The Dog Pic Thread

[MountainMonster]

I hope your Pupper feels better soon..

 

[Monique]

Ugh, I hate to have derailed this fun thread. A couple of people have PM'd me for updates.

Things are still pretty dire. Cooper can barely eat, and he pukes every evening. It's a fine line to try to take advantage of the rare times he has a bit of appetite while not over feeding him and undoing the progress. (I've heard pretty much every idea for feeding him, and yes, I've tried it. Baby food, food processing meat, broth, cereal, tiny treats, peanut butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, rice, pumpkin, even pumpkin bread (the one thing he's begged for, but then in later days he has no interest whatsoever). Banana, his favorite food, no dice.) It comes down to: sometimes he'll eat, sometimes he won't, and it seems like the amounts need to be so small that they barely count as food. One 4 calorie treat. Licking out the very dregs of a yogurt cup (but put a tablespoon of yogurt in front of him, and he turns away). A tablespoon of meat slurry.

We don't actually know what it is. Symptoms are consistent with Lepto, but as my vet pointed out, the symptoms are all over the map and could really be a million things. We're just treating for Lepto because if it isn't, lack of treatment would guarantee death. Should get his Lepto tests back early next week. If that doesn't help, it will be an abdominal ultrasound.

If it were just me, I'd be in total despair (actually, worse: cycles of hope when he starts feeling better in the evening, then despair when he pukes up his dinner). Fortunately, I keep detailed notes of how he's doing. Then our vet and I discuss the details over the phone, she records them and compares to what's been going on. She assures me that we've seen improvements since Monday. Namely, he is showing interest in food, even if he won't eat much and often vomits it up. His fever is down. He is not as lethargic (not saying much). Perhaps the minor improvement is due to the antibiotics. She assures me that dogs and humans can survive for a while without eating, and at least he's getting some peanut butter when I force him to take his pills through clenched jaws. That seems to stay down most of the time. But he's so skinny. I can see and feel bones on him that never showed before. It scares me. Then this morning I saw him trotting through the snow, making his "morning rounds" around the perimeter of the yard.

He's also eating snow almost compulsively. It seems like it might be some sort of nausea relief, as he often does it after he smells food.

I wish I had a better update, but for now I'm just hanging in there, and I'm glad I'm in a position where I can be home most of the day and try to give him food here and there.

 

[Bad Bob]

Ugh, I hate to have derailed this fun thread. A couple of people have PM'd me for updates.

@Monique, This tread is all about the love of dogs. We want to know, and if it makes you feel any better bonus points.

 

[Tricia]

Please keep Cooper in your thoughts, guys. He wouldn't eat this weekend. That's a first. Not even high value treats. He's lost two pounds in the last 14 days, and he'd already been losing weight and muscle mass gradually. He's been lethargic the last few days and generally ... not good. He's at the vet's all day today for tests and observation. I'm supposed to pick him up in two hours, and I assume X Rays didn't show anything, or I probably would have gotten a call. Bloodwork should come back tomorrow ... We're hoping to just get some definitive diagnosis, whether it's good or bad news. Definitely one of those times when I wish dogs could talk!

Thanks!

His blood work was, in the vet's words, frustrating. Her hunch, which her consultant on the blood work also independently suggested, was Lepto, despite him being regularly vaccinated. There was also the thought of a tick borne illness, but he hasn't had any ticks this year or ... I'm not sure if I ever remember him having ticks or fleas.

We're getting more tests done, but in the meantime he started antibiotics last night. This morning, his temperature was back to canine normal and he did eat the big glob of peanut butter hiding his pills, and maybe half his breakfast (which itself was partly kibble but largely bits of cheese, liver, and treats). He also has been more alert. Though I'm not sure what happened - he stopped half way through the dog door and didn't seem to want to lift his rear legs to come back inside. Problematic when it's 6* F outside. I coaxed him in. Hoping his feet were just really cold.

I bought yet another type of treat, and of the four in the house, he seems to be willing to eat two or three at a time. They're only four calories each, but that's something at least. American cheese also seems to be tempting.

I forgot to buy more beef heart last night, but we did buy some chicken breast that I hope will tempt him tonight.

Thanks, all. Here's a picture of Cooper. I'm still very worried. I screwed up last night. I've been leaving the dog door available, but it turns out Cooper is happy to go out, but then balks at coming in. He's never scratched the door or anything useful when he wants to come in; he just sits there silently. So my dog who has a fever was stuck outside for probably half an hour in very low temperatures, in the snow, until I realized he was out there. I was busy cooking chicken for him at the time ... then I fed him some treats that he was willing to keep eating, so I scattered a few more and a few more and gave him some cheese even past when he was kinda like "ehh mom, I don't need any more" ... and yeah, he puked it all up, plus the peanut butter his antibiotics were stuffed into =/ they were dissolved, but I don't know if any got into his system.

He's so skinny =/ And when he goes outside even just to potty, he shivers for minutes afterwards. That's never been the case. And when I put a blanket on him, he puts up with it.

So, no more dog door for now. They get a door(wo)man.

This morning, he didn't want to eat his antibiotics stuffed in peanut butter. I pried his jaws open and shoved the peanut butter in, and he did eat it from there. Felt awful, but I had to get them in him. Then for breakfast, I just gave him a few chunks of chicken breast and broth, which he did eat.

Yesterday afternoon, we made a lot of pumpkin bread and muffins (perfecting recipes for the restaurant), and he was very excited about that, so I hope he got all of those calories into his system before he puked. That was the first time I saw him actually excited for food and even begging. But this morning, he was eh about it.

