Multiple questions - Spay/nueter, sick dog

[Schrinediggity]

First off let me say hello all, this is my first post.

Secondly, my dog is a 7yr old male English Springer. The last few weeks he has been occasionally acting goofy. I've seen him eating quite a bit of grass which I know can't really be attributed to anything. He has not vomited and has solid feces although he has been going #2 alot (roughly 3-4 times a day). I have him on a diet per recommendation of the vet where he gets 1c dry food at 6:30 am and 1c dry food at 6:30 pm. He is around 55lbs. He also gets miscellanious treats during the day and occasional table scraps. He is on phenylbarbitol for seizures. He has been on that medicine since september of last year. The problem I am having is about every 4th day he is really mopey and skips his food in the morning. I would imagine being on a diet he should be starving, but this morning he barely touched his food and just wanted to go back to sleep. To be fair last night I was home around 12 and got up at 6, but that wasn't the first time this has happened in the last few weeks. He also suffers from separation anxiety, its not nearly as bad as it used to be, but when we are gone he gets things off the counters and things like that. I recently started up softball so i'm gone more on the evenings then I used to be. Could he just be upset that i'm gone more? Also, about the time this started I saw him eating grass after the chemlawn guy went around and sprayed the yard. It said keep dogs off for 2 days and this was the 6th day. So it should have been safe. Would it be wise to take him to the vet, or should I wait it out. Aside from not eating at his normal times, he is still mostly himself other then being mopey. He is drinking water and looks normal, no stomach bulge or excessively watery eyes or cough or anything like that.

Last, the vet thinks I should get my dog spayed/nuetered. I think its far to late to do that, he is already 7. What would the benefits/dangers be in doing that and is it worth it. Also, they want me to have a dental done for him, which I agree, but I would like to know some of the dangers of that as well.

Thankyou to anyone who takes the time to answer some of my questions.

[shredy]

Have you had a blood panel done recently? At 7 you should be having that done yearly to rule out any kidney or liver disorders, as well as electrolyte imbalances. As far as skipping eating, does your dog like his food? He may just be picky (my dog always was a graiser, eating a little at a time, and somedays she would not eat. She did this ever since she was a puppy.)

If he seems fatigued, this is another reason you should see a vet. Dogs are not able to tell us when they are feeling sick, but lathargic behavior and decreased appetite can be a sign of illness. Phenobarb is a tranq though, and could be contributing to his sleeping??? Is this a recent behavior?

By having your dog neutered, you will reduce his risk of testicular and prostate cancer considerably. Your vet would be the best source of info for the benefits and risks for him considering that he has seizures. There is always a risk for anybody going under anesthesia. You can reduce those risks by having pre surgical blood panels and EKG to rule out some of the dangers. Hope this helps.

[Schrinediggity]

Originally Posted by shredy

Have you had a blood panel done recently? At 7 you should be having that done yearly to rule out any kidney or liver disorders, as well as electrolyte imbalances. As far as skipping eating, does your dog like his food? He may just be picky (my dog always was a graiser, eating a little at a time, and somedays she would not eat. She did this ever since she was a puppy.)

If he seems fatigued, this is another reason you should see a vet. Dogs are not able to tell us when they are feeling sick, but lathargic behavior and decreased appetite can be a sign of illness. Phenobarb is a tranq though, and could be contributing to his sleeping??? Is this a recent behavior?

By having your dog neutered, you will reduce his risk of testicular and prostate cancer considerably. Your vet would be the best source of info for the benefits and risks for him considering that he has seizures. There is always a risk for anybody going under anesthesia. You can reduce those risks by having pre surgical blood panels and EKG to rule out some of the dangers. Hope this helps.

I'm not sure when his last blood panel was done. I'm thinking it was last fall when they started him on phenobarb. I believe they ran the panel to see if they noticed anything out of the ordinary that could be causing his seizures. they ended up chalking it up to hereditary.

He has always liked his food before. But its possible he no longer does. I never knew there were good dog foods and bad dog foods. He is eating Purina Lamb and Rice right now, but after this stuff is gone, i'll be switching ot a better food. He hasn't ever really been a grazer, at least not since i switched from leaving food out, to putting it down in the mornings and then again at night.

His lethargy has been recent, and the part that has me confused is it isn't for like 3 days straight or anything. Its one day he is lethargic then the next he is fine. The one thing I have noticed is the days he is lethargic, are also the days he doesnt' really eat.

