Pilot is not doing well, possible drug reaction as well?
 

I took Pilot to the vet this afternoon for a checkup because he was shaking his head and to get some bloodwork done because he is not eating his regular regular food (see the Parasite thread).

The vet gave him Synotic drops in each ear because they were inflammed. We think it was from his grooming earlier this week.

Well I didn't know Synotic is a corticosteroid. I believe he had a reaction earlier this year to a steriod injection where he developed pancreatitis.

Pilot keeps holding his head down now and is looking really mopey. He doesn't want to eat any food either!

I'm deathly afraid he is going to develop pancreatitis from the drops and is suffering from some reaction now.

My vet closed a little while ago, any thoughts?

So sorry you're having an issue with Pilot. It's a shame the vet is closed which means you have to wait longer to see him. Keep us posted. Am sure someone this board can be of help to you in the meantime.

Callie had a reaction to those drops too. She would hide which is so unlike her and would act unlike herself. I would discontinue use and if it gets worse call the er vet.

Oh my, oh my.

On one of your vet receipts, do they list a 24 hour emergency number?

Dr. Justine A. Lee, DVM, DACVECC, "A Quick Guide to Allergic Reactions in Dogs," (n.d.?), Pet Health Network.

Lists "life threatening reactions" requiring "immediate visit" to ER

*Collapse
*Difficulty breathing due to inflammation or swelling of the throat/airway
*Shock (e.g., an elevated heart rate, low blood pressure)
*Abnormal heart rhythm

Corticosteroids are among the common treatments for allergic reactions.

Article says, "With mild allergic reactions, you can consult your veterinarian about just treating with Benadryl at home (make sure the Benadryl doesn’t have any added other ingredients). The dose of Benadryl is typically 1 mg per pound of weight of your dog (so a 50 pound dog would get 50 mgs of Benadryl)."

So sorry for Pilot and you. I wonder if enough of the meds could have been absorbed via eardrops to cause the P reaction. He could also be having a P attack. Does palpating his abdomen near or below the ribs cause him discomfort? Or does he seem to have GI pain? Does he react if you touch around his ears? If so, it may just be an ear issue that the drops will fix, and the reaction hopefully will wear off soon.
Hoping the bad effects are temporary and that he feels better soon. A call to an emergency vet might be a good idea if he does not feel better soon? I so feel for you and Pilot.

Hi All, we just got back from the emergency vet.

He was yelping whenever we tried to touch his ears, but he did not seem in pain anywhere else.

The vet examined him and said he most likely is reacting to the drops being in his ear. She said he was very bright and alert on the exam. She was looking for any neurological signs, redness, difficulty breathing etc.

I asked her about the steroid and she said topical vs injection/oral is processed a little differently, and that she was not concerned about it inducing pancreatitis.

There was nothing serious to note on his CBC bloodwork, so we are still battling his eating issues which could be due to us feeding the bland diet for a while.

When we returned home, he drank water and ate some of the food I gave him. It's not his normal food, but I mixed some chicken with pureed peas and carrots, and little non fat greek yogurt. I added some calcium powder and vitamin b complex as well.

His collapsing trachea really kicked into gear with all the stress today, but he is now peacefully sleeping my lap.

She suggested I continue the drops tomorrow clear up the ear inflammation but it's ultimately up to me.

Do you think I should try again tomorrow? It says to give 1 drop on the bottle.

Good to hear the CBC results were ok. Also he seems to have perked up now after getting home. If no pain anywhere but the ears, it looks like the drops will make him better. If the vet suggested giving drops, I think I would do so. Only small drop!! Could be that the drops in his ears makes him a bit dizzy for a while and that is why he seemed a little upset. If he is hurting in his ears one drop application might not be enough to clear up the problem. But that is only my non professional opinion. Luckily the steroid did not appear to cause a P attack. That is great news.

Bless you.

It sounds as though his ear infection is painful. It doesn't sound as though ER had any heart or oxygen concerns. I would probably give the med to help him get over the painful infection. All assumes he has a decent night.

Thanks. My only concern was when Pilot had his steroid shot previously, he did not develop serious pancreatitis until a few days later. I really pray this does not happen.

Are you able to call the ER vet to ask for an alternative med for his ears?

As the vet was not concerned about the topical ear meds and P, which seems reasonable to me, you might not need to worry about giving the drops. However if it is easy to get different drops as suggested above, that would be ok too. But it could be that the steroids are the best med to give.
I know when I have drops in my ears I feel weird for a while. So keep him still and quiett for a bit after insertion of the drops. Sorry about the trach, hope that calms down soon.

The vet said other drops have antibiotics and they don't think he has an infection based on the swab test.

SO sorry to hear of this latest news, oh my gosh :(.

Sooooo wait, they swabbed his ear at the earlier appt and there was no sign of bacteria or fungus...but they're treating it with antibiotics...? Or is it that the first drops contained *only* steroids, and they then later offered drops w/ just antibiotic...?

If there is not an infection, is there build up you can see in the ears..? If yes, then the best treatment there would be a good cleaning agent from the Vet such as Malacetic Otic Cleanser - which is both an ear cleansing agent and drying agent.

Please keep us posted :love:!

My read was that the original drops were steroids only. OP was worried as a steroid shot may have caused Pancreatitis, and was concerned about giving more of the steroid drops. KatysMom suggested perhaps some other drops. OP said that changing from steroid to perhaps AB drops would not be as good as the original steroid drops. I did not gather that AB drops were ever given. But hope the OP can clear this up.

dottiesyrky is correct, the drops only had a steroid and no antibiotics. The "alternative" drops all have antibiotics.

Pilot seems to be doing better this morning. No head shaking and his collapsing trachea breathing/honking has decreased after resting all night.

