What is Septic Shock?
There are two categorizations of bacterial blood infection in dogs — bacteremia and sepsis. Bacteremia is a temporary presence of bacteria in the blood stream, while sepsis is when bacteria are in the bloodstream for a longer period of time, causing illness. When sepsis becomes severe, septic shock can occur.
Symptoms are broken down into early and late stages. Early stage symptoms may include increased heart rate, shaking, fever, and rapid breathing. Late stage symptoms may include low body temperature, difficulty breathing and organ failure. Treatment of sepsis typically requires IV fluids, antibiotics, cardiovascular support, insertion of feeding tubes, and others, up to and including surgery. While recovery from sepsis depends on the severity and underlying conditions, most cases in which the pet has gone into septic shock have a grave prognosis.
While there are thousands of different types of bacteria in the world, only a few kinds tend to cause disease to dogs. Bacteria enter the bloodstream on a regular basis though this usually occurs in small quantities. When there are more bacteria than the white blood cells are able to remove, an infection develops. There are varying degrees of infection. For example, bacteremia is a more temporary infection and rarely exhibits any symptoms. It can occur e.g. during a dental cleaning, when bacteria is dislodged from the mouth. Sepsis, on the other hand, is when the bacteria in the blood stream cause illnesses. Sepsis is more severe and will exhibit symptoms. A septic shock is a severe form of sepsis.
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Symptoms of Septic Shock in Dogs
Symptoms of sepsis will vary depending on the severity and progression of the condition, as well as the underlying causes of the septic condition. Symptoms are typically broken down into two stages of progression, early and late.
- Early stages:
- Shaking
- Fever
- Weakness
- Confusion
- Rapid heart rate
- Bounding pulses
- Rapid rise in temperature
- Rapid breathing or panting
- Decrease in urinary output
- Glucose deficiency in bloodstream
- Red mucous membranes
- Late stages:
- Pale mucous membranes
- Inconsistencies in pulse
- Cool extremities
- A dazed condition
- Low body temperature
- Organ failure
- Difficulty breathing
- Fluid retention
Types
When there is bacteria within the bloodstream, there are two categorizations used to identify the severity of illness.
- Bacteremia is a term used to describe a presence of bacteria in the bloodstream. Temporary bactermia may occur with dental procedures, because the bacteria in and around the gums are freed into the bloodstream. This can also occur when bacteria from the intestine passes into the bloodstream, but these are removed when the blood then passes through the liver. Cases of bacteremia are usually not serious.
- Sepsis, commonly referred to as septic shock, is when illness results from bacteria and/or their toxins remaining in the bloodstream for a period of time. Sepsis is less common than bacteremia and usually occurs when there’s an infection at some other place in the body, such as the lungs, stomach, or urinary tract. Sepsis can also occur after a surgery. The risk of sepsis can be increased by the presence of a foreign body. Animals with immune system disorders are more vulnerable to sepsis. Septic shock is an extreme condition of sepsis.
Causes of Septic Shock in Dogs
Cytokines, which are substances the immune system produces to fight infections, and toxins produced by bacteria, are often the cause of sepsis. These substances cause dilation of the blood vessels, which leads to a drop in blood pressure. The flow of blood is reduced, including blood flow to important organs like the kidneys and brain. The body tries to compensate for this by increasing heart rate so that more blood is pumped. Over time this weakens the heart and blood flow is even further reduced. Sepsis most regularly originates from the GI tract, respiratory tract, severe dental problems, chronic UTIs, and infected wounds.
Conditions that may increase the likelihood of sepsis:
- Surgery, especially if the location of the surgery is infected
- Pre-existing infections
- Immune system disorders
- Pneumonia
- Uterine infection
- Urinary tract infection
- Skin infection
- Being young or old
Diagnosis of Septic Shock in Dogs
Diagnosis of septic shock may require a variety of tests.
- Physical exam
- Blood tests that look at levels of white blood cells, oxygen levels, platelet count, lactic acid concentration and levels of metabolic waste products.
- Electrocardiogram, looking for heart irregularities.
- Blood cultures to identify the infectious bacteria.
- Urinalysis
- Urine culture
- X-Rays of the chest and abdomen
- Ultrasound of stomach and heart
- If there is abnormal fluid found in the chest or stomach, a fluid analysis should be completed.
