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I have a 2 year old pug that has started acting strange since Monday the day he went to get his anal glands expressed. Hey has stopped welping at the table when we eat , he has also stopped eating his canned food and only eats his kibble at night, and he has stopped snoring at night like he used to. The thing I’m most worried about is that he has lost two whiskers this month.
16 month old female husky (40 pounds) had a double patellar luxation surgery on 6/30. Grade 4 in both knees, severe muscle wasting and arthritis. The surgery was more complex than anticipated and involved the addition of rod placement. First couple of days fairly uncomplicated except that she would urinate in her kennel while asleep despite attempts at potty breaks.
She has now developed two huge seromas, one on each knee. She’s walking well, eating and drinking well. If anything she’s so close to her normal self. She’s still on gabapentin, trazodone and rimadyl.
The seroma on the left “burst” between sutures on Sunday despite the meds and confinement. It has continued to “burst” and release a LOT of serous fluid EVERY day since (today is day 4 of this).
She’s been back to the vet twice for this.
They said to:
Keep the meds
Stop passive ROM
Confine and keep down as much as possible
Warm compresses 3 times a day
They want to push back suture removal and have assured me that this will eventually stop. And if it continues for the next few days then we may consider other options.
She is walking around, standing up and turning around in her kennel despite the meds and obviously needs short walks to go pee/poop. These things cause the ruptures.
I am beyond frustrated and worried.
Does this care plan seem reasonable?
Does heat actually help? She’s so squirmy when I come near her kennel that it hardly seems worth it.
Any advice? Thank you!
My daughter’s beautiful 5 year old pitbull died suddenly last night. He was current with shots and vet visits, bloodwork, etc. and had no known health issues. My son in law had played frisbee with him. He did not exhibit any signs of heat exhaustion. Drank a lot of water when he came inside and was fine while my son in law took a shower. He fed him after his shower and he cried out while eating, seized a bit, collapsed and died. Son in law checked for airway obstruction and did several compressions on his chest, but he did not recover. They are heartbroken. How does this happen?
Hello,
I’m so sorry about your dog. All of the same issues that can happen with people can happen with dogs. Heart attack, aneurysm, blood clot, hypoglycemia, heat stroke or hyperthermia, etc etc. It is possibly o do a necropsy (animal version of autopsy to try to ie the cause of death). Please call your local ER or vet for more information on where this might be available. I’m sorry for your loss.
Thanks, Dr. Mag.
I am so sorry for you all. Heartbreaking. I would see about a necropsy to possibly find out what happens. I truly am so sorry.
I just recently changed my 14 month old cat’s dry food but she hasn’t been eating as she used to. Then yesterday i saw there was smear in her bottom and it was brownish orangy i was not sure if there’s blood. Her poops are formed and brown though as usual. This morning poop is the same. But this afternoon she was on my lap and checked her bottom and a small dot of water came out. I wonder if she has diarrhea. She’s been having brownish discharge for about two weeks now too. Also, she’s been shedding since two months ago not sure if thats normal when cat age. What could be wrong? She doesn’t look sick.
Good morning???? Is your cat spayed? It could possibly be related to the change in food, but if she isn’t spayed it could be something more than diet. Either way- I think I would collect a stool sample and get an appointment with the vet to be safe. I would let the vet know the dietary changes recently. If your cat is not spayed, please consider it. Have a great day????????
Yes she is spayed. I was wondering if this is normal in transitioning to a different food brand (couldnt find the one shes used to so i bought a different brand-i feed her grain free). As a younger cat she wasn’t as picky. Also she’s indoors only no other cats.
If the diet change wasn’t gradual, I would assume she’s having a hard time with it. Cats aren’t as flexible as dogs when it comes to food and changes really need to be gradual.
She was not picky before that’s why i didn’t expect this. I did mix the food though it’s just that i have less of the old food because I couldn’t find it anywhere in store and online so it took time to buy food and was forced to buy a different one :-/
My pug just threw up and I am worried but the the clinic next to me is closed till Monday will he be okay he is also chasing his tail a lot but he has been eating and playing I am starting to worry I called his doctor and she said to wait till Monday because they are closed she also said it might be his anal glands but why is he vomiting
He has never been sick this is very unusual he is up to date with his heart hard and vaccines
Good morning
If your dog continues vomiting, you may want to get him to a vet ER. If he is eating and drinking normally and doesn’t seem to be lethargic- he is probably fine.
You asked this question 3 days ago, as well. I think I’d call the vet today and ask their opinion since he’s vomited twice now.
Hello thank you very much I took him today in the morning and they told us to change his food and it is an allergic reaction they also told us that many dogs are getting sick and it might be a virus going around
Hello I have a pug and he is about to turn 2 he woke up this morning and threw up twice he is also chasing his tail a lot it’s the first time he does this other than that he is eating and playing he is drinking water and acting like a normal dog it’s just that problem should I worry?
Hello,
I’m sorry but there isn’t enough pertinent medical information for anyone to answer this. It doesn’t sound like an emergency but I would call your regular vet and ask for a check up. Just to be safe. Ask for the anal sacs to be checked. If the vomiting persists for to the vet ASAP
Thank you do you think it can be that he has parasites?
If you aren’t on a preventative and you aren’t submitting fecals every year then yes. It’s possible. But do not buy an otc without taking to your vet first.
My lab will be 11 in June. He was diagnosed with diabetes 4 years ago. We’ve never been able to regulate his insulin and have tried both human and dog insulin. He’s currently taking 31 units of vetsulin 2 times a day and has been for over a year. No matter what dose/medicine brand we try, his blood sugar is still really high (between 250-400)! Recently, he’s been throwing up a few times a week after eating or drinking. The vomit is white and clear and looks like its mostly slobber with only a very small amount of food. What’s causing this?
