sick vet does not know why
 

Yesterday Kai was very lethargic , I noticed she has a very red lump on the underside of her belly , She started shaking and so I called the vet (after hours of course) I brought her in and she had a fever of 103.5 He didnt think this was realated to the red lump , he does not know what that is either. He checked her ears for infection , and lisened to her lungs , he was not really sure why she was running such a high fever. He gave her 2 shots of antibodic one was penicillian , and I cannot remember what the other was. and we went home with the agreement I would bring her in in the am to chack her temp. On our way home she started throwing up , so I called back he told me to get her home and setteled for 45 min and see if she stopped. She did not stop so I called agian and brought her back , He gave her something oral for the vomiting and a anti inflammatory because he thought she night be reacting to the penicillian. She trew up one more time when we got home and then fianlly setteled down and slept all night. She is acting a little more like herself this am . and I am taking her back to the vet in a couple hours.
I dunno if this red lump is a bug bite? its more swollen today then yesterday , but would that give her a fever? I just dunno what is going on with the and it's scary!!! Any thoughts? Any one had this happen before????

Thanks!!! Christy

Well I don't know about the red lump, but I do think that she was allergic to the penacillin shot. Annie was givin one once when she had diarhea and she was throwing up the whole ride home, so back we went. So she got another to counter the penacillin....

So make sure if another vet ever asks you if Kai is allergic to anything anything you say yes to Penacillin :)

Just an idea but do you have poisonous spiders there? I had a foal bitten by a brown recluse and she had alot of the same symptoms. We couldnt see the bite as she got bit on her jugular and her swelling was not just localised. When it went down we were able to see what happened. the antibiotics should help if that is the problem.Good luck!!

I hope your little one gets better really soon...I am keeping her in my thoughts today....I would agree that it sounds like the Penacillin made her stomach upset, Magic is the same way, anytime she goes on antibotes she also has to get stomach meds to keep her food and everything down....

Just in case - found this. Might want to hang onto this info until you know more:

Brown Recluse Spider Bites
by: PetPlace Veterinarians
Edited by: Dr. Nishi Dhupa




Overview

The brown recluse spider is 1/2 inch to 2 inches (1.2 cm to 5 cm) long. They are usually identified by a distinctive fiddle-shaped mark on their back. The brown recluse spider is present throughout the United States, especially through southern United States. They tend to hide in dark, secluded areas and usually only bite when they feel they are threatened or their area is invaded. Bites often occur when spider is trapped in bedding.

The specific type of venom of the brown recluse spider is not fully understood, and the toxicity is not clear except it is known to destroy the tissues surrounding the bite.

Usually, the dog does not realize he has been bitten. A while after the bite, a reddened area develops, sometimes accompanied by fever and nausea.. The primary damage is specific to the area around the bite. Underlying muscle tissue may die and become infected, and some bleeding in the area may occur. With or without treatment, the wound may take weeks to heal.

Veterinary care is generally recommended to prevent additional tissue damage.

What to Watch For


Pain at the area of the lesion

Lesion with a central dark area

Skin sloughing

Fever

Chills

Rash

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is based on the appearance of the skin wound and the possible access to brown recluse spiders.

Treatment

Generally, pets do well and recover from brown recluse spider bites but full recovery may take weeks. Treatment for brown recluse spider bites is aimed at treating the skin wound. Options may include:


Antibiotics to prevent infection


Sometimes, if other treatments do not heal the wound, surgery may be needed to remove the skin surrounding the affected area.


If fever and nausea develop, treatment may be required to alleviate these symptoms.

Home Care and Prevention

The initial home care is to clean the skin wound with hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine or povidone iodine. Do not use a tourniquet since the venom stays primarily in the area of the bite and tourniquets can cause significant circulation damage.

If the wound becomes larger or persistent drainage occurs, veterinary care is recommended. If lethargy, vomiting or nausea occur, there is no home care and seeking veterinary assistance is strongly recommended.

The primary prevention is to limit your pet’s access to brown recluse spiders. Check areas of your house that are prime brown recluse spider hiding areas such as dark basement corners and rarely used closets. If you notice brown recluse spiders, consider consulting an exterminator to remove the spiders from your home.

http://petplace.netscape.com/article...asp?artID=1060

Thanks for the info on the spider , I dunno if we have those in Iowa , But I am going to go check it out on the internet , and bring that article to the vets with me! Thanks!!!

I would definately ask your vet about the spider thing. Usually after a day or two the bite will get a black ring around it. If left untreated, fiddleback bites can be deadly to humans. If your vet still can't figure things out by today, and she is still feeling bad, I would go and get a second opinion. I hope everything works out. Let us know how she's feeling later and what the vet says! I'll be thinking about Kai!

I hope Kai is feeling better soon.

I was wondering if she is outside much and might have got a snake bite. We had a hunting dog that got rattlesnake bit. It was a bad looking spot and the dog was very sick. A spider bite is also likely. Hope everything is better soon!

I don't know much about them. Learned a little from that article. Hoping that isn't what bit your baby. Here's a map and the area of distribution:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/200...s/2061_map.gif

Distribution

The brown recluse spider and ten additional species of Loxosceles are native to the United States. In addition, a few non-native species have become established in limited areas of the country. The brown recluse spider is found mainly in the central Midwestern states southward to the Gulf of Mexico (see map). Isolated cases in Ohio are likely attributable to this spider occasionally being transported in materials from other states. Although uncommon, there are more confirmed reports of Loxosceles rufescens (Mediterranean recluse) than the brown recluse in Ohio. It, too, is a human-associated species with similar habits and probably similar venom risks (unverified).

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2061.html

We also have black widows, generally i do not think their bite is as bad as the recluses. Either way poisonous spider bites have a potential to make them very sick, My son got bitten when he was very small by a recluse.He never got sick but OMG the lump was enormous by the time I saw it. I think like anything else some get a worse reaction than others. I know lots of jack russels who regularly were bitten by water moccasins,a horribly deadly snake to anyone, these dogs just killed them and moved on. The owner treated them with antibiotics and they were out hunting the next day. tough little dogs!!!

Is Kai feeling any better?!