Posts made by italeigha

So Tuesday, because the cough was still here intermittently and we are going out of town, we did the respiratory panel and blood draw (CBC and hematology). Rest panel was negative all the way across, (also negative for heart worms)and CBC/heme were within normal limits (creatinine slightly elevated) but abc were normal. BUT since tuesday (we started TemarilP which has a steroid in it) she got worse. Much worse. Coughing quite a bit and then lethargic and elevate respirations (40's) yesterday. Took her in and they heard barely audible crackles possibly so did a chest X-ray which was positive for lung disease, most likely pneumonia, which they said was early and new. (She did take an accidental dip face first off a float into a very clean lake July 4th weekend so it is possible that she aspirated then, though I do not remember her coughing after). So, I went home with two antibiotics. But, she would not take them no matter how I tried to give them to her. (This despite her taking the TemarilP fine and no issues when I have given vitamin C powder.) Of note, the doc said that the steroid in the TemarilP may have suppressed her immune system enough to kick her into a pneumonia that she had been fighting. That is exactly why I didn't give it the first time they suggested it as an option. Long story short, she would not take the antibiotics, but woke up nearly normal this morning. We have not heard a cough this morning so it is just like what has happened twice in the last 6 weeks except now we have some diagnostics pointing to pneumonia (but bloodwork not). Any thoughts or suggestions?

@tanza Right. I learned that at the ER, many strains. Made me feel like, why did we bother then. I am not anti-vaccine, but I think, in humans, and in the US, we over-vaccinate. I gave birth to two kids abroad in two different countries (lived in 3 over 6 years abroad) and vaccination schedules there are quite different, and gentler, there.
The ER dog did say that he was telling all his patients to steer clear of kenneling and dog parks until we get through this uptick in respiratory virus.

@eeeefarm it feels like it has been all around us. We haven't had it in this house that we know of, but...

In the news yesterday. Raleigh veterinarian warns dog owners about outbreak of kennel coug

She is on heart worm, but in the past year we have missed at least two doses. Not sure how detrimental that is.
We live in a pretty highly educated area where you have to be a resident and member of the dog park to get in. If I remember right, the only required shot is rabies, but they do lock you out every year until you have given them the appropriate paperwork. We do go to a holistic vet, but the one we have seen the last two visits isn't the one that I see as the most holistic in the practice.
Thanks for the advice on the stool/bloodwork. We have not looked at either and will do if we go back in. I intend to make an appointment to just take about how to support my dogs health. I didn't really anticipate the dog getting "sick" and certainly not for this long! I don't remember any childhood pets ever being sick, but they also did not socialize. That said, I do think Millie needs it. It is a dilemma. Maybe I find her a playgroup of dogs we know.

@elbrant I will try it; I have all but the cedar oil. But I have just poured the Wondercide in my hands, initially I thought it was the spray sound that bothered her, but she can smell it from far away! She even freaks out when we put bug stuff on ourselves.

@elbrant I'm also in NC! And I know it must be true because we had the hardest time finding a vet ER two weeks ago when we needed one. All were at capacity. Four hours was the shortest wait we could find. What is frustrating is that we had literally just had her vaccinated for Bordetella a month before the eye infection ensued. Of course, that is about the time we took her to the dog park. I hate to think she is going to be getting sick from the dog park. She loves running with the big dogs so!

Wow! We are trying to get by without system meds for flea and tick (we do give her heartworm because I am not aware of an alternative) but it is challenging because my B can not stand the smell of the natural sprays. (The vet says it won't hurt her, they just have senses that much stronger than ours that they hate it.) We are fortunate that we have short haired dogs, though and will likely see any ticks or bites they get. During these warmer months, we spend a lot of time checking her skin over to prevent any tick from settling in. So far, we've not seen any despite living in a wooded area.

