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Me and my husband rescued Grizz from the local SPCA on Friday, November 27, 2015. The next day, he began to have diarrhea which cleared up by early Sunday morning. As Sunday progressed he became extremely lethargic and would not eat. We took him to the local vet, a VCA, on Monday Nov 30 and he was diagnosed with a yeast infection in both ears and GI parasites (roundworms and hookworms). Was given Panacur to deworm and drops for his ears. The following day, Tuesday, his lethargy continued and worsened to the point in which he would not move his head. We took him to the hospital at the VCA and found out he had a 104.9 fever. During the time of examination, his face and lymph nodes instantly began to swell and there was purulent discharge from his mouth. He was admitted for IV fluids and antibiotics. After no improvements and an onset of swollen painful joins on Wednesday, the Vets suspected Grizz had juvenile lymphadenitis. On December 3, he started on steroids, dexamethasone, but he only slightly improved. On Friday, Dec 4, we decided to care for Grizz at home and was given Clavamox (1ml/2xday) Enrofloxacin (0.8ml/day), Metronidazole (0.3 ml/2xday), Predisone (10mg/day), and Bupreorphine (0.1 ml as needed 3x a day) to administer to him. By the next day his fever had broken and each day he was becoming stronger where he was able to stand and eventually walk and play. The swelling had just about fully gone down by Tuesday Dec 8. After an initial check up on Monday, Dec 7, we were told to begin to taper the Predisone by 2.5 mg weekly beginning Dec 11. He was responding well to the initial taper dose until yesterday, Thursday Dec 17. Upon waking up Thursday morning we noticed he did not want to put pressure on his front left paw and was shaking. We took him to the VCA at 10am and he remained in hospital to be monitored and was administered his antibiotics, and an additional 5 mg of Prednisone (had already received his 7.5mg dose at 8am) and IV fluids. During his stay his fever reached as high as 104 but began to decrease upon us taking him home at 6:30pm. Throughout last night his fever increased again to 103.9 (temp taken by me by his rear leg pit). His continues to favor his front left paw and his shaking has persisted. Through his entire experience his appetite as remained strong and continues to do so. The most recent treatment plan is to increase Predinisone again back to 10 mg/day for 7 days where another visit will take place on Dec 24.
My boy has been tearing up my girl when they play. She has a few cuts on her chest and one on her leg. I really don’t want to declaw them, but I’m not sure what else to do. I have tried the caps on the claws and he tears them off within a day or two. Any advise?
Male kittens tend to play more rough than girls. Sometimes cuts happen and when they otherwise undertsand each other well and get along, if they are playing and enjoying each other I would just let them be.
Maybe trim their nails and offer things to sratch on.
Hi,
I recently took in a stray dog on Friday. He was very malnourished but other than his big belly he seemed perfectly fine. He was playful and didn’t act sick. On Saturday night he began to throw up his dog food. (Purina One). I started feeding him only liquid foods. I gave him Tomato soup mixed with chicken broth and pepto. On Sunday I started to notice blood in his poop so I believe he has Parvovirus. I don’t have enough money to bring him to the vet and I am afraid of him dying. I am trying to keep him hydrated by giving him Gatorade raw eggs and a pepto pill dissolved in water. Is there any other home remedies that will get him well?
he needs a vet, Bria. please find a way to take him in, even if you have to get Care Credit or surrender him.
you have to think about HIS needs first, here…and not taking him to the vet when he’s obviously very sick is willful neglect.
I have a 1 year cat that is bleeding from his mouth. he is still eating and drinking water. his mood has not changed. playful and spunky. what can I do to stop the bleeding.
thank you for the info. I said it was his tooth. its not bleeding bad and he has not changed at all. the same playful baby I fell in love with. he still eats him food. should I change from his regular food to soft food.
Yesterday I noticed she has an inflamed vulva, and today there is brown discharge from her urethra. She is normally fairly mellow with bursts of energy (she is a 9 month old pup after all), but today she has slept all day and barely left the couch. She feels warm, but I do not have a thermometer specifically for her so I can’t determine if she has a fever.
I’m not sure if this is related, but yesterday morning and the night before she threw up after meals. She was eating faster than usual because we were visiting a home with another dog, so she wanted to finish eating so they could play. I suspected that was the cause, but I don’t want to leave it out just in case.
There are no emergency veterinarians in or near the small town I live in so I’m very anxious if something is wrong!
has she gone into heat before? i’m not a vet, but a suddenly fluffy vulva (and THANK YOU for using the correct term!) and brownish discharge would make me think it’s a heat cycle.
She is spayed, and as far as I know she never had a heat cycle before the operation. Unfortunately I don’t know for sure because I adopted her from a rescue who spayed her before adoption. Thanks for the quick answer!
hmm. that was my only thought. it’s possible she’s dealing with a UTI. i’d get her in first thing tomorrow morning unless one of the resident vets pops in with another idea.
Thanks! 🙂 I was planning on it, just wanted to get a quicker opinion since she won’t be able to be seen until tomorrow morning at the earliest.
