My pup looked really ill this morning, hanging her head down and sitting hunched up. She wouldnt come to me or eat her food, and just generally skulked about. She's pooed and weed normally today, so I took her to the vet for a check up. He gave her an injectin of antibiotics and and anti inflammatory, saying that she must have a virus/cold. She has a temperature and neck pain, but no sign of abdominal pain, swelling, or other injury. There is no way she could have eaten anything she shouldnt, or injured herself. Everytime I check on her she looks more ill, her head on the floor, not even bothering to lift it. How long will it take for the treatment to work? Anyone else had this type of 'virus'? She's been fully vaccinated and wormed, I dont know what to do to help her.

Hi Kerry

If you feel that your pup's condition is deteriorating over the day, my advice would be to phone your vet now and explain the situation. With puppies it is always better to be safe than sorry as they can go downhill very quickly.

Best wishes

Lesley

Hi Lesley
I have spoken to my vet and he says we have to give the antibiotics time to work and there is little they can do other than that. I should keep her quiet and warm and phone again tomorrow if she hasnt improved. This seems reasonable enough and I dont want to traumatise her by taking her out again, she wont walk and weighs 30kilos, so its a bit of a nightmare carrying her :(. Ive isolated her from the other dogs (I have a pregnent bitch) but dont want her too feel lonely so guess Ill be sleeping with her tonight!
Thanks for advice

Hi Kerrie,

I'm glad the vet has set your mind at rest :)  Poor baby, I hope the antibiotics soon kick in and she starts to perk up.  Isn't it awful when one of our dogs is poorly?  Hope you both get a good night's sleep and that by morning she's back to her usual puppy self :)

Lesley

Shes took a turn for the worse. Hubby has taken her to emergency vets as she cannot move her front end at all or lift her head off the floor. When we picked her up to put her in the car, she screamed, it was awful. I really feel we might loose her, I dont know why, or whats wrong with her, I feel really hopeless.I'll keep you updated :(

Oh Kerrie, I'm so sorry :(  Keeping everything crossed that its something that can be quickly treated and your girl will soon be home with you. 

Let us know how she goes.

Thinking of you

Lesley

Thanks Lesley
I just keep going over in my mind what could have happened to her? Has she fallen? Banged herself? Has she done something ages ago that worsened over time? Im with her 24-7 and when shes out of my sight, shes in a secure run with nothing other than her bed and her water bowl, so I cant understand it. I'll just be devestated if she's seriously ill. We recently had a scare with our Neo after he ate dead animal wrapped in twine, and he needed major surgery. It was agonising to go through, I dont know if I can go through this again, my dogs want for nothing and I love them so much, I feel like I'm losing a child. I know you all understand, I just need to get it off my chest, sorry for being so morbid :(

Hi Kerrie,

No wonder you feel so worried after the scare you had with your Neo. Countless thoughts and worries are bound to be rushing through your head just now - it's very true, and only dog people understand, but when they are ill, the trauma of it is very real and its like it is happening to one of the family.  I do hope that it turns out to be something very treatable, and that she will soon be on them mend :)  Hope you have some good news soon!

Lesley

sorry to hear about your little girl. it must be awfull to be going through this.please let us know how she's going and hope she's better soon. there is nothing worse than to see a much loved family pet in pain or ill and not being able to help them.it breaks your heart i have been there twice with my baby's all you can think about is them and how to make them better.
thinking of you and your little girl

Hi Kerrie

How's your girl this morning?  Am keeping fingers crossed that its good news.

Best wishes

Lesley

Hi
The vets kept her in last night, after doing a few tests. She didnt seem to have any feeling in her front legs and wasnt responding to pain, but they felt she was probably too exhausted to react. They are pretty sure its an injury thats gradually worsened and become inflamed in her shoulders/neck. The only time I can think of is when one of the older dogs bowled her over on the paddock a couple of days ago. She yelped but was fine after. I hope its not serious and she's just being a whimp :) We'll speak to the vet later and update you
Thanks for support

Well i dont think she is being a whimp!! i would say that being bowled over could have  damaged her spine.

