Sick Malamute from being outside?

[govashtigo]

My dog, Maya, has recently gone from being exclusively an indoor dog to an outdoor dog due to her no longer behaving as if she is housebroken and having other recent behavior issues. She is approx 8 yrs old, a female Malamute or Malamute mix and about 125 lbs. She has been outside for the last month or so, but with access to the garage, and in the last week has started whining often, then she seemed to have a fever (dry warm nose) and now had a discharge from her eyes. In the last day that discharge has become thicker and yellow/greenish and she has suddenly had a hard time walking and getting up and down, which seems to be getting worse. She whines very often and has lost some weight I think. I plan on taking her to the vet on Monday as soon as I get home (I have to be out of town for work until then) but am worried that she will worsen over then next day and a half. Do you have any idea what could be affecting her? My daughter is home with her now and I'd like to be able to tell her something she can do to make Maya more comfortable. Please Help!

[pitgrrl]

Sounds like an infection of some sort. Could your daughter bring her to a vet sooner than Monday? Take her temp. to see if she does, in fact, have a fever? Has the dog now been brought inside?

Honestly, if the dog has gotten to the point where she's having problems getting up and moving around, it's clearly an issue which needs attention immediately.

In the longer term, perhaps sorting out the behavioral issues so that the dog can return to the type of life it was accustomed to would be a better solution than leaving her outside.

[Karin]

I agree. She needs to be seen pronto.

[clm]

I would say a vet visit should have been first order of business when the housebreaking issues started at 8 years of age. Definately a sign that something medical is likely wrong. Don't wait, get her to a vet asap. Turning an 8 year old inside dog into an outside dog is going to create all kinds of issues of it's own.

Cindy

[Chaser]

If she is spayed and the "housebreaking problems" were leaking urine, she may have spay incontinence. This is easily fixed with a hormone pill that costs approx. $0.75-1.50/week (depending on the dosage needed - but it is generally inexpensive).

Leaving your dog outside has risked her health and will now likely result in a much larger vet bill. She sounds quite ill - please see a vet ASAP.

Please ensure she remains hydrated. If she doesn't want to drink, try giving her ice cubes. If she is off her food, try tempting her with a high quality wet food (Wellness, Innova EVO, Nature's Variety) or some plain cooked chicken and rice. And please bring her back inside where she will be more comfortable!

[chico2]

I am a bit ignorant about dogs,but putting a dog outside to face solitude and the cold weather at 8yrs of age,is cruel.
If she has a touch of arthritis it will only make matters worse,her problems with doing her business inside,is more than likely a cureable medical problem,not a behavior one,please take her inside.even if you have to keep her in one room only.

[hazelrunpack]

Did you have her looked over by the vet when she began having problems in the house? She may have an ongoing problem that is now worsening.

Is she still eating and drinking normally? How about eliminating? Do you give her any supplements? (If she has a touch of arthritis, some chondroitin/glucosamine supplements might do her a world of good )

I hope you allow her back in the house at least till she sees a vet, especially since it's beginning to get cold. If she's ill, she needs to be warm and watched.

for a quick recovery for your girl. I hope the vet finds something that he can treat easily.

[erykah1310]

With "access" to the garbage are you meaning she has been eating it?
There are plenty of foods that we eat that are quite poisionous to dogs.
Just another thing that could be adding to the potentially already existing problem

[hazelrunpack]

Originally Posted by erykah1310

With "access" to the garbage are you meaning she has been eating it?

I read it that way the first time, too, Erykah...but it's access to the 'garage', not to 'garbage'. I think she has a dog door or some way to get into the garage to get out of the weather.

[DoubleRR]

Access to the garage, for shelter--not the garbage.

oops, sorry we posted at the same time

[erykah1310]

Ahh, that makes sense!
*off to administer more coffee now*

[hazelrunpack]

Originally Posted by erykah1310

*off to administer more coffee now*

Now that sounds like an excellent idea! I think I'm gonna go warm some up

[Dog Dancer]

I agree that if she started having house issues at 8 she should have been seen by a vet immediately. She may have a Urinary Tract Infection that could be causing her great discomfort (could be why she has trouble getting up and down, it's very painful - my lab couldn't climb the stairs which was the first sign she was in discomfort and off to the vet - same day relief with meds). If she is spayed (gosh I hope she is) then it could be spay incontinence as mentioned earlier by Chases Mom. MyAkita X has that and takes Stilbestrol once a week to keep it in control. It's very cheap and effective. A friend of mine was going to put her Rotti down at 10 years old because she started leaking and I was horrified. I told her to take her to the vet and check for a UTA and/or spay incontinence. She's now two years later still going strong taking her pills for incontinence and my friend is horrified that she almost killed her dog for this!! Good luck with your dog, a vet trip is definitely in order. Plus her heart is probably broken being separated from her family. How sad for her.:sad:

[chico2]

I just checked the op's location and I believe Ca,stands for California,so I suppose cold is not an issue,but I still believe putting her outside is very sad and probably upsetting for her:sad:which will no doubt worsen any condition she has.