I adopted a puppy from our local pound two days ago. He's about nine weeks old. At first, he was relatively playful, ate a bit (although not as much as I though he should), pooped once (solid) and seemed generally okay except for a hacking cough. I brought him to the vet yesterday, and he was found to have a temperature about a degree and a half above normal. The vet put him on antibiotics (Clavamox) and also gave me some tablets for cough and instructed me to administer one half tablet every eight hours. At about 3:45 a.m., the puppy's wimpering awakened me. I let him out of his kennel, and he went out and peed in the yard. Then, I put him back in his kennel. At about 7 a.m., I awoke to find a good bit of foul-smelling mucousy goo on his face, ears, etc. I cleaned him up, put him on his doggie bed and covered him with a soft towel. He has been lethargic all day, refusing to eat or play. I have been able to get him to willingly lap up water from time to time, and by the hardest I spoon fed him chicken broth mixed with a little puppy chow. I reported his condition to the vet today via phone and was told they'd done all they could really do to treat his illness ... I'll just have to wait and see. I'm so worried! I have little experience with dogs. (I've had cats.) I don't want to just sit and watch this sweet little thing die! Any advice on what to do or ideas on what could be afflicting him? My kids (and I!) will be crushed if this ends badly! Help!

labman

If it is something viral, the antibiotics may not help much or much else. You just have to hope there is enough dog there to carry it through. If he develops diarrhea, it could be parvo needing immediate IV replacement of fluids.

If he is worse in the morning, get back withthe vet. If they still don't want to do anythng, try another one.

tre_cani

I agree, call another vet.

What is it with these stories of veterinarians telling people that there's nothing else they can do? Get a second opinion if he doesn't respond to the medication soon.

Did the doctor give a diagnosis for your puppy's ailment?

Lisa Blackburn

Thanks to you both. The pup actually is looking a little perkier now. We're still not out of the woods, but it's looking much more promising than earlier today. I noticed he seemed intersted in my dinner, so I made him a little bowl with pieces of my chicken soaked in a little broth. He ate a fair amount. I'm thinking maybe since he was a stray all he'd ever had before was scraps. My next challenge will be to get him eating puppy chow, I suppose.

I'd thought of the viral angle ... a definite possibility. No, the vet didn't make a specific diagnosis. I've been analyzing the vet's rationale all day, wondering why he wouldn't try to do more. Since he was a pound puppy and before that a stray, the vet said he could have picked up any number of ailments. The hacking cough is indicative of a respiratory infection, so antibiotics seemed a natural step. I don't know why he said there wasn't anything more to do. This guy's an experienced and respected vet who is near retirement age. I've been taking my cats to him for more than a decade. I was really surprised by his response today (relayed by an employee over the phone.) I guess since the dog wasn't showing signs of any of the major canine diseases (parvo, distemper, rabies) he figured either he'll respond to the antibiotics, lick it on his own or succumb; and, if the latter were to end up being the case, then at least I'd be spared the expense and hassle of another visit. Since the dog has been drinking water and taking the antibiotics, I suppose hydration or medication by IV wouldn't be necessary.

Well, thanks again. I'll post tomorrow on his progress. If his condition doesn't improve or worsens, I plan to try another clinic.

tre_cani

I didn't mean to imply that your vet was being neglectful, I'm sure he's a fine doctor. It just seems that lately I've seen a lot of posts on this forum where people say that the vet 'doesn't know what's wrong'. It just baffles me.

But it does seem promising that he's feeling a bit better and I hope he continues on to better health!

labman

We are happy to hear your puppy is doing better. We may be getting a negative view of vets here. The people that take their dog to the vet and get a diagnose and the correct treatment don't come here with questions. But vets are not miracle workers. Different things can cause different symptoms and not all dogs with the same thing have the same symptoms. Communication is a big problem. The dog can't talk and the owners may mislead the vet.

Viral stuff like parvo doesn't have a cure. All they can do is put the dog on IV to keep it from dehydrating and hope the dog makes it. Sadly many little ones that just won somebody's heart, don't. People new to the dog world can get blind sided by parvo.

Maybe 50% of the vets graduated in the bottom half of their class, but they met very demanding requirements. Most of them are still competent, caring individuals.

doggie_poopie

Sounds like upper respitory or kennel cough; if they said they did all they can do. Problem with kennel cough is that it is viral and you have to let it run its' course. So they put your pup on antibiotics to fight any secondary infections like bronchitis or pnemonia. The cough tablets so he doesn't hack himself to death or get a very sore throat.
It is very common with animals adopted from shelters, animal controls, etc.
Here is a good link about it http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/dekcough.html.
Hope he is better soon!

Lisa Blackburn

Thanks, doggie_poopie! You know, amazingly this has never come up, and I hadn't thought of it, although now that you mention it, I have heard of kennel cough before. I'm sort of a doggie novice. (I haven't had one since I was a kid.) It sounds EXACTLY as though he's got something caught in his throat. At first, I was certain some small object would come hurling out of him ... but no, only the occasional snot wad.

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. He was perkier earlier in the day. I bought a few different types of puppy food, hoping to figure out which would appeal to him most before buying in bulk. He did nibble a little of a Pedigree wet puppy pack. This had me really excited, but then he threw it up all over my couch hours later. Occasionally he wandered around the house and yard today, but mostly he's just lied there looking all sad and pitiful. I'm actually relieved to hear that kennel cough can last a few days. Since he's been this way for about 48 hours now, I was just starting to worry again about him having some horrible terminal illness. Maybe it just needs to run its course and then he'll be fine. He's still sipping water from time to time, walking okay and peeing and pooping out in the yard ... all good signs. Also, a friend of mine whose dad is a vet said to check the color of his gums. Apparently whitened gums are a bad sign. Pink means healthy, and his are nice and rosy, so that's good.

Okay, so right after my last post he vomited all over the floor. It consisted only of the cheese I stuffed his antibiotic in about four hours ago and water.

And at 5:30 a.m., the diarhhea begins. This is horrible. I was starting to become so optimistic, but this is a bad, bad sign. From what I've read online, he could have parvo or distemper. The fact that he didn't have diarrhea was the only thing that was causing me to rule out those diseases. Yesterday, it seemed like he was getting better, but now he seems much worse. I'm calling the vet at 8:00.

labman

Parvo is nothing to take chances with. Here is an authoritive source for more information, http://www.avma.org/communications/b...o_brochure.asp

doggie_poopie

If you have vomiting, bloody diarrhea and lethargy I would suspect Parvo. However a bad case of whipworms or hookworms can cause diarrhea. Also, a protatoza called Coccidia can look and smell like Parvo. Get your pup to the vet!!!!
Unfortunately, all the above diseases or parasites are common in pound puppies.