Sick Doggies

[sbk]

It all started with our dog Fuzzy, who developed a high temp (40.8) and listlessness. We took her into the vet, she got a shot of Rimadyl and is on antibiotics and started feeling better shortly after the antibiotic shot. Within a day Sheba had the same symptoms, took her in, her temp was 40.9. Now Scruffy, our old dog, is sick about 4 -5 days later. Same symptoms, high fever, listlessness, but it seems worse, perhaps because he is older. His temp is 41.5.

They aren't sure what it is, they did blood tests on the first two dogs and came back negative for heartworm and lungworm. Blood test done on Scruffy, results tomorrow.

They thought it might be a blood infection (something like ibizza?) but could that be contagious?

[Nienke]

It is so difficult to tell just by your few words. First thought is, can it be a virus? Is there an epidemic on your island of some sort?

Or can it be they ate something that caused digestive upset, rotten food/carcass or poison?

Tick fever? Although a bit strange with three dogs at once.

Maybe the water they drank has carried something? Hepatitis perhaps?

How do their feces look like, color & substance? Do they drink more, less or same same? What's the color of their urine? Has their appetite changed (I assume it did with that high of a fever)? Eye discharge., nasal dishcarge or bit of a runny nose or dry nose? Did the blood test included red and white blood cell count, platelets, liver and kidney? Etc. etc.

And why your vet decided to give an injection of Carprofen (Rymadil)? It's usually used by vets as supporting treatment for teh relief of arthritic symptoms. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carprofen

It's pretty heavy stuff: http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/rimadylfr.html and http://www.pgaa.com/canine/health/rimadylwarning.html

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/pets-and-animals/r...rprofen/331570/

Nienke

[sbk]

Scruffy got Rimadyl, sorry, I don't know what the other two got--I miswrote. He is an old guy with lots of arthritic pain.

I was in Bangkok when the first two got ill so just heard they got anti-biotic shots and are now on oral antibiotics as well.

Now, here is the weird part of the story. We have a Thai woman staying here that constantly feeds the dogs all sorts of unknown things. Right before Fuzzy and Sheba got sick, she gave them something to eat. Scruffy and Tigger threw it up, Fuzzy was sick the next day, Sheba the day after that. Now, I assumed it was related to what she gave them until Scruffy is now ill, and 4-5 days later!

No idea about the feces, they don't poo around the house, in fact, I don't know where they poo, there is a dog toilet somewhere tho! Urine, again, not sure, I haven't had a look but they do want a sample of scruffy's urine if possible. So, tomorrow I get to follow him around with a little plastic cup waiting for him to mark his territory

Fuzzy was drinking alot when she had the fever but is back to normal again now. fuzzy also had a bit of eye discharge with the fever, Sheba I don't know, she came down ill while I was gone. Scruffy has a little bit of eye discharge as well but not enough to really say its bad.

The vets haven't said anything about other dogs coming in with the same symptoms and seem a tad baffled. There is no real lab here, just a microscope so doubt we'll be getting any platelet counts.

Do you know what this blood infection that they talked about is? could that possibly be it?

[choppychugger]

A friend of ours had a dog that kept getting sick, it turned out the neighbour was poisoning it.... Have you thought about that?

Choppy

[Nienke]

When they talk about blood infection my first thought is tick parasites, and then Erhliciosis canis (E. canis). Doesn't sound like Ibizza, though.

The platelet count is done by blood test, same as red and white bloodcells, and then they can do at the same time kidney and liver.

But as you say they got sick after the Thai lady gave them something to eat (and to of them threw up the food right after eating it), I would more think in the direction of food poisoning.

For collecting urine, you can tie a long stick to a cup or soup spoon, which you scoop under the dog as soon as s/he pees. Best is, though, to keep them restricted for a day or two, so you can observe their urine and feces.

A little eye discharge can indicate distemper, but also other infectious diseases, tick disease, malnutrition of some sort, conjuctivitis, etc. So, that can be a symptom of many things.

I would definitely try to find out what this lady gave your dogs.

Wish you good luck and hope for a very fast recovery of all three.

Nienke

P.S. For food poisoning activated charcoal can help, although I understand it is already going on for a few days.

