Old Dog Problems- Update post 65

[Milocalwinnings]

[QUOTE=SquishTheBunny;6605849]
Ask your vet instead of doing more bloodwork, to get a referral to the Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital (or if there is a closer one to you). Seriously, save your money with any more bloodwork at the regular vet and go to a vet who specializes. In the long run, it will save you money.[/QUOTE]

Massachusetts is about a 24 hour drive from MS :lol: But I’m pretty sure Mississippi State probably has a vet hospital. I’m hoping that by Monday he is feeling better. This is the absolute worst time to have to worry about more vet bills for him. But then again, doesn’t something like that always come at the worst time?

[SquishTheBunny]

[QUOTE=Milocalwinnings;6606056]
Massachusetts is about a 24 hour drive from MS :lol: But I’m pretty sure Mississippi State probably has a vet hospital. I’m hoping that by Monday he is feeling better. This is the absolute worst time to have to worry about more vet bills for him. But then again, doesn’t something like that always come at the worst time?[/QUOTE]

Oops…stoopid Canuck.

[Milocalwinnings]

Alright, so I just got off the phone to the vet. I asked about a specialist and she said she could refer me to MS State but since I’m limited in my budget she suggested doing an abdominal x-ray first. I agreed, as IMO it’s silly to spend money on a specialist when we haven’t seen what’s going on physically inside yet. He is going in for that today and as much as I want good news, I am also hoping that it shows something so that we hopefully finally know what’s going on.

[Milocalwinnings]

Possible Answer?

Bo had his x-rays today. The vet did an abdominal x-ray as well as a few views of his spine. She said all of his organs looked good except for slight enlargment of his heart but she said considering his age it doesn’t concern her too much. His spine is what she suspects is causing the problem. His vertibrae have boney hooks on several of them that she said are likely putting pressure on the nerves that come down, causing him enough pain to not want to eat. This would also explain his stiffness when sitting down. His hips looked perfect (surprisingly). The vet also said that his suspected “vestibular” episode could have actually been from his back compressing a nerve just the right way.
She prescribed some Ramadyl for us to start out with and said that if he doesn’t start eating by Friday to call back.

So, that’s good news I guess. I really was worried about cancer or something like that. I just hope that the meds help enough to get him to start eating.

[jetsmom]

[QUOTE=Milocalwinnings;6610775]
Bo had his x-rays today. The vet did an abdominal x-ray as well as a few views of his spine. She said all of his organs looked good except for slight enlargment of his heart but she said considering his age it doesn’t concern her too much. His spine is what she suspects is causing the problem. His vertibrae have boney hooks on several of them that she said are likely putting pressure on the nerves that come down, causing him enough pain to not want to eat. This would also explain his stiffness when sitting down. His hips looked perfect (surprisingly). The vet also said that his suspected “vestibular” episode could have actually been from his back compressing a nerve just the right way.
She prescribed some Ramadyl for us to start out with and said that if he doesn’t start eating by Friday to call back.

So, that’s good news I guess. I really was worried about cancer or something like that. I just hope that the meds help enough to get him to start eating.[/QUOTE]

Don’t mean to harp on this, since I mentioned it on Buddy Roos thread but have you tried putting his food bowls/water on a raised surface (cinderblock/step/stack of books/box) and if so, did he eat? Many older dogs with spinal arthritis find it painful to bend over to eat. Had it happen to one of mine, and he LOVED eating. He’d get excited about dinner, but when I put it down he’d walk over there, and then walk away. Vet told me to try the raised bowls and it worked great.

[Milocalwinnings]

[QUOTE=jetsmom;6610885]
Don’t mean to harp on this, since I mentioned it on Buddy Roos thread but have you tried putting his food bowls/water on a raised surface (cinderblock/step/stack of books/box) and if so, did he eat? Many older dogs with spinal arthritis find it painful to bend over to eat. Had it happen to one of mine, and he LOVED eating. He’d get excited about dinner, but when I put it down he’d walk over there, and then walk away. Vet told me to try the raised bowls and it worked great.[/QUOTE]

I’ve tried holding the bowl up for him but have not tried putting it up on books or something to raise it. I will definitely start doing it- even if it makes no difference now it can’t hurt and may make him more comfortable later on.

[Beckham03]

Definitely raise the bowls. Also, your vet can send those radiographs off to a specialty clinic and have them read by a radiologist.

[SquishTheBunny]

[QUOTE=Beckham03;6611378]
Definitely raise the bowls. Also, your vet can send those radiographs off to a specialty clinic and have them read by a radiologist.[/QUOTE]

Like.

Also, be careful with administering Rimadyl if your dog isnt eating. Hope it gets your dog comfortable enough to start eating asap, NSAIDs and empty stomachs can cause ulcers.

[BuddyRoo]

Hope your pup starts feeling better soon! They sure do like to keep us poor and worried, eh?

