Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
My puppy has a lump on the right side of her face. My dog sitter pointed it out to me when I picked her up from daycare today. It is soft and tender to the touch. She does not like when I try and touch it and I am unable to look inside of her mouth. It seems like it is really bothering her. She is eating and drinking normally this evening, but created herself and seems like she is in pain. I made her a vet appointment for tomorrow afternoon but is this something I should be seeking more immediate attention for?
Five days ago my 7year old German Shepherd was out side playing and running with my beagle puppy. Next thing I know she is yelping in pain and rolling around on the ground. By the time I get to her she has stopped crying out and is laying still. I realize both hind legs are paralyzed. We immediately take her to the vet and she is examined. She doesn’t appear to be in any pain and she DOES have deep pain sensation! She is immediately started on Steroids, Muscle Relaxers, and Anti Inflammatories. She remains at the vets for five days and receives cold laser therapy and a small amount of PT. She never looses her DPS and really seems to be in good spirits. I took her home yesterday and I am determined to help her regain her mobility. I do not have a true diagnosis and seeing a Neurologist is not going to happen due to finances and living so far from one. My vet told me to take her home and gave me range of motion exercises and told me to buy her a harness. He said it will just take time. She is able to relieve herself without help! She is reacting more each day to us touching her legs and back!!
I am so confused and have read everything I can find on the subject and can’t get any answers. Should I start working with her and letting her walk or should I confine her to her kennel for a while? Should I use a harness or not? I just wish I had some answers!! Please help!!
Hello-
I am so sorry this has happened. I would monitor her closely as you have been. I would also check in with the vet daily and gives progress report and get advised on each thing you should be doing with your dog as far as therapy and recuperation. I hope she improves and gets better!!
Hello!
I could use some guidance on a new foster puppy. Puppy is 10 weeks female CH puppy and is coming from Mexico from a rescue. She has a shot record and will be flying with a companion on February 11. I need to put my furry family first. Can you help guide me on precautions that I need to take other than shots? Do I quarantine her in my house or another? I’ve received several videos. She looks healthy. I’m probably taking on more than I should right??. I guess I can google this but thought I’d ask someone who knows the real risks.
Thanks
Heidi
Hello,
I’m going to answer this two fold. First you are my fiend and I know. And second as a person who wants to provide info to others in your situation.
Ok. I know you are the kindest most generous person I know. I also know that you cannot turn away from an animal in need it makes you the exceptional one in a million person that you are. So. For this case. Since I think you are already committed to taking this pup I would make very sure that you undetand and meet all of the government restrictions and requirements placed on you and the dog. I honestly don’t know what these are. The state vet, the transport carrier and the local animal agencies can help. Or talking to a rescue who does this more commonly. My point is to call multiple agencies to make sure that your paperwork and requirements are covered. Next see your vet in the first few days or arrival. Next quarantine for at least two weeks. Double barricade are and clothing change in between visits. Or find a vet facility with quarantine abilities.
Next. For everyone else. I would never recommend taking a pet from a foreign country. The risk of bringing in a disease like the paranoia and death associated with corona virus in China is a good example why. All medical professionals are afraid we will introduce a disease the native population hasn’t seen before and will not be able to manage. It is a very low risk but no one wants to be that patient zero. No one. Also I feel strongly that There are Soo many pets in need here. So why would we risk disease when our own Here are being euthanized. That is my personal opinion.
Please have your vet run a bloodwork and fecal at the first visit. And watch closely for any signs of infection or disease. Vomiting diarrhea, lethargy. Etc.
I hope this helps. I know your heart is always in the right place.
Sending best wishes. Krista
Dr. Magnifico’s your best bet for medical stuff, but I’d be very, very careful with any dog imported from outside our borders. Even a dog coming in from Hawaii would have me concerned.
Why?
In the last year I’ve trained two puppies from outside the continental US, and both died of distemper due to misrepresented shot records. PLEASE follow quarantine protocols to the letter, for the safety of your existing pets.
We have a Puppie Shar Pie that has an enlarged heart, He is about 2 weeks old.. He is having a hard time eating and isn’t nursing very well, we are trying to supplement with puppy formula but it’s not seeming to work. He isn’t growing very much and has a real hard time with eating and resting he has to sleep with his head up or he doesn’t rest well.. He has a sister that’s almost double his size since they where born.. he was a lil larger than her to start. but we are just asking if anyone has dealt with this successfully.. we are trying just about everything we can think of.. we just don’t want to lose him.. and we can’t afford the vet bill to have them do what they can we took him in to start is why we know he has an enlarged heart. Anyways any help here would be appreciated..
I think with such a precarious situation, you should consider making a plan with your vet- be upfront with your budget and explain that you both want to help this puppy, but it has to be an affordable plan. I am quite sure that they will help you in that regard. If not, I personally would find another vet. I do not know the chances of survival, but I’m guessing they are unfortunately low, since there really is no cure.???? I know in older dogs, meds and diet play a huge roll. Being that this puppy is so young, I really would speak with the vet and see if there is something more that can be done. Best of luck????
