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Is There A Vet In The House?


raiye

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Someone has got to have some advice to give me or help on what on earth is going on with my dog. Im desperate for answers and know something is wrong!

Well now Im just getting to the end of my tether. Im soo frustrated I could scream!

Its like dealing with an autistic child at times. Mood swings beyond comprehension.

Where to start. Well....the history we have of him, he came from a home with him and another saluki that use to bully him. The other dog was quite physical but never bit, he would head butt Chase and barge him about, general "Im the boss" sort of stuff. When Chase first came to us, it was obvious there were problems with his legs/joints/hips something. But what we have no idea! A general check and stretch by the vet shows nothing and the xrays all came up blank. So now we're trying to suss where to go now with regards to his back and legs.

But thats not the only problems we're having.

One minute hes a spritely little pup as he should be, hes not extremely boisterous but he will come and say hello and have a run round the garden. The next hes an old man that can barely move and sometimes doesnt even get up in the day.

We had a trainer/behaviorist come in and have a gander and he was on a fair to middling day. He played a little but showed some of his "whatever" side too. Jo, the trainer took him for a walk and he pulled so hard on the lead and had to get to everything and wanted to see it all and be part of it, just like a puppy should. She suggested that he was stressed at everything outside and that it was all new to him and to start general socialisation all over again from scratch. She also thought that Skippy was worrying him and showing similar behavior to the other Saluki, which all worked out well becuase Skippy went to a new home yesterday and the other 2 are so quiet you wouldnt know they were there. She reccomended 3 short walks a day to gently get him use to life and to work on his attitude on the lead. He lunges and pulls and growls at anything that moves.

There seemed to be an instant change in Chase the second Skippy left and he even dragged himself out of bed to have a play with Bobby and played tug of war with the sock string. But he wouldnt eat his dinner. Then it was back to bed and we didnt see him again all night, and literally had to carry him outside for his last pee of the evening. This morning, again he didnt want to get up and I had to practically drag him down the street to get him to move. In the end I decided this was not the way to socialise him today and that dragging would have an adverse affect so I took him home. When home he wouldnt eat his breakfast. He turned his nose up at the scramble eggs, then at ham, then at chicken, then at cheese, and even the beef roast from dinner. When it came time for another walk I couldnt even get him out the crate without lifting him to his feet and we didnt get past the front door because he refused to move. Hes spent the entire day in his crate, just sleeping. Hes turned his nose up at his dinner again and is starting to look wafer thin. And he wasnt exactly plump to begin with. Im lost at what could be the problem and am getting so upset at not being able to "fix" him. The vet has said he will take which ever path we think best next, but its like "your the vet!! You tell me what is best in your professional opinion!" Is my boy in pain? Or just being a stubborn pain!

Cant somebody please tell me what the hell is wrong with my dog!!

I apologise for such a long posting, but im getting desperate now. Do dogs suffer Bi Polar or MS cos if he were human thats what I would be testing for next! Someone come and fix him, someone make him right. :mecry:

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Raiye, have any bloods been taken? If so, what did they test for??

 

Does he show any signs of obvious pain?

 

When he is up and about, does he suddenly 'go blank'/'daydream' ?

Hi brierly. No bloods have been taken. I didnt think of this, did you have something particular in mind?

He doesnt show obvious pain, but I was thinking along the lines of it being constant, just some days are worse than others. Like tooth ache sort of thing.

He does very often seem to go off in a world of his own, as if hes forgotten what he was doing. Sometimes when he plays he will be on his way to pick the ball up, then stops mid way an wanders off as if not sure what he was going for. He does this when hes peeing and eating.

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Sometimes tummy/gut/other internal (kidney, liver?) problems can manifest in a similar way to joint problems - stiff arched appearance, reluctance to exercise/move. It would tie in with sleepiness and lack of appetite too. I ould have his bloods checked :GroupHug: :GroupHug:

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As well as bloods I would have him checked for possible epilepsy [ which can take many forms and often don`t need meds but simply awareness ]. I`m actually very suprised the vet didn`t take bloods anyway :unsure:

 

Will sound strange but the behaviours are very much like my little blind mog used to be, with the mood swings, the appetite swings, etc.

She does have epilepsy [ but doesn`t need meds for it so far ], and her blood tests repeatedly showed a protein level so low that it did`nt even register. Amazingly, it just meant a change of food and a very regimented feeding and drinking routine initially, which made a huge difference to her and the epilepsy is very rare now [ touch wood ! ] so it seems to be linked very closely to what her digestive system was doing in terms of intake and ability to process foods.

