#1
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9 yo German shepherd/ Akita problems
hey guys im new to this site. my name is Rob and i have a 9 year old German Shepherd/Akita named Timber. About a week ago after we came back from our house in the country he started doing a slight dry heaving and we thought nothing of it as he does tend to eat grass and throw up from it. as days have went on it got worse and he was now retching and throwing up white foam. we took him to the vet and all tests came back negative. the symptoms continued and his mood started to change where he would not greet us at the door anymore, he sleeps a lot more and not sure if this is related but he poops in the house small amounts and it is soft (never poops in house) and it seems to us he doesnt realize he is doing it. he eats very little but seems to be drinking water regularly. we took him to a veterinary hospital in new york city, he stayed over night and still all tests came back negative as well as xrays. we are at a loss here and have no idea how to help him. any suggestions? and he is up to date on all of his shots.
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#2
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Is he still eating? can you try giving him some plain rice and boiled hamberger? keep it bland. Maybe try some yogurt to ease his tummy? Did the vet prescribe anything?
__________________
Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013 Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010 Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011 Sophie Aug 30, 2011 "UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED" He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. -Unknown |
#3
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he eats very little all day long and now whatever he drinks he throws right up.
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#4
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I'm sorry you are going though this with your sweet boy. Has he had an abdominal ultrasound or CT scan? I have no use for x-rays when it comes to tummy issues. The reason is that we have a Malamute that has Pica. Our vets thought he had a blockage (on more than one occasion) and we went through several sets of x-rays all showing absolutely nothing. This went on for about 3 weeks. He had a lot of similar symptoms to your boy, except ours was bloated as well (looked like a little cow some days), but he was also on Prednisone which makes them bloated. Anyway, they finally decided to to a Barium swallow and Ultrasound. At the end of the day, when we picked him up, they said it looked like there "might" be something in his stomach, but nothing they would "hang their hat on". So we left, frustrated, again. Later that night I took him out for a potty and he started to poop. I'll spare you all the disgusting details, but what came out was a shock! He had swallowed, and pooped out, a whole rope chew toy... knots, tassels and all, about 10 inches long The next night he pooped out a sock. 2 days later he pooped out another sock! Then a stuffed toy he had eaten at daycare a couple weeks before. He had all that in his little tummy and the x-rays (about 4 different sets) didn't see any of it! Our other boy gets similar symptoms as well. He had been through many tests. All blood tests normal etc. So we just lived with it for years and chalked it up to a sick tummy. 2 yrs ago he got really sick again. We took him to a different vet and they diagnosed him with Colitis. Maybe ask your vet about that as well. It won't show up in any blood test they do. Good luck and please let us know how he is doing. I would love to see a pic of him
__________________
"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
#5
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this is what my poor dog is on:
PRILOSEC 20 MG 1 1X ANTACID PEPCID 10MG 1 1X ANTACID MOUTHWASH 5-10ML 3X ANTACID - 1 HOUR FROM OTHER MEDS CARAFATE (SUCRALFATE) 1 GRAM 1 3X COATS STOMACH - 1 HOUR FROM OTHER MEDS METRONIDAZOLE 250 MG 1 2X ANTIBIOTIC CERENIA 16MG 2 1X NAUSEA - GIVE FOR 4 DAYS IN A ROW THEN STOP FOR 2 DAYS - FRI, SAT, SUN & MON - THEN STOP FOR 2 DAYS MIRTAZIPINE 15MG 1 1X APPETITE STIMULANT ZOFRAN (ONDANSETRON) 4MG 2 1X NAUSEA REGLAN (METOCLOPRAMIDE) 10MG 1.5 2X NAUSEA FOR 10 DAYS |
#6
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he isnt bloated, has had ultrasounds, xrays and had endoscope of upper and colon. all this just doesnt make sense.
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#7
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my girlfriend who used to work at a veterinary hospital thinks it may be leptospirosis and the antibiotic he is on will not work against it. has anyone has experience with this?
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#8
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Robb there are a couple of members here who I am 100% sure have experience with that. They will likely be on a bit later if you check in again.
I hope you can get some answers soon..
__________________
Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013 Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010 Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011 Sophie Aug 30, 2011 "UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED" He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. -Unknown |
#9
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this is what I found when I did a search on pets
click on the link http://www.pets.ca/dogs/articles/canine-leptospirosis/ if this is the case couldn't you call your vet or go see your vet and ask for them to do test for this on Timber??
__________________
Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." |
#10
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Quote:
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#11
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can you try low sodium chicken broth?? he might be able to tolerate it better than water.. and maybe raise the dish as this might help ask your vet first if this is ok to try (I don't want to cause any more discomfort or do anything to make things worst)
__________________
Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." |
#12
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They can run titers to see if there is lepto exposure, r0bb53. It appears to be endemic in our area and we get recurring cases, but all have been mild. We notice the symptoms and treat it early.
