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Dog Not Eating For Seven Days
I have an 11-year-old Basset Hound who stopped eating his normal food over a month ago. I fed him a piece of cheese one day and it sounded like he was eating potato chips. I took him to the vet where they did a complete blood screen on him and felt around for tumors. Felt no tumors and bloodwork was normal except for the fact he tested positive for heartworms. They cleaned his teeth - none needed to be extracted. I have tried feeding him lunchmeat, ground beef, liver, cheese, chicken, peanut butter, anything and everything you can possibly think of and he will not eat it - won't even put it in his mouth. I called the vet and they say he'll eat if he gets hungry enough. If he's not hungry after seven days of not eating a thing, when will he be hungry? Any ideas on what could be causing this?
Go to a garden/livestock supply store and buy Ivomec/Ivomectin. The one for smaller animals like swine. This is the active ingredient in Heartgard. On bottle cost about $50.00 and will last for a couple of years. It takes very little for a dog only about 4/10ths of a cc. For a Chihuahua only half that. The only breed that I have been told by my Vet that cannot take is a German Shepherd. I have used this for Pugs, Chow mix, Blue heeler mix, and now a Rottweiler or Pitbull mix. My daughter used it for her Chihuahua and Yellow lab. My Vet originally told me to get it for my Chow mix because of the Red mites/mange he had. He was taking fairly large doses for a month or more. You might ask your vet first if you not sure about my info.
my dog stoped eating for a really long time and he just lays down i'm getting really warried . i think he might be lonley because his bestfriend died and his wife died . they don't even take to see his kids
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Thats wonderful to hear!!
He wouldn't/couldn't eat because of the affects of low thyroid....coupled with w/ the heartworms was a double wammy. The thyroid will really, really mess up their appetite, and deplete all their strength, same as people w/ thyroid issues, and w/ his age, well, we all take a bit longer to heal as we age. his body was just fighting 2 things at once and the HW's take a bit of time to be killed. And i would bet that also is what changed his bark..with the HW's being in his system/chest area.
That is really just wonderful news to hear. I've gotten some bad news recently w/ one of my babies, was at the Emergency vet and he has a genetic spine/disc disease. It has been very hard for me, he's only 4, and he's my little four legged soul mate. It can be very bad, but won't know the treatments needed until we see a neurologist. So hearing about Willie doing so good makes today a little bit happier for me.
Please give Willie a great big hug and smooch from us!!
Take care. Teresa
He wouldn't/couldn't eat because of the affects of low thyroid....coupled with w/ the heartworms was a double wammy. The thyroid will really, really mess up their appetite, and deplete all their strength, same as people w/ thyroid issues, and w/ his age, well, we all take a bit longer to heal as we age. his body was just fighting 2 things at once and the HW's take a bit of time to be killed. And i would bet that also is what changed his bark..with the HW's being in his system/chest area.
That is really just wonderful news to hear. I've gotten some bad news recently w/ one of my babies, was at the Emergency vet and he has a genetic spine/disc disease. It has been very hard for me, he's only 4, and he's my little four legged soul mate. It can be very bad, but won't know the treatments needed until we see a neurologist. So hearing about Willie doing so good makes today a little bit happier for me.
Please give Willie a great big hug and smooch from us!!
Take care. Teresa
So glad to hear good news! Many times the outcomes seem to be much bleaker....A SUCCESS STORY!!! Makes me smile!!!! God Bless!
Just wanted to let everyone know that Willie is back to eating his normal dog food! He scarfs it down like crazy now! I still have no idea what happened - why he would not eat. I really don't think it had anything to do with his teeth.
The odd thing now is his bark is different - totally different. He used to have a loud, deep, deep bark - sounded ferocious. Now, it's still deep, but just not as strong or loud.
I just wanted to take a minute and tell everyone thank you for all of your comments and suggestions. Y'all are a bunch of wonderful people.
The odd thing now is his bark is different - totally different. He used to have a loud, deep, deep bark - sounded ferocious. Now, it's still deep, but just not as strong or loud.
I just wanted to take a minute and tell everyone thank you for all of your comments and suggestions. Y'all are a bunch of wonderful people.
Wooooooooo....(Wait a minute).....(doin' the snoopy dance with the boys)..... ok...done..........Hoooooooooooo!!!!!!
YAAAYYY!!!!!!!!!.........Oh thats WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!!!!
