Gone 2am and Im awake because Im upset for a dog I saw today :((

There is a man I sometimes see around here, with 2 Akitas. Usually they are on a lead, but sometimes I see him walking them off the lead along our (very busy) road, and the dogs are very well behaved, but one of them walks very slowly and lags behind and seems,well, miserable.

This afternoon I was indoors, when I heard the most horrible screaming, wailing sound. It sounded as if a dog had been hit by a car or something so I quickly ran outside, and saw the man with the Akitas by my garden. One of the Akitas was crouched down, trying to go to the toilet, and was literally moaning and wailing at the top of his voice, it was really like nothing Id ever heard before, it was heartbreaking to hear it.  The dog was straining to go to the loo, and was also shaking and had its eyes screwed up.  I can still hear him screaming, its playing on my mind.

I went over to the man and asked what was wrong with the dog. The man said the dog was "blocked up".  I asked if he,d been to the vets and he said yes, but that he "might have to take him back next week" if he doesnt stop doing this.  Apparently, this dog has been screaming like this everytime he goes to the loo, for 2 weeks now!   I told him I thought the vet should see the dog that day, not next week, but the man didnt reply.  Just then, the dog let out a cross between a howl and a scream, for what seemed like ages, then started to go to the toilet at last.  As he passed it, loads of blood poured out too, it was horrible.  When I said to the man that wasnt normal, he said "oh, its his anal glands doing that"   That didnt seem right to me?  All the while, the dog was hunched over, shaking with his back arched, and panting heavily.  I could see the pain in his eyes, the poor thing, he was staring right at me and it was so upsetting to see a dog like that.  Then he stopped hunching so much, and I saw he was really really thin at the back end.  I asked how old he was and the man said he was 10, which I know is a good age for an Akita, and I offered to drive him to a vets if he didnt have transport, as I felt the dog needed help right at that time.  The man declined, and said the dog would be ok now thats he,d been to the toilet.  I asked him if he was in that much pain every single time he went, and he said the dog was...although not quite as bad as that usually. He told me the dog had cancer 3 years ago and now his "tubes are too narrow to go to the toilet properly"  Is that right??

They started to walk away, and I watched them and saw the dog was having trouble walking fast enough to keep up with the owner and other Akita, he was being pulled along almost.  I went back in but was so worried, I went back out and decided to get into my car and follow them to see if I could find out where they lived (Ive no idea what I was going to do...either knock on their door and beg him to let me drive them to a vet, or offer to pay for a vet, or even phone the rspca..I really dont know. I just didnt want to leave the dog like that. )  But I had to stop at traffic lights and by the time Id moved off again, they must have gone down one of the lanes, because I couldnt see them.  I got out and walked into the park in the hope they might have gone there, but no luck.  So now Ive no idea where they live, and Im worried sick about this poor dog, its on my mind, I cant forget the noise he was making, he must have been in agony!   Im hoping Im going to see them again tomorrow, but I dont see them everyday, and what do I do if I DO see them again?  

I cant bare to think of this dog suffering, and believe me, he was definately suffering, a lot!    Has anyone ever heard of a dog screaming like that just to go to the toilet?   I guess Im hoping someone is going to say "Oh, its not serious, the dog will be fine", but I doubt that will happen.   If I do manage to see him, and he still wont take the dog to the vets, if I follow him and find out where he lives, would the rspca help?    I cant get this dog out of my mind tonight.

I have a friend whose dog squeals when he poos if he has had too many bones and not eaten much meat or veg.  there is definitely no blood though. 

> Has anyone ever heard of a dog screaming like that just to go to the toilet? 

Yes, my last dog :(
He had been run over by a car (got stuck around the front axle & got dragged along the road), he had no broken bones but he had some big, deep wounds and had obviously had lots of bruising and was very sore. When he tried to have his first poop afterwards he screamed the street down, it sounded like he was having his limbs ripped off it was such a painfull scream, it was like he needed to 'go' but was trying to sto pit coming out because it hurt :( We took him straight to the vets, he was xrayed to see what was going on but he was fine, the vet said it was just a bit tender for him to go to the loo, he was sent home with something to soften his poops and the screaming stopped. That dog (Rocky) was not very good with pain atall, if he even thought he may feel the slightest discomfort he would scream (ie, vet going to check his 'good' ear when he had an ear infection in the other ear & he would scream the clininc down at the thought of being touched).

