Much to our excitement of going to the puppy party this weekend, we weren't able to go as our Kairoe is feeling a little under the weather. He's under observation and if he doesn't improve.. we're taking him to the vet tomorrow.

After a late night walk Friday night, he didn't want to eat and started throwing up. He didn't want to drink yesterday unless we dip our hands in the bowl and he also started to have diarrhea. He last threw up about 36 hours ago and has only started taking a couple of treats here and there and that's about it. We tried giving him rice and scrambled egg today, but he still didn't have any.

As a sign of improvement, he drinks from his bowl now.. however I literally have to take him to his bowl otherwise he won't do it. I'm worried he'll start to dehydrate so we're making sure he drinks at least. He's more lethargic than his usual self.. however compared to yesterday he's more responsive and although he doesn't play with his toys.. he's been walking around the apartment a little bit more today and even went back to looking out the window which he usually does during the day.

I keep checking his gums and it's not pale and is not dry or sticky, which I'm taking as another good sign. He looks weak though, which is so depressing to see as he looks like he's depressed too.

Could be a bug, an obstruction.. God knows what.. but it's worrisome. If you guys have some ideas as to what he might have that would really be helpful.

Oh, poor baby…do let us know what the vet says..this is such a worry for you..

I would definately get him in to see the vet. It is difficult to tell what might be going, as you said, could be a bug, or obstruction, or something else making him feel ill. He will probably need bloodwork done. Anytime mine go off their feed it is a sign that something is off.

@sharronhurlbut:

Oh, poor baby…do let us know what the vet says..this is such a worry for you..

Will do! I hope it's nothing serious!

@lvoss:

I would definately get him in to see the vet. It is difficult to tell what might be going, as you said, could be a bug, or obstruction, or something else making him feel ill. He will probably need bloodwork done. Anytime mine go off their feed it is a sign that something is off.

Very difficult to tell.. and to not know what's going on is sometimes worse. We'll be posting an update after our vet visit tomorrow.

@-Clar|Emm|Kai-:

Will do! I hope it's nothing serious!

Did you see him eat anything off the ground on your walk? Mine scoops up old food and chicken bones on walks so I have to watch him closely and pull it right out.

I sure hope he is feeling better tonight..Once Otis got real sick with vomiting and diarrhea, I was convinced he had ingested something not so good and that it had gotten stuck..several hours of no drinking, prompted me to make homemade pedialite (sp?), put that in a water bottle with a nozzle and was squirting that down his throat several times and hour..he quickly came around and once I finally made it into the vet the next day he had lost almost 4 lbs from being so sick..all it was, he had a bacterial infection in his gut..but the vet thinks the pedialite made him recover faster then if I hadn't given it to him. I just googled it and found several recipes..

Good luck and please keep us posted..

@nobarkus:

Did you see him eat anything off the ground on your walk? Mine scoops up old food and chicken bones on walks so I have to watch him closely and pull it right out.

We're pretty paranoid about him licking/eating stuff off the ground, we don't even have a long leash to let him freely to pee or poop.. we pretty much walk with him onto the grass.. but you can never be sure coz they're pretty fast!

I won't be quick to assume that that won't be a way for him to catch something. It is quite possible.

@Basenjimamma:

I sure hope he is feeling better tonight..Once Otis got real sick with vomiting and diarrhea, I was convinced he had ingested something not so good and that it had gotten stuck..several hours of no drinking, prompted me to make homemade pedialite (sp?), put that in a water bottle with a nozzle and was squirting that down his throat several times and hour..he quickly came around and once I finally made it into the vet the next day he had lost almost 4 lbs from being so sick..all it was, he had a bacterial infection in his gut..but the vet thinks the pedialite made him recover faster then if I hadn't given it to him. I just googled it and found several recipes..

Good luck and please keep us posted..

I'll look that up and try it. Thanks!

@Basenjimamma:

I sure hope he is feeling better tonight..Once Otis got real sick with vomiting and diarrhea, I was convinced he had ingested something not so good and that it had gotten stuck..several hours of no drinking, prompted me to make homemade pedialite (sp?), put that in a water bottle with a nozzle and was squirting that down his throat several times and hour..he quickly came around and once I finally made it into the vet the next day he had lost almost 4 lbs from being so sick..all it was, he had a bacterial infection in his gut..but the vet thinks the pedialite made him recover faster then if I hadn't given it to him. I just googled it and found several recipes..

Good luck and please keep us posted..

Excellent advice, Ms. Petra. Pedialyte is appropriate for dogs who have lost fluids, electrolytes and minerals through being sick.

Clarisse and I will be taking Kairoe, to the vet today as his condition has yet to improve…

Since Friday night, he's been consistently lethargic - seemingly depressed, with an on/off fever, he has no appetite-whatsoever and diarrhea. He vomited all Friday night and into Saturday morning and has yet to eat anything but a few pieces of Rollover treat since then.

We thought the little guy was getting better, as he stopped vomiting, seemed more alert throughout the weekend and his fever subsided. We figured that he did not want to eat or drink water because his throat must have been sore from all the vomiting as he kept coughing when he took in water early Saturday morning. And we assumed that his lack of appetite was probably him associating his vomiting to his water / food bowls, as he would not go near his feeding area.

Currently, we're seeking advice on how we can make him more comfortable during his fever and suggestions that we can take to our vet.

1] Is it wise to keep a dog covered when they are feverish? We know that we shouldn't do this as humans, since we need to keep our body core temp down, but is it the same with dogs?

2] Is there a over the counter drug that is pet friendly and can be administered to a dog with a fever; such as baby aspirin?