I am sorry I didnt mean to sound flippant, of course I dont think she IS a wimp, I was just trying to keep positive, as a serious injury will likely have a bad outcome. I can understand that people will feel I am to blame, and believe me I feel devastated that I could possibly have avoided this situation. She is supervised at all times and there was no intention to cause injury by the other dog, they were just playing with their Kong and running around. She was fine after, no limping etc and this was three days ago. I mean, maybe when we picked her up yesterday we made things worse? We didnt know she had an injury, we thought she was ill, and she wouldnt walk.
I have just spoken to the vet, he says she is trying to stand up, but her back legs seem affected now too :( . They are going to x-ray her to see if there is damage to bones/tissue as they are pretty much in the dark. He said  she will just need rest to repair any damage and the treatment will be the same whatever the outcome, ie anti inflammatory drugs. It is still possible that its something else, like disease that has accumulated in the joints, and an incident/illness could have aggravated the condition and made her feel poorly.
I'll post later when we have the results

Kerrie

kerrie
it could be an injury and all dogs get them from time to time regardless of how care full the owners are.
maybe it is medical maybe some kind of seizures as this happened to my old boy.nothing happened to him or any kind of injury.
the vets said some thing had happened with his brain but couldn't find a reason.some times a reason is found in the form of e.fits, organ problems etc.
its just finding the root of the problem and treating it.he was on anti inflammatorys but didn't improve only got worse with more seizures so we had to pts.he became weak and couldn't stand even with all the drugs he was having.
i dont mean to scare you but it is a possiblity but the vets should be able to find out whats happening.
at least she is in the best place to help her.
fingers crossed it will be good news and just needs time to get better.
keep us informed i really hope every thing turns out to be ok.

Thanks Marie, I know you're not trying to scare me, every possiblilty should be investigated, and like you say, she's in the best place and hopefully we'll have some answers soon.
xx

Hi Kerrie,

I hope you get some answers soon as to what is ailing your girl.  Please don't torture yourself worrying about what you might have done wrong - as Marie says, dogs do have accidents, despite all the care in the world, and her current condition may turn out to be due to an illness and nothing at all connected to her tumble the other day.  She's in the best place to find out what is wrong with her, and hopefully she will turn the corner soon :)

Lesley

Hi
The vets have x-rayed her , but the x-rays were poor quality and they were unsure of what to do , so they've refered her to experts in Cambridge (which is about two hours drive away). We've got to take her first thing tomorrow, problem is, I cant physically lift her in and out of the car, and Ive got to arrange for someone to look after my five month old baby all day, so its one thing after another. I feel really drained, but I need her to get the best possible attention, If there is any hope of helping her and finding out whats wrong, Ive got to do it havent I? I think my Husband will take her, and I'll have to stay here and sort out everything this end, got builders in etc. Well, keep us in your thoughts, I'll post tomorrow when we know more.

xx

Hi Kerrie,

Hopefully the vets at Cambridge will be able to find out what is wrong - you're right, we would do whatever it takes to give our dogs the best chance. I reckon its just like a GP referring a human to a hospital for specialist advice.  And at least your vets are good enough to say they can't deal with it and refer you on to where your girl will get the attention she needs.

It's just a thought, but if you really want to take your girl yourself, if someone could help you put her into the car at home, I am sure that you will be able to get assistance at Cambridge to get her out of the car when you get there.  It must happen a lot that people arrive with a bigger dog and they can't manage on their own.  I know if I had to take one of our boys incapacitated to the vets, there would be no way I could lift him on my own, but the nurse or the vet would come out to the car to assist me.

Good luck tomorrow, and will be holding good thoughts for you and your girl, keep us posted :)

Lesley

aah this is terrible, i hope everyuthing goes ok for you and your baby tomorrow, i'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!

I am so sorry to hear about your poor baby! I can understand what you are going through, we had a puppy last year that was bred by us, come and stay for a week... Owners brought her and said she was  a bit under the weathe but that she was stillplaying fine etc. They had taken her to the vets and the vet said she was fine and antibiotics were all she needed (just in case). By morning she was could not move, just lay there in her own wee. She went down hill from there... We rushed her into the vets where she lay on drip for 4 days, we did not think we were going to bring her home. It took a while, but the vets in the end said she picked up a blood infection that targeted her spine which was causing all her problems.. Was no ones fault, just something that happened.. she was 18 weeks old at that time... she is doing fab now and pulled through with flying colours! I hope your baby does as well!