Some dogs don't deal with pain very well atall, even slight pain. I really hope that's the case with the Akita - just a very sensitive soul that is in discomfort when 'going' at the moment.

>If I do manage to see him, and he still wont take the dog to the vets, if I follow him and find out where he lives, would the rspca help?

I would hope they would look into it. Even if it is just a case of the dog needing something to soften his motions and the dog being a bit of a 'drama queen', it's still in obvious distress and needs help the poor poppet :(

well I am sorry but I would pass this onto the rspca the man may not mean to be cruel he might not be able to afford to go to the vet but at least the dog would see a vet and hopfully be diagnosed and possibly treated, and if you are wrong and the dog is a bit of a wimp ..so what!

Thanks, that kind of put my mind at rest slightly more.  The noise was horrific, the dog looked so pitifull as it looked at me, his eyes were pleading almost.  Im hoping then that the dog just isnt very brave with pain, and that he made a fuss...because if that really was sheer agony yesterday then it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about him suffering everytime he goes to the loo, and having no treatment for it!   I dont know that I believe the man when he said he,d taken him to a vet 2 weeks before, but maybe he did and Im just suspicious.

I cant see any vet leaving a dog to walk around in that sort of pain though.

I,ll keep an eye out for them today, and if I see him I,ll approach him and ask how the dog is today, see if I can find anything else out.  If I can find out where he lives, I,ll call the rspca and mention it to them.

The dog is, as I said, very very thin and moth-eaten, but I guess that could be down to his age, I know 10 is old for an Akita.

I just hope he isnt suffering all the time like that, and that Im making mountains out of molehills.

I agree, okay so the dog may be a wimp, but having blood as well, then something isn't right.

crossposting then starryeyes, sorry.

I would call the rspca in a heartbeat if I knew his address.  I,ll just have to hope I can find out where he lives. I,ll try very hard though

Alison, there was a lot of blood :(  Big squirts of it landing on the floor, not mixed in with his toilet. Thats surely not right is it?

> I,ll keep an eye out for them today, and if I see him I,ll approach him and ask how the dog is today, see if I can find anything else out.  If I can find out where he lives, I,ll call the rspca and mention it to them.

I hope you see him and have some good news to tell us. If it appears the dog is no better and hasn't been seen by the vets then I agree that contactnig the RSPCA would be a good idea. Poor dog :(

>I dont know that I believe the man when he said he,d taken him to a vet 2 weeks before, but maybe he did and Im just suspicious.

I know that even if my dog had seen the vet & been given the 'all clear', if he was still in distress/agony he would be back to the vets like a shot so he could get some pain relief at the least (even my last 'drama queen').

Exactly.  There is no way on this earth I would leave my dog screaming in pain for 2 minutes without grabbing a phone and calling a vet...yet alone 2 weeks! :(

Poor poor thing.

Stavs, this is a real shot in the dark, but where in the UK are you?! I only ask as where I used to live a few years ago, I always used to see a man with 2 Akitas and one looked very much like how you describe this poor chap :-(

Well I am certainly not a Vet but I would think that could be quite serious. Definitely think that the RSPCA should do something if they are contacted.

I suppose you could ring around your local vets and ask if any of their customers have 2 Akitas ?
However they are un-likely to pass on any info and if the owner found out and thought you were 'interfering' it could turn nasty .
Maybe the vets might pass info on to the RSPCA ?
Poor dog .

Thanks everyone.

Alice. this is happening where my Mum lives In Bristol. I dont live there but am there everyday to help her as shes ill.  Ive seen the man and the dogs most times Im there, so Im assuming he must be local?  Having said that, its only been in the last week or so that Ive seen him about a lot.

Im going to Mums in a minute, and Ive already told her to ring me if she sees him if Im not there yet, so I might even spot him on the way?

If I find out somehow where he lives, then I will get straight onto the rspca.  I dont know what I can do though if I dont find that info out :(

I think it might pay to ask around tthe neighbourhood a little though. Actually, thats a thought, because a woman lives in my Mums road who has a couple of Staffys, I ofen see her out walking hem, so I think I might call at her house and ask if she knows of this man.  That dog is on my mind all he time, so I hope I can find something out.

Its not the guy that used to live near me then - although his Akitas match your description perfectly!!

Hmm, its really tricky this one, I can't believe though that he hasn't already been to the vets again immediately, the blood and the screaming is not at all natural. I'd be the same in your position.