Give him a HUGE smooch and hugs from us....................................ok ........back to snoopy dancing........ : P
YAAAYYY!!!!!!!!!.........Oh thats WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!!!!
Give him a HUGE smooch and hugs from us....................................ok ........back to snoopy dancing........ : P
Just thought I'd let you know Willie just got through eating his second helping of scrambled eggs. I'm so excited I can't hardly contain myself. I added more pics I was so happy!
Well, good deal!!!!!!!!!
I was so worried about you two!!!!!!!! LOL, reading you comments made me smile for you...you and the syringe thing is pretty humorous...
So now theres hope....maybe everything will work out....
Stay in touch,,,have fun the chicken livers??? or should I say....have fun with diluting this wknd....this baby gonna eat one way or another...haha...you take care...I know you are trying so hard to help your little fella, you're a wonderful pet owner...
I was so worried about you two!!!!!!!! LOL, reading you comments made me smile for you...you and the syringe thing is pretty humorous...
So now theres hope....maybe everything will work out....
Stay in touch,,,have fun the chicken livers??? or should I say....have fun with diluting this wknd....this baby gonna eat one way or another...haha...you take care...I know you are trying so hard to help your little fella, you're a wonderful pet owner...
You might do well to post this question on Dr. Chengs forum. There is a link on the right hand side of the page that says "Ask A Vet". It might take her a day or so to get back to you.
If he's not eating right away, I'd still be very concerned. He's lost a lot of weight. I'd like to hear what she has to say about it all.
If he's not eating right away, I'd still be very concerned. He's lost a lot of weight. I'd like to hear what she has to say about it all.
Although.....i'm even more annoyed w/ the first vet......low thyroid and nothing done......no wonder he didn't have the energy to eat.....heartworm meds wouldn't help that at all..........i still think I'D feel better if i could just give a her a smack.......just a small one.....it would only sting for a minute.......or 10.........
And just look up the symptoms of HIGH thyroid as you are now giving meds for it. pretty much the same as low but a few differences.....my boys thyroid med dose had to be adjusted from time to time....but i'm sure he'll feel MUCH better soon....
I need to go organize my linen closet or something..or give my boys their baths......get rid of this angry energy.....not good.......not good at all....that damn vet made me nuts.......
And just look up the symptoms of HIGH thyroid as you are now giving meds for it. pretty much the same as low but a few differences.....my boys thyroid med dose had to be adjusted from time to time....but i'm sure he'll feel MUCH better soon....
I need to go organize my linen closet or something..or give my boys their baths......get rid of this angry energy.....not good.......not good at all....that damn vet made me nuts.......
Oh wow, this is great news...I mean, he still has heartworms but low thyroid will do all that too....so maybe with the meds now (and with thyroid, they bounce back FAST after getting the meds) his heartworms aren't as bad and now he will get his energy back to fight them......WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!
How was his hair?, Course, thinning? Darker spots on belly? (I know bassets have those anyway, but thyroid issues make the pigment darker) And it messes up their hair too.
Anyway, I'm so happy for you and Willie........wishing him well, and sending him tons of licks and smooches...
Take care, Teresa ; )
How was his hair?, Course, thinning? Darker spots on belly? (I know bassets have those anyway, but thyroid issues make the pigment darker) And it messes up their hair too.
Anyway, I'm so happy for you and Willie........wishing him well, and sending him tons of licks and smooches...
Take care, Teresa ; )
Well, just got back from thet vet. Willie weighed 34 pounds, so he's lost two since last Friday. There's two vets at this clinic, a male and a female. I've always seen the female vet but today I saw the man. He looked over Willie's bloodwork and said his thyroid was extremely low and he didn't know why the other doc didn't put him on anything for that. She told me over the phone that the low thyroid was probably due to the heartworms. I guess maybe the Heartguard was going to help with all that. Well, since he wasn't eating - we all thought it was because of his teeth - and obviously that wasn't it. Well, at least he has nice sparkly teeth now. Anyway, the vet put him on a thyroid medicine Soloxine. They crunched that up and mixed it with Ivermectin (liquid) for the heartworms and they added water to it and put all that mixture into 30 syringes, put each one in an individual baggie and I give him one syringe a day. They also gave him a shot of antibiotics. I think with some b-12. My receipt says Soloxine 0.3 mg, Ivermectin 50 ml, LAP/DEX Injection.