We've never had lepto manifest with the symptoms your dog is having, but that might be just because we've been fortunate to catch it quickly. It sounds more to me like a blockage of some sort--and as Rgeurts says, xrays can be pretty useless for blockages or partial blockages. If he's not keeping water down, he's likely going to need fluids for dehydration, so I'm glad you're keeping in touch with the vet hospital. I hope you get some answers about Timber's condition soon!
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference." "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!" "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." |
#13
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When he does throw up, is it always just the white foam? Or does he occasionaly throw up food as well? And if so, is the vomit in a puddle or a "tube" shape?
__________________
"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
#14
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Lepto, tick disease, infection....are all blood counts, platelets, red blood cells absolutely well within normal?
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#15
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here is timbers discharge papers with the doctors findings :
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#16
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is timber doing any better today??
__________________
Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." |
#17
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timber was brought back to the hospital this morning. no signs of improvement. we needed to get him hydrated and he wasnt drinking on his own. they put him on prednisone with an IV in him. still waiting for biopsy. although his mood did seem to improve slightly. he was excited when his leash was put on him and seemed to have maybe a bit more energy
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#18
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I hope they get to the bottom of Timbers problem!!
__________________
Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." |
#19
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thank you! we do too. i will try and get a picture of him up today
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#20
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#21
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He's a handsome boy, r0bb! I hope they can get to the bottom of this!
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference." "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!" "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." |
#22
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good looking boy Robb
and look at that snow!! it's almost that time of year again isn't it
__________________
Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." |
#23
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Maybe look to a systemic infection that attacks the nervous system?
I was just reading about this over the weekend - weird things can happen: http://www.peteducation.com/article....+2025&aid=3366 http://www.cvm.missouri.edu/neurolog...on/dyshome.htm I think my boy has some weird, mild version of this...I found references to it near Montana too, and I'm sure that it's not isolated. I hope it's not this....but I would be looking at combination antibiotics and other things. |
#24
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MaxaLisa, what a scary (and heartbreaking) disease
The second link with the story of the little boy brought tears to my eyes. You think your dog may have this??
__________________
"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
#25
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just spoke to vet and yes unfortunately they do think he has dysautonomia ... we are beside ourselves. he was perfectly fine 2 weeks ago.
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#26
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Robb I am so sorry to hear this. Is there a prognosis? course of treatment? its so hard when these things happen. Please know we are here for you!
__________________
Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013 Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010 Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011 Sophie Aug 30, 2011 "UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED" He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. -Unknown |
#27
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I'm sorry you didn't get better news, r0bb Is your vet going to refer you to a specialist?
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference." "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!" "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." |
#28
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when he vomits it is a clear liquid with thick white foam in the center. the 2 look almost separated like oil and water would together.
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#29
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Crap, this is just terrible. I am so very sorry. I couldn't find any treatments in any of the material I read. I hope that your vets are hooked into something creative, or have some ideas. There were a couple of links that commented on weird bacterias triggering this - I don't think that metro will be enough.
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#30
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Quote:
According to the internal medicine specialist, he thinks that Max probably has a systemic infection of probably a pathogenic form of e. coli. It has caused systemic inflammation. His heart has become undersized because it is not getting enough blood to it, thought to be because his veins are too dilated from the inflammation - some weird combination of the bacteria and the endotoxins that are being emitted. There are other changes in his pulmonary vasculature. His digestive process had almost stopped....stomach very inflamed, very few bowel movements, no bowel sounds, funny noises in his esophagus. He has gone from always urinating, to almost never urinating. His hormonal system and neurotransmitters are all out of wack. Max has been on antibiotics that I have had him on for quite some time (long history there, starting with a perianal fistula). I've been playing with the abx myself, since the vets kept telling me it was all autoimmune. FINALLY, when I hooked up with the internal medicine guy, he was the one that put all the weird test results together. We don't have a definitive positive on infection though. Unfortunately, I didn't have him on the right antibitiocs for whatever this bug is, or I haven't fought the endotoxins, or something. Currently we've had Max on cipro, doxycycline, and amoxicillin. He's been getting vitamin C infusions for the last couple of months. I grind his food, and have him on a variety of herbal supports. The digestive stuff was helped with the grinding of the food, digestive enzymes, probiotics, chlorophyll, coconut oil, zantac, and carafate. I recently added some Honest Kitchen's Perfect Form, and that really does help, except the ingredients are diuretics, which aren't good for his veins. I just ordered a motility drug that they use overseas, through an overseas pharmacy - haven't decided if I will try it, but I might need to. I think when the digestive system gets backed up, the problem is even worse and becomes a downward spiral. That's just a snapshot of some of the support I'm giving him, but I fear that we are on our last hurrah here, though I'm hoping I am wrong. If he makes it, it's only because he's been on abx for years for something somewhat unrelated. Rob, About a year ago (1 year and 1 day to be exact), my girl died of some mystery disease induced by infection, in a rather tragic way. It's so very difficult, and so very unfair. I will be hoping that Timber beats this, he is such a handsome boy. |
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