I do think asking around the area is a good idea - I know where I live its a small village and I know everyone who has a dog - so other dog walkers might know where this chap lives. Let us know how you get on :-)

In the original post there was mention of the dog having had cancer, perhaps it is back and in the dogs bowel as it would certainly cause bleeding and pain! Maybe the owner can't face up to losing his dog and is putting off going to the vets.

> Maybe the owner can't face up to losing his dog and is putting off going to the vets.

we can all appreciate how hard it can be to lose them but still... better gone than in agony in my book :(

> Maybe the owner can't face up to losing his dog and is putting off going to the vets.
> we can all appreciate how hard it can be to lose them but still... better gone than in agony in my book :-(

Oh I agree, but we really don't know much about the dog or owner.

of course, but in my book a screaming bleeding dog is not ok.

> of course, but in my book a screaming bleeding dog is not ok.

I agree! I'm not saying what he is doing is right!

All I am trying to say is that perhaps the owner is putting off the inevitable even though he knows what's best, he maybe needs a little time to come to terms with this, he may have lost someone near and dear to him lately for all we know can't cope with another loss. Who knows, we certainly don't.

i would be worried too it may be the dog isnt good with pain but the blood in the poo would worry me as it has you.
Must have been nasty for you to watch.
hope the dog is okay. fingers crossed.

wasn't suggesting you were rjs :) i was just saying if it were me i could bear my dogs loss much better than its pain

We have had lots of chats with our vets about blood in the stool and he advised that any dog doing this for more than a few days when an adult needs to seek the vet. He also said that when the blood is not mixed in with the stool it generally means some form of infection. HTH.

Hope the Akita is see's the vet soon, i don't think i could cope with that.. Poor dog and hope he is being a wuss with pain..

Thanks again all.

I saw them again this afternoon.The guy is on crutches today, he wasnt yesterday. Boh dogs were off lead, just walking slowly along with the man. I was driving when I saw them and pulled over, got out and went and spoke to him again, asked how the dog was and although the dog didnt look as stressed as he did yesterday he did still look bad, to my eyes.  The man said he was a lot better, and I said I thought the dog should be seen by a vet, just for a check up. (I offered to take the man again, made it sound as if I was doing it to help him because he was on the crutches, but he again declined. I said I hoped he didnt think I was interfering but that Id been thinking of his dog a lot, and that I would pay for the visit if he didn mind me doing that?  He said thats nice of you, but theres no need :( )

I asked as many questions as I could without it seeming as if I was snooping, and he answered some but then I think he started to get slightly defensive. Im gutted though, because a traffic warden started to give me a ticket (I was on a single yellow line) and I had to run back to the car and move it, by the time I got in and pulled out, I couldnt spot them anymore.  This does narrow it down a bit as to where they might have gone though, because it would have been one of 2 lanes he went down to get off the main rd. I walked up both lanes and looked, but no sign of them, which makes me think they probably went into one of the houses there.  Im annoyed that I let them vanish yet again though!

I went to the local park and asked around, and although some people seemed to have seen him about sometimes, no-one knows who he is or where he lives.  I also went to see the lady with the staffs, and she is worried too, she said the same thing happened outside of her house a few days ago, but that she hasnt seen him since.

I dont know what to do next? 

The blood wasnt mixed in with the dogs toilet at all, it came out after, just sort of squirted out in a big puddle of it, it was horrible. But the worst thing was the noise he made. I have never heard such a distressing noise come from a dog. I do understand what you are saying about the man might not be able to face losing the dog, but surely if he loved him that much, the dogs welfare would come first?

It would break my heart to lose any of mine, Stavs especially..hes my life!  But there is no way I could ever leave him to suffer like that just so I wouldnt have to face being hurt.  Id rather stavs be dead and at peace, than alive and living in sheer agony like that.t

Stavs
        Well done for caring so much and trying to help this man and his dog

No update Im afraid :(

I havnt seen the man today at all.  Ive also had no luck when speaking to people about him. I spent quite a long time in the park today with Lola, chatting to as many people as I could and "casually" slipping into the conversation about the man, trying to find out if anyone knows his address or where he might walk his dogs, but although a few people have noticed him around, none of them seem to know him at all or know anything about him.

Maybe tomorrow I,ll see him, lets hope so.

Carmel

I think you now need to leave alone. If he wanted any help, or was prepared to accept any, he would have already.

Sometimes it takes people a while to accept help and it might even shame him into getting help if he is not willing to get the dog to the vets. I am sure I wouldn't give up if the dog continued to look like he was suffering :-)

You want to take care that you can't be accused of stalking or harassment ...