The vet suggested I give him via syringe some yogurt mixed with water and maybe some pureed livers and he said the chicken broth was good to give him. I pureed livers the other day and just about threw up. He turned away from them, but I never thought of putting that in a syringe. After giving him the chicken broth, I always wind up with about half of the broth on me so I can't imagine what I'd do with chicken livers all over me - blah!
Anyway, I'll keep y'all posted on how he's doing. Thanks again for all your support.
The vet suggested I give him via syringe some yogurt mixed with water and maybe some pureed livers and he said the chicken broth was good to give him. I pureed livers the other day and just about threw up. He turned away from them, but I never thought of putting that in a syringe. After giving him the chicken broth, I always wind up with about half of the broth on me so I can't imagine what I'd do with chicken livers all over me - blah!
Anyway, I'll keep y'all posted on how he's doing. Thanks again for all your support.
I'm sorry if I got my panties up in a bunch over this.....but they were : P
And I guess because I have a Basset too it hits closer to home for me. And the fact that I've had vets make mistakes before also.
But it's how they handle those mistakes that matter. Some just don't know things, but I would think you being in Texas, where heartworms are just as bad as they are here in Florida, they would be more up on things.
I suppose it was the comment made about Willie not eating w/ the diagnosis of heartworms that really got me. If he's that sick he CAN'T eat. He may need IV fluids and nutrients to get his strength back up. And the fact they didn't determine what stage it's in.
I love my vet I have now, and he has no problem sending me to the vet specialist hosp. when he feels he can longer take care of it himself. And he comes to me! He's a mobile vet. He has a large camper type vet office on wheels. He can do most anything on there that any other vet can do.
There was one time we thought my Babalu had pulled a muscle in his back leg and was given meds for it. But he was getting worse, I had a possible UTI in the back of my mind, and ended up going to the EM vet the night before Thanksgiving, they were very busy w/ major emergency's and couldn't really see him just then, they gave me a few pointers,( no water/ food as it will make it worse, the infected kidneys can't handle it) called me back at 2am to see how he was doing, and I took him back in early Thanksgiving morning, I also was able to get some of his urine myself before we left and just by the look/color/odor of it I knew it was a UTI. Sure enough he had a bad UTI, which can present itself as hurt/weak back legs/hips at first, and the meds (rimadyl and Baytril) were making him worse. Baytril IS an antibiotic used for possible urinary or skin infections but it is very powerful and he had a bad reaction to it. he got the proper anti-biotics, (Clavamox) and the EM vet faxes all the info right over to your regular vet.
Well, my vet got the faxed info at his home office on Thanksgiving day and called me TWICE that day/night to see how he was doing and to apologize for all of what happened.
God I love him, lol.....
Of course my poor baby was losing his mind as it was Thanksgiving with all that cooking going on and he wasn't allowed to eat for 24hrs.
Anyway...vets do make mistakes, but some are much costlier than others and not just money wise.
I hope they are taking good care of Willie and you right now.
I'll check back soon
Take care, Teresa ; )
And I guess because I have a Basset too it hits closer to home for me. And the fact that I've had vets make mistakes before also.
But it's how they handle those mistakes that matter. Some just don't know things, but I would think you being in Texas, where heartworms are just as bad as they are here in Florida, they would be more up on things.
I suppose it was the comment made about Willie not eating w/ the diagnosis of heartworms that really got me. If he's that sick he CAN'T eat. He may need IV fluids and nutrients to get his strength back up. And the fact they didn't determine what stage it's in.
I love my vet I have now, and he has no problem sending me to the vet specialist hosp. when he feels he can longer take care of it himself. And he comes to me! He's a mobile vet. He has a large camper type vet office on wheels. He can do most anything on there that any other vet can do.
There was one time we thought my Babalu had pulled a muscle in his back leg and was given meds for it. But he was getting worse, I had a possible UTI in the back of my mind, and ended up going to the EM vet the night before Thanksgiving, they were very busy w/ major emergency's and couldn't really see him just then, they gave me a few pointers,( no water/ food as it will make it worse, the infected kidneys can't handle it) called me back at 2am to see how he was doing, and I took him back in early Thanksgiving morning, I also was able to get some of his urine myself before we left and just by the look/color/odor of it I knew it was a UTI. Sure enough he had a bad UTI, which can present itself as hurt/weak back legs/hips at first, and the meds (rimadyl and Baytril) were making him worse. Baytril IS an antibiotic used for possible urinary or skin infections but it is very powerful and he had a bad reaction to it. he got the proper anti-biotics, (Clavamox) and the EM vet faxes all the info right over to your regular vet.