Hello,
I have had a few cases like this. Here’s what I do; I talk about diet, exercise and make sure everything is very consistent. I also check and recheck bloodwork. Diabetes can cause concurrent illness and this needs to be monitored very closely. I also refer to an internal medicine specialist when I feel stumped. I know it’s not what people want to hear but ask your vet to run a full bloodwork with urinalysis (and maybe even a urine culture) and then ask to be referred to a specialist. They can help. With the immediate vomiting your vet can help. Vomiting can mess up the insulin so make sure you are monitoring the blood sugar closely. Good luck! I hope this helps. Let us know what happens.
My dog Sampson is a 15 year old boxer/pittie mix(50 pounds). Has had diabetes for 7 years. Been on arthritis pain meds the last year.. Has become very sluggish the past 2-3 weeks. Vet diagnosed him with a early stage heart murmur and slight anemia. Changed his arthritis pain meds to Gabapentin. It made him so drowsy that he fell asleep while eating. Became unable to walk without assistance. We weaned him off the Gabapentin and back on the old pain meds. His walking has improved a little but still is wobbly. Yesterday he refused to eat, which is highly unusual for him. Still drinking, but not eating today. He sleeps a lot but also has 30-60 minute spells of restless/repetitive behavior. I’m thinking he may have dementia. Any suggestions on how to help him?
Hello,
This is largely a diagnosis of exclusion. I would call your vet back. Go over everything and repeat the blood work, cheat radiographs and discuss a cardiologist. There are too many things going on with your pup for me to say with any kind of degree of confidence to add that diagnosis to the list. All of the conditions you speak of can cause mental depression. So I would start over and ask for a referral to both an internal medicine specialist and even a catdiologist. I have a lot of information on my blog about cognitive dysfunction and there are lots of things you can do at home to help. But don’t over look previous issues before jumping into a new condition. To find the information on cognitive dysfunction please go to kmdvm.blogspot.com and in the search bar type cognitive dysfunction. I hope this helps.
Your dog needs a cardiologist, stat.
Hi! We are patient at a vet a closer to Parkville but I follow your facebook page and enjoy all of your tips, videos, etc. Our diabetic cat, Zepp, has been acting strange the past 24 hours. Extreme weakness in his back legs. We have an IV from a previous event when he had kidney stones. We have been giving him fluids and he has been eating/drinking water when we place him near it, but he is very wobbly and sometimes his back legs give out completely. We have an appointment with our vet first thing Tuesday morning but was curious as to if you had any tips or insights until then. At first, I honestly thought it was the kidney stones again, but he did not have the extreme, back leg weakness with the kidneys stones. Therefore, leading me to think, it may be more his sugar levels. We do have an at home testing kit but since we just gave him the IV, we want to wait a little bit before we poke and prod. I also left a message via Facebook, so no need to respond to both 🙂
Hello,
Based on the history you provide I strongly suggest you go to a vet immediately. The blood sugar needs to be checked and a full assessment done. I think Tuesday is too far away for me to feel comfortable with any advice in the interim. If it helps my clinic is open at 1 for walk ins. Must arrive by 2 to get the work up started. And I need to add that we are not an Er so we cannot hospitalize. Also ask about buying and learning how to use an in home blood glucose monitor. Or even a freestyle Libre.
Ok, thank you so much. We will see you shortly.
Hello,
It was very nice meeting you all today I’m so glad you brought him in. With all diabetics if there is anything abnormal it is imperative to get a blood sugar level. It is my hope that all diabetics will be given help In being able to check the blood sugar at home. For today Zepp was very low. So we are stopping the insulin for a few days and rechecking them after the holidays. We also sent out a full blood work panel
Please email me if you need anything. Thank you for the question and coming to visit us today.
Krista
Hi! Penny and Sampson are patients. They are currently eating raw dog food. I want to switch them to one like The Farmers Dog. I know how to handle it with kibble. Would it be the same from raw to cooked or is the transitioning different?
Hello!
I am happy to help as their veterinarian but I am not a nutritionist so these questions make me a little uneasy. First I have to admit that I am not a raw food fan. There are a lot of studies about how dangerous it can be and how high the contaminated samples are often found to be in these studies. I get so much flack for this opinion, but it is sincerely based on science. As far as switching to the new food I also have to admit that I am not familiar with them so I cannot advocate for that food either. If you are comfortable with the food change, it isn’t a raw food, and, it isn’t grain free (cardio concerns with them), then the advice about how to transition is often as follows;
Do a very gradual transition. Ideally 1/4 new with 3/4 old for a few days (maybe 3-5), then 1/2 and 1/2 for the same period and then 3/4 new with 1/4 old for the last 3-5 days. This is done to help slowly transition the gi system and not overwhelm it with a sudden change that might cause vomiting, diarrhea or even pancreatitis.
I hope this helps.
Take care. Ty for the question.
I don’t know what food is best. One site says, kibble is over processed and has very little nutritional value because of the high heat used. Then there is organic and non gmo but dehydrated or freeze dried keeps more nutrients but I can’t find a dehydrated food that is also organic. They (mainly Sampson) did not do well on any of the kibbles and both gained weight even on the prescription diet food. I would cook for them but I’m afraid I wouldn’t give them all the nutrients they need. I tried to find a nutritionist on line but no success. I welcome any suggestions you may have. Who knew finding good nutritional options for your pet would be this difficult. Just want them healthy and to live a long like.
Thank you!!!
My question is should I be worried
Hello,
If a client calls me with concerns like this I always tell then to listen to their concerns. You know your pet better than anyone else and you are their only advocate. Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?