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Ali is not well

14K views 147 replies 29 participants last post by  dax0402 
#1 · (Edited)
This past week , a few days , Ali didn’t seem herself , she was not wanting to eat , she eats about a cup or so in the morning , then again at night , some morning , she would eat only a half a cup , but at night , would make up the diff . She ate a ton on Wed. Then backed off to a cup and a half on Friday , then on Sat ( yesterday ) barely anything . She has been on a hepatic food for over 3 years , which equals tasteless food , we do add a canned hepatic which she loves to eat .

She has been acting her normal self , played with her ball , chases birds , barks at neighbor , you name it , she acts normal , but has quit eating yesterday , this mornin , same thing , got up went out and done her business , we sat out the patio for 3 hours , watching the crop dusters , just enjoying doing nothing . We came in the house , Ali walked to the back bedroom to look out , then got about half way back to the front room and laid down , pooped out , her breathing was labored ,then turned shallow, right then and there , we except the end was here , a few hours ago , I got her up and helped her onto the couch , then about a hour ago , she wanted up , went outside and peed , walked around then back in the office , got her drink and is now laying down , still has not ate anything , we have exhausted every trick in the book , she smells it and turns her head .
Now to back up some , I sent a email to her internal med doc on Monday , NO response, so called and told them to have her call me and to read my email I had sent to her , still no response ! Bitch !

On Tuesday , I took a urin sample to our local vet and had a complete urinlogy run on her , just. Normal check up , everything came back great . .l

5 months ago , complete blood work up to check all blood values , because of her copper storage, again , all results , out standing . This is a once year deal , but we do it every 6 to make us feel we are doing everything we can for her .

This morning , I told my wife , I was taking Ali to the emergency room and have her checked out , if her nit wit internal doc would have called , then we would not be in this place ! And now have to go on the weekend !

This is where Ali laid down , friends , she was as weak as a kitten + her breathing , wife and I agreed she would not live threw the trip .

This all happened so quick !

One problem is having to deal with her internal vet , she knows what they can do and what they can’t do to her , because of her copper , if another vet looks after her , we have to question them on everything and have caught a few screw ups on there part because of the meds they were going to give her , it would have put Ali in a very bad spot with her problems .

Another problem is the ride to the hospital is right at a hour and Ali goes off the scale with anxiety, it affects her for 2 days afterwards . Then they will want to do this and that to her and trust me , it will push her over the edge .

So tomorrow morning first thing , I will take her to her local vet and see what happens , but I’m have excepted the fact , her days with us may be short .

Btw she is drinking ok , but I’m worried she will. Become dehydrated,

Doc
 
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#3 ·
Doc, I don't want to hear this. I would probably do the same as you are doing at this point. Hoping tomorrow is better. Maybe her meds need adjusted or something similar.
Best thoughts and hugs being sent your way. I will be anxious until I hear something tomorrow.
 
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#11 ·
Ali girl rested good last night , let’s say lots better than the wife and I . We took turns sleeping with her , she has slept by me for 4,234 nights , but the wife wanted to be by her , which was fine with me , I was close by .

Ali got up around 5:45 and she did her deal , came in and drank some water , and smelled the food I had out , but no go , she has been back to them 3 or 4 times , but just will not eat , she is very observant this morning

Called local vet at 7:15 , they are going to work us in and they do have in house blood work machine , that is the best place to start .

How can a dog act so normal and not eat ? This is not like when she had the copper deal start , well she did stop eating yet there was lots of other things going on , she was not normal , by no means .

I spent to much time yesterday looking for answers ,and all it did was give me bigger stress headache. Than I already had .

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers , good to have friends like we do on here !

Let’s not forget to keep up the thoughts and prayers for Miley either .

Will let you all know more when we find out more

Ken
 
#13 ·
New Pal Vets office got us worked in this morning , they are very good about this in time of need .

1. Full blood work up , we were worried about if something have changed in her liver values , which came back great ! No liver issues !

. Blood test did show that her WBC level was high at 19.79 ( range. Is 5.5. To 16.90 )

NEU was also high 16.64. ( range is 2.00 to 12.00 )

BUN was low 6mg/dL ( range 7 to 27 )

Then they took pictures of her lungs and heart , we were checking for DMC , Rads came back normal = No DMC = thank you Lord !