Well, my vet got the faxed info at his home office on Thanksgiving day and called me TWICE that day/night to see how he was doing and to apologize for all of what happened.
God I love him, lol.....
Of course my poor baby was losing his mind as it was Thanksgiving with all that cooking going on and he wasn't allowed to eat for 24hrs.
Anyway...vets do make mistakes, but some are much costlier than others and not just money wise.
I hope they are taking good care of Willie and you right now.
I'll check back soon
Take care, Teresa ; )
I just crying when I read your story, you poor thing....I am so sorry for you...this is really a tuff ordeal....
You know, I went thru this same stuff, not the exact same medical issue, but same process w/animal and vets...man, its so hard...
Money, the root of all evil and good....I know what you're talkin about...
I got a dog problem again at my house, and just pondering this morning what to do, when I get to vet, I'll drop some more money, and the symptoms sound just crazy, I think I know maybe what symptoms are, the vet will think I am nuts,,,then we chase the symptoms w/procedures and medicines while the bill is piling up...
Now, I sit here typing you w/just a numb feeling, just don't know what to say???
I am truly sympathetic to your situation...now, just wait and see how your little friend will come out of this, and your baby cat, hum? I know you've just been thru the worse, and am so sorry for your pain....you've got your hands full, I just lost pet not long ago, now got 5 dogs, one recently almost lost, I went crazy cause it brought up old feelings of the dog I lost and the vet stuff...its so hard...
You know since I've been on this forum,,,,they talk alot about dog insurance from the spca in the area you live...I personally have not looked into insurance, don't have a clue what or how much, but, I guess I should try and see, 2 wks ago I ran $700 up on 2 vets...and still have more issue to deal with...
Please stay in touch and let us know how you and your pets are doing??? I am so glad you respond and keep us posted, and remember (you can only do with what you have, and know in heart you did your best with the funds, the knowledge, the care and the love you have for your pet)))) keep posting, and take care of yourself!!!
You know, I went thru this same stuff, not the exact same medical issue, but same process w/animal and vets...man, its so hard...
Money, the root of all evil and good....I know what you're talkin about...
I got a dog problem again at my house, and just pondering this morning what to do, when I get to vet, I'll drop some more money, and the symptoms sound just crazy, I think I know maybe what symptoms are, the vet will think I am nuts,,,then we chase the symptoms w/procedures and medicines while the bill is piling up...
Now, I sit here typing you w/just a numb feeling, just don't know what to say???
I am truly sympathetic to your situation...now, just wait and see how your little friend will come out of this, and your baby cat, hum? I know you've just been thru the worse, and am so sorry for your pain....you've got your hands full, I just lost pet not long ago, now got 5 dogs, one recently almost lost, I went crazy cause it brought up old feelings of the dog I lost and the vet stuff...its so hard...
You know since I've been on this forum,,,,they talk alot about dog insurance from the spca in the area you live...I personally have not looked into insurance, don't have a clue what or how much, but, I guess I should try and see, 2 wks ago I ran $700 up on 2 vets...and still have more issue to deal with...
Please stay in touch and let us know how you and your pets are doing??? I am so glad you respond and keep us posted, and remember (you can only do with what you have, and know in heart you did your best with the funds, the knowledge, the care and the love you have for your pet)))) keep posting, and take care of yourself!!!
And most importantly I forgot to say a great big huge THANK YOU to BabaluandOtis2 for doing all that research. You are a sweetheart!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I'll let y'all know when I get home from the vet what they say!
Thank you again
I'll let y'all know when I get home from the vet what they say!
Thank you again
I called the vet this morning to ask them to look over his bloodwork again. They asked me to bring him back in - so I have an appointment at 1:30 this afternoon. I know y'all might think I'm crazy, but I went through hell with my cat Loco and the first vet I took him too. That vet was a franchise vet and we spent tons of money there. Let me go into the story a little bit and then maybe you'll understand what I'm talking about.
