Help with My Dog

[jcborr00]

Hey Guys,

This is off the usual topic of conversation. My dog "Angie" has been having some health problems and I was wondering if anyone could help me. Here is the story:

Angie has had problems with her skin since Feb. She lost some hair and had some lesions on here stomach as well as losing the hair on her tail. I went to my regular vet and gave her some steriods and some shampoo to help with the problem. The problem did not go away.

Brought her back and the same thing. More medicine and steriods.

Brought her back again (this is April now) and was told the same thing and I flipped out on the 20 year old Vet. Her skin was not improving and I refused to put more medicine into the poor dog. I asked to see another doctor and was refused so i left and went to a new vet.

Ok the new Vet, very nice people. They administered a antibiotic and finally saw some improvement. (We are in May now)

About a week after I brought her in to the new vet I saw (last Tuesday) a change in Angie's behavior. She seemed a little sluggish and was disoriented. I stopped the medicine and called the vet. Brought her in on Thursday of last week. They took a look and told me to call if she changes,

Brought Angie back on Saturday, her head began to tilt and she did get around well. started falling down when I took her for a walk. They took her blood and told me they would call back on Monday to let me know the results.

Yesterday (Monday) I came home from work early and saw that Angie did not move from where I put her in the morning. I called the Vet and rushed her in. They took a look and gave me the results and said they were ok but her thyroid level was low. They also took some x-rays and found her to be normal. The Vet gave me more medicine (anti-biotics, steriods, and muscle relaxer) She told me to schedule a MRI with a Neuro specialist for Friday. I called the neurospecialist and scheduled it for today (Tuesday) as I no longer could wait.

Today, Angie received an MRI and a a spinal tap. everything was normal except some abnormal signs on her head. The doc thinks it might be Encephalitis. This is the swelling of the brain. She took the spinal tap to see if it is from a virus or if it is an immune system problem. Until the results of the spinal tap come in, Angie must stay at the vet. Luckily it is open 24/7 and I can visit her anytime I want. She is under 24 hour care and is in no pain. That's the weird part. The doctor said she want in any pain at all.

As I write this I can tell you many things are going through my mind. This dog is my best friend and has been through alot with me. I have gone through several life changing events in the past few years and Angie has always been there for me. I live by myself and she has always been there so I didn't feel alone. Tonight is the first night since I picked her up as a puppy that she is not here with me and I am very scared. I don not want to lose my friend.

I can say that the doctor is very hopeful. She says it is a long recovery process but there is chance she can live a regular life. I am praying that I get the best possible results from the spinal tap on Thursday, and that Angie will return home soon so I can help her heal. I owe it to her.

I am not a crazy dog or cat person but I do care for animals ( and people too). I have been through countless Vets, Specialists and I have spent well over $3000 on her care since Feb.

Please, If any members are Vets please Pm me or respond to this post with any or all questions I should ask or any advice for me. Anyone who reads this please say a prayer for Angie to get well soon and come home. She just Turned 4 last month so this is really unexpected. I will not be selfish if there is nothing they can do for her and I don't want her to suffer, but I really hope she recovers.

Thanks guys

 

[Oregoneon]

i'm sorry to hear about the health problems of your dog. I'm certainly no vet and can't give any advice there. I've been through some changes as well and my dog had been there for me every damn day, .always happy to see me, and has been my best friend. I'll be sending good vibes your way, i hope your pooch gets better, she looks cute

 

[smalltank]

Stay positive and up beat..things will get better..

 

[Intrigued]

I will keep you and Angie in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there and keep us posted.

 

[T-Box215]

Hey Joe, after doing a bit of reading may I suggest looking into IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease). (BTW I'm not a vet) It seems some of the symptoms may fit your scenario. I wish you and Angie the best from myself and Hurley, my canine counterpart.

 

[gaseousclay]

when you mentioned the lesions and hair loss it made me think of my last dog who suffered from really bad allergies in the summer. He had to take an antibiotic (Cephalexin) to cure his allergies but the symptoms were similar - skin lesions on his body which resulted in hair loss. If his allergies went unattended the lesions eventually began to ooze pus (really disgusting). He eventually had bald spots on parts of his body (under his chin, his chest and paws) because he had to deal with it his whole life.

As for the first vet diagnosis, I think you did the right thing by flipping out on them. seems strange that a vet would prescribe the same treatment over and over, even when it's clear that it's not working. Frankly, if I were that vet i'd be embarrassed that the problem wasn't fixed the first time around.

In any case, my prayers go out to you and your dog. Watching your dog deteriorate right in front of you is painful, especially when you don't have the answers you're looking for. For now I would say be patient and try to stay hopeful. Good luck.

 

[demaro]

My thoughts and prayers are with you and Angie.. My sisters dog had problems with skin and losing hair due to some kind of food allergy. They had to put her on special prescription dog food. I hope you are able to find the answers you are looking for..

