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-   -   I think my dog is sick (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=50589)

bobsdad March 18th, 2008 07:58 AM

I think my dog is sick
 
My pooch, Bob, is sick, I'm just not sure how sick. Came in last night and noticed that he was very lethargic. When I gave him his dinner he wasn't eating it with his usual gusto. When I looked at his bowl I noticed that he was puking everything he ate (or so I thought). I took the food away from him and tried to give him small pieces of vegetables instead. Those seemed to have gone down well. He's drooling excessively all night.

He was definitely not doing great and I figured he just had a small cold so I'd let him sleep it off. This morning when I woke up I noticed his paws were wet from all the drool he had during the night. Also noticed that he's panting mildly, more like breathing through his mouth. Gave him his breakfast and again he couldn't swallow and regurgitated everything. I figured I would make him an omelet instead and even that he couldn't swallow. All he does his produce enormous amount of drool (foam) from his mouth instead. Even his drinking seems hard as he drools/foams back into the water bowl.

I'm a little worried, I have a 3 O'clock appointment at the vets but I'm going nuts waiting. Anybody have any clue what this could be? He's a healthy 2 year old golden and normally when he's ill it takes 1 maybe 2 days and he's back on his feet. He's never been like he is now though. Am I over reacting? Nobody told me when I got a dog that I would go nuts when they're sick!

Purpledomino March 18th, 2008 08:29 AM

Please take your dog the the emergency vet asap. This sounds like something that cannot wait until 3.00 and could be potentially life threatening for your dog.

I lost my chow to bloat, and he was was drooling excessively (foam) and panting. Hopefully that is not the case....but don't take the chance and wait.
Good luck to your boy and keep us posted! :pray:

bobsdad March 18th, 2008 08:57 AM

[QUOTE=Purpledomino;564907]Please take your dog the the emergency vet asap. This sounds like something that cannot wait until 3.00 and could be potentially life threatening for your dog.

I lost my chow to bloat, and he was was drooling excessively (foam) and panting. Hopefully that is not the case....but don't take the chance and wait.
Good luck to your boy and keep us posted! :pray:[/QUOTE]

Ok I'm officially freaked out. I did just look up the symptoms of Bloat and he doesn't have any of the tell tale symptoms but I'm freaked out enough to take action. I will try and get out of work ASAP and take him to the vet...damn meetings.

Love4himies March 18th, 2008 09:56 AM

Could also be toxins that created a burns in his throat. Please let us know what the vet says.

danaekitty March 18th, 2008 09:59 AM

Good luck to Bob...good for you for not waiting it out any longer!

Purpledomino March 18th, 2008 10:13 AM

[QUOTE=bobsdad;564915]Ok I'm officially freaked out. I did just look up the symptoms of Bloat and he doesn't have any of the tell tale symptoms but I'm freaked out enough to take action. I will try and get out of work ASAP and take him to the vet...damn meetings.[/QUOTE]

Could be a number of things.....many of which could be serious, but hopefully not. I am glad you are taking him in sooner. :fingerscr

hazelrunpack March 18th, 2008 11:58 AM

Any luck getting an earlier vet appt, bobsdad? :fingerscr

Please remember to keep us posted on what you find out! :goodvibes: for Bob!

rainbow March 18th, 2008 12:42 PM

Sending lots of good wishes for Bob. I hope you are able to get to the vet asap and that it is nothing too serious. :fingerscr :goodvibes:

bobsdad March 18th, 2008 12:48 PM

Ok got back from the vet about an hour ago, sorry for the delay in posting back. Vet has no idea but is suspecting allergies. My dog is a vegetarian because he's allergic to meat. Eats meat and gets mega diarrhea. Due to this I monitor very carefully what he eats and I haven't fed him anything new lately. He might have snuck a treat at the dog park on Sunday but for it to take over 36 hours to manifest is unlikely. You give him meat and pretty much 3 hours later your knee deep in doggy doodoo.

She gave him a shot of cortisone and benedrile. He took a nap and now for the last 20 minutes has been trying to drink. I fill up the bowl and he just sits there licking away but no water is ingested. I have to refresh the water every few minutes because he's drooling profusely into the bowl. The vet did say that the drool is weird in itself because it's foamy and not clear. So he can't eat and can't drink and it's been over 2 hours since he got his allergy shot. I'm guessing we can rule out allergies. Not sure what else is left but I hope it's not bad and will go away quickly.

We have another visit with the vet at 3PM to verify how everything is going. I'm more panicked now then I was before. His mouth is alway open as if the inside is puffy or he simply can't breath from the nose. I'm just not used to him being sick, he's always healthy. Vet said if he's still drooling a lot she can give him a shot that will reduce the drool. I'm worried that will simply mask the problem.

Any advice?

Winston March 18th, 2008 01:25 PM

A couple things come to mind here..Could e have gotten into anything poisonois? or did the Vet look at his teeth? Did the vet also have a look into his mouth / throat area? If he is trying to drink water and is unable to maybe you could get a srynge fromthe vet so you can get some fluids into him? Pls let us know what happens!!