Loco couldn't hold his head up one day. Took him to the 24-hour franchise vet about 30 minutes away and they did bloodwork. They said his kidney function was off - not quite kidney failure, but close to it. They gave him antibiotics, a stomach medicine and potassium. That was on a Saturday. I had to bring him in the next Monday to re-check his electrolytes at no charge. Go back Monday. Tech takes him back to check his blood. Vet comes out and tells me she saw Loco and noticed he was holding his down and to one side. She checked him and his eardrum had ruptured. They had to do the bloodwork twice because it didn't spin down right the first time. His kidney function was better. So they prescribe some steroids and then charge me about $80 for the re-check fee which they weren't supposed to do. After griping a little, I payed around $50 and left. Loco got 100% better. I couldn't help but think the eardrum was getting ready to rupture when I took him to the vet the first time and they just missed that. Total cost for those visits was about $500.
Fast forward about a month and Loco wakes me up yowling and limping with his paw turned under. Take him back to the same vet. They say it's probably something neurological and give him more steroids and say that he'll probably walk normally again. Total cost for that visit about $150.
Two weeks pass - Loco's paw looks like it has gangrene - it's totally dead on the end. At this point, I've had it up to my eyeballs with the franchise vet. I really didn't want to take him back there when he started limping because of my first experience with them and the only reason why I did was because they had recently done a complete blood screen on him.
So I call around to some vets in the area and ask them what they charge for an office visit and what they charge for x-rays. The franchise vet was $75 for an office visit and $150 for two x-rays. The vet I'm currently using was $35 for office visit and I think $75 for two x-rays. I can't exactly remember the cost - but it was a lot cheaper and they were a lot closer to my house.
Take Loco in and I can just tell that these people love animals. I really loved the way they treated Loco. They examine him and tell me that the leg has to come off. Take him in a few days later to do surgery - they do blood screen and his kidneys are not good (which means the first vet might have been right after all - but I just don't like them for some reason). The vet says that she didn't want to put him through the surgery. I bawl my eyes out and go pick him up thinking he's going to die soon. A couple of days go by and his paw is literally about to fall off - stuff oozing out - horrible, horrible. But Loco acts fine except for that damn paw. I call the vet and ask what to do because stuff is oozing. She says the only thing we can do is do the surgery - I totally 100% agreed with that. Took him in for surgery and he made it through surgery but didn't make it through the night. He was 15 years old. My husband and I and my daughter go to pick him up and pay the bill. They didn't charge me what they were going to - it was less than I expected to pay and they let us pay it out over two weeks. The vet came out and hugged me and apologized and I can just tell she was sincere. She genuinely cared about Loco.
I know y'all might think I'm nuts, but I have grown to really respect these people. I think everyone here has taken their pets to different vets over the years, and you can tell the minute that you put your pet on the table whether these people truly like animals or if this is just a job for them. These people are not that way. They care about each and every animal that comes in there. They treat them like they're their own and that's why I like them. So I'm giving them another chance this afternoon. I know he's lost weight since the last visit and now maybe they'll understand the severity of the situation. We've ruled out the teeth - it's not his teeth - so now we'll see if it's the heartworms and what to do about that since he won't eat his Heartguard. They told me at his age, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to do the invasive treatment or whatever you call it. I have already talked to them about bringing my other dogs in. I'm just trying to save money and bring two dogs in at one visit. I'd take all three if I could.
Sorry for this novel, but I wanted to try and explain what I was feeling.
Loco couldn't hold his head up one day. Took him to the 24-hour franchise vet about 30 minutes away and they did bloodwork. They said his kidney function was off - not quite kidney failure, but close to it. They gave him antibiotics, a stomach medicine and potassium. That was on a Saturday. I had to bring him in the next Monday to re-check his electrolytes at no charge. Go back Monday. Tech takes him back to check his blood. Vet comes out and tells me she saw Loco and noticed he was holding his down and to one side. She checked him and his eardrum had ruptured. They had to do the bloodwork twice because it didn't spin down right the first time. His kidney function was better. So they prescribe some steroids and then charge me about $80 for the re-check fee which they weren't supposed to do. After griping a little, I payed around $50 and left. Loco got 100% better. I couldn't help but think the eardrum was getting ready to rupture when I took him to the vet the first time and they just missed that. Total cost for those visits was about $500.
Fast forward about a month and Loco wakes me up yowling and limping with his paw turned under. Take him back to the same vet. They say it's probably something neurological and give him more steroids and say that he'll probably walk normally again. Total cost for that visit about $150.
