Sick JRT... odd symptoms

[rocketscience]

We have a 14 week old JRT named Rocco. While we were away on vacation we had him stay with friends and he became ill. It started out that he was just lying around and not being active then he walked like he was dazed (stumbling). They took him to the vet and the vet said that he had an infection (that is all they said) and gave him antibiotics. When we got back the next day he got worse... he could not walk at all and he would just fall over if you sat him up. We took him to a different vet and they ran all kinds of tests. They said he had swelling of the joints and did x-rays that found nothing. They ran blood tests that all came back negative except for an elevated white blood cell count. He had a fever of 104... they kept him over night and changed his antibiotics and added pain reliver as he would whimper when touched.
He started doing better but this past Tuesday he quit eating and wolud only take chicken breast... On Wednesday night he stopped eating that and on Thursday he had started diarrhea... We called the vet and they said to take him off his meds and give him kaopectate (sp?)... we have done that but he will still not eat. We called again this morning after an evening of vomiting up the kaopectate and they said to bring him back... we are $300 in and have no hope yet... I can't stand to see him lay there looking like a bone rack and wasting away... Does anyone have any clues???

[Goldenmom]

This does not sound good at all. I am sure your gut instinct is telling you that you have a very sick dog on your hands. Being so small and young, I would be worried. I don't think much of your vet! You shouldn't either. Go to another vet, immediately!!! You need to know the exact problem.

If the vet doesn't tell you what the exact problem and what infection he is talking about, ask questions! Do not leave until you are satisfied that you know everything that you need to know.

Please call another vet ASAP, your dog is extremely sick!

Heather

[rocketscience]

this is the second vet we are dealing with... the first one was the one our friends took it to while we were away. This vet is highly regarded... If we do not get satisfaction this morning we may take him to the local university (Virginia Tech).

I also failed to mention that he has had a swolen and watery left eye. My wife has him at the vet right now I will post what happens...

Thanks!

[rebel24]

My landlord has a dog that displayed some of those syptoms and it turned out to be a tick right square on the spine. Once removed the dog got better right away. I hope everything is ok with your little guy. Keep us posted.

[Goldenmom]

Originally Posted by rocketscience

this is the second vet we are dealing with... the first one was the one our friends took it to while we were away. This vet is highly regarded... If we do not get satisfaction this morning we may take him to the local university (Virginia Tech).

I also failed to mention that he has had a swolen and watery left eye. My wife has him at the vet right now I will post what happens...

Thanks!

Great! He is in the best place, at the vets. Sorry that you are having to go through this with such a young pup. Have you contacted the breeder???

Heather

[rocketscience]

Yes... the breeders (not a commercial one) are local and are friends of my wife... they have never see any issues like this before. I have seen several of their pups and all were very healthy.

[Lucky Rescue]

Is your puppy up to date with all vaccinations?

[rocketscience]

Originally Posted by LuckyRescue

Is your puppy up to date with all vaccinations?

Yes he has had all his vaccinations.

[allshookup]

Sometimes dog's can have this kind of trouble if they have played on a lawn that has been weed sprayed. Not everybody posts signs.

[rocketscience]

The vet currently has him on IV's and will xray his stomach to see if he has something forigen in there. She (the vet) also said she will re-test for Parvo. We should know someting about the Parvo test in about an hour. Her quote to my wife is that "It does not look good"... He has lost from 10.5 to 9 lbs since last Saturday.

[Goldenmom]

Ah, geesh, sorry to hear that about your pup. It appears you have done everything possible. I'm not so sure I can say the same about your vet? If something comes back positive, please ask questions, especially why they didn't find something out sooner.

Good luck and I am thinking of you and hoping all is ok.

Heather and her 3 Golden Girls

[Luba]

Well I'm glad to hear that the pup is at the vets on IV that is one good thing! Its dangerous for small pups not to be eating/drinking.

I sure hope your pup bounces back. They get unknown bacteria/virus sometimes that just takes time to work out of them.

Where did you get the puppy from and how old when you got him?

[rocketscience]

I just heard from my wife and his Parvo test came back positive. I'm crushed... they should have tested him last time??? and what about his vaccinations?

She gave him a 50/50 shot of making it and now I am worried about my other dog. Bogie is an outside dog but he and Rocco share the same bathroom (our yard). What should I do for Bogie? Where can I learn more about Parvo and what are Rocco's chances of surviving?

Thanks again,

[Luba]

Oh dear oh dear!

Where did this puppy come from? A pet store / breeder / newspaper ad / Shelter / Spca?

The treatment is usually symptomatic and keeping the pup hydrated is key. I hope the vet is keeping him in on IV for now.

Parvo is very contageous, speak to your vet about Bogie's possible exposure.

Not that I am going to get into it with your situaiton about Bogie being outdoor dog at this time....but you should consider the fact that an outdoor dog exposed to elements and disease is highly likely to end up suffering something as bad. Do you want to have to go through this again?

Meantime, clean EVERYTHING with bleach and I mean EVERYTHING and air your house out thoroughly.

Any bedding from the pup just throw it away and get new stuff after you bleach the kennel/area the dog was at.

I would spray the yard with bleach as well. IF your pup was in contact with neighbours dogs/friends dogs tell them immediately!

Parvo can remain active for several months and if you dont' clean well enough...it can still be there!

If I were you, you may want to have Bogie stay with a friend (who doesn't have a dog) for a couple of days while you clean everything out with bleach.

[rocketscience]

We got Rocco from a family that had 2 JRT pups and could only keep one due their lease. We have had him for about 3 weeks now so it is likley that he contracted the Parvo during that time (at least what I read is 7 days), so that means the he likely got it while we were on vacation and he was at our friend's home. We have called to fill them in and let them know.

Thanks for all the help.

[rebel24]

I am so sorry to hear that the pup has Parvo. We once lost a pup to it and it is devestating. I really hope the little guy pulls through.

[Luba]

Keep us posted, ask your friend where they got these puppies from and get the contact information.

[rocketscience]

Rocco past away at 6:30 this morning. He had been doing better over the weekend but took a turn for the worse and past this morning. We are all very sad and will miss him very much.

I would like to thank everyone for the help and kind words on this forum.

Take care...

[sammiec]

((HUGS)) I am very sorry for your loss! Oh, what a sad story!! Your poor puppy! Thank you for doing everything that you could to help this little guy! Our thoughts are with you!


- I am kinda concerned though, your puppy had his shots against parvo but still contracted it... what does that mean to the rest of us? My puppy is very active and around many other dogs - I have no way of knowing that each dog has UTD shots, what are her risks now?

[Goldenmom]

I am so very sorry for you and your family. This has been a terrible thing to see happen. Please don't let it discourage you from getting another furbaby.

Heather and her 3 Golden Girls

[rocketscience]

What I found out was that he had only had his first shot and that he was due for a booster. I also found that you need to renew the shots periodically (1 to 2 years according to what I read... ask your vet to be sure). I also found out that puppies are much more susceptible to Parvovirus than adult dogs.

I went to the local Southern States store and bought a vaccination for my other dog and administered it to him on Saturday morning per the vet's reccomendation.

Thanks again.

[moontamara]

I just want to say I'm sorry. I just read your story (and everyone's replies) for the first time tonight, and I'm in tears. My puppy's about the same age and is also having health problems (an extremely persistent cough) and I thought he might have distemper at one point and was very relieved when the test came back negative. Anyway, I just want to say I'm sooo sorry. Like you, I've been doing everything I can for Casey, and it just didn't seem fair. Once again, I'm sorry.