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808425 tn?1371092328

adult dog, lethargic

Hi, my parents own an adult mixed breed dog who at the time is rather lethargic,
not eating, but still drinking water. Not sure if anyone has any ideas, but
throwing this out for a little help.
12 Responses
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765775 tn?1366024691
Our dogs can communicate with us to a certain extent, but when they are ill they can't tell us exactly what they are feeling. Therefore many Vets do guess what is wrong before a correct diagnosis is made sometimes.

Regardless of what caused his condition you did the right thing as he was suffering. Please don't put yourself through this and allow yourself to grieve. It is obvious that you all loved B J very much and I am sure he knew that.

Somewhere out there their is another best friend that needs you all to love him or her too. While that dog could never replace B J he or she will love you back just the same.

Helpful - 0
808425 tn?1371092328
It has come to my attention, through a lot of research actually. I now know
that B J may have had much more time to live. The vet had injected him with
an antibiotic that is contraindicated for dogs with liver and/or kidney disorders.
He had both, but the blood work the vet ordered had not come back until
the day after his injection. Everything the poor guy experienced in his last
24 hours correlates with the medication. Including blindness, swelling of the
tongue, weakness, joint stiffness, and more than likely, seizure. I had felt
that he had suffered a seizure although no one had actually witnessed it.
His behavior indicated it was very possible. His inability to keep his tongue in
his mouth was a big factor. I knew he had gone blind, but he could still hear.
I am sure that his organs had begun to shut down. When I tried to pick him up,
he growled, letting me know I was hurting him. I feel like the vet should have
waited for the test results before giving him such a powerful antibiotic, especially
with his age (11 years), it would be all that more possible that B J would have a few
age related medical issues. I hope this will eventually lead to vets using added
caution with older animals and save a few innocent lives. B J should still be here.
I know this does nothing to bring him back to us, and I'm probably just using my
time looking for answers so that I can put off the inevitable tears. This has hurt
my family more than we thought possible. I want to reverse time and start this week
over.

Sorry, I just miss him.


Helpful - 0
675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
These were a whole range of serious things he had wrong, and they had all become overwhelming to him. I am sure you did do the right thing.
It is always hard to lose a good faithful dog. They are the best friends we could have, and tightly-bonded family members. I know. I've had to do the same as you.

No-one could bear to watch a good dog suffering like he must have been, and you did the right, humane thing. You stopped his pain.

God bless you.
Helpful - 0
808425 tn?1371092328
Thank you. I do feel pretty guilty today. I know he couldn't have gotten better,
but I still really was the one who decided to take him in. He wasn't my dog,
but I couldn't even function at work thinking about him feeling the way he was.
I knew he had to be released from the pain, but I still feel so much like the bad
guy. So, we grieve for awhile. Then we will move on. It's never easy to lose a
family member.

Thank you for your words. I will keep him in my heart and mind. He was a really
good boy.

Terri
Helpful - 0
765775 tn?1366024691
I am so sorry to hear this. I thought he just had an infection and would be okay. Please know that there was nothing else you could do.

You and your parents keep ** in your hearts and he will be with you forever.

God Bless
Helpful - 0
808425 tn?1371092328
I don't know why his name was bleeped out. It was B J. I guess maybe it might
be seen as an expletive. But it was his name.
Helpful - 0
808425 tn?1371092328
Hi Again,

Well, my update unfortunately is not good. The lab work indicated diabetes, possible
cushings, hypothryoid, and the vet said he was probably already ketotic. That being
said, ** went downhill VERY fast. I just got home a little while ago from having him
put down. He couldn't walk by yesterday, couldn't eat and couldn't even attempt to
drink. By today, his tongue was hanging out of his mouth and he was struggling the
whole time to try to get it back in. I was able to drop water on his tongue and in his
mouth, which he did try to swallow. His eyes had glazed over and it was apparent
he had lost his vision. His breathing was very labored, I could go on, but the vet
who did the injection tonight said we did the right thing. He was so miserable so
suddenly. This is very difficult. I've never had to do anything like it before in my life, and
hope to never have to again. ** brought a lot of joy to the family and will be missed
terribly.
Thank you all so much for your advice.

Terri
Helpful - 0
441382 tn?1452810569
I'm glad he went to the vet, but I'm sorry to hear that he must have some type of infection going on to need an antibiotic.  Hopefully the antibiotic will knock whatever it is out of his system and he'll be back to normal in short order.  Please stay around and let us know how he is doing!  We love having new members stay to contribute to the discussions!

Ghilly
Helpful - 0
765775 tn?1366024691
The temperature indicates some type of infection. If the correct antibotics were given he should be fine.

That is good news.

Please let us know if he improves.
Helpful - 0
808425 tn?1371092328
Thank you both. He was seen today by his vet. He was given antibiotics (injected and oral to take home). My mom brought him and doesn't know why the antibiotics were given, but he had an elevated temperature. They ran blood work and will get back to my parents when
they know the results. So, it was, run blood work and go home, or keep him in the animal hospital. So now, we wait. Again, thanks for your time and concern!

Terri
Helpful - 0
765775 tn?1366024691
I agree with Ghilly 100%. The dog needs to be examined ASAP.
Helpful - 0
441382 tn?1452810569
The dog needs to be seen by a vet ASAP.  If a dog stops eating, something is very wrong and the longer he goes without seeing a vet, the worse the situation will get.  Pets, even though they are domesticated and do not know what it is like to live in the wild, have retained enough of the wild instinct that in their minds, to show sickness is to make onesself prey to other animals, so they will appear to be normal until they just can't hide it any longer.  Often, by the time they are sick enough to no longer be able to hide it, they are extremely ill and in need of immediate veterinary care.  There is no way, from the information given, it is possible to tell what is bothering this guy, and even if more information had been given, MedHelp cannot diagnose problems over the internet.  We have lots of great people here who can offer loads of great suggestions to problems that arise, but the bottom line is that we are not a substitute for a visit to the vet, which is something this dog needs ASAP.

Please let us know what the vet says.  Once you get a diagnosis, we can help you through the situation.

Ghilly
Helpful - 0
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