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Pancho is ill: please HELP!
Hi everybody,
Pancho is a 1.5 y/o Jack Russell Terrier. He's been vaccinated when he was a puppy with Nobivac DHPPi and Nobivac Lepto 2. He never had any particular health complaints a part for a ring worm infection (treated, but left a rounded scar on his front leg) and a minor infection which solved itself quickly with some generic antibiotics.
His diet should be pretty good: we cook for him every 4-5 days mainly brown rice or brown pasta mixed with cooked meat (chicken or beef) and plenty of vegs, both cooked and row. Sometimes we put some olive oil and primrose oil in his food. He also took some pro/pre-biotics on and off. His treats are dry sausages.
He has always been a very active, muscular dog. He gets plenty of activity and he's very bright. He goes hunting for bunnies and foxes and other animals in the bushes in Scotland. He's very sociable and of good nature.
About 10 days ago we notice he's not the usual himself. First thing we notice he shakes. A visible tremor occurs, looks like it happens when he inhales. He's becomes quieter and quieter, he doesn't want to go out when normally he always wants to shoot outside the door. Sometimes he asks to go out but when out he just either sits just outside the door or he wants to come back home straight away. He seems to pee and poo normally, but we noticed that when he lifts his leg he's unstable in his balance. At home he doesn't seem to follow his usual rest/activity patterns. He sits on the floor looking numb and he lays down, but he doesn't really go to sleep in his bed.
His appetite is 40-50% than normal. He drinks water, maybe a little bit more than normal.
We take him to the vet and she finds his temperature to be really high. She finds his glands swollen. She gives him an injection of generic antibiotic and anti-inflammatory and she asks us to continue with antibiotics at home and to keep an eye on him. On that evening he seems to be a little bit more active and brighter, he takes a small walk and he seems to be more bouncy and energetic.
Overnight same story. He doesn't come to bed with us as usual and he seems just to stay there, awake, looking at us from the floor. He wakes us up around 4am moaning but after a while he quiets down again. He's still shaking.
The day after we take him back to the vet and she decides to take blood and urine samples. She injects him with more antibiotic. She takes x-rays of abdomen and chest. The results don't show anything abnormal and she decides to refer us to the hospital vet. Once there a deeper, full examination and more tests are performed, including a neurological test. They confirm the swollen glands and he seems to have some complaints fully bending his neck downward, left and right. The blood test results show a worrying low level of platelets, to the extent that they are near to zero and spontaneous internal bleeding is feared. He doesn't show any signs of internal or external bleeding. They ask us to leave him there for observation and to get more tests done.
It's 4 days he's there. They phone us everyday updating us on the situation. Pancho seems to be quite bright and active, but once back indoor he quiets down, shakes and literally sleeps on his feet, even if it appears to happen with less intensity than before. He eats plenty.
They took a sample from his glands and the results are negative.
They put him from day 1 on a different, more specific antibiotic as they suspect a systemic infection.
The platelets are still near to zero and they don't show any sign of improvement.
Tomorrow or after tomorrow they should receive the results for the bug culture (I apologise for my poor terminology) to see if it's the case of a bacterial infection.
They might want to send us to the vet hospital in Glasgow to perform him some deeper neurological tests.
Reading a little on the internet I came across thrombocytopenia as a possibility.
I'm posting here to hope some owner or vet can give me their opinion based on a similar experience or specific knowledge.
Please help. We're experiencing some dreadful time and we're dead worried.
This is a photo of Pancho: paquito
He's our special one.
Many thanks
Paolo
Pancho is a 1.5 y/o Jack Russell Terrier. He's been vaccinated when he was a puppy with Nobivac DHPPi and Nobivac Lepto 2. He never had any particular health complaints a part for a ring worm infection (treated, but left a rounded scar on his front leg) and a minor infection which solved itself quickly with some generic antibiotics.
