[CorkyMax]

Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis (HGE) in Dogs
Prompt veterinary care is critical
What does HGE stand for?
HGE (at least in terms of veterinary medicine) stands for Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis, and it is a disease of dogs.

What are the signs seen with HGE in dogs?
The most notable sign seen with HGE is a very sudden onset of bloody diarrhea in a previously healthy dog. Vomiting, not eating (anorexia), and listlessness are also seen. Dehydration is not usually clinically seen on initial presentation, but shock can develop quickly without treatment.

What causes HGE?
At this time, the exact cause of this disease is unknown. There are many theories - diet, a bacterial infection or bacterial toxin, virus, reaction to an intestinal parasite, etc. - but nothing has been proven. Stress may play a role in the development of HGE. Dogs that have an episode of HGE may be prone to another occurrence. Many dogs never experience HGE.

What breeds/ages/gender of dog are more susceptible?
Toy and miniature breeds of dogs, ages 2 to 4, are the types of dogs most commonly seen, but HGE can affect any breed, gender, and age. There is no gender predilection (HGE occurs equally in males and females).

How is HGE diagnosed?
HGE is diagnosed primarily by ruling out other causes of bloody diarrhea. The sudden appearance of bloody diarrhea and a high packed cell volume (PCV) in a previously healthy dog rule in favor of the HGE diagnosis. Other causes of gastrointestinal bleeding that must be considered as possibilities and subsequently ruled out include:

•Gastrointestinal ulcers
•Colitis
•Parvovirus
•Coronavirus
•Campylobacter sp (bacteria)
•Salmonella sp (bacteria)
•Clostridium sp (bacteria)
•Escherichia coli (bacteria)
•Leptospirosis
•Whipworms
•Hookworms
•Coccidiosis
•Giardiasis
•Warfarin (rat poison) toxicity
•Thromobocytopenia (low platelets)
•Gastrointestinal cancer
•Hypoadrenocorticism
This sounds serious - is it a fatal disease?
Left untreated, this can be a deadly disease. However, with prompt veterinary care, most dogs respond to treatment and recover.

How is HGE treated?
The mainstay of treatment is aggressive supportive care -- no food or water by mouth for 1-4 days, and intravenous (IV) fluid therapy with Potassium added to the fluids. Antibiotics are also recommended (IV, subcutaneous). Food should be reintroduced slowly and, in the event that the HGE is food related, a new (novel) protein should be given that the dog doesn't usually eat, i.e. chicken, lamb or cottage cheese.

What is the success rate? Do dogs recover from this?
With aggressive supportive care, most dogs recover within a few days. Some dogs can have repeated episodes of HGE.

What should I do if I see vomiting or diarrhea in my pet? Is it an emergency?
This is a hard question to answer, because there are so many causes for vomiting and / or diarrhea. As for any situation that is "not normal" for your pet, it is always recommended that you call your veterinarian and discuss what is going on. Your veterinarian will be able to advise you if it is a situation that can wait or if it sounds like an emergency.


Readers Respond - share your story
Please share your pet's experience with HGE to alert others of this rare but serious disorder. HGE can happen suddenly and "out of nowhere" so being aware of potential danger signs is critical. As always, if your pet is bleeding from anywhere, please call your veterinarian immediately.

Page Two ---> Previous Viewer Comments about HGE This is covered in the next post here.------------------>


Source: The Merck Veterinary Manual 8th edition, pg 302


February 24, 2008
Sarah says:
My dog is dying because of the stupid disease.

June 1, 2008 at 6:36 am
jenny says:
I am so sorry for your loss. I have just lost 5 of my chihuahua babies to this disease. If you suspect your dogs have this disease, get them to the vet asap and tell them to check their white blood cells and glucose. This disease wipes them out. I am heartbroken.

September 7, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Jeff says:
If you think your animal has this disease, seek medical attention now. This sickness shows no mercy on your animal. Trust me we know this as a fact.

September 25, 2008 at 12:04 am
Betty says:
My very sweet nine year old beagle was diagnosed with HGE, at this time she is still in the hospital but appears to be getting better, hopefully by tomorrow I can bring her home. My concern is that I should have taken her to the emergency vet the night she got sick, because treatment needs to be started quickly if they are to recover. I wanted to wait for her regular vet to see her because he is so good, but I think I should have had her treated more quickly, she was very depressed which I heard is a symptom of the disease. Anyone who notice sudden diarrhea and vomiting of blood should get their dog to the vet immediately.

October 14, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Amy says:
My 2 1/2 year old American Pit Bull Terrier got out of the hospital 2 days ago after undergoing treatment for HGE. Her most noticeable symptom was lethargy. She was severely dehydrated due to the fact that she was not eating, therefore she was not showing the most common symptoms of bloody diarrhea and vomit. After being in the hospital and getting IV fluids she began to show these signs. The most important thing to do if your dog is showing these symptoms is get them to a vet.

November 3, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Shelly says:
I just lost my chihuahua - he was 1 year old - to this disease. I've been so sad, wishing I would have got him to the vet sooner, and what I did to cause this. Did I feed him something? I just don't know. I miss him dearly. I wish I would have known about this disease. I never heard of it. Wish I had - he might still be here.

November 20, 2008 at 4:54 am
lostwithoutdog says:
My beautiful baby 1 year old. He was happy-go-lucky one minute ... 14 hours later, he died at vets, even with IV in for 6 hours. This is my saddest day. I have lost friends and other dogs, but this dog was my "soul mate" dog, and was truly blessed everyday by his disposition. I should have known, and stupid to think it could last forever.

If your reading this blog, perhaps, you should not wait - get immediate attention for your dog. I wish all yours dogs perfect health.

February 22, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Bev says:
Our eleven year old Peke a poo is in the vet hospital being treated for HGE which we had never even heard of! She is very, very sick and on IV. Our kids are married and we have always treated her as our baby.She has always had all of her shots and gone to the vets regularly. She is like a person to us. I keep trying to think of what it could be that made her so sick.I’m afraid that if she makes it she will get it again! Prayers for ABBY GAIL

April 22, 2009 at 3:26 pm
ZuZu Mommie says:


PLEASE seek medical attention right away if your dog isn’t 100% healthy. My little Boxer girl had runny poop for three days and I thought ‘no big deal’ until yesterday when she became depressed and started to vomit. She’s now on her 2nd day in the hospital with IV fluid treatment and still isn’t out of the woods. We’re still crossing our fingers and praying.

April 28, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Larry says:
Our Buddy Boy is in the hospital right now with HGE. He’s on IV and starting treatments. Hope we caught it early enough. He’s two, and just like his name, he’s our Buddy!!

May 8, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Karen says:
My mom’s two year old morkiepoo died this morning because of this. It was very sudden. Started with vomiting and off to the vet that morning. She was very dehydrated and they kept her overnight. They thought it was pancreatitis. When the vet came in early this morning she was still alive, but the diarrhea had started terrible and she bled out. He tried to resuscitate with no luck. It sounds so common, but yet we had never heard of it.

Please share your HGE experiences here to help raise awareness for others.