Taylor, this is awful. I'm so sorry, just saw this. I hope you have some answers by now.

Just wild thoughts here to ask your vet about if you don't. If she were human I'd say this sort of sounds like walking pneumonia but I'm sure they've listened to her lung sounds every visit, done repeat chest films with her history of aspiration onset of symptoms and checked for high white count. With people, they always say if your URI symptoms/cold/flu worsen while undergoing treatment for it, you could have early or low-grade pneumonia that Doc missed or no culture was done so wrong antibiotics aren't helping URI. URI's can turn into pneumonia in humans pretty fast and not everybody coughs a lot with it, whether bacterial or viral pneumonia. I never did when I had it, just great trouble breathing, worse nights, some days hardly bad at all, others really scary as I was here alone at the time.

Air-hunger as with congestive heart issues can cause restlessness. My sis's dog had heart congestion so he was constantly changing positions after his regular vet had diagnosed heart congestion, started him on meds, but she found out his meds weren't strong enough to help him so new specialist vet increased them and had to hospitalize him for intensive treatment. By the time she got him to cardiologist who said his heart was weaker, further enlarged from inadequate medication dose and not giving him another drug he should have been on for heart congestion and he was pretty miserable, terribly restless, needed oxygen and many more meds , poor little guy.

Tibbe got aspirate focal pneumonia from reverse sneezing after drinking water that went down the "wrong way" but luckily I caught it that same day as later that afternoon, he just stood in the middle of the den floor, occas. kind of hacking or trying to reverse sneeze again w/out really doing it as he'd often do after a reverse sneezing episode, giving me a hang-dog-momma-help-me look over and over so off to the vet we went. Vet listened to his chest, took chest films, said it was enlarged heart, get him to the Emergency Vet Hospital with the chest films they'd done ASAP, for IV, oxygen and a cardiac Doppler. Rushed him there, internist did basic exam checking vitals, listening to heart/chest, looking into throat, ears, etc., started IV, took blood and repeated chest films, diagnosed early aspirate focal pneumonia even before his bloodwork was finished in the lab! Said the way the lung overlapped the heart in films sometimes it was easy to miss early early or focal pneumonia. Did the Doppler just to be sure($700 extra to be sure, haha, but with our babies we must be sure!) but cardiologist said his heart was not enlarged and was fine. Before Doppler, internist gave him shot of antibiotics and after, sent him home on liquid antibiotics and he was fine. Never coughed even once after I got him home that night but was restless with noisy breathing for a couple of days or so. After his medication course was finished, repeat chest films showed he was clear of pneumonia. Just throwing out thoughts.

I'll pray for our Callie, just got to get her well. She's my girl at heart, too, and such a sweet little fighter through all her problems. With her determined Mom, though, I know you won't stop pushing and asking questions until you get some answers and diagnosis/treatment for Callie. Give her a hug for me.

Sadly we still don’t have many answers. Her chest is clear though it’s all in her nose. Due to not showing any signs of heart issues that sorta had to take a back seat although the internist looked at her xrays and was not concerned with her heart. We need to have her nose scoped but they always take a biopsy and they found her blood pressure was to high to do that so she is on blood pressure meds and another antibiotic and hopefully her blood pressure is down by next Monday so they can do the scope. Normal top number which is all they do in vet med is 120 and Callie’s was 220 one time and 210 another. I end up not sleeping because I am listening to her breathing. I’m exhausted.

I know, just sharing stories for you or whomever reader might can use to think about what could be going on with their dog when it's got similar symptoms, just in case. You never know.

Know what you mean about not sleeping when your baby is sick - it's totally impossible. By the time our little one is better, we're a mess, sleep- and meal-deprived and haggard. Here's hoping and praying you get the answers quickly so little Callie can feel better again soon as possible. :hands::hands::hands: Love to Callie and you and her vets!

I am not thrilled to write this update because its not good. So Callie went for a recheck and hopefully the scope. They went to run her blood test for her kidney panel and electrolytes to make sure the blood pressure medicine was not messing with them. Well the tech accidents did and liver panel too. Her liver numbers that had just been taken a week and 3 days prior and were only slightly elevated were so high the machine could not read them. The ultrasound of her abdomen the week before showed nothing visually wrong with her liver. The vet suspects its possible that she has a liver infection and apparently that is very serious and normally not caught until the dog starts showing signs of yellowing and then requires hospitalization. Callie has been put on two antibiotics for 6 weeks, a prescription liver support medication, a nausea medication with an appetite stimulant, and Vitamin E. They also said not to give her pain medication. She is not eating much and she is hiding under the table and under the bed as well as sleeping in the dog toy box. Her eyes are so tired. She goes back for a recheck next Monday. If she is showing not signs of improvement I'm going to have to as some of the very sad serious questions. I refuse to let her suffer. She has fought so many health issues in her life I think she is getting tired. My heart is just breaking.

Oh Taylor, I am so very sorry to hear this news! I hope that the medications that they have given her help her improve, and that she can regain some strength and be comfortable. It is so heartbreaking when our little ones are at the point where each time they have a health concern it can become serious so quickly because of their advanced age. Please know that many are sending you their prayers and support!