- Catscan or MRI
Because sepsis is an infection of the blood, your vet will look for certain findings in the blood work that is done. This can include the following:
- Increased or decreased count of white blood cells
- Very high or very low blood sugar
- Increased or decreased count of red blood cells, from dehydration or anemia
- An increase in liver enzymes
- An increase in kidney values
- Abnormal clotting times
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Treatment of Septic Shock in Dogs
Sepsis treatment is focused on removing the source of the infection, with a secondary goal of treating the symptoms and stabilising the unwell patient. Possible treatments that achieve this include:
- IV fluids to increase blood pressure
- Antibiotic therapy
- Colloid and vasopressor administration
- Drugs to increase blood flow to vital organs
- Nutritional management
- Administration of oxygen
- Placement of feeding tubes, due to a decreased appetite and struggle eating
- Surgery, typically used to drain abscesses or remove dead tissue.
- Persistent monitoring for any change in status, particularly in clotting, hydration, and organ functionality.
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Recovery of Septic Shock in Dogs
Close monitoring is an essential part of the recovery process. Your vet may do follow-up tests, such as blood work, and will focus on organ function, hydration, and clotting ability. Treatment and follow-up will likely be completed in the hospital to monitor indicators of relapse. The vet will monitor white blood cell count, blood sugar level, red blood cell count, liver enzymes, kidney values, and clotting. While recovery of sepsis depends largely on the severity of the condition and the underlying issues that led to sepsis, conditions in which the pet goes into septic shock have a guarded prognosis.
Septic Shock Average Cost
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Septic Shock Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
pitbull
N/A
6 Months
2 found this helpful
2 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Pain
Hi, My name is Kayla Baylor. I recently had a horrible experience with a surgery for my puppy to remove a foreign object. I was wondering if you could give me some information or try to ease my concerns.
I have a six month old pitbull puppy who ate his rope chew toy (which I did not know at the time). He started vomitting uncontrollably and not eating. I took him a vet and thought he had eaten pieces of my wood deck as I saw chunks in his usual play area. He was given fluids to hydrate and anti nausea meds until the surgery took place. The surgeon told me everything was removed but my puppy was not recovering well. He would not eat and seemed very down and not himself at all. 2 days after the surgery the doctors released him to me but he still wouldnt eat and he was still very weak. Just a few hours after he was released to me I brought him back because he still would not eat and the staples on his belly were oozing a pink liquid. The doctors gave him more fluids and penicillin and wrapped his belly to control the oozing and sent him home to me. Again he is not eating and not feeling well so of course I bring him back and I am told that they have found
bacteria somewhere inside where they cut him to remove the rope toy. They said I needed to bring him to an E.R. as it was very serious and he was critical. I took him to a specialist for septic peritonitis and he told me that my puppy should have been back to his normal self 2 days at most after the surgery. He explained to me that my puppy really had no chance of a recovery because the bacteria was present in the first surgery. I am wondering if you can tell me how successful the surgery is to remove a foreign object and how likely is it that the bacteria present could have happened anywhere I took him for the surgery. In the end my puppy was put to sleep. The mortality rate of a surgery for septic peritonitis is very high and my puppy was already in pain from the first surgery. I did not want to put my puppy through the surgery and have a high chance of him not making it. I am just very confused and sad because I loved him so much and I am upset
because if there was something done wrong on the part of the surgeon who did the surgery I want to know. Any information you can give I would appreciate. Thank you very much.
Kayla Baylor
July 26, 2017
2 Recommendations
Condolences on your loss, it is normal to have questions after losing a loved one. Opening the gastrointestinal tract is always a messy business as you are taking a clean surgical site and opening up the contents of the stomach or intestines which have bacteria and other pathogens present which can cause complications. When opening the gastrointestinal tract the section which is to be opened is lifted out of the abdomen and gauze or sponges are packed in around the abdominal incision to prevent anything from falling or running into the abdomen, once the object is removed, the stomach or intestine is closed in a specific way so that the serosa is in contact which helps form a barrier in the first four days to assist in the healing process (and to prevent leakage), then the area is thoroughly washed with saline before having omentum placed over it and being returned to the abdominal cavity. There are different methods of closing the incisions and depending on the type of foreign body a long incision may have been made (long foreign bodies like string, rope and fishing line are quite complicated as opposed to a simple ball). Dehiscence of the sutures or inadequate technique may have played a role in the cause and it isn’t possible to determine if the operating Veterinarian was at fault unless a necropsy (post mortem) is carried out to see if there are some anomalies. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
July 26, 2017
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Average Cost
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