Please Help my Dog!!

[leahpough]

My dog has been very sick for the a little over a month. I’ve taken her to the vet numerous times but they don’t seem to know what’s wrong with her, and keep misdiagnosing her.
It started on July 11, 2014- she was coughing all day. It seemed as though there was something caught in her throat that she was trying to cough up, but nothing was coming up. At that time other than the coughing she seemed fine. Eating regularly, going to the bathroom regularly, and very active.
We took her to the vet; they did x-rays and said that she had bronchitis. They gave us antibiotics and sent her home. But as the days went on she got A LOT worse. She stopped eating completely, making it almost impossible to get the antibiotics into her, she was very lethargic, and her whole body seemed to hurt. But she did stop coughing.
A week later we took her back to the vet. This time they did blood work and said she had Pancreatitis. They kept her over night to watch her and give her intravenous fluids. The next day they sent her home with more medicine, that we struggled to give her because she still had no appetite. We also didn’t believe that she had pancreatitis, she wasn’t showing very many symptoms- she didn’t have diarrhea and she wasn’t vomiting.
About a week later she started getting slightly better, her appetite came back, but she refused to eat hard food, and we had to hand feed her baby food/ broth/ yogurt/ and moist cat food. She also got slightly peppier but nowhere close to where she was (I used to be able to run and throw a ball with her, and now she can barley make it to the mail box). But she also started throwing up A LOT, it was mostly a yellow liquid and whatever little food she had eaten that day. The constant throwing up lasted about 2 weeks, but now has finally stopped.
But now she has been wheezing A LOT, and seems to be struggling to breath. We took her back to the vet 2 days ago- they did another x ray and more blood work. They said she doesn’t have pancreatitis, and that her blood seems fine. But from her x rays they think she may have pneumonia. They gave us more antibiotic, and some pills to take the fluid out of the lungs. But at this point I don’t believe anything they say. Please help us!!

[Misfits4Me]

How old is your dog?? Trachea collapse is very easy to see on an xray! I believe this Vet is giving you the run around for a reason...You do keep going back don't you?

Grab your records and head to another Vet.....I don't care if he's the best or not! Obviously not even close in your case, huh???

There are many things that can cause what your describing......It also depends on age......Thanks, Karla

[leahpough]

Thank you for replying. My dog is a pom/ collie mix and she did have that honking cough thing in the beginning, but it has now morphed into a wheeze/ cough combo. I think its a collapsed trachea but I wish the vets could have figured that out on day one.

[leahpough]

I'm so sorry that sounds awful. I've been doing a lot of research and right now I think she might have a collapsed trachea, but I'm not positive. She has all of the symptoms, and it is easily misdiagnosed as bronchitis or pneumonia, which is what the doctors said she had. There's not much you can really do for it except to rest the throat- and she seems to be getting worse, I don't know what to do.

[cricet35]

I had two little babys with about the same probs I took them to the same vet they said they were going to treat them for parvoe well to make a long story short the both died within days of treatment I quit going to that vet the older vet could mabe save them but they let young trainees treat them who knew nothing about what they were doing

[leahpough]

Thank you so much for replying!
I do have copies of all of her test results- blood work/ and x rays. And she may have had pancreatitis and it got better- or she could have been showing symptoms at the time and that is why they diagnosed her with it, but the pancreatitis is definitely not her main issue. Right now its the wheezing, the lethargy, the weight loss, and lack of eating. I just want to know what she has. I'm going to wait a few more days before I take her back to the doctor, just to see if the medicine I got a few days ago does anything, and if it doesn't then I am definitely going to look into the universities and vet schools.

[1grrr]

I agree with all of the above. For what it's worth, always get copies of all tests done and start a file for your dog. keep all copies of bills and things they give you as then you have a record of what's been done along with the copies of all bloodwork and test results.
I'm not sure how the bloodwork can be misread to state your dog had pancreatitis .. and then reverse that quickly.
You can then do some research of your own line along with posting here.
I certainly would get a second opinion, and if there is a Vet School or University with Vet School near you, I would get the dog there fast. This has been going on too long and needs to be addressed.
Good luck.

[Margot49]

I would still seek a second opinion and soon.

[leahpough]

We take her to the best vet in the city, but I'll try to find a different one. I like the idea of going to a university, but at this point we've taken her to the vet so many times that I'm scared to take her again. She seems to get worse after every visit.

[Margot49]

So sorry fir you and the dog that this has been going on for so long!!  Sounds like very contradictory information from this Vet.  
If it were me, I would go to his office,get all the test results and the actual x-ray films and find another Vet for a second opinion.  Any chance you have a Vet school or university near you?  Not sure where you are,but the weekend is coming.  I would do a Google search fir Vets near you then check their names for reviews.  This might help or ask friends or neighbors which Vets they see.
Hope you can get some answers, she may need a scope done and/or some cultures taken, and please update.