I think that these cases are almost impossible to manage without a big price tag attached. This is most likely a congenital defect and without surgery or radical intervention the prognosis is often very poor. I’m sorry about this. I would reach out the every person and university you can find to see if anyone will take this case on. I would also recommend that you offer to give him up for the chance of saving his life. Maybe someone will invest the time and resources needed to give him a fighting chance. I’m sorry again.
Update. I’m sorry, I have bad news. He passed away last night.. ;( My wife is very sad, she was very close to him. We tried very hard to do what we could. Thanks, everyone for the comments. Where we live in Central Oregon, there isn’t a lot of options. We called most of the vets here in our area, no one was willing to do anything without a huge price tag to it. But thank you again, it is very much appreciated.
????I’m so sorry. Know that you have him the most comfortable hit of time you could while he was here.
Hi I just recently became a mommy to a blue nosed pit bull. The person we got her from lied to us about her age. I came to find out she is only 4 weeks old. She was already weaned off of her mom’s milk for the most part when he got her. The “breeder” was feeding her an entire can of wet pedigree dog did with kibble mixed in. I knew right away that was horribly wrong. I went to pet smart and bought the ready made formula to start her back on. I went home and immediately tried to get her to drink it. She refused to drink any formula. She was starting to act lethargic and I wasn’t sure if it was due to the car ride home or her lack of eating so I added a small spoonful of wet puppy food and mixed it in with the formula. She immediately began to devour it. When I brought her home that same day her poop was normal and formed. The next night she began to have dark diarrhea. It was squirting out of her poor little butt. She’s been doing that for 2 days now. I called JV yesterday(Saturday) and spoke to a receptionist. She recommend continuing the formula and adding puppy kibble in and letting it soften for her to eat. I went out yesterday and bought Purina pro plan puppy food. She began that around 4 pm yesterday. She wasn’t drinking water up until yesterday but she is now. So de starting the kibble and formula mix her diarrhea is not so runny anymore but in 2 bathroom breaks back to back I did notice some blood spotting in her poop. It’s not a lot, it’s literally a few spots mixed in. Is that something I need to be concerned with? Do I need to bring her in to the walk in clinic today or should I wait longer to see if her poop begins to become normal again? She is sleeping a lot but I was told that she will do that for her age? When she isn’t sleeping she will run around and play, wag her little tail, she has 2 stuffed animals that she will playfully bite and drag around.
My question after giving you this info is should I bring her in to the vet? I know she can’t have any shots yet but I’m worried she is sick and don’t want her to die on me. ????
Hello,
I hope the receptionist told you to consider the ER. I cannot tell you if she is stable, or healthy enough to wait to come in at 1. I do always have to caution people with illness , any kind of change in behavior or fecal output and the tiny babies like you have are even more fragile. I think that if you are worried you are safest going to the ER.. I also know that in some cases I have to refer the patients I see on Sunday to the ER as we cannot provide the in patient care that we need to provide them,
Please keep me posted. I really hope that everything is ok. I would also hope that you call the appropriate authorities to report the breeder. Most people are not as kind and able as you are to care for a neonate.
krista
My English bulldog puppy was spayed the 10th of December. Can Benadryl be used instead of trazodone? The trazodone doesn’t have that much of an effect on my English bulldog puppy. She is currently taking 150 mg a day. But is still very anxious by not being able to play. She is a jumper and had tons of energy.. We have had a seroma diagnosed just the other day and were told to keep her confined for at least seven more days. It is next to impossible unless we sedate her. These pills are not doing that for her. Please help before my puppy loses her mind. I know Benadryl does help calm her. Could I use that instead of the trazadone?
Hello,
This is a question for your vet. I will add that I do r sedate puppies nor post op. I ask my clients to do low impact games and walks to keep them occupied and content. Or buy a few training books to spend time with them and keep them busy in a productive manner.
My lab puppy has terrible dry skin since it has gotten colder. She frequently visits are shallow pond but it’s only knee deep. It has gotten worse now that it has gotten a lot colder. What can we do to help it?!
Hello,
As with all pet related questions I always have to request that any pet medical problem be addressed first with a trip to the vet to make sure it isn’t something health related. Things like allergies, nutritional deficiencies and even congenital diseases that manifest as Looking like dry skin are things to be treated by your vet. After this I talk about diet, environment and supplements. Things to do now are adding moisture to the house with a humidifier. Brushing daily to keep hair and skin healthy helps and I like welactin an omega three fatty acid added to the food. Ask your vet about your pets preventative recommendations too. I hope this helps. Let us know what happens.
She was just at the vet and they said it could be stress related but she seems happy as can be.
