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View Full Version : 7 week old boxer with Staph Infection


jenbear732001
Jul 17, 2009, 12:52 PM
I got my boxer on the 5th of July. On the 7th I gave him dewormer, because he has roundworms. That Sat. He quit eating and had watery diarrhea. On Monday I took him to the vet and he got his first set of shots. The vet opened a can of food and he ate some of it. I then noticed he was getting little pus sores on his body and not eating again. I took him back to the vet and they said he has a staph infection. They told me to give him anti-diarrhea meds, and his staph med's. He wtill won't eat but maybe a bite or two. He is drinking water but the diarrhea is the same and he is skin and bones. Should I continue to give him his meds, and hand feed him? Or should I have him put down? He looks miserable, and I am heartbroken.

shazamataz
Jul 17, 2009, 11:36 PM
Definitely don't put him down.
If he has very bad diarreah go buy some pedialyte from your local pharmacy and put some in his water to help him rehydrate.

What are you feeding?
Some warm boiled skinless chicken is great for dogs with upset stomachs and the smell is very tempting for them.

Keep giving him the mdication, he is not going to get over the infection without help from drugs.
If he is still not eating and has severe diarreah for more than 2 days he will need to go back to the vets.

jenbear732001
Jul 18, 2009, 02:48 PM
I tried the chicken, rice, pedialyte, and baby food. He still wouldn't eat. Went to petsmart yesterday and got probiotics, gel supplement, and puppy anti diarrhea meds. Started him on it yesterday and last night he started drinking a little water. This morning he went poo and it was a little thicker. I left him home with my fiancé and got several calls from him letting me know that he ate some dog food, and some chicken. Now I feel bad for even thinking about putting him down. As of right now he is sleeping, but happy to say he is eating a little at a time and drinking water.

Just Dahlia
Jul 18, 2009, 03:14 PM
Well, I'm glad to hear it!:) Take care of him!
Hand feeding several times a day is not that bad, after the first day you know it is doing good and the results are wonderful.:D

Water is very imporatant!

shazamataz
Jul 19, 2009, 01:16 AM
That's great.
I know it only seems like a small improvement, but if he has started eating and his stools are firmer then he has started the recovery process.

I hope this keeps up and he continues to improve!

jenbear732001
Jul 19, 2009, 02:33 PM
The Vet put him on Cephalexin. He is now having problems standing and walking. His front legs are fine it is his back legs. I have seen him fall on his side and not be able to get up. Is it normal for a dog to be this weak when on this med? He does sleep a lot. And when he is up walking after a few min. he will start wimpering. Any advise is helpful. I am going to call the vet tomorrow.

Just Dahlia
Jul 19, 2009, 02:36 PM
Call the vet NOW! Don't wait, please!

J_9
Jul 19, 2009, 02:36 PM
Cephlaexin, otherwise known as Keflex, is a very common antibiotic used for both humans and animals. My first thought when reading your post was parvo. Was his blood checked for parvo? This med will not get rid of the parvo virus.

jenbear732001
Jul 19, 2009, 02:42 PM
I have had dogs that have had parvo. I am sure that is not what it is. He is eating and his poo is a lot better, He is just very weak when it comes to walking.

J_9
Jul 19, 2009, 02:46 PM
The weakness would come from dehydration. You need to get him to the vet so that he can get IV meds ASAP

jenbear732001
Jul 19, 2009, 02:50 PM
I wandered about that, but he drinks a ton of water. He hates pedalyte. I got some water called smart water that has electolites in it and he likes it. He gets better the longer he walks, but he wants to sleep a lot. The vet said to let him sleep. Will call 24 hour vet service to ask about the weak legs.

Just Dahlia
Jul 19, 2009, 05:56 PM
How can he hate Pedalyte? Doe she get that a lot?

jenbear732001
Jul 20, 2009, 07:51 AM
We got a hold of the vet last night and he had us withhold the meds. For the night. Took him out at 10 p.m. to potty, poo was still thick and he still had issues walking. He woke me up at 1 a.m. and I took him out to potty. His poo was back to being like water, but he could walk again. When we got him he was passing clumps of roundworms. So I gave him Hartz liquid dewormer. 2 days after that is when the water poo started, and he has only passed 2 worms in 2 weeks. My ? Is can the worms be blocking him up and causing the diarrhea? He is due for another dose of dewormer in 2 days and I am scared to death to give it to him. Our relatives in KY. That use to raise boxers said to give him Nemex-2 for the worms.
And for some reason he just doesn't like the pedialyte, and I mix it with water.

shazamataz
Jul 20, 2009, 08:32 AM
I have heard that Hartz do not have very good quality products.

I am in Australia so I have never used it but I have heard a lot of people say that it is rubbish.

With the pedialyte try mixing it with his water and then adding a tiny splash of puppy milk. It's not enough to effect him at all but it's enough to make the water taste better.

jenbear732001
Jul 20, 2009, 08:48 AM
I just looked on a site that talks about roundworms and it says that it can block the small intestine. I am not to happy with the Hartz dewormer it just seemed to make it worse. I am going to try the Nemex-2 and hope that it works. My fiancé is afraid if I take him to a different vet that they will charge me a fortune and then tell me they can't do anything for him. I haven't had a goodnights sleep since this all started with him. I lost a pitbull puppy 11 years ago to parvo when my oldest daughter was born. I don't think I can go through losing this pup. My in laws have got attached to him also, and they don't care for dogs much. I will try the water, pedalyte, puppy formula mix and let you know how it goes. Thank you for all of the advice.