Hang in there! Its so tough when their sick!

Cindy

Love4himies March 18th, 2008 01:37 PM

Insist on bloodwork, and ask about poisons. Some can cause burning in the throat, affect the liver and kidney function. Puddles was poisoned with paint thinner and had the same symptoms as your dog.

Love4himies March 18th, 2008 01:39 PM

[QUOTE=bobsdad;564891] Am I over reacting? Nobody told me when I got a dog that I would go nuts when they're sick![/QUOTE]
Nope you are just being a good doggie dad! You have recognized that your dog needs immediate vet attention.

rainbow March 18th, 2008 01:48 PM

Did you take your dog to your regular vet or the emergency vet? What vet are you seeing at 3pm? It sounds like Bob has ingested something poisonous and she be staying at the vet until he is well enough to come home.

bobsdad March 18th, 2008 04:16 PM

Still no clue what it is. They don't think it's anything poisonous. The current theory is that something is stopping his tongue from touching the roof of his mouth thus blocking the swallow effect. They've just referred me to a tongue specialist (I didn't even know you had vet specialization) which we will go see in 1 hour. (that will be the 3rd vet I see today).

I spent two hours with the vet trying to feed him and get him to drink. He's really hungry and thirsty so he tries. One bowl of water gets him a few drops down the throat so I'm constantly refreshing the bowl for him. He did get some food down (maybe 1/3 of a cup) so he should be able to last. The original vet told me I could either wait till tomorrow and see if he gets better or go to the tongue specialist who will charge me a few hundred dollars just to see me. Of course I chose the specialist.

This vet did give him and anti drool shot, some concoction that supposedly reduces the saliva they create. Did nothing for him. Might have reduced the foaming by 10% but really far from stopping it. I'm tired, I've been running around the city seeing vets and not one of them has given me a proper answer. I know it's difficult when your patient doesn't speak but I'm nervous and I need to know he'll be ok.

Shabby March 18th, 2008 04:28 PM

Oh dear...big :grouphug: for you bobsdad!!! Please let us know when you find out what's wrong.

Sending you :pray:

Purpledomino March 18th, 2008 04:43 PM

Wow...have you ever been through the grinder today. A tongue specialist? I must have been under a rock or something lately because I never would have thought.... Seriously though, this is a really unusual situation, and I hope you get some answers soon. Poor Bob.... I would worry about dehydration if he is having such a hard time getting water down. I'm sure the vets have considered that. Hopefully this won't last much longer.....sending :grouphug:

want4rain March 18th, 2008 05:38 PM

tongue specialist?? cool!! we just had a JRT pup with the roof of his mouth reconstructed. seems his was missing!! poor guy! its titanium now. :laughing:

hopefully this person can tell you something. how does he lick?? is he able to lick at all? can you see anything in there?? wow, thats just plain strange! a dog who has a licking problem. pardon me while i chuckle about that for a minute. :)

-ashley

edslinda March 18th, 2008 06:49 PM

bobsdog
 
:sorry: OMG Your poor doggie I have to say I would stop at nothing to get answers like you are doing now my prayers out to you and your dog. Wish I could help

bobsdad March 19th, 2008 06:50 AM

Sorry I didn't post last night, it's been a hard night. Seems like Bob has Dysphagia which is basically a paralysis of the jaw (drop jaw). There are 3 reasons why this would occur: 1. auto immune 2. Viral 3. Neurological. Vet is treating the auto immune one now, viral will go away by itself (unless it's a fatal bug). Neurological is not a good one. Next week Wednesday we have an appointment with a dog neurologist. Could only get the appointment next week because there is only 1 neurologist in the province of Quebec.

I've come up with a way to feed Bob but drinking is the hard one. I've tried crushed ice, snow, water bottle, hose but he's just having such a hard time. So far my best system is a rubber band on his schnout and holding up the water bowl for him. He gets about maybe two-three gulps per bowl.

He's such a good boy...he never does anything bad. He doesn't deserve this, he's a good soul. And I can't do anything to make his life better...I simply don't know what to do. He just looks at me with his mouth open and doesn't understand why he's been drinking for 20 minutes but is still so thirsty. And what do I do if it's neurological, he's been with me every day for 2 years now. He's my best friend, I'm not ready to say goodbye. It's not fair, he's such a good boy.

Love4himies March 19th, 2008 06:56 AM

I am glad you finally got an answer. Your poor dog, I hope he is going to be OK.

Did the vet suggest sub cutaneous fluids to keep your dog hydrated?

:grouphug:

MOOSEDRY March 19th, 2008 07:16 AM

so sorry
 
hi bobsdad.

i've been reading your thread, but haven't responded until now. i'm so sorry to hear of your baby's troubles. please keep us updated as to how he is doing. it's so hard when they get sick. we'll keep you in our prayers, right gang?

tracy :candle:

bobsdad March 19th, 2008 07:16 AM

[QUOTE=Love4himies;565236]I am glad you finally got an answer. Your poor dog, I hope he is going to be OK.

