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I have an 8 year old GSD. Long story short: an animal dermatologist is pretty sure he has allergic vasculitis.
Symptoms:
-Yeast/bacterial issues with skin (lots of licking, odor, grossness)
-Swelling in legs (possibly elsewhere but always noticeable in legs)
-Spikes fevers
More recent symptoms
-Eating dirt, big time. Not sure if it’s related to condition or what.
– Noticeable weight loss while we were away for ~2 weeks. Thought other dog stole his food when caregivers weren’t watching. Now thinking its from eating dirt. ?
We have ruled out food as the source of allergy problems. The vet seemed certain that it’s a local/environmental allergy as we lived in the area almost 3 years before this started. Also, he’s always seemed to have dry, itchy skin.
He gets relief for 2-3 weeks depending on meds. Hes been put on antibiotics, anti fungal, and a steroid. Two weeks on meds brings 2-3 weeks relief. Then we are back to itching, licking, odor, swelling, etc.
We did not take him back for allergy testing after the vasculitis diagnosis. It was just too costly at that time. I am hoping to get him into his usual vet very soon for his regular checkup but I really want him out back on medication.
Please tell me someone else had experience with this issue or something similar with their pup!
Hiya, my 6 year old German Shepherd has been limping oddly since last Wednesday but doesn’t seem to be upset or anything by it. She is really happy and still playing etc which is weird as normally if she hurts herself she acts like she is dying! But occasionally, especially when she has layed down for a while she can split her legs ever so slightly. She can still jump on the sofas etc too.
Have you tried putting her on crate rest for 24-48 hours to see if the limp will resolve on its own? Allowing her to continue behaving normally is preventing it from healing and may be making it worse.
Crate rest means in the crate for the duration, and all potty breaks are on leash. Out to toilet, then back inside…no walks, no play.
my dog got desexed only 4 days ago but he had a sudden change in his behaviour. He is currently barking all night (which he never used to do), and finding more things to ruin and chew up during the day. is this normal?
Desexing *can* cause behavior changes, but I’d be willing to bet he’s bored. Is he crate trained?
what do you mean by crate trained?
I mean does he have a crate for his own personal space? This is the easiest, safest way to keep a dog in your home. It ensures your dog is safe from chewing and it ensures your house is safe from his chewing.
Crate him when you can’t supervise him. Work on training. Reinforce obedience until he’s 100% reliable, then work on fun training like nosework.
My puppy went on a short, hot hike yesterday. Today he is very lethargic and lays or sits down every chance he gets. There is no vomit, diarrhea, discolored tongue/gums, and he is eating and drinking. Should I worry about the lethargy?
Yes, I would worry – give your vet a call, explain your concerns and see if they can get you in to see the doctor for a few moments.
Thanks. I did call my vet, but based on the normalcy of everything else he wasn’t concerned and figured he was exhausted from the hike. Better safe than sorry!
It is good that you had the conversation – you are right about safe/sorry!
Someone left their jack russell terrier (Jaz) on my street two days ago and I took her in. I currently have a 5 year old pitbull mixed with a chihuaha(Taco) taco is little bit bigger than Jaz. Every time Jaz sees taco Jaz snaps and growls at her. We give them both attention I don’t think it’s a dominance or jealousy issue because taco doesn’t fight back, Jaz would wait for taco to be vulnerable and then try and bite her. For example today we took them both walking both were fine and we both went inside and taco looks at me not paying attention to Jaz and then jaz tried to bite Tacos leg. Taco stays with me and i have jaz in a room she listens good with everything. she doesnt leave her room even if we leave the door open and she doesnt have a leash on. She just cant be around taco. I’m not sure what to do or what’s wrong, we want to train Jaz so she can be part of our family. Any suggestions?
You need to go back to square one. Put Jaz in a room where Taco can not see Jaz. This could be a guest bathroom, or mud room, etc. You want a closed door between the 2 dogs for the next 3-4 days. Give each dog their own time with you – but separately. This allows each dog to become familiar with the smell of the other dog. They get to know each other this way – but without any confrontation.
Thank you! They are both female. Taco is spayed and Jaz is not we are taking her to the vet soon to get her spayed.
Her symptoms were panting,warm nose,left side abdominal pain,very unsettled and crouching like she needs to poop all the time.
Now shes stopped panting,nose still a bit warm and green vaginal discharge.
She is still eating and drinking as normal.No sickness
Is she spayed? If not, I worry about a very serious health problem, pyometra…
Either way, I’d get her back to the vet NOW.
Did they give her any medication or say she needs surgery? If she’s not in medication, I would take her back to the vet ASAP or at least call them.
She was spayed when she was 2.
The vet gave her a jab and said keep her away from tit bits and fatty foods.
I just feel helpless as i can see shes not feeling well, she is still eating and drinking as normal but looks under the weather.
I put my trust in my vet but feel let down.I always try to stick to the same vet in the practice (like i do at the doctors for myself).But because i rushed her over i got a different vet from the practice.She said shes a bit over weight (which i know as she is like a dyson hoover) but has lovely teeth and a great condition coat for her age.
Tbh its the discharge thats confusing me.
She went to step of the sofa tonight and her bk legs gave way
The discharge just started today, right? That would have me WORRIED and I’d have rushed her back in to the vet today about it.