I dont know if I could bring myself to have my dog nuetered. He's already 7, I know there are alot of benefits from it, like you said a serious reduced risk of cancer, but I know there is probably considerable risk with him having seizures. If I lost him on the table I couldn't forgive myself for having an elective procedure done. But at the same time if he got a prevenetative cancer for something I decided not to have done, that would be equally as bad

Thanks for the reply

Any thoughts/advice from anyone else would be greatly appreciated

[jessi76]

Originally Posted by Schrinediggity

I never knew there were good dog foods and bad dog foods. He is eating Purina Lamb and Rice right now, but after this stuff is gone, i'll be switching ot a better food.

if you want to switch, switch NOW. it's best to do the switch while you have the old food still... you SLOWLY mix the new food in with the old and do a gradual switch. it's easier on the dog's system, especially in older dogs. start by mixing a SMALL amount of new food, then little more, little more, etc, until you've weened off the old food. Purina isn't a great food. Browse through the PET FOOD forum here for other recommendations.

Originally Posted by Schrinediggity

I dont know if I could bring myself to have my dog nuetered. He's already 7, I know there are alot of benefits from it, like you said a serious reduced risk of cancer, but I know there is probably considerable risk with him having seizures. If I lost him on the table I couldn't forgive myself for having an elective procedure done. But at the same time if he got a prevenetative cancer for something I decided not to have done, that would be equally as bad

You should discuss ALL the risks vs benefits with your vet about having him neutered at this age and with his current health issues. If you are going to have him under for dental work anyway, I'd say go ahead and do the neuter.

as for whether or not to see the vet, anytime your dog is acting out of sorts, not eating, lethargic, it's always better to be safe than sorry - and make at least a phone call to the vet.

[Lucky Rescue]

Your dog is 7, already not well, and has a seizure disorder. Personally, neutering him would be last on my list of priorities, if you're sure he's not off siring litters of mutts all over the place.

He also suffers from separation anxiety, its not nearly as bad as it used to be, but when we are gone he gets things off the counters and things like that.

I dont' call that SA. Just don't leave stuff he can destroy or eat on the counters.

Also, about the time this started I saw him eating grass after the chemlawn guy went around and sprayed the yard. It said keep dogs off for 2 days and this was the 6th day. So it should have been safe

Is this your yard? I would never ever spray poison on my property when I have a dog who goes out there and eats or even rolls around on the grass. I do not believe it's ever safe for animals to eat grass that has been poisoned.

I have no idea if this is the cause of your dog's problems, but I would certainly look into that. I also suggest you stop having your yard sprayed.

[chico2]

I agree,we stopped spraying years ago,what's a Dandelion or two,easily pulled out,it's against the law where I live,which I salut!
He might have ingested some poison:sad:

[Schrinediggity]

Originally Posted by jessi76

if you want to switch, switch NOW. it's best to do the switch while you have the old food still... you SLOWLY mix the new food in with the old and do a gradual switch. it's easier on the dog's system, especially in older dogs. start by mixing a SMALL amount of new food, then little more, little more, etc, until you've weened off the old food. Purina isn't a great food. Browse through the PET FOOD forum here for other recommendations.

Ok, I will do that, thanks for the recommendation, i figured it would be fine to switch when it was gone.

Originally Posted by jessi76

You should discuss ALL the risks vs benefits with your vet about having him neutered at this age and with his current health issues. If you are going to have him under for dental work anyway, I'd say go ahead and do the neuter.

as for whether or not to see the vet, anytime your dog is acting out of sorts, not eating, lethargic, it's always better to be safe than sorry - and make at least a phone call to the vet.

I made an appt for friday afternoon at 3. He seems ok today, but they are going to check him out anyways. If he is fine then he gets his august shot a little bit early, if he isn't fine they will figure out what is wrong.

[Schrinediggity]

Originally Posted by Lucky Rescue

Your dog is 7, already not well, and has a seizure disorder. Personally, neutering him would be last on my list of priorities, if you're sure he's not off siring litters of mutts all over the place.

I know he isn't doing that, he is an inside dog. When he is outside i'm with him. Poor guy hasn't ever gotten any. Its definatly not high on my list of priorities, but if there is significant risk for prostate cancer, its worth looking into i guess. The vet made it sound last time like it should 100% be done.

