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Yesterday I noticed she has an inflamed vulva, and today there is brown discharge from her urethra. She is normally fairly mellow with bursts of energy (she is a 9 month old pup after all), but today she has slept all day and barely left the couch. She feels warm, but I do not have a thermometer specifically for her so I can’t determine if she has a fever.
I’m not sure if this is related, but yesterday morning and the night before she threw up after meals. She was eating faster than usual because we were visiting a home with another dog, so she wanted to finish eating so they could play. I suspected that was the cause, but I don’t want to leave it out just in case.
There are no emergency veterinarians in or near the small town I live in so I’m very anxious if something is wrong!
She delivered them in a flower pot in our garden, and I have no idea what to do! The kittens are lying there crying for milk, but the mother will not even look at them. It’s horrifying, and I am truly at a loss. We have a dog, Buddy, and he’s a bit too playful to be gentle enough around new-born kittens, so I’m trying my best to keep him away from them for now. If anyone has ANY suggestions at all, PLEASE let me know, I would truly appreciate it.
Normally, Cookie needs minimum of 3 hours of high activity (running through the bush, chasing critters, playing …) daily, otherwise she climbs the walls (pretty much literally). Ortho suggesting a month or more of rest. I voice that it is impossible unless Cookie sedated. (Because the more energy she stores up the more she’s likely to go crazy regardless of environment, confinement and situation. As I mention, literally bouncing off the walls. Plus the frustration and feeling unhappy that would come with that I’m sure does not facilitate healing either.
So we discussed it and ortho prescribed the Trazodone as effective and safe. What is your experience with this products? Side effects? Interestingly I specifically asked about side effects and was told there were none. However, when one looks it up there are side effects listed. Of course, side effects such as sedation are desirable. Others, such as vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, hyperactivity, panting, shaking and restlessness are NOT.
Ortho vet also said drug doesn’t not affect either kidneys or liver but infor says should be used with caution if liver, kidney or heart disease present. Cookie does not have those but if it doesn’t affect those organs, why the precaution?
I am not a fan of drugs but I feel that in order for Cookie to be able to undergo the period of restricted activity some chemical management to help her feel more aloof is necessary. Thoughts?
Thank you, would you? Because the other tranquilize options aren’t all that attractive either, particularly Acepromazine … *sigh
First do no harm, right? But I feel that without some chemical help she will be very miserable and a danger to herself …
Hi, I definitely understand your worry. I have personal experience with trazodone and it’s actually been extremely positive. I worked with a board certified veterinary surgeon who used it on pretty much all of his patients post-op if he was worried about activity level. For my dog, I’ve used it for anxiety in the car (as recommended by a board certified veterinary behaviorist). In my opinion it’s a lot better than other sedatives post-op because it really is fairly safe and also reduces anxiety (a lot better than something like Acepromazine). One of the main things you will read about is serotonin syndrome when it is used with other drugs. However, the surgeon I worked with used it with pain meds like tramadol, and just used the lower end of the dose range because he was aware of that risk (I’m sure if your vet uses it frequently they are as well). Most of side effects you listed, while I know they are concerning, are pretty easy to recognize and are side effects of many other medications too…and if you recognize them after starting, you can always just stop the medication. I think that the minor risks of this medication greatly out weigh the alternative risk of her high energy level after a orthopedic surgery, in order to prevent the risk of her needing a repeat surgery.
Since your baby is healthy and I’m sure they will be doing bloodwork pre-op, I don’t see any reason to be overly concerned about the organ adverse effects. My own dog had a history of acute renal injury after use of NSAIDs and is very sensitive to a lot of drugs (he’s MDR1 positive) and it was safe enough to use for him. It’s a medication that was actually developed for people with insomnia and is newer for use in vet-med but I don’t know of anyone who has experience with it that would say bad things. I think it’s great that you care so much to ask.
Thank you, Lindsey, I’m very happy to hear about such good experience(s)!
When I straighten my dogs front paw she cries out in pain and tries to keep me from touching her paw again. However when I was feeling her bones she had no reaction and I felt no difference when compared to the other paw. Sometimes she limps and other times she’s fine, even has the energy to chase after me and play. I’m really worried because she’s a small 2 year old 4 lb. Yorkshire Terrier and when she cries out in pain it sounds like she’s screaming.
Yes take her to a Vet….there is obviously something going on with her foot that needs investigating.
It sounds to me that she needs to see a vet, if nothing else, a vet could prescribe pain medicine to make your dog more comfortable.
