How can I help him breath better?
 

Hello everybody! First of all, let me thank anybody who offers any assistance thanks in advance. I am really worried about my baby Chuey!
He is sick and I am desperate to find him another vet. He got the bordatella vacc. about 10 days ago and started with a runny nose, now really runny and congested, about 5 days after. Discharge is clear, when he can get it out. Eating and drinking normal. He's going on 7 days like this and I don't know what to do. The benadryl they told me to give him is not doing anything for him. Vet says may just be how he breaths. I just got him two weeks ago. He was 12 wks old then and weighed 14 oz! He is 16 wks today and weighs 1lb 3 ozs!! I think the Bordatella was too much for him. Going to a vet a friend recommended tomorrow.

PLEASE HELP!!

Hoping to find relief soon in CA..... if anybody can offer any help I would really appreciate it!

Merry Christmas! i know NOTHING about this but if i was in your position.. i would try things similar to what i would do for a baby?? does he seem congested?? can you buy one of those things they use for babies when they are congested that... well.. more or less sucks the snot out?? i know it really helps.. they are usually blue... you know what i'm talking about?? can you also run the hot shower for him and let him breath in the air.. might help loosen things up.. i know he dons't have a "cold" persay.. but that is what i would be trying until i could get to a vet.. he is so tiny i woudlnt' try giving him anything.. and don't just let the vet tell you "That is the way he breathes" as his mom you know something is wrong... stick to your guns... keep us posted!!

Thanks so much for your quick reply. I will get one of those blue aspirators today! I will try the shower thing too and see if that works also. I'm just afraid that from getting the bordatella vacc., he got bordatella! We'll see what the other vet says tomorrow. You are right, we have the mama instincts when it comes to our precious babies, and we know when somethings wrong! Thanks again and Merry Christmas! Chuey and I appreciate it!

aspirator!! that's the word... i think you might want to consider getting a vet that has experience with small breeds... you little guy is VERY tiny... layla is 5 lbs and has horrible reactions to vaccines... so i can imagine what your little boy goes through... he doesn' actually need the Kennel Cough unless you are going to board him.. i was actually advised against the shot... and when he gets his other needles... ask if you can space them out over a few days instead of getting a huge dose all at once... this really helps reduce the bad reactions :)

That is way to young for Bordetella and it is not recommended for Yorkies anyway as about 95% of the time, they come down sick. Too late now but what may help is a Vicks Vaporub steam.
Years ago I had a dog that got kennel cough, he was coughing and quite congested and that is mostly what cleared it up. YOu have to be careful of it developing into a secondary infection such as a bacterial infection or worse, pneumonia.
For a Vaporub steam, you can get either the liquid made for it or a jar of the stuff. Boil water with some salt. Put the VapoRub(1 tsp for about a quart boiled steaming water) in to the water put a huge towel over your head with the pup under the towel with you and you will both be breathing in the vapours which there should still be steam coming up from it. It will help clear him a lot. I recommend you stay under with him to monitor him and also know if it is getting too hot under there. Stay under about 10 minutes. Careful he doesn't reach out his front legs hit the rim of the pot or bowl you have the stuff in and flip it on both of you and be careful you don't knock it over on yourself either.
Do this 3 or 4 times a day.
Email me privately if you wish at loriben@shaw.ca if you need anything further.

Bordatella vaccinations can also cause the virus...and or the side effects. IMHO your vet should have never given such a young pup this shot, I dont recommend them before the age of 6 months.

unfortunatley it can take 2 weeks to months to clear up and is contagious to other dogs in the home, its like whooping cough in humans.

I dont know of anything that will help his breathing besides cough suppressants or by keeping the humidity high in your home. Try a humidifier or let your pet in the bathroom when you take a shower or a bath. The warm steam will soothe the pups breathing passages.

short outdoor walks may help clear the airways and help him breathe better, but only use a halter or body harness never a collar.

Be sure to monitor your baby, a severe case of kennel cough can result in pneumonia.

hope this helps
happy holidays

Cali has kennel cough when I got her and gave it to my older pom. They both were on 3 rounds of antibiotics and it took 3 months to clear up. I took them in to the vet regularly to check their lungs to make sure pneumonia didn't develop. I hope the new vet works out.