I found a raised food bowl stand online at Petsmart yesterday btw–not too expensive. http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12706431&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo

I’m popping in to the store tomorrow to see if they have them there. Says online only, but I could’ve sworn I saw them there before and I need to get more dog food anyway.

[godiva13]

All my dogs have raised bowls. A cheap way to do it is i bought 3 legged Plant stands at Marc’s stores for about $5 or $6 and they work great.They are about 12 to 15 inches high which is good for my medium sized dogs.

[Milocalwinnings]

I’m at a complete loss here. My old man is still not eating. This is day 9. He’s got to be starving.

He goes from acting fine and happy to acting depressed. Tonight he looks like he doesn’t feel too well (which obviously, he probably doesn’t).

I called the vet back this morning since she said to call if he hasn’t eaten by now. She gave me some ideas to try and mentioned an appetite stimulant if those don’t work. I emailed my vet from back in VA his bloodwork results and x-rays. She also had some ideas to try and suggested an ultrasound of the abdoman.

The vet here in Oxford suggested trying cooked white rice, canned pumpkin, low sodium chicken broth, and cooked chicken, both individually and mixed with dry food. He wouldn’t even touch the rice or pumpkin and he lapped up the extra broth at the bottom of his bowl but wouldn’t eat the food. He did eat the cooked chicken when it was by itself, but not with the dog food, and not enthusiastically.

I really don’t have money for a specialsit (and really am quickly running out of money for other things to try here) but I don’t know what else to do. I’m at a loss… considering taking him to another vet here in town for another opinion/other ideas. This is just mind boggling. I don’t know how much longer to let him go without eating.

I’m to the point where I am considering putting him to sleep if we don’t start figuring something out soon. I hate seeing him like this. He’s obviously losing weight and doesn’t feel good. I’ll feel terrible if I put him down without finding out what was going on with him but I feel like we’ve covered the obvious causes and now we are taking a shot in the dark with everything else. I just don’t know. I’m getting desperate for an answer. I don’t even care if it’s a terrible answer that we can’t treat. I’d rather know and make a decision, than not know anything and make a decision.

[LauraKY]

Squirt some honey in his mouth, every 30 minutes or so. It’s worked for me. The Rimadyl could be upsetting his stomach. Pepcid? Talk to the vet about Tramadol for the time being.

He sounds like my old collie. Tramadol, a reduced dose of an anti inflammatory and omeprazole. Fixed her right up.

Have you had his teeth checked? Does he have an obstruction in his throat? Is his blood work normal? Fever?

[vacation1]

I’m sorry to hear it’s gotten worse. I’m not any kind of vet/medical person, so these suggestions are really just shots in the dark:

1. What others said earlier. An internist. I love my regular vet and respect her very much, but there are times when a specialist makes more medical and financial sense, and those times are when the general vet has reached an impasse. As far as costs go, you could look into Care Credit. It’s a credit card for medical uses, including vet. I used it to fund my dog’s surgery about two years ago.

http://www.carecredit.com/

2. Since your vet seems to think it’s pain making him too depressed to eat - that’s how I read the earlier post about his spine - maybe she could give him a one-time shot of a strong painkiller, enough to relieve the pain temporarily? If he ate under those circumstances, it would be some proof that her theory is correct, and would give you some breathing room for making further decisions.

3. Other random ideas to consider for the future, if he gets past this crisis - massage, accupuncture?

[BuddyRoo]

Have you tried any canned? I know we’re both kind of dealing with the not eating thing. My guy is now eating really well on canned I/D low fat. Well, the vet delivered some regular I/D tonight to get me through the weekend as the other shipment isn’t in.

But the chicken broth thing wasn’t working for me either. The canned is.

Our issues may be different (malabsorption here, they think) but if the goal at the moment is to get some nutrition in your pup, maybe hitting the canned would work. It’s nice and stinky and gets their attention.

Jingling for you guys.

[Horse_with_No_Name]

Many many jingles!!

Lymphoma was the first thing I thought of as soon as I read your post. Your guy sounds exactly like our cat Max, who was eventually diagnosed with lymphoma - check out this page re lymphoma in dogs = http://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Dog-Health-Center/Heart-and-Blood-Disorders/Canine-Malignant-Lymphoma/Symptoms.aspx.

Worth thinking about.

More jingles.

[Milocalwinnings]

[QUOTE=LauraKY;6618147]
Squirt some honey in his mouth, every 30 minutes or so. It’s worked for me. The Rimadyl could be upsetting his stomach. Pepcid? Talk to the vet about Tramadol for the time being.

He sounds like my old collie. Tramadol, a reduced dose of an anti inflammatory and omeprazole. Fixed her right up.

Have you had his teeth checked? Does he have an obstruction in his throat? Is his blood work normal? Fever?[/QUOTE]

Teeth were checked and she didn’t see anything problematic. Infact she said that his teeth looked good for his age. No obstructions in his throat or GI tract as confirmed by x-rays. Bloodwork was normal, urinalysis was normal, no fever.

