Please read. Our Nicky needs help :(

[Love my nicky]

Hi all, we really need your help- were devastated about our almost 12 yr old Yorkie and need to know we're not missing anything. It's a long story, so please bear with us. We were told Nicky has collapsing trachea last year. He's had spurts during allergy season but nothing that wasn't controllable with low doses of prednisone and rarely hydrocodone during very bad spells. A couple of weeks ago when allergy season got bad here In NY, we started Nicky on prednisone and antihistamines for the occasional wheezing. Aside from a few wheezes a day, he was fine.

This Saturday, May 16th, Nicky was doing fine and went in to the vet for his vaccinations. He got the rabies, bordetella, and DHLPC shot. He was fine that night. The next day he started incessantly panting and wheezing. We thought it was just the humidity and allergens and didn't worry too much. We called the vet and he said to up his prednisone to 2.5 mg twice a day and drop the antihistamines as he did not want to over medicate him. Monday it was the same but he ate and drank. That afternoon/early evening it got worse and he was incessantly panting/wheezing and at times gasping. He couldn't lay down as he seemed unable to breathe when laying. So he stayed up and paced all night. First thing Tuesday I took him to the vet. Miraculously at the vet, the wheezing went away but he still was panting but now like a normal healthy dog. The vet confirmed all the meds he was on and said it was allergens triggering his trachea and to keep the ACs on and purifiers etc and gave me terbutaline for emergencies. He also gave him a shot of something that was to open his airways (name is escaping me). He took X-rays and saw that his heart wasn't worse (he was diagnosed with an enlarged heart last year and is on enalapril daily as a preventative) and that his trachea seemed "normal" in the image. He explained the trachea could have been normal just in the second the image was taken. He believed Nicky may have had a secondary bronchitis from all the wheezing and thus prescribed clavamox. He sent us on our way. When I got home, the incessant wheezing and panting returned and he still wouldn't eat-- even tried beef and chicken to entice (24 hours at this point). I rushed him back to the vet, ran bloodwork and found that his white blood cells were elevated and his thyroid was low, he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and given levothyroxine to compensate for his low thyroid function. The vet believed that once the thyroid medicine entered his system, he would level out. But he didn't, Wednesday (yesterday) I rushed him back and the vet insisted it was not a vaccine reaction (I googled all night before) as he believed Nicky didn't have eosiphinils in his blood. I explained that I read a bad reaction may include difficulty breathing and a rapid heart rate etc, he explained it would have all cleared up with the prednisone/antihistamines he was already on anyway if that was the cause. Nicky was sitting calmly and panting like a normal dog, no wheezing at the vets office AGAIN! He tried to refer me to the city for a fluoroscopy for Nicky, he explained they'd sedate him and determine if it was a polyp (and take it out if it was), an elongated soft pallet, or a collapsed trachea. He explained he didn't believe it was a polyp as the wheezing would not stop at all if it was. Thus if it was a soft pallet issue or trachea, we wouldn't be able to fix it anyway. Professionally, he was referring me just for piece of mind. I didn't go through with the process because I did not want to sedate him simply for my piece of mind. We decided to keep Nicky there and hoped that whatever was triggering him was simply in our home as he didn't wheeze or gasp at the vets, we felt he needed a break to recoup while we found the culprit. We were relieved to know it was an outside irritant and went straight home to determine the cause. Incessant checkins with the vet went fine during the day- Nicky was breathing normal, drank a bit, but still no food. Until last evening, the wheezing/gasping came back. They gave him the same shot and hoped for the best. The vet called me and told me it was now confirmed that it was an anatomical issue with Nicky and not an irritant in our home and that it may be best to prepare for the big decision if this does not cease. we are devastated as he was relatively healthy before all this. Granted he had some issues normal for a senior but he had the personality of a puppy. We need help, does anyone have any idea of what this could be? I don't want him to suffer and will put him out of his misery if there is no cure, but I want to make sure first.




Please help with any comments or suggestions. Thank you in advance and God bless.

[ladyjane]

First of all, it angers me that your vet gave him all those vaccines. Funny how he does not NOW want to over medicate him. The protocol now is for those vaccines to be separated!!!

I am thinking this could be the bordatella vaccine.