I don't think Stavs could be accused of anything like that. I think she is right to get in touch with the RSPCA too. The poor dog is obviously suffering and it's owner doesn't seem to want to do anything even after the kind offer of transport and even paying for the vet. I would pray on my mind too if I saw something like that.
Good luck and I hope you find out where the man lives.

Following someone to their home could be misinterpreted, or even be putting herself in danger. Best at this stage to report what she knows to the relevant authorities and leave it to the professionals.

I dont want it to seem as if Im "stalking" someone! 

Im worried for the state the dog is in, and anyone who loves dogs would feel as I do if they had saw him and heard his cries.

I want to see that the dog is ok and not still suffering.  My mind wont be at rest untill I see the man and the dogs again, and untill Ive established that the dog is now free of pain.   If I see him again then I will make no bones about the fact that his dog should see a vet, if I think he,s still distressed.  Personally I dont want harrass the owner, but by the same token I WONT leave this dog like this!

If I find out where the man lives I will report him if hes leaving his dog to struggle in his old age with pain he shouldnt be in.  But I cant do that untill I know where he lives. And I cant find out where he lives unless I either follow him or find someone who knows him by asking around. 

If thats seen as "harrassing" then so be it, but I,ll carry on trying to find info that I can then pass to the rspca if needed, and I make no apologies about that.  Id rather be seen as harrassing the owner than be seen to shrug my shoulders and say "oh well..not my problem if that dogs in agony".

Still havnt seen him again today though.

~This is terrible. Stavs, what you describe isn't normal and it's possible this owner is breaking the law as he's not taking care of his dog, not providing veterinary help, etc.

The dog sounds, from what you describe, in agony when he/she toilets. That is not right. I've not had time to read the other posts as I'm off to my block week but I do think something needs to be done. I don't know if dogs get an "anal fissure" like humans but that can feel like passing glass. OTOH it could be something like cancer which may explain the dog's condition.

Please do try and do something - perhaps contact the dog warden for advice or your local vet or rspca? I woudn't tackle the owner any more but I do think something needs to be done. IF the dog is in agony at the time it toilets it's just awful and basically downright cruel of the owner to let it happen ... I bet the dog isnt' better either, I'd be very surprised unless he's on some sort of medication.

Just my take on it but ... well done you for caring, we need more like you in the world. Bless you.

Lindsay
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If I find out where the man lives I will report him if hes leaving his dog to struggle in his old age with pain he shouldnt be in.  But I cant do that untill I know where he lives. And I cant find out where he lives unless I either follow him or find someone who knows him by asking around. 

You don't need  to know where he lives to report him - you know the area he is in and where he is walking and have seen him regularly.  He's certainly not going to live far from where you saw him if he was out on crutches.  You can phone and report this and what you have seen, at the very least you can get advice on the situation.  They may already know about the dog, you don't know, and in the meantime you could cause more harm than good if you get the owner very defensive.  He may decide to stop walking that way to avoid you and then the people who can deal with it will have less chance of finding him.

I would be contacting people to day to seek advice and report what you have seen.

Stavs - this heartbreaking to hear.  I had an Akita for fourteen years until having to have her put to sleep in November.  The only time I saw blood in her poo was when she started her painkillers for the cancer and the vet said this was just a side effect that would pass.  It did pass, but she was taken to the vet regularly to keep check of it.  I think you are very brave for confronting the man and asking him questions, and I admire and respect you for this.

I have never heard a dog scream in that way and he must be in so much pain to do this.  Akitas are very talkative dogs generally but my girl never really complained about her pain so the poor thing must be feeling awful.

I don't know what I would do if I was in your shoes, I think I would probably report him to the RSPCA.  They have new powers now and may be able to help the man financially, as well as the poor dog who is in pain.  They may also be able to speak with the local vets and find out if an Akitas have been seen of late with the problem you describe.

Please do keep us updated.  I can understand you not sleeping over this, it is heartbreaking.

Julie

Thanks again for your replies.

Ive not seen them around for a few days now. Today Im going to contact the Dog Warden in our area, and also ask the rspca for advice. I cant bare to think that the dog is suffering like this (if indeed he still is) and I didnt realise that I could contact the rspca without needing to know the address, I feel very bad now because had I known that I would have done something before. :(

Im at my Mums for the best part of the afternoon today helping her in her garden, so I will be in a good position to see then man if hes around. I wont question him again though, but I will go out and speak to him and ask how the dog is, and see him close up.