3] With the symptoms that Kairoe has been exhibiting. Is there a specific set of tests that the vet should be taking? History has proven that our clinic will provide us a sheet with a list of different tests and a set of prices that will probably range between $100 to $1000!

4] I did a search for possible ailments that matched Kairoe's, symptoms and Parvo was the most popular match. I've noticed that since winter had kicked in, that more and more people in the area are not picking up after their dogs, so I can see the possibilities. I don't want to jump the gun, but I'm wondering if anyone on here has experienced this deadly virus with their dogs?

5] JUST IN CASE - Since, Parvo has become somewhat a blanket illness that tends to be frequently misdiagnosed by inexperienced vets. Is there a certain test that we should have the vet take to ensure that it is in fact Parvo?

Thank you for reading our post and thanks in advance for any replies!

Emm

Is Kairoe up to date on his vaccinations? If so, it is unlikely to be Parvo.

The two tests that my vet usually runs in this situation is bloodwork and a fecal. They will also do a physical exam and palpate the abdomen to see if there is any tenderness. Then go from there to see if further testing is in order or not.

The big thing they will need to do is try to figure out whether it is something like a bacterial infection like food poisoning where he might need antibiotics to clear it up. If it is viral and will just run its course. If it is something like colitis where the GI tract is inflammed and irritated and would benefit from something like Pepcid and Veterinary Kaopectate. Or if there is a blockage of some sort.

The most important thing is going to be keeping him hydrated. If he won't drink they may give him subQ fluids or even keep him and put him on IV fluids.

What kind of chewies does Kairoe get and when was his last one?

If it is an animal product chewie like a bully stick or rawhide then there is a risk of Salmonella or e. Coli. Most of the recent treat recalls have been due to this type of contamination.

@lvoss:

What kind of chewies does Kairoe get and when was his last one?

If it is an animal product chewie like a bully stick or rawhide then there is a risk of Salmonella or e. Coli. Most of the recent treat recalls have been due to this type of contamination.

I don't give any of those chew items like these, pigs ears and hooves for this reason and they get dangerous when the B swallows a chewed down chunk.

And until he sees the Vet, I would not give him anything that might mask what is going on.

Parvo dogs and puppies have a kind of mousey smell to them and often blood in the stool that may appear either fresh or like coffee grounds.

I have been reading this forum long enough to know a lot of you disagree with vaccinations, however, if you have ever had to watch a dog suffer with and/or die from Parvo, you would change your mind in a huge hurry. Parvo is a devastating, painful and highly mortal disease that is entirely preventable. The virus is not delicate like HIV. By that I mean it survives for long periods of time in the soil where affected dogs have been. I personally have seen a dog die from Parvo. It is heartbreaking.

I pray that is not what's going on with your boy. I hope he has what the vet told me was "Idoiopathic Gastroenteritis" and can be taken care of by giving him a sedative that will make him sleep for a whole day. That's what got AJ out of his "sick cycle" last year. May the Grandmothers look over you and your friend.

@lvoss:

Is Kairoe up to date on his vaccinations? If so, it is unlikely to be Parvo.

The two tests that my vet usually runs in this situation is bloodwork and a fecal. They will also do a physical exam and palpate the abdomen to see if there is any tenderness. Then go from there to see if further testing is in order or not.

The big thing they will need to do is try to figure out whether it is something like a bacterial infection like food poisoning where he might need antibiotics to clear it up. If it is viral and will just run its course. If it is something like colitis where the GI tract is inflammed and irritated and would benefit from something like Pepcid and Veterinary Kaopectate. Or if there is a blockage of some sort.

The most important thing is going to be keeping him hydrated. If he won't drink they may give him subQ fluids or even keep him and put him on IV fluids.

Unfortunately, he's never had his Parvo vaccines. Would it be too late for him to get them now that he's over a year old??

And regarding his chew toys, we don't give him rawhides nor bully sticks. He wasn't chewing anything as far as we know.

@AJs:

Parvo dogs and puppies have a kind of mousey smell to them and often blood in the stool that may appear either fresh or like coffee grounds.

I have been reading this forum long enough to know a lot of you disagree with vaccinations, however, if you have ever had to watch a dog suffer with and/or die from Parvo, you would change your mind in a huge hurry. Parvo is a devastating, painful and highly mortal disease that is entirely preventable. The virus is not delicate like HIV. By that I mean it survives for long periods of time in the soil where affected dogs have been. I personally have seen a dog die from Parvo. It is heartbreaking.

I pray that is not what's going on with your boy. I hope he has what the vet told me was "Idoiopathic Gastroenteritis" and can be taken care of by giving him a sedative that will make him sleep for a whole day. That's what got AJ out of his "sick cycle" last year. May the Grandmothers look over you and your friend.

We hope so too.

After he is well (optimist here) he can still get Parvo vaccine. It's not too late. Adult dogs can and are regularly vaccinated for this in shelters.

It is not too late to get the vaccine. He would get a series of 2 or 3 boosters, 2 to 3 weeks apart depending on the vaccine your vet uses, then a booster 1 year later, then he would be able to go to either titers or boosters every 3 years.

Do not vaccinate while a dog is sick. Vaccines stress the immune system, so the pet must be healthy in order for the immune system to react properly to the vaccine, and to avoid serious problems from the vaccine.

There is a snap test to check for Parvo made by IDEXX. It is taken by swabbing the rectum, or (I think) can be taken from a stool sample.

I will also pray for you that it is not Parvo.

Giardia is difficult to find in a fecal float, so there is now an antigen test for that too by IDEXX.

If there is suspicion of a blockage, x-rays, ultrasound or a barium study may be necessary.

Please keep us posted. What time is your vet appointment?

-Nicole