[QUOTE=vacation1;6618215]I’m sorry to hear it’s gotten worse. I’m not any kind of vet/medical person, so these suggestions are really just shots in the dark:

1. What others said earlier. An internist. I love my regular vet and respect her very much, but there are times when a specialist makes more medical and financial sense, and those times are when the general vet has reached an impasse. As far as costs go, you could look into Care Credit. It’s a credit card for medical uses, including vet. I used it to fund my dog’s surgery about two years ago.

http://www.carecredit.com/

2. Since your vet seems to think it’s pain making him too depressed to eat - that’s how I read the earlier post about his spine - maybe she could give him a one-time shot of a strong painkiller, enough to relieve the pain temporarily? If he ate under those circumstances, it would be some proof that her theory is correct, and would give you some breathing room for making further decisions.

3. Other random ideas to consider for the future, if he gets past this crisis - massage, accupuncture?[/QUOTE]

She did think that perhaps his back was painful enough that he didn’t want to eat and that the Rimadyl would help with that. I am starting to think that is not what’s going on here. He doesn’t act like he is in pain. I know the not eating and acting depressed could be pain related, but looking at him and how he’s acting, I don’t think that’s the case. She did mention on Monday that there were other pain management options that we could try if the Rimadyl didn’t work.

[QUOTE=BuddyRoo;6618217]Have you tried any canned? I know we’re both kind of dealing with the not eating thing. My guy is now eating really well on canned I/D low fat. Well, the vet delivered some regular I/D tonight to get me through the weekend as the other shipment isn’t in.

But the chicken broth thing wasn’t working for me either. The canned is.

Our issues may be different (malabsorption here, they think) but if the goal at the moment is to get some nutrition in your pup, maybe hitting the canned would work. It’s nice and stinky and gets their attention.

Jingling for you guys.[/QUOTE]

I have tried a variety of canned and packeted food. He refuses the packeted food altogether and picks on and off at the canned food IF it’s given by itself. If it’s mixed with dry food he refuses it.

[godiva13]

I have a 13 year old lab mix that has been off his food too. What i have found works if i have been giving him canned by itself or i just cook up come plain chicken breast. I really dont even try the dry most of the time. Even if he only eats plain chicken im happy . its not a balanced diet over the long run but at 13 im just happy to find something he will eat at this point. Try some ground beef. my dog wont touch pumpkin or rice so i dont try.

[Houndhill]

Jingles for Bo! I know how distressing it is when they won’t eat, especially for so long, nine days?!

I’m afraid as I think you are, that something else may be going on with him which hopefully will get figured out soon. In the meantime, I would feed him whatever he will eat. Ensure, since he likes to drink? It smells pretty bad, but some of mine will eat tripe when they will eat nothing else, you can buy it ground or in strips, look online, or sometimes canned.

I’ve been known to feed them cheeseburgers from MacDonalds, steak or rotisserie chicken from the deli, etc. if all else fails.

If he is nauseated, though, for whatever reason, maybe Cerenia will help.

Poor Bo, please keep us posted. Jingles for you, too, know it is such a helpless and awful feeling.

[Beckham03]

I am sorry you are going through this. It really sounds like he needs an ultrasound of his abdomen now. Is he getting fluids at all? Has your vet mentioned putting him on fluids in the clinic at all? And the ultrasound really needs to be done by a radiologist. A lot of DVM’s can put a probe on and take a peak, but they don’t see everything.

I would get the appetite stimulant and get some food down him until you can schedule an ultrasound. Jingling for you.

[BuddyRoo]

I’m not a vet…just throwing some more ideas out there…

If he is having pain/inflammation, would it make sense for him to get a corticosteroid injection? That tends to also increase appetite.

If it were me, I’d stick to canned. Possibly something like I/D with some A/D mixed in to make it extra smelly and tempting.

The Rimadyl really can make them go off feed…and so can pain. I know you said you’re not convinced that’s it, but it might be an inexpensive thing to check out.

Appetite stimulant.

I don’t think that euthanasia is the worst thing you could do if you can’t keep him comfortable and he won’t eat. On the other hand, I understand that it’s really hard to go that route when you don’t know for sure what’s going on. That said, you’ve done what you can reasonably do financially and you have done your best for him. It’s not like you have a sick dog and just threw up your arms and said “I’m not spending any money on this dog, euth him.” That’s not what you’ve done at all.

Personally, I would rather put down my animals while the good days still outnumber the bad and I don’t believe in letting them suffer when the prognosis isn’t very good just for my own sake. I love my old guy and will/have jumped through hoops when he’s been ill, but I know that eventually, I will have to make a decision because even with all the best veterinary care in the world, eventually, our pups have to go.

Thinking of you. ((hugs))