My cocker spanial seems very sick

I have a cocker spanial named Allie she will be 10 years old on May 9th. :( The past few weeks her stool has been very soft and sometimes runny. Now she has quit eating her food and not drinking any water. She has thrown up at least 6 times if not more,  all within the last 24 hours. She has also had large lumps towards her rear end, a flat back, and her hair falls out in small incrimints. I don't have a lot of money for large vet bills. Do you think my baby girl has a chance and getting better or should I let her go (put her down) to avoid suffering?:( Thanks, any advice is apriciated.

[Ghilly]

It certainly sounds like there is something going on there that needs to be addressed with regard to her health, but the only one who can tell you what it is or what her prognosis might be is your vet.  At 10 years old she is a senior dog, and while sickness can occur at any age, when they are up in years it has more of a chance of being something serious.  Of course, it could also be something minor like an intestinal bug that could be controlled with antibiotics. The only way to tell will be to make an appointment for her and have her examined.

I would make sure to collect some stool to take with you because the vet is going to want to do a fecal to see what bacteria or parasites, if any, are present in her feces.  You don't need a lot, a plastic spoonful in an old baby food jar or something of similar size will be adequate.  If you collect it before you go to the vet, seal it up and wrap it well and refrigerate it to preserve the integrity. The closer to going to the vet you collect it, the better it will be for giving accurate results.

As far as the lumps go, they could be something as benign as fatty tumors or they could be cancerous, again, the only one who can tell you will be the vet.  

When you say her hair is falling out, is it falling out to the point of leaving bald spots or is she just shedding out more hair than normal?  It's spring, and most dogs shed more in the spring to get ready for the hot weather, so the hair loss could be due to that.  If bald patches are resulting, then it is something else entirely and could be from any number of things, from allergies to Cushing's Disease, so bloodwork will be necessary to tell for sure.

Please let us know what the vet says.  I hope things work out for you.  It's always so sad to see them get old.

Ghilly

[Ghilly]

I  meant to put in my last post to withhold ALL food for the next 12 hours at least to give her stomach a rest.  Make sure she has fresh, clean water at all times but her stomach is inflamed from something and you want to give that a chance to subside.  In the meantime, call the vet and see if he can fit her in today.  With the vomiting and loose stool, since she isn't eating OR drinking at this point, there is the danger of her dehydrating so please don't wait to talk to the vet.

Ghilly

[worried_dog_owner]

I tried to go to her vet today but unfortanetly he is out of town. :( She is now trying to drink water but just throws it up shortley after.

[worried_dog_owner]

Thanks for your advice Ghilly but I wanted to let you know my baby girl passed away around 3 A.M :( She went peacefully and is not longer suffering or in pain and I have to force myself to notice she's in a better place now. It's hard losing a best friend. :( R.I.P Allie Oop McAdams  

[Ghilly]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss.  My very first dog was a cocker spaniel so even though my companion of choice has been a Collie for the last 25 or 30 years, I have always had a special place in my heart for cockers.

My most sincere sympathies to you.

Ghilly

[puppytoesmom]

I am sorry  your  girl  died.  My Sasha was 14  and there were several times she had been sickly like your description.  She hung on. She ate alot and drank alot when she had no symptoms. One day ill and then back to normal.   She rallied and then kept losing weight.  She should have weighed 60 lbs.  She was still active in spite of her arthiritis.  She had to be put asleep because she was so skinny. When I took her to the vet, she weighed 35 lbs, and in spite of this weight loss she still bunny hopped around the yard I will never ever be completely ok about her poor health and her death. I do know that she didn't want to die as she kept rallying and just being a sweet, loving puppygirl.

[puppytoesmom]

I  forgot to mention that if I said I need to take her to the vet, she would perk up. So  it is like she knew she was ill but somehow braver than any dog  or person could be. Right now, I feel bad for my Ruby puppy who just turned 5 because she lost her mama sahsa.  Ruby really wasn't her birth pup but I gave Ruby to Sasha.  When I did, I placed her on the floor between Sasha's  arms and told Sasha Ruby is her daughter. Sash was a great adoptive mum to Ruby.  I know Ruby  misses her. Sasha got along with everyone and everything. Even cats when they were in their house.  She hated cats outside and loved them when they were inside.  A beautiful and unusual  pup that Sasha was.  I hope you take comfort in the cool things your pup did. I know I do