Taylor I am so very sorry to hear this. I pray the new meds help her and she turns around. Keeping you and Callie in my prayers (((hugs))) :love:

So sorry for all you are going through. You have been doing so much to help your baby. Sure hope she feels better soon. It’s so hard.

Callie
 

Prayers for sweet Callie. Also for you to stay strong for her.

I have great news! Her liver numbers have dropped massively! The antibiotics are working! She even looks better! Her nose is sounding much better too! Thank you all so much for the prayers!

Oh great! Thank the Lord!

So happy to hear that! Thanks for always keeping us updated, and Happy Holidays, indeed, with this positive turn for sweet Callie! :congrats:

What wonderful news to receive just before the holidays! It's so hard when our little ones are sick and suffering. My heart goes out to you but glad to know the meds are working. Keep us posted on the progress. Have a happy holiday.:)

I wanted to update on Callie. Since she has been back on her pain meds she is feeling great! No hiding, not getting in the toy box to sleep and she is eating well. We go back on the 30th to recheck her liver numbers again and hopefully that pain medicine has not effected them. Her nose has seemed to clear up also so hopefully it stays that way. She is doing what we call talking which is like a growl thing when she wants to be heard lol. She is also back to trying to play with her siblings. She looks much better and I think is feeling much better. She is getting sassy now lol. I love her so much and am just so happy everything seems to be working.

Thank Goodness!

What a wonderflu thing for the holidays, I am very happy for you and baby!!!!

I really am so thankful for everyone’s prayers, good thoughts and kind words. Callie had a great Christmas opening some toys, throwing toys around and rolling in the wrapping paper. She’s getting a much needed grooming Monday and then her recheck will be next Friday. I have decided even if the Livernumbers move around a bit I will not be stopping her pain medicine again like I did for a week. She is 12 and 7 or 8 months old and I want to keep her comfortable. She though is really doing amazing.

So happy to ear that Callie is on the mend. YT prayers do work.

Callie went to the internist today. Liver numbers are great! They are not normal but they are getting there and are massively lower. They want to keep Callie on the medicines for a total of 8 weeks. She will stay on them for 4 more weeks and then go back in for a recheck. The numbers are even better then the vet was expecting. She is also tired of taking a million pills and feeling very sassy these days.

Great news, sassy is good, shows she's getting better, yayyyy.

What wonderful news! So happy to hear that she is back to her sassy self. :)

Tomorrow at 2pm is hopefully Callie’s last appointment with the internist! All the meds are finally finished! Prayers everything looks great with the blood work!

Here's hoping that her problems are all resolved and you both can relax!

Prayers all goes well. I just reread this whole thread. Sounds similar to what my Peek a Boo had. I believe it was a strain of Corona virus. At the time it was going around the Humane Societies and the Shelters/Pounds, anywhere many dogs are kept together. I had just adopted Tinkerbell from the HS a week before Peek came down with it, Tink had a very runny nose for weeks, but it hit Peek harder cause of his age. His nose was almost totally blocked with mucous, so he couldn’t eat and could barely breathe, and he lost 2 pounds in 1-2 weeks. Very scary.

Hope Callie makes a full recovery.

Well didn’t get the best news.........Blood work was sent out this time so won’t have the results until Monday. Her weight is still dropping though. She was 18 pounds before her Cushings diagnoses which was slightly overweight. After meds and everything she was 15 pounds and stayed there for like 2 years. Well it started going down once she got sick and is now just a few ounces from 13 pounds. She is eating but not as much as normal. They had done the sonogram before an no cancer is showing up so I have no idea what is going on. The internist gave us 3 doses of an apatite stimulant and suggest a Royal Canin GI food with more calories. She said there is a chance after being off the antibiotics that her weight could go back up but not sure. Callie is not acting sick and is still very lively but I’m still worried.

Beau is on so many meds that he does not really want to eat. Tried scrambled eggs yesterday, and he ate them enthusiastically. He picked around his usual boiled chicken breast bits again this morning, but ate more egg. Don't know if Callie can eat them, but he has kept them down well. Good luck...her report does not sound too alarming overall, other than the weight loss, and she may be able to regain once the drugs work there way out of her system.

Keeping you in our thoughts!

Did your vet give her any probiotics to help restore the flora in her gut? They can help after a round of antibiotics. I forgot to mention too that Peek was a chubby 8 pounds when he got sick, so losing 2 pounds was 25% of his total body weight.

With Callie 2 pounds is around 13.3% of her TBW. What is her ideal body weight? If she is still a bit over, then no worries. If she is at or under her ideal body weight, then you may need to worry, if she keeps losing. It may be better for her knee issues to stay on the light side.

Her food has a probiotic in it but her IBD just does not react well normally with straight up probiotics. The vet was happy with her weight at 16 pounds. You can feel her spine and ribs way to easily. She still has a pot belly because of the Cushings though.

You never know with her some days she likes certain things but doesn’t the next. She’s a Diva lol.

Sorry to hear about this weight loss, like nanajoy's reply maybe once all the drugs are out of her system she'll gain some weight back. It's going to be a long week end "try" to not worry (((hugs))) I'll be praying for good lab results for sweet Callie :love:

Callie’s liver infection is gone! She had some protein in her urine though so they are increasing one of her blood pressure medications.