His diet should be pretty good: we cook for him every 4-5 days mainly brown rice or brown pasta mixed with cooked meat (chicken or beef) and plenty of vegs, both cooked and row. Sometimes we put some olive oil and primrose oil in his food. He also took some pro/pre-biotics on and off. His treats are dry sausages.
He has always been a very active, muscular dog. He gets plenty of activity and he's very bright. He goes hunting for bunnies and foxes and other animals in the bushes in Scotland. He's very sociable and of good nature.
About 10 days ago we notice he's not the usual himself. First thing we notice he shakes. A visible tremor occurs, looks like it happens when he inhales. He's becomes quieter and quieter, he doesn't want to go out when normally he always wants to shoot outside the door. Sometimes he asks to go out but when out he just either sits just outside the door or he wants to come back home straight away. He seems to pee and poo normally, but we noticed that when he lifts his leg he's unstable in his balance. At home he doesn't seem to follow his usual rest/activity patterns. He sits on the floor looking numb and he lays down, but he doesn't really go to sleep in his bed.
His appetite is 40-50% than normal. He drinks water, maybe a little bit more than normal.
We take him to the vet and she finds his temperature to be really high. She finds his glands swollen. She gives him an injection of generic antibiotic and anti-inflammatory and she asks us to continue with antibiotics at home and to keep an eye on him. On that evening he seems to be a little bit more active and brighter, he takes a small walk and he seems to be more bouncy and energetic.
Overnight same story. He doesn't come to bed with us as usual and he seems just to stay there, awake, looking at us from the floor. He wakes us up around 4am moaning but after a while he quiets down again. He's still shaking.
The day after we take him back to the vet and she decides to take blood and urine samples. She injects him with more antibiotic. She takes x-rays of abdomen and chest. The results don't show anything abnormal and she decides to refer us to the hospital vet. Once there a deeper, full examination and more tests are performed, including a neurological test. They confirm the swollen glands and he seems to have some complaints fully bending his neck downward, left and right. The blood test results show a worrying low level of platelets, to the extent that they are near to zero and spontaneous internal bleeding is feared. He doesn't show any signs of internal or external bleeding. They ask us to leave him there for observation and to get more tests done.
It's 4 days he's there. They phone us everyday updating us on the situation. Pancho seems to be quite bright and active, but once back indoor he quiets down, shakes and literally sleeps on his feet, even if it appears to happen with less intensity than before. He eats plenty.
They took a sample from his glands and the results are negative.
They put him from day 1 on a different, more specific antibiotic as they suspect a systemic infection.
The platelets are still near to zero and they don't show any sign of improvement.
Tomorrow or after tomorrow they should receive the results for the bug culture (I apologise for my poor terminology) to see if it's the case of a bacterial infection.
They might want to send us to the vet hospital in Glasgow to perform him some deeper neurological tests.
Reading a little on the internet I came across thrombocytopenia as a possibility.
I'm posting here to hope some owner or vet can give me their opinion based on a similar experience or specific knowledge.
Please help. We're experiencing some dreadful time and we're dead worried.
This is a photo of Pancho: paquito
He's our special one.
Many thanks
Paolo
Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm excited, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please, keep us posted......Karla
COMMUNITY LEADER
It's good news that he has improved so much. Let's hope he's going to go from strength to strength now! Jack Russells are incredibly tough little things. I know -I used to have one. Good luck, and big hugs for Pancho!
Hello,
Pancho is back home and he's well!
We had a phone call from the hospital saying that his platelets count is increasing, still very low but increasing. IT was 14 when normal range is 200-500, no it's 44. On Thursday he's going to have new tests to monitor this.
He looks so much better, full of life and very bright. He doesn't shake anymore and he doesn't sleep on his feet anymore either.
They are still waiting for the results to see if it was a tick born infection or something else. They told us they're seeing an increasing number of these cases in the Edinburgh area but they don't know the cause.
He responded well to the antibiotic Ronaxan.
You can imagine how happy we are.
I'd like to thank everybody here, it has been an amazing support in these horrible days. Please don't refrain from contacting me if in need of more info about his condition.
Cheers
Paolo
Pancho is back home and he's well!
