my 4 year old chihuahua weak and staggering.

about 1 week ago my 4 year old chihuahua started slowing down and having trouble climbing the stairs he also has the shivers sometimes . i took him to a vet right away. the vet took blood and checked his anal glands and kept him for half a day. when i picked him up the vet told me all he could see was he had gas.after selling me a $30.00 bag of dog food and charging me $600.00 i took him home. by the next day i could see he was getting worse. i called that vet but he was closed. so i called an emergency number and took him to another vet. he said my dog had a small fever about 101 and gave me amoxicillin. after about a day i saw some improvement.about 2 days later he started to relapse.when i brought him back to the vet he gave him an iv with fluids and a pain killer and gave me a new medicine called predisolone 5ml. again he showed some improvement but this too only lasted for a few days. today i went to clean the dogs bowls and noticed what looked like a small sponge behind his bowl i went to kick it out of there and it just broke apart to my shock a friend told me it was white water mold that grew under the bottom of the door molding.i cleaned everything with bleach and mold killer.i checked everywhere else for more but it was only that spot. could this mold be the cause of his problems? does he need a special type of medicine? can someone please help me.

[Misfits4Me]

Hello and Welcome.... I'm going to try to help you...Do you by any chance have a copy of his bloodwork? Did the Vet say that ALL of his bloodwork was normal? Anything even alittle off? What food did the Vet sell you and what has he been eating until now? Is he still on the Amoxi? And, what dose is his pred.? 5mg. once @ day or twice? How long is he to take the Pred.? Let me know and we'll go from there.....Karla

[mace52]

first let me thank you for contacting me. i don,t have a copy of his blood work but the vet said it was all normal. the food he sold me was IAMS veterinary formula intestinal low- residue. i cant get him to go near it. he,s been stealing the cats food it,s purina healthful life. the vet said it was ok it,s high in protein. before this problem he would eat most any dog food mainly kennel ration also he would eat some table scraps but only ham turkey or chicken.as for his meds the vet took him off amoxi and has me giving him the pred 5mg twice a day dosage .1/2
ml each time. i just took him back to the vet today at11:45 because he was a little shaky and limp. he gave him a shot of a pain med and predisolone. he said this would give him a jump start and not to give him any more meds today.im to start giving him the pred tomorow 1/2ml twice a day.right now he,s sleeping. thank you.GREG

[mace52]

taco just got up and struggled over to his water bowl. he drank half the bowl.he,s very slow and his eyes are very watery. he takes a couple of steps than stops. maby im crazy but he looks kind of drawn in the face. his head shakes slowly from side to side.it,s like he can hardly move. his breathing seems labored. his tail between his legs curves like a question mark.he,s realy got me worried . 2 vets and no answers no cure.i don,t know what else to do....GREG

[Misfits4Me]

Greg....My first thought about your original post is that Taco has injured his neck, back, hip, etc.  If he's a wild guy, and jumps on and off furniture, this is very common. If you told your Vet about having trouble with stairs, then this would fit. IMO, Shivering is a sign of pain. The gas bubble they saw had to be seen on xrays, so I assume they did those, too. Correct? However, a pulled muscle somewhere would not show up on an xray. If it is indeed gas, a infant gas relief drop (For Collic) should help. It's like Beano drops for adults and can be given as needed. You will see a difference and could at least rule gas out.
I don't understand the antibiotic as 101 temp is normal. You may have seen a slight improvement because sometimes antibiotics have an anti-inflammatory effect. Your second trip made him better for a few days I suspect, because of the pain meds. If he was dehydrated,(Thus the fluids) it would have shown up on the bloodwork.
The pred. should help because it is used as an anti-inflammatory. I can't tell you anything about the dose (I wish I could) as I'm use to milligrams (Tablet form) and your using a liquid (Milliliters). I don't know how they compare to each other. I can tell you that they do cause excessive thrist and urination! This is normal! I'm concerned about his breathing and head shaking from side to side!!!! Too much pred. can cause respiratory problems, but again I'm not sure about his dose. Sometimes it also makes them lethargic. Some, it does not bother at all. If I were you, I'd post a question about the Predisolone Dose in the "Ask A Vet" forum. She can tell you if this dose is too high for his size. Make sure you post how much he weighs. I'm still leaning towards an injury and pain somewhere. He needs pain meds. with the pred., but I'm not sure how you should go about this as you've already seen two doctors. If you choose to go see another one, you can go get his bloodtest results from the first Dr. (You paid for them) to take with you to the next one. This would save you some money! Now, after all of this, I don't think I've been much help. Maybe you do have some ideas on what could be going on if you pursue this. Trouble w/ stairs is a good place to start. He could be developing plain arthritis. Although he's young, it does happen. Please keep me updated on him and what you decide to do......Good luck........Karla

[mace52]

KARLA  you have been a great help . not only to taco but as a moral booster to myself. i,m going to that first vet and demanding his blood test results and xrays. im taking taco to a third vet my daughter in law recomended. he helped her dog when it had a similar problem. i don,t care about the cost i just want him to get better. iv,e been through hell and back and have more metal in me than a toyota. this little guy has been one of the very few pleasure,s iv,e had. and i,ll never give up on him. thank you so much for your help and concern and advice and for putting up with my one finger typing. i,ll keep you informed of his progress.......thank you so much.......GREG