Puppy is sick! Stiff neck! I am worried.

[cchc18]

Couple nights ago, my puppy didn't wake me up from my sleep, so I started getting suspicious.  In the morning, he continues to look very tired and would yelp every 45 minutes or so.  I took him to the vet immediately.  The vet said he found a lot of bacteria in his stool.  He gave him a pencillin shot, fluid and couple medication to cure the diarrhea that he was also having. Anyway, last night, while puppy was eating dinner, his hind legs started to sway and then he collapsed and looked like he was having seizure (without any foaming from the mouth)- just whole body shaking. It lasted for about a minute.  I took him to emergency vet right away.  She said that puppy's red blood cell counts is low and should be given iron.  Anyway,  12 hours later, my puppy still looks lethargic and his body seems so stiff.  He's still eating his food and can now stand up by himself.  I am still so worried.  Why is his body so stiff though?  Is he getting any better?

[Sandra_G]

Hiya...I am so glad that your puppy is better now.  It takes time for the antibiotics to work, so during those few days of waiting, us Moms are scared & a wreck watching our dogs in pain & waiting for she/he to get better. My Vet always gives my Julie an injection first when she gets sick, to "jump start" her quicker, than I give her the antibiotic pills daily.
Maybe you can ask your Vet to do that..next time.

My friend feeds her 6 yr old Mini Chihuahua dry Cat food only. NO GOOD. He grew up with 5 cats & thinks he's one too. She also gives him people food too...if he wants it. NO GOOD. Her Vet tells her how bad it is for her dog but he will not eat dog food..no matter how much she tries to give it to him. Cat food does not have the same nutrients in it that is so essential for healthy dogs. In the long run, her dog may suffer. I sure hope not.

Take care & have fun with your puppy.

[ginger899]

Catnip (nepeta cataria) is a herb which is useful for treating symptoms of colds and flu in humans. Very large doses cause emesis(vomiting), though very SMALL doses can help with nausea.

Catnip also has 'psychoactive' properties, and causes changes in behavior. (note how it affects cats, who are absolutely CRAZY about the 'high' they get from this herb. They find it irresistible! Does it make them all purry or what??) At the normal doses which would be taken for adult humans, this is not usually noticeable. But there have been cases of central nervous system depression when catnip in too large a dose has been given to very young children. Pregnant/breastfeeding women are advised not to take Catnip.

Now as you mentioned your little dog had been chewing on your cat's (catnip-filled) toy, it does make me wonder if his symptoms could have been a reaction/side effect of ingesting Catnip. This as far as I know wouldn't cause any lasting damage. He'll shake it off quite naturally, but I wouldn't let him get the toy any more, if you can avoid it.

There are many herbs which are usually fine for adults, when taken at the correct dosage, and appropriately, may not be wise for children, and can be actually toxic, to one degree or another, for dogs. As dogs and cats are very very different, they most likely respond differently to this herb.

[Red931]

There are some dog toys that can be toxic for your dog if any of it is ingested especially with him being so small. I don't know if that was the case here because your little guy seemed to respond to the antibiotic.

My dogs jaws are so strong that they can't have all the fun toys that squeek because they won't last five minutes. Bullies chew their toys hard, so they are limited to Nylabone brand toys and very heavy rope toys.

I have never heard of giving dogs cat food, but there must have been a reason for it. If Ghilly or Ginger logs on to this thread they may know why your Vet did that.

How was his RBC today?

[cchc18]

My puppy is very lively today. Phew..

I gave my puppy a cat toy (has catnip) the night before.  I am thinking maybe it's because of the toy that my puppy got sick.. Do you think that could be the reason?  

Is there anything else a dog can be allergic to?  Like dog bones? Those are the only two new things I let him try the night before.

Is it okay to give my puppy kitten food? That's what one of my vet gave to him.

[Red931]

I am glad to hear that he is doing much better. As far as how you know if you Vet is a good one or not you have to learn as you go just as we do for ourselves unfortunately. I will say that a Vet that can't give you a diagnosis or at least a possible diagnosis after an exam would have me looking for another one.

I will tell you more about why I needed to know about the breed and weight. The reason why I needed to know the breed is because certain breeds tend to have common problems. The reason for the weight was to see if he may have ingested something that would cause these symptoms that was toxic to him. With your dog being so small it would not take much to cause a serious problem. Larger dogs can get into things sometimes and get nothing more than a belly ache.

When the RBC is too low you always have to worry if the kidneys are functioning properly. Based on the fact that you have been to two different Vets since the symptoms started I am hoping that one or both ruled that out.

Hopefully the little guy just had a bit of a virus that the antibiotics is working on and clearing up.

Please post back and let us know how he is doing after his follow-up on Tuesday.

[cchc18]

First of all, my puppy is doing a lot better now.

Thank you for your concern.  My puppy is a 3 month old, male, pomeranian.  He weighs only 1 pound and 6 ounce.  The vet didn't tell me what the diagnosis was..The emergency vet said that he has low red blood cell and told me to go to my regular vet on Monday to check his blood.  The vet sent home some iron medication for my dog so he can raise his red blood cells.  

Anyway, throughout last night, he was yelping every hour or so.  This morning, his body seemed so tense so I started massaging him.  He got better hour by hour and right now at 11pm -he's back to biting everything he sees in the house.. I am so much more relaxed now.  

I will take my puppy back to the vet on Tuesday to check his red blood cells level.  

HOw do I know if my vet is a good vet??

[Red931]

After posting I came back because I am a bit confused. If the dog had diarreaha that normally would cause the RBC to go up, yet you said the puppy is currently anemic.

Please post back and let me know what both Vet's diagnosis was. Also was your puppy's temperature elevated when the Vet took it. This would be the difference of the puppy having some type of infection or something else going on.

There are so many conditions related to anemia they are to much to list. Some are not serious and some are. The fact that neither Vet felt your puppy needed a blood transfusion and sent him home tells me that this should not be serious.

I will await your reply.

[Red931]

You have taken the right steps and have gotten immediate medical care for your puppy. To better assist you we would need to know what kind of bacteria was found and what the Vet's diagnosis was. Your puppy was probably anemic (low red blood cells) from the diarreaha, if it was excessive and if the dog is small. How long and how severe was the diarreaha and has he had a regular bowel movement since?  As I already stated, it would be helpful for us to know exactly what the Vet told you, the type of dog, size and weight etc.

I don't know what you mean by his body being stiff. When dogs tense their bodies it is usually because they are in pain.

If he is eating and drinking and standing on his own after just twelve hours he seems to be doing better.

Please post back.