: Zelda ate some chicken baby food and seems to be feeling a bit better. They are giving her an oral medication to help keep her tummy settled. She’s a bit more active but not quite 100% back to her puppy self. The vet says she is heading in the right direction and should be good to come home in the morning if things continue on this trajectory.

Update #2, 7:00am, PT, 06 November: The vet says she’s “doing really great.” She went for a walk, has a bit more energy, and is anxious to hangout with humans. At the moment she is resting comfortably. I will pick her up in about an hour! Yaaayyy!!!