I just PM you with good vet info. and ER Pet Clinic in case you need to take your baby to one or call them.

I hope this are not too far from you.

Best Wishes to you and Chuey!

Sissy also contracted Bordatella from her intranasal Bordatella innoculation. She wasn't as small as your pup - right at 2 lbs at 14 weeks old.

Your pupr needs to be on antibiotics for this - not just Benedryl. See another vet as soon as possible. It took a full month of meds for Sissy to get over this. She will not be getting a Bordatella vaccine again.

Please also be very careful with his other puppy vaccines. They should be given only one at a time, using a cat needle (because of his small size), spaced at least two weeks apart, and watched carefully afterward. Unless you are in an area where Lepto is prevelant, ask your vet NOT to give that as many pups have severe reactions.

Good luck to you and your little guy. Please keep us posted on how he is doing.

Chuey In The Hospital!!
 

Hello All!

Merry Christmas!

Thank you so much for your reply about Chuey! I did take him to the er and the Vet recommended he stay there due to having pnuemonia! I could not believe my ears! I was horrified, devistated, and then relieved. Thank God it was not something worse, thank God I had and answer, and thank God we were gonna get help! He was doing better, (saw him when I left), from being in the oxygen chamber. The weighed only 1.02 lbs! He weighs less than I thought. They also took xrays. I was so ignorant about giving Chuey his vacc. I did not know that he did NOT need the bord. vacc at his age. The orig. Vet, which we will never go to again @ Banfield-Petsmart, acted like the bordatella in the 1 lb. guy who at the time was 12 wks, was no big deal. My fault. This Vet is much better. He is going to stay @ that animal hospital for 2 days and will need some antibiotics for at least 10 days the dr. said. He also said the pnuemonia was not very severe, its just starting and he should be just fine. I am really hoping that this is going to pass and that he does not have any left over symptoms from this. I can't believe he was this sick! He is so strong and has been such a trooper! I am truly amazed and inspired by him. I am in pieces over this, so I really appreciate your support.

It is going to cost a very pretty penny, however, he is worth it. I will sell my motorcycle for him if I have to! Please keep us in your prayers and thanks again for all your kind words!!

Raquel and Baby Chuey!

I am so glad you got him in to the vet in time. He should respond quickly with the right care now and be home with you soon. I know CAli was so sick her first 6 months and mostly stays at the er vet, but at least I knew she was getting the right care. Please keep us posted.

Raquel - I am so glad you took little Cheuy in and he is getting the care he needs. It is always such a helpless feeling when our babies are sick!!

Little Cheuy should make a full recovery and he'll be home before you know it. If you have any questions at all regarding vaccines or anything else - this is a great place to start. Feel free to PM me at any time. I'm not an expert, but I've been through a few things with Sissy and I'll give you all the help I can.

Big hugs to you and Sissy sends you kisses till Cheuy is back home-
Jodie & Sissy

Raquel where are you?..lol
 

Hi Raquel,

I was just wondering how Chuey was today?

I hope all is well, please come back and give us an update.

Oh, one thing the vets didn't tell me is that when they have been in the oxygen cage, they come out a little dizzy and feet unstable.... so don't be scare and do not leave him on the couch or bed not for a second. If he jumps off he will brake a bone, it takes a few hours to wear off.

Hope all is well!!!



:getwell: Baby Chuey :callme: :wavey:

Hello Everybody!

How are you? Hope everybody is doing ok and recovering from all that Christmas food! You all know what Christmas was like for me, so hope you had fun for me! I called the Vet today and was unable to go and see Chuey because they were too busy, and then I had to go to work in the evening. I did get to speak with the Dr. twice though. He said that Chuey was about the same, resting a lot and eating well! Two very good signs right? He also said Chuey could come home tomorrow. It's a blessing that I am going to be off from my full-time till Jan 8 to be home to care for him.

The medications he is on and is going to need to continue for a total of ten days are Amikacin (oral) and Ampicillin (injectable). The Dr. has asked me quite a few times already if I'm going to be ok with giving Chuey his shot twice a day. I told him I would be ok with that. He needs to take them twice daily because he too small for large doses of any meds. However, Dr. said the Ampicillin has a side affect of affecting the liver. Chuey's live count of some kind, can't remember the name is low right now. Dr said it could be the meds, or a early sign of something wrong with his liver, but more than likely the meds. He said he would stop them immediately if Chuey's liver count was going too low. I felt better about that, but still really nervous. I wish there was so much more I could do for him.