And it’s always good to keep your dog at a proper weight. Please don’t make excuses, saying she’s a hoover. Provided she doesn’t have an issue like Cushing’s or hypothyroid, YOU control her weight – put raw green beans in her food while feeding her less of a good quality food. The green beans help to make her belly full without giving her added calories. Expect them to come out the other end mostly whole.
My female dog just had a puppy 3 days ago and this morning while trying to drink milk he won’t stop whining. Does that mean there’s nomore milk?
I would call YOUR vet about this, as they may want you to bring him/them in.
It is very unusual for dogs to only have 1 pup but it happens. A crying pup signifies something is wrong, very wrong. You need to call your vet or an emergency vet this is a true emergency! Good luck!
Sorry if this seems to ramble. I just have a lot on my mind.
He has already broken and melted my heart. I am a teacher and will actually be off work for the next 6 weeks to train, play, and “mother” the little guy. I think I have convinced my mother to watch him for the first couple of months when school starts to help him settle in because he is so young. Our best guess is that he is a lab mix. He will probably be medium to large in size.
I know that socialization is so important for a pup of this age. What can I do to help him?
I keep crying and my anxiety about the next 6 months is very high. My worries make it hard to sleep even when the little guy is sleeping. I’m so sad for him and I just want to make sure that he is a happy, healthy puppy. The shelters around here are overwhelmed and I refuse to leave the little guy. Euthanasia rates are pretty high.
He will eventually be an indoor/outdoor dog. I won’t be comfortable with this, though, until he is older. That is why I’m going to pay my mom to watch him. I will be gone from 7-3:30 and my man works from 7:30-5. On days with inclement weather, my fella would be able to come home and let him in or out. We have a large fenced in back yard with plenty of shady areas. I live in a rural area with very kind neighbors so I am not worried about anyone messing with him. I live in East Tennessee where there is rarely an extreme temperature; however, I’m also looking into adding a doggie door, too.
Here is what I have done so far:
(1) He has a lifestyle crate (with the partition to make it smaller for now) that is attached to a large playpen in our kitchen. He sleeps in this crate at night. I’ve been sleeping on a couch next to it at night to take him out when he wakes. This is generally every 2 hrs.
(2) I’ve taken him to the vet. They dewormed him and gave him a flea treatment that is appropriate for a little guy under 5Lbs.
(3) I take him out to potty every time he wakes up from sleeping. He has only had 3 accidents in 3.5 days. I clean up his mess well so as not to leave a smell and take him out anyway. I DO NOT scold such a young pup but rather just take him out and set him in the grass each time.
What can I do to ensure this little guy has a great adolescence? Especially considering he is off to a rough start?
It will probably take a little while to potty train him because he is so young. To socialize him you can take him on walks and play with him and get him toys to play with. Puppies are resiliant so even though he has had a rough start just give him a loving home and play with him and make sure he is happy and he will be fine into adolescence. I hope you and your new puppy the best!
Don’t worry about what happened to him. Think about how lucky he is to have a caring human now who is taking great care of him. Socialization is important. Make sure to introduce him to lots of people when he is old enough to go on nice walks. Also dog parks or other dogs that you know, should be a great way to introduce him to other dogs. Your vet should have a ton of info to share with you. Best of luck!!
Thanks for the encouragement! I had a torturous few day where I didn’t know if I should keep him or take him to the shelter. Many people on the internet acted like it was inhumane to have a dog if you couldn’t keep him indoors 24/7 and be with him most of the time; however, the lady at the shelter showed me all the cute pups there and told me that many don’t make it out. I refuse to give up on him! I’m not rich and I don’t have the resources to put him in a daycare every day but I do have a very comfortable and large home with a privacy fence. I have lots of love in my heart and no children, as well.
I plan to use the next 6 weeks to get him into the routine of our household. My mother won’t be able to help out because she takes care of my grandmother but my man is gonna arrange to drive 40 minutes here and 40 minutes back on his lunch to check on little man.
We are looking at collar activated doggie doors currently but he will be too young for that at first. I found a really cool solar paneled fan that can attach to a doghouse and “heated flooring” options for winter. I can’t believe this stuff exists! Who knew a dog could have a climate controlled doghouse?!?
Again, I really appreciate the supportive comments while I was panicking about what to do. 🙂
I’m trying to figure out what breed my dog is?I’ve been told he is a pitsky but I’m not sure, any information may help thank you
He does kind of have a bully-type head. But I am really not good at guessing breeds.
Looks like a mix to me. Does he talk a lot? Is he stubborn? Is he totally devoted to you, or is he aloof?
For $70 you may be able to get a better answer than we can provide looking at a photo. Mars Wisdom Panel is a DNA test that I have found to give very good information on my own dogs, and dogs I have fostered. But, the more mix your dog is, the less satisfying the results of the test. I get mine from Amazon – look for the 2.5 or 3.0 version, they are the newest and give more info than earlier versions.
I have tested 5 dogs so far, and have been delighted with the results.
Please help!
I have a 3 week old kitten whos mother died so she has been bottle fed , she recently starting drinking out of a bowl and when she ran out of milk i went to get more, she normally has raw goats milk but i couldnt find any anywhere so i went to pets at home and got some kitten milk instead , whilst i was there the vet suggested trying to get her to start eating food, so i got some wet food and put a small amount in her bowl and mixed it with milk, she loved it! But now she has horrible diorreha. I have taken the food away and just left the kitten milk , but im worried 🙁
Thank you! I’m actually relieved that you’ve seen cases like this.
We will be getting him to the vet soon. I will try to remember to update when we do.