We had a phone call from the hospital saying that his platelets count is increasing, still very low but increasing. IT was 14 when normal range is 200-500, no it's 44. On Thursday he's going to have new tests to monitor this.
He looks so much better, full of life and very bright. He doesn't shake anymore and he doesn't sleep on his feet anymore either.
They are still waiting for the results to see if it was a tick born infection or something else. They told us they're seeing an increasing number of these cases in the Edinburgh area but they don't know the cause.
He responded well to the antibiotic Ronaxan.
You can imagine how happy we are.
I'd like to thank everybody here, it has been an amazing support in these horrible days. Please don't refrain from contacting me if in need of more info about his condition.
Cheers
Paolo
Hi,
I'm going to speak today to the hospital and ask if they've performed any tests for lyme disease. I think your observations are quite right, especially considering that Pancho is a very outgoing dog. He spends hours every day hunting in the bushes on the hills and we live just facing a huge park with plenty of grass, hills and animals such as foxes, rabbits (which he kills quite often), rats and others.
I think today's chat with the hospital will be crucial as we're also going to be given the results from the lab to determined whether it's a viral problem or not.
Thanks for your help, I'll keep you posted.
cheers
paolo
I'm going to speak today to the hospital and ask if they've performed any tests for lyme disease. I think your observations are quite right, especially considering that Pancho is a very outgoing dog. He spends hours every day hunting in the bushes on the hills and we live just facing a huge park with plenty of grass, hills and animals such as foxes, rabbits (which he kills quite often), rats and others.
I think today's chat with the hospital will be crucial as we're also going to be given the results from the lab to determined whether it's a viral problem or not.
Thanks for your help, I'll keep you posted.
cheers
paolo
COMMUNITY LEADER
The first thing I thought about when I was reading your post was Lyme Disease. Or some similar Tick-borne disease. It's not as rare as we might think, in both dogs and humans. And the more time spent in long grass, or undergrowth, the more likely to pick up a tick. Can you rmember if he was bitten by a Tick the last few weeks? Or even a month or two ago?
We have a big (increasing) Tick problem where I live. The problem with them is that once they are on the dog it can be hard to capture them before they take hold! However if Ticks are removed as quickly as possible the chance of transmitting disease is slight (within 24 hours, so I heard, but I don't like to rely on that. I examine my dog -and myself- for any Ticks after every walk nowadays!)
Sometimes if there are mysterious symptoms and tests are run, and still nothing seems to work, and the dog is an outdoor dog who runs regularly in heathland or long grass, it can be an idea to check for Lyme.
We have a big (increasing) Tick problem where I live. The problem with them is that once they are on the dog it can be hard to capture them before they take hold! However if Ticks are removed as quickly as possible the chance of transmitting disease is slight (within 24 hours, so I heard, but I don't like to rely on that. I examine my dog -and myself- for any Ticks after every walk nowadays!)
Sometimes if there are mysterious symptoms and tests are run, and still nothing seems to work, and the dog is an outdoor dog who runs regularly in heathland or long grass, it can be an idea to check for Lyme.
I have no clue of what could be wrong, but if you click on Animal Health-General on the right side of this page, you can pose your question to Ask a Vet. Maybe they can give you some idea. Good Luck.
Hi and thank you for your answer, very useful indeed.
When your dog caught the disease, did you spot any ticks on his skin?
Our dog seems totally clear of them and he doesn't show any bumps.
thanks
p
When your dog caught the disease, did you spot any ticks on his skin?
Our dog seems totally clear of them and he doesn't show any bumps.
thanks
p
I am not a vet but he does seem too young for thrombocytopenia. I don't know if you have Lyme Disease where you are but we have a big problem with it. My dog acted the same way pretty close to the same age and it turned out to be Lyme. The difficult thing about lyme is it can present itself with different symptoms for different animals (not always the same for every dog). It was treated with doxycycline (antibiotic) for 4 weeks and he was fine. Hope they find out what is wrong and everything works out.
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