Two weeks pass - Loco's paw looks like it has gangrene - it's totally dead on the end. At this point, I've had it up to my eyeballs with the franchise vet. I really didn't want to take him back there when he started limping because of my first experience with them and the only reason why I did was because they had recently done a complete blood screen on him.
So I call around to some vets in the area and ask them what they charge for an office visit and what they charge for x-rays. The franchise vet was $75 for an office visit and $150 for two x-rays. The vet I'm currently using was $35 for office visit and I think $75 for two x-rays. I can't exactly remember the cost - but it was a lot cheaper and they were a lot closer to my house.
Take Loco in and I can just tell that these people love animals. I really loved the way they treated Loco. They examine him and tell me that the leg has to come off. Take him in a few days later to do surgery - they do blood screen and his kidneys are not good (which means the first vet might have been right after all - but I just don't like them for some reason). The vet says that she didn't want to put him through the surgery. I bawl my eyes out and go pick him up thinking he's going to die soon. A couple of days go by and his paw is literally about to fall off - stuff oozing out - horrible, horrible. But Loco acts fine except for that damn paw. I call the vet and ask what to do because stuff is oozing. She says the only thing we can do is do the surgery - I totally 100% agreed with that. Took him in for surgery and he made it through surgery but didn't make it through the night. He was 15 years old. My husband and I and my daughter go to pick him up and pay the bill. They didn't charge me what they were going to - it was less than I expected to pay and they let us pay it out over two weeks. The vet came out and hugged me and apologized and I can just tell she was sincere. She genuinely cared about Loco.
I know y'all might think I'm nuts, but I have grown to really respect these people. I think everyone here has taken their pets to different vets over the years, and you can tell the minute that you put your pet on the table whether these people truly like animals or if this is just a job for them. These people are not that way. They care about each and every animal that comes in there. They treat them like they're their own and that's why I like them. So I'm giving them another chance this afternoon. I know he's lost weight since the last visit and now maybe they'll understand the severity of the situation. We've ruled out the teeth - it's not his teeth - so now we'll see if it's the heartworms and what to do about that since he won't eat his Heartguard. They told me at his age, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to do the invasive treatment or whatever you call it. I have already talked to them about bringing my other dogs in. I'm just trying to save money and bring two dogs in at one visit. I'd take all three if I could.
Sorry for this novel, but I wanted to try and explain what I was feeling.
She researched your situation, very good advice, very good advice....
How is the dog today???
How is the dog today???
Sorry it took so long, i was reading up in my books, then a storm came thru and I lost cable for a bit.
I was also just reading some vet web sites on the heart worms.
Aside from that crunching noise, all these symptoms are related to heartworms. From what I've read he has to be x-rayed to see if he has any adult ones in his heart, that is the only way to tell how many he has and the course of treatment to take.
Some of the sites differ on the treatment. Some say to kill off the adults first, which means he has to be at the vets for it. They use some very dangerous meds to do this. For some dogs it's not an option at all.
Other sites say to kill off the larve and smaller ones first with the heartworm preventative you have. And it says not to use the Sentinal or Interseptor brands as the medication in those will kill them off too fast, which is not good because they clog his lungs, bloodstream etc.. and the dog can go into shock. But I see you have the HeartGuard one so that is good, but there is still a chance of shock. Signs of shock are pale mucous membranes inside of mouth and gums, weakness, rapid pulse and loss of heat to his ears/extremities.
He cannot exert himself at all w/ these heartworms. You have to find out what stage he's in. And I'm sorry to say this but all his symptoms could be symptoms of advanced heartworms.
But, if no x-ray was taken of his chest to show them there is no way to know. He could have an infection somewhere also.
And you have to have your other dogs checked for heartworms too if they haven't been on any preventative because if a mosquito bites Willie, it will ingest some of the heart worm larve, and then bites another of your dogs it will then inject those larve into them. And if those dogs aren't showing any signs like Willie, they may not have it, but if they do you won't know it in the early stages. And treating it in the early stages, you only have to use the heart worm preventative. And there is a much better chance for full recovery.
If it were me, and that vet didn't do any of this, and with his ignorant comment, I would call them and demand a refund so I could take my dog to a vet who has some experience w/ heartworm treatment. Or he can talk to my lawyer. (not that I have one, but they're only a phone call away) I am not kidding. (I know you Texans have big cojones) To do and say what he did when this boy has heartworms is incompetent to say the least.