 

Her condition is very rare [ does`nt even have a name ], plus she is a cat, so it may be clutching at straws to even mention it but some of the behaviours are soooo spookily close...

 

Re the back and legs problems, did the vet rule out Lactic Acid which can cause mobility problems, especially with getting up for a day or so after overexhertion, but once helped up can start moving around, which helps break down the lactic acid and the stiffness and soreness can dissipate til the next time. [ Laymans terms for ease of explanation ].

 

This website lists many conditions and from the basic descriptions of symptoms, a few are possibly worth discussing [ if just to be discounted ] with the vet :

 

http://www.dog-breeds.net/Health_Dictionary.htm

 

[ Not suggesting you read through it to worry you at all, just to get the vet thinking a bit harder about possibilities :flowers: ].

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I'd certainly go back to your vet and insist on a thorough examination, including blood tests. Maybe print out the description you have given here of his behaviour, as this gives a very thorough picture which might be difficult to explain verbally.

 

It could be chronic pain of some sort, such as a hip or spine problem. It may be worth trying a short course of painkillers/anti-inflamatories such as Metacam just to see of this makes a difference.

 

If your vet rules out any physical problem you could look into therapies such as T-Touch which could help him feel more relaxed and secure.

 

Good luck, it must be a terrible worry knowing something is not right but having no idea what the probem is.

Edited by Fee
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Our old lurcher Ben had an MRI which showed he had spondylitis, but it also showed he had, had a stroke. I would definitely recommend an MRI, not cheap and he will probably need to be referred to a specialist. The vet we were referred to charged £900 for the MRI and another £800 for subsequent surgery to repair the 'step' in his veterbrae, but Petplan paid for it all.

 

Hope you manage to find an answer soon.

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Our old lurcher Ben had an MRI which showed he had spondylitis, but it also showed he had, had a stroke. I would definitely recommend an MRI, not cheap and he will probably need to be referred to a specialist. The vet we were referred to charged £900 for the MRI and another £800 for subsequent surgery to repair the 'step' in his veterbrae, but Petplan paid for it all.

 

Hope you manage to find an answer soon.

Well the annoying thing is, Petplan wont pay for any treatment or exploratory work on his back legs. He had this injury when he came to us and therefore wont cover any of it!! :wacko: So everything is having to be planned and budgeted too, which just adds to the frustration! Being a single parent every penny is homed before its arrived.

Today he actually came for a brief walk with us, we only did a lap round the block and now hes collapsed on his bed again! He seems to be struggling to stay awake. He has been drinking water today but still hasnt eaten anything. When he went for a poop it was just brown liquid, no consistency at all apart from a large clump of grass!! He turns his nose up at everything Ive offered him to eat and Im really starting to get worried. Im trying to get the vet to come here to see him but no joy as yet!

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I feel for you, I really do. Money is tight for us too and I have 2 jobs to make ends meet. I have had 2 poorly dogs recently and it is heartbreaking. No advice, but just sending you :GroupHug:

 

edited for spelling!

Edited by Brenda
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Have been back to the vets this morning, dogless, just to ask for some advice.

Have been given Lectade to help keep him hydrated. Are having to administer it with a syringe ml by ml at the mo cos he still wont drink anything!

But we did manage to get him up and in the garden if only briefly!

Hopefully things are looking up! :)

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I too would get some bloods done urgently, if he is not eating and drinking I would be very worried, it could be anything from some sort of blockage in his intestines right through to some kidney/liver/other internal problems. If this is all ruled out it may be worth talking to a chiropractor type person as they shold be able to check if there are any problems with the spine/leg joints etc and aren't to expensive (I only charge £25 for a dog treatment - and do take home situation into consideration when charging). If you have any questions re. the chiro side feel free to PM me and I will help any way I can.

 

Katherine

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Cheers for the offer Katherine. Be assured that as soon as his eating and drinking is back to norm, I will be PMing you.

Lectade is nothing to worry about prescribing. Its just the doggy version of diorylite that is given to kids to help keep them hydrated in summer and after stomach upsets. Its just a replacement of body salts and minerals to try and help get him on his feet again.

I thought everything was going well this morning. He actually seemed quite perky and we even managed a walk!

And now hes been sick. It wasnt much, cos theres nothing in his stomach, it was all bile, horrible and yellow. So I suppose its a good sign that the fluid is being absorbed. But Im hoping this is a one off thing and am dreading what will happen next if he starts being sick repeatedly. :(

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