Thinking of you!
Sue

Just got back from Cambridge, x-rays were inconclusive, she may need an MRIscan now. It could be a bacterial infection, they say, but she looks so bad and cannot move at all now. They have kept her there tonight and are going to phone me later-they say if her spine is damaged the cost of her treatment will be around £2000, and an infection (like meningitis) will take weeks of treatment, so we have to think about her quality of life, if she doesnt fully recover the use of her limbs. But its early days yet. :(

Oh Kerrie, I'm sorry that you're not much further forward :(  The uncertainty must be driving you mad with worry! Here's hoping that they can get to the root of it soon and that its something that can be treated.  I know its hard, but try to keep as positive as you can :) 

Thinking of you, and keep us posted!

Lesley

We have had a bit of better news, Izzy has eaten some food and has been trying to lift her head. They have found a pain response in all four limbs, so today they will dose her up with pain killers and see if she can stand and use her legs (as they think it may be the pain thats stopping her and not spinal damage). Which is good news if she does attempt to stand, as it is more likely a bacterial infection that can be treated with anti-biotics. They are going to let me know how she gets on later today, so fingers crossed :)

maybe its a trapped nerve or some thing.the fact that she has responce is a good sign.
if it is a infection it should shown on a mri scan this is what they told us with ben. but he wasn't improving on the medication.but he had seizures which your little girl hasn't,so there is still hope for her. dont give up hope yet.it is hard to understand when you have nothing to go on but you have to keep trying to get the info needed to help.

Hi Kerrie

It's looking a wee bit more promising now :)  Here's hoping the vets are getting to the cause now and treatment can be started soon.  Fingers still crossed here for Izzy, let us know when you get more news :)

Best wishes

Lesley

My friend had a Boxer dog which suffered meningitis  like virus and he survived.
Really hope your puppy pulls through ok.

Better news, Izzy tried to sit up today, front legs getting a bit stronger, but back legs still weak. They have re-examined the x-rays and have detected an infection site on her spine, which points to a bacterial infection. The changes are very small so it is difficult to be sure, so they will continue with the treatment so far, and hope for tiny improvements each day. If she continues to improve, we may be able to bring her home for the weekend :)

I'll keep my fingers crossed. Any improvement is a positive sign.
:)

I am so please Izzy is taking a turn for the better! She sounds like our baby girl last year... one minute she could not move and the next she was slowly pulling through! Infections can be terrible things, but hopefully once she fully recovers she will be fine..... hope to hear how she is doing!

Sue

Oh Kerry I am so sorry to hear what you are going through :-(
Fingers crossed the scan will show the cause of the problem and the vets can act accordingly.
Have they said whether it could be a contagious virus or not? If any chance it could be maybe worth putting your other dogs on a course of anti-biotics to help prevent it??? Just a thought.
Take care xxx

Hi Staffie hope things are working out your end ;)
The vets phoned us today, and she's trying to walk now so there is definite improvement. They are going to wean her off the painkillers and we can collect her tomorrow, though obviously she will be on very high doses of anti-biotics to treat the infection. Its not thought to be infectious as its a bacterial infection (I'm not sure what the difference is). They dont know how it happened, possibly entered her through a small cut or bite? We shall probably never know, but all that matters now is that she gets better :) .I hope this thread will help anyone experiencing similar problems, things looked really bleak for a while, but there are sometimes happy endings. Thanks to everyone who has replied to my posts and offered support, it has really been appreciated, and I will update soon on Izzys progress :D

That's great news Kerrie :D  And once Izzy gets home she'll perk up even more being back amongst her family!  I'm so glad she's on the road to recovery - at one point I really feared this thread wasn't going to have a happy ending :(  Once she gets home, give her a big hug from the Champdoggers!!  And don't forget to keep us updated :)

Best wishes,

Lesley

im glad its turning out well for you both.in time she will be like new and you can put all this behind you.have a rest now you have had a hell of a time with every thing thats happened.let us know how she goes.she will soon be running around with the rest.
i bet you will have the biggest :-) ever when you get her home.
take care

Shes home!! We couldnt believe the change in her, she RAN towrds us wagging her tail. She still a bit wobbly and weak, and will need anti-biotics for at least six weeks, with a follow up x-ray. But we are so happy to have her back :D :D :D :D

Take care all, and hug your babies tonight xxx

Marvellous news! You must be over the moon!
:) :)

That is fantastic Kerrie :D  After all your worry over the past few days, sit down tonight, put your feet up and have a big glass of wine :)  I'm so pleased that Izzy is finally on the mend!!

Lesley

Great news Kerry :D
Say hello to everyone at home from us.
Take care