Good Luck
Dr Dawn
Maltese. 10 pounds. ate an old chocolate brownie that is the size of a hand. acting fine, playing, barking, running, but panting and has a weird breathing pattern. but she is taking medication because she has Addison’s disease
what do I do?
can’t afford to take her to the vet
I called my vet and they said to bring her in but I can’t afford to
What’s the best way to stop a 1 1/2 year pit bull from playing to rough?
Hello, I have a year old large puppy and he has developed a limp from one of his back legs. I have read everything online about different causes and I have done a thorough examination of his leg. There seems to be nothing out of place, no swelling and he continues to run and play (he sure doesn’t seem depressed) and he doesn’t show any signs of pain at all….what could be the problem? The only thing I can even relate to what’s happening is that it might be pano, but I want to confirm before we change his diet. There is also no sort of thorns, cracks, or cuts except a small cut in between the left side of his toes and it’s not worth taking him to the vet for a small cut about 3 cm.
Hi Brittany,
Pets, just like people, have different tolerance levels for pain. The fact that he is limping indicates something is definitely not right. How long has the limping been going on? It is sometimes difficult to know if something is a small or a large problem without going to the vet. Finding an answer is definitely worth it :). I hope he gets better as I can tell you care about him very much!
Diedra
He’s only been limping for about 3 days, it seems like the limping has gotten a little better since the first day. He has broken his front toe before and was showing a lot of symptoms of pain (of course we took care of it) but that’s what I’ve been basing his pain tolerance on remembering how bad he was hurting before and he’s pretty much normal except for the limp.
UPDATE: took him to the vet today, for the past couple days before our appointment we’ve had him on bed rest and that helped alot. The limping got less severe and it seemed like he could put more weight down on that leg. The vet had said it could be a partailly torn ligament in his knee from the exam. X-rays at the beginning of next month and he’s currently on some doggy pain killers and inflammation drugs and two weeks bed rest! But he’s walking on it even better with the drugs even after one dose.
Last week he cried and it was bleeding underneath his nail on his back paw. We stopped the bleeding and he seemed to be ok besides favoring it a little and licking. We eased up on his physical activity for a few days and he seemed to go back to normal. Yesterday morning he started bleeding a little and won’t let me get close look at the paw and licks it more. He still loves to play and eats normally. Is it something that will heal on its own or should I take him in to see our vet?
that looks infected, he probably broke a nail under the skin and it has gotten infected. I would take him to the vet. You could soak his paw in warm water and epsom salts and it may help the pain some
Thanks so much! I’m waiting until my vet office opens to call.
My teacup Yorke is acting sick he lays around don’t want to jump doesn’t want to play. His back is humped up and his tail is tucked in
Hello Chevy…..the symptoms you describe, the arched back, not wanting to jump and lethargy show your Yorkie is in a lot of pain. He needs to see a Vet urgently. He could have a serious back injury, intestinal problem or numerous other things. Please take him straight to the Vet urgently, this could get worse quickly.
I hope hes alright….and good luck!
My 7 year old cat has the following symptoms: weight loss, brown eye discharge, and is lethargic. He still has a good appetite and can be coaxed to play.
has she gone into heat before? i’m not a vet, but a suddenly fluffy vulva (and THANK YOU for using the correct term!) and brownish discharge would make me think it’s a heat cycle.
She is spayed, and as far as I know she never had a heat cycle before the operation. Unfortunately I don’t know for sure because I adopted her from a rescue who spayed her before adoption. Thanks for the quick answer!
hmm. that was my only thought. it’s possible she’s dealing with a UTI. i’d get her in first thing tomorrow morning unless one of the resident vets pops in with another idea.
Thanks! 🙂 I was planning on it, just wanted to get a quicker opinion since she won’t be able to be seen until tomorrow morning at the earliest.
The vulva is an organ designed to clean its various anatomical structures by creating discharge. For this reason the discharge itself is not problematic it is the color and odor. The color and odor indicates the level of infection or presence of unhealthy microbes, UTI, Etc. I do not have a course of action to recommend, I believe a veterinarian’s diagnoses is required until you more fully understand what this type of discharge represents. Your dog’s temperature is great measure to the level of immune system activity and infection, so knowing your dog’s temperature now combined with the vet’s diagnoses will give a valuable benchmark for the next event. I would recommend becoming an expert in your dog’s temperature during the treatment process for future use. This type of ailment tends to reappear but at numerous levels of severity, being able to determine via temperature combined with the color and odor should assist you in future treatment decisions.
can you get hold of a nausea pill .,electrolytes and purbac antibiotics at a chemist