Advice needed re sick dog

SunnyP

Hi all

Last Tuesday my 11 month old boxer went to the vets he was getting sick and passing blood in his poo.

The vet originally only gave him a 50% survival chance and said the infection was very simaliar to parvo (he has been fully vacinated) I have rang every day since for updates and the dog was improving all the time.

I called in last Friday to see him and got the fright of my life he is a bag of bones and this is a dog that originally had a beautiful physique.

The vet called me this morning to say he had a fantastic weekend was really improving and hadnt been sick so more than likely I could take him home today but she has just rang to say he got sick again after his lunch and that he seems to be going downhill all of a sudden, he has been put back on a drip again but the vet has told me to think about maybe putting him down.

I cant believe this has just happened and that nothing can be done, I am starting to think that maybe if I take him home I can get him eating again and build him up

Has anyone any experience with anything like this?? He is a fantastic dog and I really dont want to end his life

Any advice on what to do is really appreciated

Beth

Oh you poor thing. You must be going out of your mind with worry
The poor little fella.

I would suggest you call into the vet and speak to him face to face about your concerns and ideas of bringing him home.

A vets really is the best place for him to be for treatment though as they would have everything needed to hand. Whereas you wouldnt, especially if he needed a drip.

There's also the other side of things, whereby he could be missing you very badly and is stressed out even more having to have to spend so much time in the vets away from the pack, so being at home with you could improve him also.

I would definitely speak to the vet in person though, about all the concerns and see if he/she would think it a good idea to bring him home and let you take over the care.

It could be that without having food in his tummy for a long time if he was fed through a drip, has caused him to vomit up his lunch though. It will have started to shrink, so at home with you, you'd be able to start him off on small regular feeds rather than a large feed twice a day. And you'd be able to sort out a bit of chicken and rice for him too, whereas the vets is probably too busy. Do you know if they have fed him on kibble? or something else?

Good luck.

SunnyP

Thanks Beth, I m devastated to be honest.

I just rang the vet again and she seems to agree with me that maybe taking him home would help so fingers crossed the drip today will build him up a bit to allow me to do that tomorrow. Im at home all day so I can attend to him 24/7.

My other two dogs miss him too and have been so bold since he is not here to keep the peace lol I just think at home in his own bed he will start to come round.
He has always been a really strong dog and too see him like this is heartbreaking.

The vet is feeding him chicken and rice but Roy (my dog) has always been a picky eater he knows what he likes and what he doesnt like.

I dont like the thoughts of putting him down but obviously if he is in neverending pain its something I will do but not before I try everything possible first

I just cant believe such a strong dog picked up an infection and it has affected him so badly. The other two showed slight symptoms at the same time they are both younger dogs and are fine now if anything they need to go on a diet lol

Sorry for rambling I just cant believe this has happened

MsFifers

Thats very sad - I really am praying he'll improve when he is at home. It could just be all the stress of the vets.

There are some high calorie, easily digestible foods available for sick pets to build up their condition - I know Science Plan have tins. Your vet might sell these to you - if he can keep the food down it would help build up his strength.

Little portions, served regularly might be what he needs.

~Thalia~

SunnyP wrote: »

Thanks Beth, I m devastated to be honest.

I just rang the vet again and she seems to agree with me that maybe taking him home would help so fingers crossed the drip today will build him up a bit to allow me to do that tomorrow. Im at home all day so I can attend to him 24/7.

My other two dogs miss him too and have been so bold since he is not here to keep the peace lol I just think at home in his own bed he will start to come round.
He has always been a really strong dog and too see him like this is heartbreaking.

The vet is feeding him chicken and rice but Roy (my dog) has always been a picky eater he knows what he likes and what he doesnt like.

I dont like the thoughts of putting him down but obviously if he is in neverending pain its something I will do but not before I try everything possible first

I just cant believe such a strong dog picked up an infection and it has affected him so badly. The other two showed slight symptoms at the same time they are both younger dogs and are fine now if anything they need to go on a diet lol

Sorry for rambling I just cant believe this has happened

In would research all you can about the condition that he has a find out any hints or tips you can find on how to nurse him back to fit health, he is a very young dog and he has this on his side.

Best of luck with him and keep us posted!

MindyDub

Hi,
I had the same problem with my Boxer (Wilson) about a month ago. As you know Boxers like to jump and Wilson jumped but fell and crushed his spine. He was temp paralysed. We had to drive him from Dublin to Cork because the vet in Cork is the only vet in Ireland who deals with this sort of thing. We were heart broken because the vet said he didnt know if he would pull through it. Wilson couldnt walk or go toilet by himself. Every day he got a bit better and the vet said we could collect him after 3 weeks and when we saw him we got such a fright. He was skin and bone. He is home 2 weeks now and has put on all his weight and is walking again. He is also going toilet by himself so fingers crossed your dog will make as good an improvement when he gets home. Keep us posted...

Beth

Its great that you're at home all day and can keep a close eye on him. Fantastic news that you can bring him home and try to nurse him back to his former self.

Thalia has a great suggestion about searching out the condition and seeing if there's anything else you can try when you have him home wit you.

The very best of luck to you both.

kerrysgold

Sorry to hear about your dog, poor thing! Any update on how he is? Agree that maybe bringing him home would be better. He might be pining for you and the other dogs which could make him feel worse. Good luck!

