I brought my 3 month old (1.8 pound) chihuahua home 1 week ago from a local pet store. The second day I had him I realized that he was coughing and probably had kennel cough. I took him to the vet immediately and he put him on Zithromax, bene-bac gel, and some pain meds, gave him a shot and said to come back in 7 days. The puppy had a fever of 104.

The puppy does not eat other than his daily supplement (a sticky sugary substance) which is probably giving him a sugar rush. He will eat baby food if hand fed (maybe a small spoonful or two). I find it a bit worrysome that he does not eat his kibble other than maybe 3 times since I have had him-a small amount in the past 7 days. The vet suggested that I give him his vitamin supplement every 2-4 hours per day to keep his energy up. It does not seem right that a puppy (although I have never had one this small) can only eat this Nutri-cal vitamin supplement and that be sufficient. Puppies do tend to sleep a lot, but he seems depressed and not even enticed by a treat-playtime is very rare. He does come when called. I guess I am used to more active dogs. For now I am trying to keep him warm and he is drinking and going potty.

It also seems as though his symptoms are worse. i.e. very watery nose, watery eyes and a snoring/wheezing because he cannot breath.

Should I get a second opinion or wait for the meds to work? Also, is distemper a possibility?

I would appreciate any help!

Thank you.

I am not a dog expert, hopefully Labman or Rubypitbull will be here shorty, but I have had many dogs in my life. One had Distemper and we had to put her to sleep the other had Parvo and continues to be a wonderful member of our family.

If this pup were mine, I would be in the car on the way to the vet right now for a second opinion. What you are describing are the symptoms that both of my puppies had.

Good luck to you and your pup.

The meds have had most of a week to work. I would take him back to the vet tomorrow. Veterinary medicine is not an exact science. They do their best, but sometimes the first course of treatment fails, and they have to try another. Many strains of bacteria are resistant to some antibiotics, and with viruses, all you can do is relieve symptoms. The solution is fixing the medical problem, or at least supporting his body until it can. A more tempting diet is seldom the answer.

For more, see the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post254171