View attachment 83429

Just catching up with this now. Give Cooper some love from us.

 

[LiquidFeet]

@Monique, here's hoping for recovery with fingers crossed.

 

[Monique]

@Monique, This tread is all about the love of dogs. We want to know, and if it makes you feel any better bonus points.

Just catching up with this now. Give Cooper some love from us.

@Monique, here's hoping for recovery with fingers crossed.

Thank you all.

 

[Monique]

Today, I've been feeding Cooper a couple of tablespoons of something every half an hour. Chicken/liver slurry or cottage cheese. It's been so successful that I'm stopping for a bit - he's eaten more today than he has for almost a week, and I don't want to undo the benefit of him actually eating.

Of course, a 30 minute timer on my watch isn't good for getting anything else done, but if it helps, I'll do it.

 

[Coach13]

Today, I've been feeding Cooper a couple of tablespoons of something every half an hour. Chicken/liver slurry or cottage cheese. It's been so successful that I'm stopping for a bit - he's eaten more today than he has for almost a week, and I don't want to undo the benefit of him actually eating.

Of course, a 30 minute timer on my watch isn't good for getting anything else done, but if it helps, I'll do it.

Prayers for you and your pup! I know this is stressful for you and terrifying for him as well.

 

[VickieH]

You're doing everything you can, @Monique, to support Cooper's recovery.

In my adult life, I've had 2 dogs. Each went through an episode similar to Cooper's. Sometimes it seems you almost need an advanced wizard degree to figure out what those symptoms mean.

Sounds like he had a good day, being willing and able to eat a little every half hour. Fingers crossed that he has turned a corner.

 

[Monique]

Sounds like he had a good day, being willing and able to eat a little every half hour. Fingers crossed that he has turned a corner.

He does seem to have a little more energy, and he has more appetite. He didn't throw up last night (phew). I also tried some canned meats rather than my own special blends, and it turns out he is very enthusiastic about those. I was thinking the strong smells would turn him off, but no. Of course, I have no idea how all three of these interact. Maybe he wouldn't have cared for the canned chicken and tuna earlier. Maybe if I'd started feeding him tiny frequent meals earlier rather than trying to feed him on a normal cycle, he would have done better? He's still shivering like crazy sometimes, and I can't tell if he's cold or if it's neurological.

Fingers and toes crossed that we get the Lepto test results back tomorrow, so that we know if that's what we're dealing with. (Although I gather even that could be a little unclear, sigh.)

 

[LiquidFeet]

Here's a probably totally useless question. Is there any sign that Cooper might have a broken bone hiding somewhere inside his body that hurts? Shivering may mean pain. What do you think? Did the vet get this possibility eliminated?

 

[Monique]

Here's a probably totally useless question. Is there any sign that Cooper might have a broken bone hiding somewhere inside his body that hurts? Shivering may mean pain. What do you think? Did the vet get this possibility eliminated?

Hmm. Shivering could mean pain, but I don't think that's it. Both the vet and I palpated a goof bit - he doesn't have any tenderness.

But! Happy day! He seems to be doing a lot better. More energy, a lot more interest in food, though still not eating a lot at a time. And he finally drank water - a lot of it - rather than just eating snow. He even begged for my polenta sticks, which of course I shared (a little bit). I wasn't home for a good chunk of the day, so he didn't get as much food overall as I'd have liked, but he seems like he's doing a lot better. It seems likely the antibiotics are doing their job. It's my birthday - I started the day despondent, but maybe I got the best present of all!

 

[LiquidFeet]

Happy Birthday!

 

[Monique]

Coopter's Lepto titer test came back. Annoyingly inconclusive. He of course has some titers because of vaccination. One was a lot higher than the others, but still lower than what would be considered a definitive answer. So more antibiotics, more Pepsid, more blood work.

He is acting a lot more like himself these days, though a very low energy version of himself.

 

[Josh Matta]

Caraway earning her keep, not that she needs to earn it!

 

[Monique]

Cooper Update:

Cooper had a weigh in this morning. He's 48 pounds. A week ago, 52. Two weeks before that, 54. A month before that, 56. He was an appropriate weight back then. We still don't know what is going on. We're "hoping" the big number on his next Lepto test is 4x last week's, in which case we'll know it's Lepto. Otherwise ... Well, I don't know. He's fighting me on taking the antibiotics (can't blame him), so we were both covered in peanut butter this morning. It's hard to guess what he'll eat, but when he does, it's a bite or two and then done. I'm up and down. He still has a little bit of body fat, and the vet says his weight loss isn't as bad as it could be. But this is rough.

 

[Coach13]

^^^Hang in there!

 

[VickieH]

Do they have liquid antibiotics for dogs?

 

[Monique]

Do they have liquid antibiotics for dogs?

OMG. I am now picturing what I would have looked like this morning if Cooper had been able to spit it as a liquid! As it was, my shirt was covered in peanut butter.


Update: Cooper is currently very excited about bananas and french fries. I swear he just ate a whole banana (in small pieces), and a half banana earlier today. He has always loved bananas, but wouldn't eat them a couple of days ago. I wonder what that's going to do to his system, but for now I'm cheering at how much banana he ate.

 

[VickieH]

OMG. I am now picturing what I would have looked like this morning if Cooper had been able to spit it as a liquid!

The image I had -- though the one you conjured up was far better! -- was using a syringe to administer the liquid inside the cheek so it just flows down the throat. It would still have to taste good. And dogs can voluntarily throw up, so you should make sure it matches your flooring!