BlackCat2008

Hope the poor little guy will be ok, when I need to build up my animals I give then complain for a big guY like this you could give him half a pack in the morning and the other half in the evening the milk will also help to coat the tummy, it's full of vit and min it should give him the boost he needs.

Good Luck.

votejohn

I'm so so sorry to hear about your little fella, sending good thoughts his way at the mo, hopefully with him being so young he will bounce back to full health very soon.

SunnyP

Just off the phone with the vet, Roy had a good night (although she said he has not made the improvement she would have liked)

She's going to ring me back this evening if he keeps down any kind of food I can take him home and take it from there

So fingers crossed

Whispered

Fingers crossed for you. Keep us posted.

andreac

If it was me and my dog was very sick i would want him in the vets. At least if he goes downhill there will be someone there to look after him. If he is at home it could take time to get them to the vets. I know with Parvo it can take them a long time to get back to full health and could be in the vets for a while. I would wait til he is feeling much better and stronger.
Hope he pulls through this.

Beth

SunnyP wrote: »

Just off the phone with the vet, Roy had a good night (although she said he has not made the improvement she would have liked)

She's going to ring me back this evening if he keeps down any kind of food I can take him home and take it from there

So fingers crossed

Thats good that she's still sussing out the situation though before making a final decision. Fingers crossed he will make a little improvement so that you can bring him home to his familiar surroundings.

He might have been the boss before he got sick, but might not be now. Make sure you have somewhere for him, that he can retire to away from the hussle and bustle though. If he wants peace, a crate is a good investment.

Good luck! Am keeping fingers, toes and eyes :eek:crossed for ye

SunnyP

Just confirmed with the Vet that I'm taking Roy home at half 3. He is still really weak and depressed the vet has recommended he be put down but I have to try him at home first

I dont want him in pain either though so I think tonight will tell alot
Thanks everyone for all your messages x

BlackCat2008

Hope all go's well for you and your poor baby.

Beth

Oh no
Hopefully at home with you will work wonders. If he's not in pain, its worth a try alright.

I hope you manage to get through today ok and he picks up. Praying for a miracle for you.

Let us know how things go.

SunnyP

Really bad news, he is too weak to come home.

The vet is pushing for him to be put down I really dont want him in pain so going to leave him on the drip tonight and see what the morning brings

after seeing him this evening im really not holding out much hope

Thanks again for all your advice

Beth

Oh you poor thing
If its best for him though, there's no point prolonging it.
My thoughts are with you

Sashy

My thoughts are with you also SunnyP, he is an absolutely gorgeous boxer, he is lucky to have such a caring person like you to own him, you can tell you are in pieces. Goodluck, will have my fingers crossed for you, let us know how he gets on tonight........

BlackCat2008

Sorry to hear that, I had a beautful cat of mine pass away at 11/2 yrs of felv and I pushed hard to save him even tryed alternative meds and my vet is the best in Ireland, when I look back now I can see the point I should have let him go and not prolonged it the only time he was ok was when he was on the drip, once of the drip he just went down hill, so you need to be using your head here not your heart, if he go's down hill when you take him back then it will be for the best to let him go, my heart go's out to you there's nothing like fighting that hard to save them only to lose them, I do hope he gets better.

lostinnappies

ok, what tests have they done... just jumping in here. Have they done blood tests to chech kidneys, have they done an xray to check for a forign object. If they havent they need to. It could be a desease but if he is still vomiting i would explore other options. Is he aneamic or has blood in his urine also.

SunnyP

lostinnappies wrote: »

ok, what tests have they done... just jumping in here. Have they done blood tests to chech kidneys, have they done an xray to check for a forign object. If they havent they need to. It could be a desease but if he is still vomiting i would explore other options. Is he aneamic or has blood in his urine also.

Hey all thanks a million for your thoughts

Losinnappies he has had every test and x-ray possible liver and kidney checks were fine as were all his xrays.

He had a really bad night last night was vomitting even though he has been on a drip for 2 days so I doubt there was much to vomit. He couldnt even stand this morning and the look in his eyes was horrible so we ended his suffering I'm completely devastated but I know in my heary twas the right thing to do

beth-lou

So sorry for your loss. You did your best for him in every way possible. At least his suffering is over. All the best xx

Whispered

So sorry to hear this SunnyP. You did the right thing for him.

rvd156

Really sorry to hear what happened to you and your dog....

Very hard thing to do....I have gone thru that so many times but with cats but i still know how hard it must be....

Be strong....He's in a happier place....

Beth

So sorry to hear that SunnyP. You did the best you could for him. It wont take away the heartache, but being someone who cares is better than being someone who doesnt give a damn.

RIP Roy, run free over the bridge

Einstein

awww...really sorry to hear
These threads make me sad.

Roy looked like a cool dog!

~Thalia~

Oh I'm so sorry to hear this. You poor things - Well, if it's of any use it's the hardest decision but it sounds like in your case it was the right one and you did the best thing you could for him.

Run free Roy pet

MsFifers

That is very sad news but well done to you for taking such a tough decision. I'm sure you must be devastated but hope you can take some comfort from knowing you did absolutely everything you could.

votejohn

hi there,

Im really really really sorry to hear he didnt make it. Ye did the right thing by trying for so long, as he was young he could have bounced back, but I suppose ye knew at the end that there was no chance for him.

He is very very lucky to have had ye for owners, and to have been looked after so well.