We are still battling his eating though. He no longer wants to eat much in the mornings.

If he does eat, he will only eat plain food such as chicken with boiled mash potatoes, and non fat greek yogurt.

Same goes with his brother Pax. Ever since they got sick the last few months they changed.

In the afternoons and evenings he seems to open his options up as to what he wants to eat, however we're still having trouble getting him to eat his traditional home cooked food that he was eating for the past several years.

We home cook because we have to avoid many high oxolate foods and certain mineral/vitamin supplements that can contribute to stone formation.

Thanks for the positive news that Pilot is much better this morning. As for the eating, it could be that after they got sick their routines changed and perhaps the food is not as appealing?? So much for our extra efforts at home cooking!!! I think dogs go off some foods as we do? My dog recently decided he was not so hungry in the early morning, but eats as usual and perks up as the day goes on. Your dogs seem to have adopted this regimen too. So don’t worry as they are eating, if not as before. You have a difficult task with the dietary restrictions they have, but you are doing all you can for your babies. Hope they continue on the positive path to good health. Also you can rest with no stress!

You are my home cooking hero.

Earlier/separately you wrote,

"they've been in house. I don't think we'll take them on walks around the neighborhood anymore due to the issues....Pax gets lots of exercise around the house. He wants to play fetch and keep away constantly....Pilot sleeps most of the day. I would say he sleeps 18 hours a day. He doesn't like to play much, he would rather curl up in a bed or your lap."

You will be the better judge, but I suspect especially Pilot needs more exercise. Not a vet, but true believe that exercise, as in a good long walk, is as important as the meds.

Prayers to you.

P.S. Katy may have nibbled a wee bit of kibble early, but she almost always gobbled up her morning meal after we'd been on "her" walk.

Have you thought of trying the prescription food and even leaving the dry food out. Just a thought.

We've been on the home cooked diet since 2013. We many troubles when they were younger getting them to eat dry food.

The prescription food did not work as expected (dilute the urine) and we had concerns of pancreatitis due the fat content of the food.

Maybe you should talk with a nutritionist about a different recipe.

He may just not be hungry in the am.

So hope you figure out a way for him to get on a good exercise routine.

Hugs your way.

I'll look into the nutritionist but we have them on a special diet to prevent calcium oxolate stones. It's worked well for many dogs including my own.

The goal of the diet is to avoid high oxolate foods, avoid certain types of minerals and vitamins which contribute to stones, and give lots of fluids. We add supplements to help balance out phosphorus in meat, and vitamins like B complex and E.

Pilot has a moderate luxating patella and his collapsing trachea is getting worse as time goes on. He's not one to run around the house like Pax. Perhaps you are right, maybe since he's not going on walks anymore he's not as hungry.

Pilot was a little picky this morning but did eat after adding more veggie puree to his meal. He also ate some pineapple this morning. He ate lunch this afternoon without much fuss.

Perhaps this is the new normal?

A nutritionist would be able to help you with that too. Many of the people who use a nutritionist have a dog that has a health issue. I really think you should look into it.

Pilot the picky eater
 

It seems that over time you have figured out the right diet and nutrients for Pilot’s needs, and if it works, see how it goes. As I said before, my dog who is nine, recently did not have the same interest in morning food, but makes up for it later. If he is otherwise normal and is not losing weight I would not worry.
I still wonder if he has slight nausea in the mornings from his past illnesses. His GI system may not be up to speed yet. Also could he have an acidy stomach in the early morning after the night fast and need more tempting? Anyway, he does appear to be so much better and hopefully thriving, so try and be cool and not stress......yet anyway! Good luck, you are such a great and caring dog mom.

Please keep us posted on his progress.

Thank you dottieskyrky, Pilot is eating daily and not losing weight, I'm just not use to him being the picky one. He lives to eat usually.

Perhaps you right with the mornings. Pilot and Pax actually won't eat until later in the mornings now as well.

We use to feed them 3 times a day every 7 hours or so beginning at 7 AM, but they won't actually eat until almost 9 AM now.

I'm a young single bachelor and my mother typically feeds them while I'm at work in the city during the week since I'm gone 12 hours a day.

I also wonder if they some anxiety at feeding times as well? Perhaps we've been making too big of a deal.

I'm trying to learn to cope and alleviate this chronic stress, as you said, he's not losing weight and is normal otherwise.

Thank you for the continued support, it's greatly appreciated.

So is chicken the only/main protein you're using...?


I would really suggest trying whitefish - dogs tend to *love* it. Could be anything: sole, cod, tilapia...anything. Put a bit of season-all on it, bake a bunch up at once since they shrink so much - and try it. It can be especially appetizing to sick/GI/struggling dogs.

Yorkie dad!
 

So you are a Yorkie dad and not mom!!!
It must be hard leaving your dogs all day while you work, but hang in there.
I know how it feels though to have a usually ravenous dog change to one who is suddenly picky. But the rest of the day he is his usual foodie self.
My boy is the same and now is hesitant to eat at first in the morning, whereas before he could not wait to eat. If Pilot has some slight GI distress since he was sick, or perhaps there was some change in feeding routine. These dogs are very sensitive to habit changes and our emotions and body language.
I know my dog watches my every move and in the mornings now he waits until I go to the fridge for the salmon oil. Even if I just pretend to add the oil, he will eat!!! I used to have a dog who would not eat unless a man was in the room to feed him!!!
So praying that Pilot is not sick and that he is just going through a weird psych phase. If he is sick he would not eat at all. But you know your dogs and I see that if they took a turn for the worse, you would be on it.
By the way, I wonder about the names? I thought Pilot was just that and Pax was for passenger???
In the meantime there are many helpful suggestions on here to help Pilot enjoy his food more.
Thanks for the updates and please keep them coming.