Did the vet suggest sub cutaneous fluids to keep your dog hydrated?

:grouphug:[/QUOTE]

He said we should keep trying to get him to drink normally. Once we go down that path, the dogs life will become much less enjoyable

bobsdad March 19th, 2008 07:22 AM

[QUOTE=MOOSEDRY;565242]hi bobsdad.

i've been reading your thread, but haven't responded until now. i'm so sorry to hear of your baby's troubles. please keep us updated as to how he is doing. it's so hard when they get sick. we'll keep you in our prayers, right gang?

tracy :candle:[/QUOTE]

Thank you, thank you all for the prayers. I'm at the office and I just can't stop crying. I know men are not supposed to cry but this is my best friend and he's not well and there is nothing I can do for him. He just looks at me with those big eyes asking why he's so thirsty. I can't do anything to make him better. What if this is neurological, he's only 2 years old. He's just a baby. It's just not fair, he wouldn't harm a fly. He's such a good boy, his best trick is KISSES. If I tell him to do kisses on anybody then he just jumps on the person and kisses away. Anytime anybody is unhappy I just tell him to do Kisses and they end up smiling. I can't do that for him now, I just have to sit there and watch him. It's so unfair, he's such a good soul.

MOOSEDRY March 19th, 2008 07:38 AM

cry all you want
 
hi bobsdad.

what do you mean, men aren't supposed to cry? you go ahead and cry as much as you want to, do you hear me? like you said, this is your best friend, and you feel helpless because there is nothing you can do. you have every right to be emotional right now. in my opinion, a man who isn't afraid to cry shows tremendous strength. you have been through a terrible ordeal. the worry of a sick pet is enough to make us physically ill.

but now listen, honey, because you need to hear this: THANK GOD YOUR LITTLE DOG HAS YOU. the reality is, your dear little angel was going to go through this whether you had him or not. thankfully, he landed in your hands. other, cruel people out there who don't understand what it is to love a pet would simply have abandoned him because he may cost them some money. you are doing everything you possibly can for him right now. he was obviously placed in your care for a reason.

i will pray very hard that this turns out to be something that can be fixed. please please please let us know what is going on. there are a lot of caring people on this board. they have helped me through lots of things!

blessings,
tracy :pray:

Shabby March 19th, 2008 08:09 AM

So sorry...
 
I'm so, so very sorry you're hurting so much right now. You go right ahead and cry!!! Who says men shouldn't cry? You have feelings and emotions just like women and I, along with others, firmly believe that a man who allows himself to cry in the face of sadness and adversity displays confidence, strength and courage!!

Your pup is so very lucky to have you as his 'Dad'. I wish we were all there to :grouphug: you, and help you through this terrible time.

I have a suggestion for you, being a nurse. We encounter patients all the time with dysphagia and this prevents them from having the ability to swallow liquids. For 'humans', we use "thickened fluids" and you can purchase. Here is a link you can read:

[url]http://www.dysphagia-diet.com/t&e_thickener.htm[/url]

Call your vet and ASK FIRST if this would be appropriate to try on your baby!

Good luck and I'm praying for you.

Sincerely,
Shabby :dog:

Shabby March 19th, 2008 08:16 AM

Hi Bobsdad:

I just wanted to give you another link to look at. Reading this will help you understand what exactly dysphagia is.

[url]http://www.halton.ca/Health/services/dental/dysphagia_swallowing_difficulties.htm[/url]


Remember...CALL YOU VET FIRST AND ASK!! You can buy the thickener at most drug stores.

Shabby March 19th, 2008 08:19 AM

One more link for you from Toronot's Sick Children's Hospital.

[url]http://www.sickkids.ca/SFSNutritionResources/section.asp?s=Nutrition+%26+Disease&sID=14681&ss=Dysphagia&ssID=14689[/url]

Shabby March 19th, 2008 08:24 AM

And...here is a DOG site regarding dysphagia.

[url]http://www.petplace.com/dogs/dysphagia-in-dogs/page1.aspx[/url]

Purpledomino March 19th, 2008 08:35 AM

Please check out this site I found from the Golden Retreiver Club of America. Apparantly Goldens can have a swallowing disorder that is hereditary, I would definately check this out. It also says that vets can be unaware of this, so the more information you have the better.

I truly hope that things work out for you and your boy...you are right, he doesn't deserve this, and neither do you. You are in a good place with supportive people who have gone through stuff like this. Keep us posted.

[url]http://www.grca.org/health/swallowing.html[/url]

Love4himies March 19th, 2008 08:50 AM

You go ahead and cry, shows you are a caring human!!

I hope you can do something for you poor dog.

I am surprised your vet isn't keeping your dog hydrated with sub q's. Maybe dogs are different than cats :shrug:. It is a normal procedure to do with sick cats that are not eating/drinking and for cats who are in renal failure.


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