My old dog was diagnosed the other day with vestibular disease.
I am giving her water from a syringe,but I am not sure the total amount of water she needs every day.
My vet told me to keep her hydrated or I would have to bring her back in and put her on an IV.
I don;t want to do that because she gets so stressed at the vet’s office.
The reason I am asking how much water she needs daily is right now my vet’s office is closed for a family emergency and there is nobody there,and I forgot to ask him while I was there.
My dog weighs 55 pounds,thank you if you can help
Your vet should also have put her on steroids, antibiotics and an anti nausea med. VD dogs tend to not eat and drink because they are dizzy and nauseous. If your vet didn’t put her on other meds, I’d be finding another vet.
You can boil a skinless boneless chicken breast and then freeze the broth, skim off the fat on the top, and then melt the remainder and offer that. It’s more appetizing than water. (Offer pieces of the boiled chicken in tiny meals.)
Yes she is on meds, andI have the food part covered what I need to know how much water she actually needs,I found the water amount ounce per pound for a active dog just not a sick one.
[QUOTE=jump pony;7900356]
Yes she is on meds, andI have the food part covered what I need to know how much water she actually needs,I found the water amount ounce per pound for a active dog just not a sick one.[/QUOTE]
Will she drink on her own? Try the chicken broth if she isn’t willing to drink water. Just not chicken broth cubes as they usually are really high in salt. You need to be careful syringing water so it doesn’t go down her airway. VD doesn’t usually cause a fever, and if she isn’t vomiting, then use the regular chart you have.
If she isn’t drinking well on her own, ask your vet about doing subcutaneous fluids (SQ fluids) at home. As long as you’re not squeamish with needles, you can give quite a boost of hydration that way. A 55 lb dog can easily have 500 mL of water a day that will help with hydration.
Doesn’t your vet have a vet on call when he/she is gone?
Try low salt chicken or beef broth (canned), and cut it with some water. If it helps you can float a few pieces of chicken or cheese or hot dog in the water. Something really stinky smelly good.
If this is idiopathic, run of the mill geriatric vestibular disease, there is no need for steroids or antibiotics.
[QUOTE=Anne;7900656]
If this is idiopathic, run of the mill geriatric vestibular disease, there is no need for steroids or antibiotics.[/QUOTE]
I agree with this, and second the recommendation you ask about SQ fluids at home.