I am so sick of vets who don't know what they are doing or don't care and just take your money. If it was on credit card I'd call them and file a dispute too.
I know thats the last thing on your mind but this vet could have caused more damage by making you wait it out. And I'm not so sure, but cleaning his teeth while he has heartworms and is ill could have made things worse. That IS malpractice, and vets can't keep getting away with this. Did he even suggest to get your other dogs tested?
I would definitely call another vet and tell them EVERYTHING this other vet did (or didn't do) and see what they say. Maybe they'll give you a break w/ cost.
I am so sorry if I sound cranky and PO'd, but I am, it's very late, (or very early), and I am so upset by your situation and this vet.
Keep us posted, and give Willie hugs.
Take care, Teresa
I was also just reading some vet web sites on the heart worms.
Aside from that crunching noise, all these symptoms are related to heartworms. From what I've read he has to be x-rayed to see if he has any adult ones in his heart, that is the only way to tell how many he has and the course of treatment to take.
Some of the sites differ on the treatment. Some say to kill off the adults first, which means he has to be at the vets for it. They use some very dangerous meds to do this. For some dogs it's not an option at all.
Other sites say to kill off the larve and smaller ones first with the heartworm preventative you have. And it says not to use the Sentinal or Interseptor brands as the medication in those will kill them off too fast, which is not good because they clog his lungs, bloodstream etc.. and the dog can go into shock. But I see you have the HeartGuard one so that is good, but there is still a chance of shock. Signs of shock are pale mucous membranes inside of mouth and gums, weakness, rapid pulse and loss of heat to his ears/extremities.
He cannot exert himself at all w/ these heartworms. You have to find out what stage he's in. And I'm sorry to say this but all his symptoms could be symptoms of advanced heartworms.
But, if no x-ray was taken of his chest to show them there is no way to know. He could have an infection somewhere also.
And you have to have your other dogs checked for heartworms too if they haven't been on any preventative because if a mosquito bites Willie, it will ingest some of the heart worm larve, and then bites another of your dogs it will then inject those larve into them. And if those dogs aren't showing any signs like Willie, they may not have it, but if they do you won't know it in the early stages. And treating it in the early stages, you only have to use the heart worm preventative. And there is a much better chance for full recovery.
If it were me, and that vet didn't do any of this, and with his ignorant comment, I would call them and demand a refund so I could take my dog to a vet who has some experience w/ heartworm treatment. Or he can talk to my lawyer. (not that I have one, but they're only a phone call away) I am not kidding. (I know you Texans have big cojones) To do and say what he did when this boy has heartworms is incompetent to say the least.
I am so sick of vets who don't know what they are doing or don't care and just take your money. If it was on credit card I'd call them and file a dispute too.
I know thats the last thing on your mind but this vet could have caused more damage by making you wait it out. And I'm not so sure, but cleaning his teeth while he has heartworms and is ill could have made things worse. That IS malpractice, and vets can't keep getting away with this. Did he even suggest to get your other dogs tested?
I would definitely call another vet and tell them EVERYTHING this other vet did (or didn't do) and see what they say. Maybe they'll give you a break w/ cost.
I am so sorry if I sound cranky and PO'd, but I am, it's very late, (or very early), and I am so upset by your situation and this vet.
Keep us posted, and give Willie hugs.
Take care, Teresa
Has he pooped in the last 12 to 24 hours??? Its like he wanted the bread cause its people food and when he got it, he bobbed his head like he was trying to chew but could not and spit the bread out, it sounds like he can't chew...something wrong with the teeth..
Keep him hydrated, syringe if you have too, dogs can get dehydrated quick, like a newborn baby....
Keep him hydrated, syringe if you have too, dogs can get dehydrated quick, like a newborn baby....
I meant I gave him more chicken broth with water - not the Pedialyte. Sorry, my brain is not working right.
There was no crunching noise with the bread. He just bobbed his head up and down which was weird. Looked like maybe his mouth was dry and it was sticking to the roof of his mouth? That's the only thing he has actually wanted to put in his mouth. Everything else, he turns away from. He pooped the other day and it looked normal. There was only about three inches of it, but still looked normal to me. I've given him more Pedialyte and he seems about the same. I'm going to call the vet again tomorrow and tell them to go over his bloodwork again for anything that looks out of the ordinary. There's a way I can get his medical records online, but I have to sign up for it through the vet. I'll do that tomorrow if they let me do it over the phone.
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