Originally Posted by Lucky Rescue

I dont' call that SA. Just don't leave stuff he can destroy or eat on the counters.

It used to be much worse then that. When we would kennel him as an early pup, he would bark all day long, we would come home and his kennel would have a 4'x4' area around it drenched from him barking. When we let him out of the kennel he would drink 3 huge bowls of water and then throw up from being so dehydrated, its gotten alot better. We just take everything off the counter when we leave and block the garbage cupboard.

Originally Posted by Lucky Rescue

Is this your yard? I would never ever spray poison on my property when I have a dog who goes out there and eats or even rolls around on the grass. I do not believe it's ever safe for animals to eat grass that has been poisoned.

I have no idea if this is the cause of your dog's problems, but I would certainly look into that. I also suggest you stop having your yard sprayed.

Ya its our yard. Normally he doesn't eat grass, but he did that week. Like I say I also don't know if its the cause becuase they say its safe afte 2 days and this was the 6th day along with it having rained. I'll have to mention to the folks that we should stop spraying the yard.

[shredy]

Originally Posted by jessi76

You should discuss ALL the risks vs benefits with your vet about having him neutered at this age and with his current health issues. If you are going to have him under for dental work anyway, I'd say go ahead and do the neuter.

A dental will be done under anesthesia, and a neuter is a relatively simple procedure. The risk is with the anesthesia. If you are going to do the dental I agree with jessi, you should do both at the same time. Better to have him under only once. Talk to your vet about the precautions you should take with his seizure disorder prior to surgery.

As for the lethargy and not eating, mention it to your vet, it might have something to do with his phenobarb dose. That is a really toxic drug. See if you are giving it at the right time of the day, and not missing doses, or giving them too close together. Just a thought... It could have nothing to do with the drug, but worth mentioning.

[Schrinediggity]

UPDATE

I took my dog in last friday for a checkup to see what was wrong. He had a temp of 103.3 which the vet said was high. They did the normal checkup and could find nothing wrong so I had them do a full blood panel as well as a UA. I just heard from the vet today, the blood looked good. But he has a bladder infection as well as many crystals. THey don't believe he has a stone but said he could get one if given enough time. So after work i'm going to pick up some antibiotics and he gets tested again in about 2 weeks.

[PetFriendly]

You might want to try getting the dog used to have his teeth brushed too. You'll want to get enzimatic (sp?!) toothpaste and put some on the inside of each cheek every couple of days. More power to you if you actually want to brush the teeth with a tooth brush, but its not necessary as the enzimes in the toothpaste move around with the saliva and kill the bacteria that cause plaque/tartar.
This way, once he's had his teeth cleaned, you'll be able to maintain them and not have to worry about the anesthetic again.

[jawert1]

Hey Schrine, if he's got crystals, then he'll need to be on a special diet that's only available at the vets, so be sure to ask them about that when you pick up his meds too Good luck, hope he's feeling better soon

[Schrinediggity]

Originally Posted by PetFriendly

You might want to try getting the dog used to have his teeth brushed too. You'll want to get enzimatic (sp?!) toothpaste and put some on the inside of each cheek every couple of days. More power to you if you actually want to brush the teeth with a tooth brush, but its not necessary as the enzimes in the toothpaste move around with the saliva and kill the bacteria that cause plaque/tartar.
This way, once he's had his teeth cleaned, you'll be able to maintain them and not have to worry about the anesthetic again.

Thanks for the advice, I brush once in awhile but hadn't heard of that toothpaste. This time the vet was a different guy and he said his teeth had a little plaque but his gums were fine so the sickness and the neuter were more important, but i'm sure he would do the teeth as long as he is under.

[Schrinediggity]

Originally Posted by jawert1

Hey Schrine, if he's got crystals, then he'll need to be on a special diet that's only available at the vets, so be sure to ask them about that when you pick up his meds too Good luck, hope he's feeling better soon

Interesting, they didn't say anything about a special diet. They said to give him the antibiotics (amoxicillian) for 2 weeks and have him retested on the last day of medicine. The only other advice they gave was to make sure he is drinking extra water, like add water with his food and so on. I wish I would have seen this reply before I left yesterday, i'll give them a call today.

[jawert1]

You'll need to find out what type of crystals he's got too, there are 2 types and that will determine which prescription diet he needs to be on. My Pointer went through this last fall, misery incarnate and he hated the food as much as I did, but he's much better now