I am really nervous and praying that Chuey is going to be ok. I am focused on getting everything ready for his return. My husband initiated a major clean-up in the house today in prep. for Chuey's return: clorox whip everything, mop, wash all blankets, (even ours that he crawls on!), vaccum, the whole nine! It was the sweetest thing ever! I was really touched about his concern that Chuey not come in contact with any leftover germs that might be hanging around.

Well, I know I've made you read a lot and I really appreciate you taking the time to give me advice and help me out. You have all been such a wonderful support system, don't know what I would've done without you! I will post more tomorrow, hopefully with Chuey back in my arms!! Thank you!

By the way, I added pics to my profile since the day I signed up and I am not able to see them. Can you guys see Chuey's pic? Weird....

Hey you!
 

Hi Raquel,

Thank you for the update on Chuey.

Your hubby sounds like he has a soft spot for doggies :D this is great!


I don't see his picture, keep trying :p

what a nice thing of your husband to do and I hope your little guy will be ok -

Here's some picture help & your profile picture may be too big to post - make sure it's only 75 x 75 pixels big or you can pm me and I'll do it for you

To make sure your pictures are not huge and resize them...This is one of the easiest program on the net to resize your pics....http://bluefive.pair.com/free95.htm Scroll to PixResizer??Download the program..it?s really small and very easy to install ? Depending on the size of your image you just have to click ONE SIZE (USUALLY 50%) or 460 Pixels and it resizes it for you...

SAVE YOUR PICTURES AS JPEG?S or they will not show as thumbnails.

ONCE you resize and want to upload photos into a post ...

In your post, Scroll down and you?ll see Additional Options
Click MANAGE ATTACHMENTS
Click BROWSE to find the picture on your Computer
Double-Click the picture ? then click UPLOAD
Click Submit REPLY

Hi Raquel - how sweet of your husband to get everything ready for Cheuy. I'm sure you will be relieved to get him home and be able to cuddle him. I hope and pray that he will recover fully and whatever is going on with his liver is just because of the meds.

Please keep us posted on how Cheuy (and you) are doing. May the new year bring wonderful things for you.

:) Chuey's Home!! :animal-pa :thumbup:

Hello all!

Chuey is home and seems to be much better. He is breathing normally! I am so happy about that! He is a little loopy, prob from the oxygen chamber thing so I am keeping a close eye on him. Thanks for the heads up on that by the way! He stayed awake the whole ride home. At home he checked things out around him in his area, and then when he was satisfied, he walked into his little kennel, (door stays open), and he went to sleep. I will feed him in a while when he wakes up. Vet gave me meds to give him as listed above, but just once a day. They want to see him back in 5-7 days. Thank you all for your support and kind words, it really means a lot!

Question: How much do you guys feed your yorkie's? I feed Chuey 4-6 times a day and since he's only 1 lb. he eats maybe a total of teaspoon full of food each meal. He gets small snacks in between. Vet says this is enough, but just checking with the other experts as well!

Thanks again and please keep Chuey in your prayers!

Raquel

Yayyyyy Chuey is home!!!
 

Yeah!! Glad to know Cheuy is home and seems better. I would think that if he is eating about a tsp 4-6 times a day that is a good amount. Is he on dry or soft food? Dry food should probably be left out for him an another option. Most of the premium dry foods indicate that a puppy under 5 lbs should be eating about 1/4 cup of food daily. The more premium the food, the less they need to eat (it is easy for them to eat too much). Make sure his snacks are things that are really good for him as well such as fruit or tiny pieces of cheddar cheese.

Glad he is home and doing so much better.
Keep dry food down all the time, Yorkie puppies have to be able to access food whenever they want to.
Keep feeding him as you are doing because he is so small you must be sure he is eating regularly.

Glad your little guy is home, and on the mend!

Hello All!

Chuey is up and moving and sends his best! He can't believe he has so many friends out there praying for him to get better quick!

