I MADE SOME NERVOUS SPELLING MISTAKES; SORRY... HERE IT IS AGAIN CORRECTED..
Hi,
New to the forum and facing a nite of worry.
My 14 year old dog hasn't been eating well for some weeks. This last week has seen a big deterioration and he isn't eating at all now. The start of the week saw him being sick 3-4 each day (lots of bile) and terrible smelly breath (even when not being sick).
The last 2 nights his back legs have become very weak and he is getting a lot of mucus in his eyes.
He isn't being sick right now but his stomach is empty i guess?. He is taking occasional water and when he is not sleeping (most of the time with heavy type breathing) he moves to another place in the house but spends ages just standing there and staring.
The history is that some weeks back we took him to vet who wasn't really able to properly checks the dog out because he became a little distressed (always been like that; a nervous dog I guess). The vet just said that (at the time) that his decreased appetite, really smelly breath and lump on his leg possibly pointed to cancer and suggested probably too old to check him further.
The dilemma I have tonight is knowing that my mind suggests I should maybe have him put to sleep tomorrow but as I sit here with him (for his comfort and my monitoring) I should do a little research to check things best I can.
I guess my questions relate to asking if the problem list he has (as above items) are real typical signs of cancer?. The mucus, the staring etc. He has had a cough for several months that is a bit similar to a cat trying to throw out fur balls.
I guess I am just assuring myself that they are all typical cancer symptoms if anyone can advise in the next few hours PLEASE. I live in hope that maybe (just maybe?) there is something else that this points to as we get closer to the dreaded day possibly tomorrow (ref confirming the vet should put him to sleep).. I do recollect that a rat had been around his play area several times this last few weeks but not enclosed so the rat just runs past then departs after a few moments.
Are there any other things I can look for as he lies here. Someone mentioned gums but they seem normal I think.
PLEASE HELP with words of knowledge.. THANKYOU
Is he eating, drinking, and peeing enough? I would get a second opinion before I did anything, I think your vet blew you off too easy without a definate diagnosis. This way you will be sure you did the right thing. Its so hard to decide what to do, I went through this two weeks ago, I truly feel sorry for you.
hi,
i may ask the vet (a different vet i will use) before ANY putting him to sleep today; i agree. Overnight he seems to be producing quite a lot of sticky saliva that is dripping from mouth.. the answer to your question is that he is drinking little amounts of water and peeing but wont take food... if we try force food on him he brings it back up very quickly. I dont know if these signs i mention confirm its very similar to cancer signs that others have experienced with their dog..?
You can post a question to a vet on the medHelp website, maybe that would give you some answers. Is there any chance his teeth are really bad,it would cause smell, not eating, and drooling.
how do i post a question to a vet?.. apologies for being a little slow on this
Click on Pets on top of this page, then click on the catagory under vets that your interested in, in your case Cancer, or even general health. They're very good in their answers.
I'm so sorry to hear about your dog :( but you said he has terribly bad breath? Since he's been sick has it been a lot worse than usual? Sometimes this can be a sign of liver failure :( but I don't want to scare you, I'm not a veternarian myself so I can't for sure say anything. I would DEFINITELY go see another vet, it sounds like this guy just saw an old dog that he didn't want to put his effort into. Go get a second opinion before you decide to do anything that you can't undo.
i was thinking liver or kidney failure, was/is his skin stiff, were his eyes glassed over?? i wouldnt really think its cancer, heart failure is another possiblility, brain injury??