[RueFang]

I'm so sorry to hear about your dogs sbk. My thoughts after you mentioned the woman giving them strange food was perhaps poison as well. Big jump to conclusion but one to consider. Hope they get better soon.

[sbk]

Oh no, she wouldn't poison these dogs, she loves them. But, she is Isaan and eats all sorts of strange things and they really aren't used to a "Thai" diet. Food poisoning, possible but why would Scruffy get sick so many days later?

I suspected tick parasites too, as ticks are always a problem here, but Sheba has had tick fever before and the symptoms were slightly different (not so high a temp for one thing).

Now that Fuzzy is feeling better her eye discharge has completely cleared up, as has Sheba. I assumed it was related to the high fever.

I'll talk to the vet myself about the other two tomorrow, DH dealt with the first round of illnesses, so his communication may have been lacking --not that he lacks comprehension, but he is a man after all, and a Thai man at that, so his communication skills aren't always turned on. Especially when talking to his wife

Scruffy is starting to perk up now, a few hours after the antibiotic shot, same as Fuzzy but perhaps a bit slower. Most likely, I am guessing, because of his age. He isn't on death's door or anything but I can't figure out how he could get the exact same thing so much later if it was food related.

[elfe]

sorry about your dogs sbk :-(

i would think about tick disease. hardly ever another disease gives such high fever and that would also explain why the antibiotic works so quickly. maybe some new type of tick (infected with bloodparasite) has reached your area...

make sure the dogs have no ticks, you can prevent with drop on every 21 days or ivermec injections every 15 days... drop on is easier.

[Nienke]

I would be VEEEEERRRRRRYYYY careful to put on those chemicals on a dog that receives Rymadil, especially in such a high frequency. Rymadil is already pretty heavy for the liver (it can even cause liver toxicity), and then with the other chemicals on top of that it can become too much for the dog.

How are the dogs today, sbk?

Nienke

[sbk]

Sheba and Fuzzy both cleared up within a day or two of receiving their first antibiotic injection, so they have been fine. Scruffy, the old fella, was the one who was sick yesterday and my main point of concern because of his age (around 14). He is alot better today, not well, but better. Eating, the temp is down, and he is behaving normally. Still haven't managed to get the urine sample, he is a sneaky dog and seems to know that I want one so is doing his level best to not pee in front of me

I am beginning to think that perhaps elfe is right and it is some sort of new awful tick disease.

[BambinA]

I may post in this thread a wee late;however, I want to say Blood parasite as E.canis is somtimes hardly to find it from hematology as the target of that nasty Rickettsia are mono nuclear cells and they are the less popular in white blood cell.

So this phenomenon is called "false negative"

If you see you dog is one of these signs lameness(artritis) , anorexia, high fever, bruise, blooddy uria, epistaxis, too red gum..you may have to think of E.canis, tick borne disease.

Edited March 12, 2008 by BambinA

[bina]

wierd,

i thought our foofoo has something also; he refused to eat the past two days, today he was given fluids sq; this evening he dained to eat some hotdogs and tune from a can.... but other then that, no fever, no diahhrea no vomiting acting like a normal male when outside... cant figure it...no constipation, no blockage that we could feel inclding internal probe...

thinking he picked up something that i brought back from the clinic but the bitch hasnt got it, so thinking more along the lines of maybe mouth injury... he likes to chew on wierd things... but to check his mouth a bit of 'sleepy drug' is needed since he can be real nasty .... so we will wait and see...

but may do blood work to rule out tick stuff also....

i feel like an hysterical mother....

bina

[sbk]

i feel like an hysterical mother....

bina

I know the feeling!

[bina]

well, today he ate chicken after being given tuna and some milk (i know but i figured better to drink something then nothing); then he got the chicken, so seems back up to par...

could be worms also as they can cause a lack of appetite; its like he wants to eat but nothing really seems to excite him (like a pregnant woman sort of ...)...

but thats it, no more spoiling... back to dog food today ... last thing i need is a finicky little lhasa....

i didnt realize how attactched we'd both become of this little monster dog. even anon agreed to pay a vet -to xray the insides- as that is his answer to anything with doctors, they should xray the insides- foofoo posing with us...

[Mossfinn]

Bina & SBK

Hope the Dogs make a full recovery

Moss