Im concerned though that the man possibly isnt local after all, he only suddenly appeared on the scene in the last few weeks and desnt seem to be around at the moment, so maybe he was staying somewhere temporarily?  I wondered if possibly the man was staying with relatives or something while he had an operation, hence the crutches all of a sudden...I hope not, the thought that he might go away to a different area and no-one will look into this is horrible!   I dont know how people can leave a dog like that! 

I,ll keep you updated if theirs anything to report back here.  I think if Im going to see him again, it will likely be today as Im going to be there, and outside, for a good few hours.

Carmel

Didnt see him today, and didnt have any luck with the phone calls either :(

I left a message for the Dog Warden but he didnt call me back, and the rspca (who I called 3 times before someone got back to me) say they can do nothing without an address, so I was right to think that.  They said they cant just patrol an area in the hope of spotting someone. There has to be a specific complaint (there is!) and they have to have an address or location to investigate.

So thats that.  I can do nothing untill I see him again.  I just hope with all my heart that the dog is better and hasnt been suffering all this time.

say they can do nothing without an address, so I was right to think that.

Maybe it's different in different areas but I reported a dog that was being ill treated (physically) and our local inspector came out to meet me in the area where I had seen the dog a few times.  After asking questions found out what time the dog was walked and turned up to speak to the owner.  I've actually the inspector out quite a few times walking her own dog since then and the dog that I reported to them was surrendered to rescue because the owner had aquired and didn't want the dog.

I hope the dog is in less pain now whatever happens.

Hi everyone

After not seeing this dog for a few weeks, Ive seen him everyday for the last 3 days now.  The first time I couldnt stop as I was in heavy traffic, but got a good look at the dogand he seemed a lot happier in his-self, he was walking quite cheerily and looked a lot better, although still very "moth-eaten".
The 2nd time (yesterday) I was able to speak to the man very briefly and pat the dog, and the dog wagged his tail and seemed a lot better, the man said he,s been fine and has seen a vet, but just as we started to really chat another dog was coming and the man said he,d best go,and crossed over the road,so the conversation ended. I watched him walk up the road though and the dog seemed ok.

Today I was able  to speak to the man, and fuss the lovely dog, for quite a long while. The mans attitude seems to have completely changed, it was him that crossed over to speak to me, and he was really friendly. He told me the dog has been having weekly enimas at the vets, and that its helped a lot. The man did explain something about the dog having had cancer a few years ago and that his back passage was very narrow, making going to the toilet difficult for him...but it was hard to really understand exactly what he was saying because he talks so fast and the traffic was noisy, but he did seem quite keen to try and explain.    The dog still looked under-weight, but Im assuming its because hes old, but he was very perky, wagging his tail and nudging me to keep smoothing him when I stopped, lol..  his face just didnt look like it did before, his face kind of looked more relaxed and peacefull, if that makes any sense?  Also, his back isnt arched into a hump, like it was before, and his tail is now carried as an Akitas should be (before it was sort of down, almost limp between his legs).  He went to the toilet as we were chatting (the dog, not the man, lol) and although he did have to strain for a while, he didnt cry and didnt seem to be uncomfortable. When they went, he trotted off with quite a spring in his step really, whereas before he was walking very very slowly.

Im SO SO glad Ive seen them, I still thought of him all the time and looked out for them, and its put my mind at rest that hes not living in agony all the time.

I just wanted to update you, because I think this is good news and Im sure some of you are interested to know whats happened.  Thanks for reading :)

Carmel

Hi Stavs,Thats good news,perhaps his owner just needed a gentle prod to take his dog to the vets. I think sometimes an owner does not see their dog in the same way we do. Thank you for letting us know about him

I always think that when you are living with a person/animal it is harder to see how bad things are , as you are always with them and you don't see the deterioration like an outsider .
Well done you for caring !  We need more people like you .

I'm glad you've seen the dog and he looks alot happier.  Don't worry about him looking 'moth eaten' most Akita's look awful when 'blowing' their coat and this can last for a long time lol!

Hopefully he'll continue to do well.

That's great news :-)

Great news and thanks for keeping us all updated! I'm glad the dog seems a lot better :-)

Thanks for keeping us updated, Stavs :)

I have thought of this dog often since you mentioned him, so am very relieved to read that he's being treated for what sounds like a very painful condition.

Lindsay
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