If it were me, I would be out of there and at another vet for a second opinion or quite possibly and internal med specialist. For him to now suggest euthanasia without a clue as to what is going on with him is mind blowing to me. Get him out of there and get a diagnosis is my first thought!

I am so sorry you are going through this. Please keep us posted!

[gemy]

I agree with LadyJane. Get a second opinion pronto! And I would go to an internal medicine specialist.


Too many vaccines all at once - and never ever give bordetella through the nose. Use the shot instead


To speak of euthanasia without a specialist consult is almost criminal to my mind.

[chestermama]

my vet has never given rabies and regular shots together, too much for these little guys, sending prayers

[107barney]

I'm suspect of the "L" or lepto portion of the shot.
I would take him to an internal medicine specialist to get a handle on what's happening with his trachea.

[Love my nicky]

I pulled Nicky away from the other vet and brought him to an internal medicine specialist. The original vet had told me Friday morning that Nicky had cancer, pheochromocytoma to be exact, and that his kidney and liver are failing. The internal medicine specialist and the vet at the animal hospital said that his organs aren't failing like the original vet said and that he doesn't have cancer. They want to run tests to see what's causing the difficulty breathing. Especially since he was fine before the immunization last weekend. I have a bad feeling the original vet really messed up as far as the vaccinations go


I left him there overnight tonight so they can administer full oxygen, IV, and some medicine to lower his blood pressure.. His blood pressure as of this morning was 220 but went down to 135 after the original meds kicked in.. He's still having trouble breathing when we pull him off the oxygen so they're going to sedate him and insert a camera in his throat to see what's going on.


Please say a prayer for Nicky as his entire family is worried !!

[Love my nicky]

Add-on to my post above ^


The new vets do suspect that he does have a tumor on his adrenal gland, but they doubt its cancerous. Regardless it would not do this to his breathing. Additionally the old vet said that his thyroid was failing, but the new vet said that was standard for a body in distress. We're very confused and worried the old vet is somebody who's well respected in our area, but we're not sure what went wrong, and our Nicky is definitely out of there. The new hospital is a VCA center with a ton of specialists so hopefully they can figure this all out and our Nicky can go back to normal.

Any suggestions or comments are welcome.. Please pray that Nickys endoscopy goes well.

[Scoobstersmom]

Saying a prayer for Nicky that his breathing improves and you get some answers today. I don't think it would be related to the breathing difficulties but did the vet mention Cushings Disease?




Diana

[ladyjane]

Thank you so much for updating! I am so glad you have Nicky at a specialty hospital. I hope that they can get to the bottom of things and he will be well soon...

Prayers continue...

[lisaly]

I'm so sorry that you and your baby are going through all of this. Through the years none of my Yorkies have had a Corona, Leptospirosis, or Bordadella vaccine. My Ashley was diagnosed with an enlarged heart and mild collapsing trachea when she was almost eleven, and my vet stopped all vaccines for her. She lived to a month shy of seventeen, and even though we took long walks daily and saw many dogs, she did fine. It sounds like you are very happy with the specialty hospital that is treating Nicky. If you need another opinion, you can try Animal Medical Center in Manhattan. It is the world’s largest hospital for small animals and is a leading center for research, clinical advances, and veterinary medicine.

Animal Medical Center - New York City
Specialties & Services | Animal Medical Center

I will pray for both of you. I hope Nicky gets well soon.

[Yorkie4luv]

Hope your baby is well soon! My Sophie, RIP, had enlarged heart and had breathing issues so they took her off enalipril and put her on Vetmedin, helps the heart contract better ,she did fine on the vetmedin for years. Also was curious about the Lepto shots. Here in California ( I assumed it was everywhere) they stopped giving Lepto to small dogs about 15 yrs ago because it was causing illness and sometimes death in small dogs. I also stopped giving my two yorkies the bordatella because my vet said it was okay as long as I wasn't boarding them.

I will say a prayer for your little one.

lisa

[cansel]

Praying!!

[Yorkiemom1]

How is your baby doing? Praying all is well......

[Lisa and Pic]

Just reading this and hoping for an update. You both are in my thoughts and prayers. That was a lot of vaccines to have in one day.