Sad with a sick pup... looking for moral support and friends :(
 

Well I've been away for a while for multiple reasons, school and work were busy then we went on vacation.

The vacation has now been downgraded from mediocre to terrible. Harley got sick the day before (Aug15) we left and I spent a good bunch of time and money at the emerge vet in Ottawa. Thankfully they did treat him well. He was better after being on a zillion meds and two visits, and I decided to be safe to keep him on the bland canned food that the vet had him on (Hills science diet ID) until we flew home. the poor guy hated it towards the end and when we arrived back home I started him on Fromm surf and turf. he loved it two days ago, and had a great poo, then yesterday he didn't want to eat either the bland food or the Fromm (I didn't switch cold turkey I forced him to eat some of the bland stuff too). I also gave him a bit of pasta cause my breeder said it was bland and would help him recoup some of the weight he lost. he threw the pasta up, and has since thrown up some rice and chicken from this morning. :(

I have a vet appointment at 6:30, I'm just so sad and frustrated. I took him for a walk the day before and he seemed fine. He's an agility dog, so I wanted to start working him back up to his normal exercise level. The breeder mentioned that maybe it was too soon, but it's been over a week since he's been off meds and he's been playing happily and active.

Not sure what I'm looking for, maybe just a few friends to cry with, I just want him to be better, if you have any advice I'm open to listen. This sucks.

Sorry your little guy is not well. Hope the vet can do something to help him. It is so worrisome when they are ill.
Cherie

I'm very sorry your little guy is sick.

What was the diagnosis from the doctor?

Sorry your little guy is sick. I hope that your vet can figure out what's wrong and help get him back on track.

It sounds very frustrating. Let's hope the vet can get it all figured out so he is back to normal... We hate it when we can not help them. Sending hugs and prayers from my gang

Oh, Kendra, I'm so sorry Harley has been sick. Did the vet say what he thinks is wrong? Is it pancreatitis or just an upset? I feel so sorry for you. I know it is so worrying and you want him to be well. Pasta may have a high starch content and that may not go over too well. His tummy may need a rest and if it is acidy, maybe your vet will have you give him a quarter of a pepcid or something like that. I hope to hear he is much better soon and is on the road to recovery.

Thanks everyone... I just got off the phone with the breeder, she told me to go grab a thermometer and do a rectal temp. see if he has a fever. She suggested if he doesn't have a fever to fast him for 24 hours then re-evaluate if he should go to the vet, she seemed to think that possibly the change in food just upset him this time and that he really just needs a break to get back to normal.. what do you think? I haven't cancelled the appointment yet, but that being said I am a student who is rather broke, and the credit card already too a hit this month with the prior visits. Is it better to see if he settles by himself tonight and go tomorrow if its not better or go to be safe... thoughts?

I don't know what to tell you, but I do think his little tummy needs a rest and I think it's probably acidity. Take his temp first and see if it is normal. Then you could call your vet and see what they say.

Yeah he doesn't have a fever, so they suggested fasting him just like the breeder said. I'm gonna do that. The breeder also suggested squirting water in his mouth if he does stop drinking so that he doesn't get dehydrated, I also have Hi-Cal syrup too. I have a load of syringes from the past meds, but lets hope I don't need to syring any water.

So lets all cross our fingers he doesn't throw up any more.

now comes the next decision, the breeder really seemed to think the little guy needs to lay low for a month to get back to normal, no treats, no people food, no parks, no exercise. What do you all think of that? I guess it's not a bad idea, he's indoor trained so he doesn't have to go outside to potty. To give his stomach time to get used to his new kibble, and to get him back to normal...

Thanks everyone... most of my friends moved away this month so I'm glad I still have you guys.

These little ones go down hill so quickly... I would still take him to the vet and reevaluate his diet with the vet. I hope he gets better quickly

Was he diagnosed with pancreatitis?

I'm sorry Harley has been sick. :( Believe me, I know how frustrating it is to deal with stomach issues and an active dog like Harley and Jackson are. Jackson had an incident in late July with a bad stomach possible pancreatitis episode and I spent $1600 on his medical bills (also a student like you!) I kept him pretty much exercise-free for about 2 full weeks to give his whole system a rest. Then we slowly started our walks again and by the 4th week he was totally back to normal. But I think I agree with fasting him for 24hrs and just letting his tummy get settled and see how that goes. The hardest part for me was just keeping him settled - we went for a few car rides now and then just to get him out of the house. But I really think all the rest as well as just eating kibble (no treats, etc) helped.

Yes I wasn't online much, but I was sorry to hear about Jackson too, it's really frustrating. I'm about $1300 in, and I found out that my insurance (cleaver conniving idiots) only covers $1000 per illness per year not per incident like I thought, so I'm praying that this ends soon, cause any more GI issues and I'm almost on my own. mind you with co-insurance and deductibles I'm wondering if it is cheaper to have insurance or not.

sorry that's a whole new rant....

But the original diagnosis was simple a bacterial infection. They didn't really know what caused it or what it was. They thought he may have some form of urinary infection, but then decided he didn't testing his urine.

poor little guy, but I hope this is an unrelated incident and that he's just got an upset tummy.

If I can find one thing to laugh about, I just made a pharmacist blush a bit... I went in looking for a thermometer, then I asked her what the softest gentlest lube was... I told her that I was testing my dogs rectal temp... but talking about lubes kinda made her blush anyway.. :P (sorry needed to find something to laugh about in this whole mess)

I hope Harley is feeling better soon and after a bit of rest is back normal. Sending prayers and hugs