He is doing much better today! Still a little wobbily, but getting better by the hour. He is doing so well with his potty training! It just melts my heart that he remembers to go on the pads in his state! What a guy huh? He still has a little runny nose, but thats a good sign I take it cuz it means the yucky stuff is coming out right? He is playing with his toys a little here and there. And ohhhh, how he loves how his Papa did his new bed in his kennel. Heating pad and sheep skin nonetheless!! He is so comfy and just cuddles up in there like if he never wants to come out. I know he is so much more comfortable here than at that ugly hospital place! He "screamed" this morning when I gave him his shot, but the anger quickly passed.

His food intake is still really great. He eats Royal Kanin puppy and in between I give him so soft steak chunk dog treats. Forgot the brand because I threw out the conainer it came in and put it in real Tupperware. I will try the cheddar cheese and see if he likes it. He just loves his dry food, I mean he really loves it!!

Does anybody have a good dry treat to recommend? Please do. Thanks again for all your prayers. I know they are doing wonders for Chuey. I still have all of next week off from work to spend with him so I am going to try my hardest to nurse him back to health. He's a little stinky from the animal hospital but I will just use a baby wipe or something. No baths for him for a while! Thanks again and Happy New Year!

I am so glad to hear he is doing better. That is great you can spend the next week nursing him back to health.

We're so glad to hear that Cheuy is doing better. Even though he screams for his shots, at least he is home and comfortable.

We love the puppy treats by Old Mother Hubbard. They are really small bones (but we still broke them up into several pieces). Good ingredients and inexpensive. You probably will only find them at a store like PetSuppliesPlus, PetCo or PetsMart.

Oh my what a terrible time little Chuey has had! Thank heavens he is okay. I had no idea that Bordatella is not good for Yorkies. Our little pup (she's not a tiny) is 3&1/2 mos and weighs 3&1/2 lbs. She just had a Bordatella because we need to put her in daycare for a day next week and they all require it. I never knew it wasn't a good thing for them. Yikes! She threw up right after, and we took her back to the vet for Benedryl. No one said she could actually get sick from it. Then she sneezed quite a bit the first day, but it has gotten much better since then. Now only an occasional sneeze first thing in the morning. Her tummy is still a little iffy tho. Her elimination is somewhat unpredictable and before it, she was really regular. So I'm not so happy to hear that the Bordatella is the culprit. I'll probably never do it again. Don't know what we'll do if we have to leave her alone *sigh*

Hope you'll keep updating on Chuey.

Hello All!

I am glad to report that Chuey is doing much better and can't wait to bring the New Year in with a BANG! He is breathing pretty good and I only heard him sniffle/sneeze once today! It's such a relief! He is still wobbily but getting much, much better. I called the vet about this and he said its normal cuz he's still a little weak from the pneumonia. He asked about his appetite and I said, Chuey? Com'on, you know he isn't missing any meals! And that's a great sign the Dr. said! He is running and walking to his food as fast as he can! He still screams from the shots, but what can I expect right? Dr. said all blood work was normal. I am so happy for him! He is fighting so hard. He is sleeping a lot and is enjoying all the hugs and babying he's getting from mom and dad! But they're so cute we can't help but get mushy over them right? I would like him to be drinking more water, but we'll work on that.

Thanks again for all your help and I will keep you all posted regularly.

Baby Chuey, getting stronger.

Sweetums,
Weird, didn't see your post till after mine!

Ya, apperantly, the bord. vacc is not the greatest thing in the world for them at this age. I've heard diff things from diff yorkie owners. So do give it to them when they are young, some don't. In my case, we did not need to, but I didn't know any better. Thank god your Sweetums is doing better. I felt SOOOO bad after everything Chuey has gone through and I can't help but feel guilty about my ignorance. Poor kid. I don't know what you feed Sweetums, but Chuey loves the Royal Kanin puppy. He prefers it to the soft treats I give him in between meals sometimes! He is a really great pup!

Best of luck! Take care. And Sweetums will be 100% in no time!!

Hello All!

Chuey is doing much better! Sorry I haven't posted updates, but you know how the holidays go. Chuey has a follow-up appt today so I will definitely post an update after that. He's breathing great, but is still wobbily and weak. He gets better everyday though!

I'll let you know! Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!

Glad to hear that Chuey continues to make progress and his breathing is good again. Let's hope the wobbliness and weakness is just from having been sick.