Did they give you any options to treat it? Or a follow up plan? If not call and ask for one or seek a second opinion.
We got a 3-4 month old puppy in August, and he has showed positive for hookworms twice, then again for DNA of hookworms. We’re taking another sample this week to see if it’s still showing. The poor thing has been through two rounds of dewormer which made his bowel movements super frequent (in crate while we were at work , etc.). With the DNA, the vet had us give him his second month of heartgaurd, which he was due for. The foster family and his sibling who was with them reportedly do not have worms.
Are hookworms normally this difficult to get rid of? Should I talk to another vet?
Hello,
Yes hookworms can be a bugger to eradicate. Ask your vet for help with either someone from the lab services company they use to send diagnostics to, or help from the vet at the manufacturers company you buy your Heartworm prevention from (if it is labeled for hook worms). After rhat a second opinion with an internal medicine person might be helpful just to make sure it isn’t anything else. Or being exacerbated by something else. Often it isn’t just one problem. It can be others too. I hope this helps.
I just got a new puppy from a rescue. They neutered him at 9 weeks against my wishes. I advised them that the tattoo looked infected and he looked a little swollen. 4 days later he has massive swelling. I took him to the vet, we aren’t sure what’s going on
Hello,
If they aren’t sure ask them to refer you to someone who might be. Without looking at it myself I can’t even begin to speculate what this is or how serious it might be. Ask for a second opinion from an experienced vet you trust. Or ask the rescue to have him seen by the surgeon they had do the surgery. Thank you for rescuing him!
Having difficulty with our new pup and cat.
About two months ago I introduced a new puppy to our family. We have an 8 month old kitten, and a 2 year old German Shepherd, and the new guy, 6 month old Chance, an American Bully.
We rescued Chance from an abusive situation, and he is just a sweet and snuggly boy with us and our German Shepherd. The problem we face now is that we’re worried about our cat. They have been separated by a baby gate. He doesn’t bark or growl at her, but rather whines and stares at her. He does chase her, but we’ve always nabbed him. When she is on the other side of a regular door, she’ll put her paw under as any cat would to play. He hasn’t attacked it at this point. He just gets very still and quiet and just stares at her paw and begins to tremble/shake. He has broken a bar on the baby gate to be near her.
She is unenthused to meet him, after he’s chased her, which makes her run, which makes him chase. We aren’t really sure what to make of all of this behavior or what to do. I feel over saturated in information.
Our german Shepherd was happy to be with her within a week or two. He chases her once in awhile, but all in all they co-exist and like each other. I don’t know if I need to find a new home for bully puppy.
Please help
Good morning???? Don’t give up. Dogs thrive on schedule and repetition. Continue to praise the positive behavior towards your cat that you puppy displays. If he is treat driven, even better. If he sits quietly near her for a short time, treat reward. Gradually increase the time. When you are not busy- perhaps in the evening watching the news or a show, have kitty on your lap or in your sight and puppy in the same room. Quiet may only last a minute or so at first, but that is ok. It will gradually increase. We have a house with three GSD and 1 cat. We make sure that the dogs know kitty is above them in the pack order. She gets fed first, she is allowed on furniture (dogs are not) she is allowed certain places the dogs are not… all of these “other” rules help establish pack order. It takes time and patience, but can definitely be done. Thanks so much for rescuing!!! Don’t give up- it will work out. Best of luck!! ????????
Keep the pup on leash when he and the cat might interact. IMMEDIATE “Leave It” correction any time he so much as looks at the cat to chase. Reward appropriate behavior to ensure there’s direction in what you want.
Not kidding on leaving a leash on him, by the way. It’s the best way to enforce an immediate correction.
Good morning-
Sorry that your pup has an issue. I think if it is worse this morning that you should give a call to the vet and see if they can push your appointment up. And I would definitely note any changes…. more swelling, warm to touch, lethargy, change in appetite, etc. also try to think back and maybe even ask your dog sitter for help- see if you can pinpoint when it first appeared and what it could possibly be connected to. For instance, could it be a spider bite or some other bite? Or has pho’s mouth been tender lately? Could it be a tooth abscess? Anything to help your vet narrow down the possibilities to get the right treatment. Best of luck to you!!!????????
Hi- just checking in. How did things go at the vet?
Hey! – We took our girl to her appointment yesterday and the vet said that everything seems normal (temperature, eating habits, energy level, etc.) so we were directed to just keep an eye on it for now. There isn’t any point of origin around the lump so the vet speculated that it could possibly be a hematoma from playing rough with other bigger dogs at daycare. It doesn’t appear to have changed in size, but Norma’s (our puppy) disposition seems just slightly off. She vomited a little bit this morning as well, but she did also get a Lyme’s vaccine yesterday so there are a lot of factors at play. She’s staying home from daycare today and my partner is keeping a close eye on her. Thanks so much for your response and for checking in!! 🙂