 

[Wisdom]

Hey, Joe..

I'm not a vet, so can't really offer you any medical advice.. here's to hoping Angie has a speedy recovery, though. Dogs are so empathetic and any doctor'll tell you the importance of attitude during recovery. Stay positive and happy and I'm sure Angie'll automatically feel better.

Sorry I don't have any practical advice to offer.. I'm sure many people sharing the same sentiment have more restraint than I and didn't want to drown out intent of your original post.
-\Visdom

 

[jcborr00]

Update:
I went to vist Angie today and to my surprise saw an improvement. She was more stable and did not fall down onece. She also had a great deal of energy. My girlfriend and I sat wilth her and played with her for a while. My gf then asked Angie if she wanted to go for a walk and Angie BArked and jumped just like her old self. The Vet says she is improving and depending on the result of the spinal tap can go home tommorrow and start her recovery. I am no where near out of the woods yet but I feel good about her improving. I hope that the results will be the best case scenario and Angie can come home tommorrow.

Thanks guys for all your prayers and concerns. Please continue to pray for a good result tommorrow.

Thanks,

Joe

 

[Intrigued]

Thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear she is doing so much better. Prayers the news is good tomorrow and she can return home.

 

[dymaxion]

We had a dachshund with similar problems. Every summer staph infections, lesions. We finally traced it to lawn chemicals.

Even if you don't use them on your lawn they drift.

What solved the problem is whenever he came in from out side we rubbed him down with a wet towel especially his underside.

 

[gaseousclay]

We had a dachshund with similar problems. Every summer staph infections, lesions. We finally traced it to lawn chemicals.

Even if you don't use them on your lawn they drift.

What solved the problem is whenever he came in from out side we rubbed him down with a wet towel especially his underside.

our current dog has allergies. my vet recommended the same thing - take a damp towel and give him a rub down to get rid of any allergens

 

[BeeSeeDub]

Kudos for changing vets. After too much frustration, I switched last year and it has made all the diff.

 

[Neognosis]

Ask your vet if it could be Lymes disease.

Also, what are you feeding her?

 

[Dennis]

Congrats on the improvement! Not a vet, let me preface that. I would guess that the skin lesions/allergy had nothing to do with the subsequent encephalitis. The skin lesions could be coming from anywhere - reaction to something in the carpet, a cleaning product, chemical, or it could even be diet related. You may have to bounce around some different dog food brands (preferably good ones). I don't think it is unreasonable to have put so much into a such young dog as yours. She still has many years of happiness to give! Good luck with the recovery and by all means stick with the vet that worked with you instead of the loser first one.

 

[jcborr00]

Update:
Ok, talked to the neurologist yesterday and she said the spinal tap came back negative. She said some of the drugs she has been taking could have altered the test but no chemo or radiation will be needed. The poor dog needs to take 16 pills a day for the first few weeks to get her back on her feet. When I asked if Angie would live a long quality life she said she yes!!! They did another blood test to make sure there are no infectious diseases and I should have that result by Monday but she says that it would have come up on the tap if it was deadly.

Angie was discharged last night and she is home where she belongs. She contiues to improve and is very happy to be home. I know we have a long road ahead of us but I am very happy we caught it in time. Another week or so might not have good results. Her motor functions are getting better and she is getting back to normal. I have a follow-up doctors vist once a week for a month so we will see.

Thanks guys for all you prayers and encouraging and very kind comments. I will update this thread with new information when I get it.

Thanks again

 

[T-Box215]

Glad to hear Angie is back home with you and on the road to recovery.

 

[ShaveThis]

Subscribed to this thread. Just love dogs. They are our best friends.

You did not mention in any of your posts what you are feeding your pup. I think so many of the problems that arise in a dogs health is related to what we are feeding them. Most dog food is the bottom of the barrel in anything resembling nutrition. The bottom of ANY food chain.

There are many companies now that offer really good food for your dog and other animals. Mostly internet based from what I've seen. They offer a lot of the same ingredients but derived from much better sources and FRESHER. The latter I believe to be very important. Some of these companies only make a certain amount (they depend on pre-orders to know how much to make) to keep it fresh. Think about the ingredients, especially the animal products, and think about them being very old and only a by-product of the actual animal. Who would want to eat that?

Aside from the good medical care your giving your pup, perhaps consider the quality of the food too. If you already have I apologize for going on. Perhaps then this might help someone else with their pet.

Just something I believe in.

 

[jcborr00]

I was feeding Angie "Blue Buffalo" dry dog food but have stopped since this inccident. I was told by my vet that the food is "ok" but their marketing technique is excellent. She is on prescription food as of right now both wet and dry and the food is organic I believe.

 

[camjr]

It almost sounds like a food allergy or contact allergic dermatitis. Hope you get it figured out and your hound is healthy!