The vulva is an organ designed to clean its various anatomical structures by creating discharge. For this reason the discharge itself is not problematic it is the color and odor. The color and odor indicates the level of infection or presence of unhealthy microbes, UTI, Etc. I do not have a course of action to recommend, I believe a veterinarian’s diagnoses is required until you more fully understand what this type of discharge represents. Your dog’s temperature is great measure to the level of immune system activity and infection, so knowing your dog’s temperature now combined with the vet’s diagnoses will give a valuable benchmark for the next event. I would recommend becoming an expert in your dog’s temperature during the treatment process for future use. This type of ailment tends to reappear but at numerous levels of severity, being able to determine via temperature combined with the color and odor should assist you in future treatment decisions.
can you get hold of a nausea pill .,electrolytes and purbac antibiotics at a chemist
She delivered them in a flower pot in our garden, and I have no idea what to do! The kittens are lying there crying for milk, but the mother will not even look at them. It’s horrifying, and I am truly at a loss. We have a dog, Buddy, and he’s a bit too playful to be gentle enough around new-born kittens, so I’m trying my best to keep him away from them for now. If anyone has ANY suggestions at all, PLEASE let me know, I would truly appreciate it.
Normally, Cookie needs minimum of 3 hours of high activity (running through the bush, chasing critters, playing …) daily, otherwise she climbs the walls (pretty much literally). Ortho suggesting a month or more of rest. I voice that it is impossible unless Cookie sedated. (Because the more energy she stores up the more she’s likely to go crazy regardless of environment, confinement and situation. As I mention, literally bouncing off the walls. Plus the frustration and feeling unhappy that would come with that I’m sure does not facilitate healing either.
So we discussed it and ortho prescribed the Trazodone as effective and safe. What is your experience with this products? Side effects? Interestingly I specifically asked about side effects and was told there were none. However, when one looks it up there are side effects listed. Of course, side effects such as sedation are desirable. Others, such as vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, hyperactivity, panting, shaking and restlessness are NOT.
Ortho vet also said drug doesn’t not affect either kidneys or liver but infor says should be used with caution if liver, kidney or heart disease present. Cookie does not have those but if it doesn’t affect those organs, why the precaution?
I am not a fan of drugs but I feel that in order for Cookie to be able to undergo the period of restricted activity some chemical management to help her feel more aloof is necessary. Thoughts?
Thank you, would you? Because the other tranquilize options aren’t all that attractive either, particularly Acepromazine … *sigh
First do no harm, right? But I feel that without some chemical help she will be very miserable and a danger to herself …
Hi, I definitely understand your worry. I have personal experience with trazodone and it’s actually been extremely positive. I worked with a board certified veterinary surgeon who used it on pretty much all of his patients post-op if he was worried about activity level. For my dog, I’ve used it for anxiety in the car (as recommended by a board certified veterinary behaviorist). In my opinion it’s a lot better than other sedatives post-op because it really is fairly safe and also reduces anxiety (a lot better than something like Acepromazine). One of the main things you will read about is serotonin syndrome when it is used with other drugs. However, the surgeon I worked with used it with pain meds like tramadol, and just used the lower end of the dose range because he was aware of that risk (I’m sure if your vet uses it frequently they are as well). Most of side effects you listed, while I know they are concerning, are pretty easy to recognize and are side effects of many other medications too…and if you recognize them after starting, you can always just stop the medication. I think that the minor risks of this medication greatly out weigh the alternative risk of her high energy level after a orthopedic surgery, in order to prevent the risk of her needing a repeat surgery.
Since your baby is healthy and I’m sure they will be doing bloodwork pre-op, I don’t see any reason to be overly concerned about the organ adverse effects. My own dog had a history of acute renal injury after use of NSAIDs and is very sensitive to a lot of drugs (he’s MDR1 positive) and it was safe enough to use for him. It’s a medication that was actually developed for people with insomnia and is newer for use in vet-med but I don’t know of anyone who has experience with it that would say bad things. I think it’s great that you care so much to ask.
Thank you, Lindsey, I’m very happy to hear about such good experience(s)!
When I straighten my dogs front paw she cries out in pain and tries to keep me from touching her paw again. However when I was feeling her bones she had no reaction and I felt no difference when compared to the other paw. Sometimes she limps and other times she’s fine, even has the energy to chase after me and play. I’m really worried because she’s a small 2 year old 4 lb. Yorkshire Terrier and when she cries out in pain it sounds like she’s screaming.
Yes take her to a Vet….there is obviously something going on with her foot that needs investigating.
It sounds to me that she needs to see a vet, if nothing else, a vet could prescribe pain medicine to make your dog more comfortable.
Good Luck
Dr Dawn
Maltese. 10 pounds. ate an old chocolate brownie that is the size of a hand. acting fine, playing, barking, running, but panting and has a weird breathing pattern. but she is taking medication because she has Addison’s disease
what do I do?
can’t afford to take her to the vet
I called my vet and they said to bring her in but I can’t afford to
What’s the best way to stop a 1 1/2 year pit bull from playing to rough?
take him to another vet and get a second opinion. increase of predisone to 10mg is not good
Why is that not good? That is what he started with before the initial taper and significantly improved. From my research it is 2mg of Pred per every 1 kg of weight. He currently weighs over 9 lbs which would put him at just above 8 mg of Pred and so 10 mg of Pred isn’t that far off, espeically since he is currently in his first relapse after the initial taper dose. What is your experience with Pred?.
just as in cortisone in humans you retain fluid so also animals.keep an eye and if anything give you doubt before 24 th dec get a second opinion
Update: grizz’s fever broke by Saturday and has remained normal. He stopped shivering by Saturday completely. He is putting pressure on his front paw and no longer favoring or lifting it, despite the swollen weist joint that became inflammed on Friday and has not decreased since. I cancelled his vet appointment due his signs of improvement and will reschedule in another week or so incase the wrist joint does not change or decrease in swelling.
Note: it also looks like one back leg joint is also swollen. He did have swollen painful joints during his first hospital visit so I’m thinking this is just a flare up from the relapse? He doesn’t seem to be in pain at all