Long post, but want to describe the course of her illness: Wondering if anyone else has experienced a cough in their B that just won't seem to go away. We are on week four now. She had picked up an eye infection at the dog park (not sure if that was related) a week and a half prior to these symptoms. Started off slowly with some minimal coughing on exertion and tiredness. We spoke to our doc and sent video, they felt strongly it was kennel cough. About a week in, the coughing increased and in the course of one day, she went from acting fine in the morning to being lethargic, refusing to eat, fever, worse cough and respirations in the low 60's in the late afternoon (it was hot that day and I think she was also dehydrated). We took her to the ER and by the time we were seen (there was a four hour wait) her fever came down and she had had quite an incredible recovery. Lungs were clear. Eating again, respirations and temp within normal limits. The next day, however she woke with a stuffy nose that she pretty quickly cleared. Cough was inconsistent over the next week. Week three, we thought she was done with it, but I went out of town and when I returned she was coughing on exertion again. That nights again with a fever, respirations in the 40s, not nearly as poorly as she had been the week prior. By morning, she was fine again, like she had fought something off with the fever. I had already made an appointment with the vet though, so I took her in at the end of week three. The cough was so seldom and not predictable that I could not get video and we could not recreate it in the office, though the vet said when she massaged the throat there was some sign that she was still irritated. Lungs were clear. She looks and acts healthy. She said there has been a new cough going around that dogs were really struggling to shake. I felt like we surely must be near the end (and the vet was not convinced it was bacterial) so I said no to antibiotics and instead went home with Marshmallow Root elixir to give her twice a day to decrease inflammation. We are a week since seeing the vet and she still has the occasional cough. Today more than the last few days, at 2:30 pm I have heard it twice. Once when pulling on the leash, and once when just lying on the cough sleeping on the back covered porch. This cough seems a slight bit wetter than the dry "kennel" sounding cough we originally had. But again, pretty infrequent. The doctor entertained the possibility of allergies, but with the two fever episodes I just don't know. She said we could do a Benadryl trial and see if it will go away. Any thoughts or ideas? I have put her on dog vitamin C and would welcome any more ideas to support her health and healing. I am a nurse and know what to do to support my human kids' health when they are sick, but I'm at a loss with this dog. Btw, she is only 18 months. Another reason I think she should not take this long to shake a cough! Thanks for any help.

I see this is a very, very old post, but Millie also has new freckles popping up on her belly and legs quite quickly (she is about 17 months). She's spending more time in the sun and I'm assuming this is normal.

@tanza @Zande thank you. Do you have any studies you can send me to that explain this rationale? So much out there encouraging a quick spay to prevent mammary cancer.

@tanza Do you mean to wait 4-6 months after their 1st season? Or just to wait until they are 4-6 months old? She's almost 10 months old now.

Wondering what the recommendation is on how long to wait after 1st proestrus (bleeding) to spay? I have spoken with two different vets who have made different recommendations (one says 2-3 weeks, the other says wait until December which will actually be January because we are traveling in December, and what I find online is mixed, too. Mille just finished up three weeks of bleeding on Thursday. My thought is that she would need to fully complete the estrus cycle, but don't know how long that is (and at what point she is no longer at risk for pregnancy).

@italeigha I'll add that she did keep herself clean for the most part. We went camping during this time so the diaper was perfect for the night in the tent.

So it is a bit over three weeks now and the bleeding seems to have stopped. The diapers above were brilliant. Good fit and after a bit of messing with it the first time, she left them alone. We didn't use them all the time, but they sure were nice to have when we needed them. If company came, if she rode in the car, if we were washing the dog throw we were protecting the couch with, etc. We are fortunate to have wood floors downstairs so just going around and cleaning up after wasn't too big of a deal. We washed the bedding as suggested as needed. IF I can remember how to post a photo on here, I will post one of her in her diaper; she wore it regally!

@italeigha I am in the US.

Thank you! What size did you get? Did she leave them alone? Any tips? Is this really going to go on a month like I have read?

Hi there, I did a search, but didn't find anything.
Hoping someone can help me with a recommendation for reusable diapers (or whatever else you have done) for my 9 month old girl. I was hoping to do a traditional cloth diaper-type fold using square of muslin with a cotton insert that I could change out, but she just bites and tears at it. I'm guessing some in the group would have brand and size recommendations since our B's are likely about the same size.

@bernadette Oh, I am so sorry to hear that! Blessings for a quick recovery!

@jengosmonkey lol, so I was wondering about getting a rain coat, if that would help....