They suspect some kind of infection in Ali , gave her a steroid shot , then I give her 1 Mirtazapine every 24 hours to stimulate appetite , + give her Clavamox for infection . Will wait and see if she will eat something in a little bit so not to upset her stomach from no food .

If not eating by 11:30 tomorrow , then we are headed to the big city , Indy Vet , ( we are switching hospitals ! )

Ali is so different than yesterday , My wife and I were sure that Ali was in the short rows, with her breathing and so , so weak .

Must have been the DT Forum PRAYERS ! :wink2::grin2:

Greenie , thanks , I read on them 2 yesterday and that was , is are next step

Thanks everybody for the prayers

Doc
 
#14 ·
Very worried for you...please continue to keep us updated.

I think you may already know that DCM can't be ruled out just through x-rays...it doesn't sound like a traditional DCM scare, but do keep that in the back of your mind. Echocardiogram/holter is needed for that.

Sounds like she has something else going on...lots and lots of prayers your way.
 
#15 ·
Yes MC , what we were looking for was fluid on the lungs and enlarged heart , we talked to the vet about the Echo , your not going to believe this , but Purdue is the only place we can get that done .

Breaking news ! doctor Frank just called back with the results from the x rays , after she looked at them , she then sent them on to have a Rad review , the heart looks good , BUT , they think she may have the beginning stage of phenomenon! I asked how did she get this , this time of the year + I was thinking about Miley , it’s ? Asperation phenomenon , that’s were something they eat , throw up , ends up going down the wrong pipe , matter of fact , my dad has had that a couple of times

Thanks everybody
 
#17 ·
Good vibes being sent to you guys. Come on Ali girl we're all rooting for you.

I know she has copper storage but will she eat anything Doc? What if you cook her up something. When Coco would go off food if I made her scrambled eggs she would get right back to eating.

Hugs to you all!
 
#19 ·
That is what we were worried most about Coco , but the answer is , yes , she “ should “ eat , we tried everything over the weekend , even eggs :grin2:

How sick was she , or still is ? She would not eat even cheese ! She is not suppose to have it , but when not eating , the rule book goes out the window here .


My wheels never quit here :grin2: in good research there is always more questions than answers , so why was Ali so much worse yesterday I keep asking ? Then I remembered , she was laying out on the patio , on guard , she was looking at something , I couldn’t find it , then she would little bark , growl , then she took off running , it was a turtle dove sitting on the fence , that is when she came in and pooped out and had trouble breathing . Now , how did or what went down the wrong pipe ?

Thanks my friends !
 
#21 ·
Well, spell check error is a good excuse anyway. I wonder what people said about their spelling mistakes before it was invented?

I'm always in awe when I look at old handwritten documents with the lovely inked script handwriting, and no lines or scribbling through anything (erasures were impossible too). Though the spelling tends to be a bit erratic.

I've been thinking of you folks and Ali, and Dax's Miley too. It's not been a very good week for our dobe family.
 
#30 ·
First off , I have to say a big thank you to one of our sisters on here , we had a nice talk and threw ideas around , I can’t say enough good things about our brothers and sisters on this site ! And the knowledge about Dobermans .

Now the update , I was a mean dad last night ! Ali wanted a drink , I said ok , got her canned food , chopped it up and then poured the water over it , there ! If you could have seen the look she gave me , lol then I went and sat down , she walked off then back , looked
at me , and then she started drinking it , then she grabbed a piece of canned food , anyway , she ate it , then again around 1:30 a.m. , had to potty and same deal when she came in ,needed a drink , this time , I put in about a half a cup of dry , poured water in with it , same look , lol I shut off the lights and went back to bed , I heard her pacing around then heard her drinking , along with crunching sound , she ate it all + a good bowl clean from licking .

Now this morning , no go ! Has not ate till about 10 minutes ago , now this is funny , I put out about 3/4 cup of dry , then opened a new can of no salt green beans , poured juice only over the dry + about a 1/2 inch of juice in the bowl , still nothing , I had not ate much for lunch , sitting here at the desk and opened up a bag of Lays , wavy chips , Ali was staring at me , then brain storm ! I asked her if she wanted one ? I handed her one and am damn lucky I still have my fingers ! Then I gave her one more , but dropped it on the floor this time , wolfed it down , then I took 2 or 3 and broke them into small pieces and put them on her food , that poor girl , She was hungry , licked it clean , and is now laying on the couch getting rubs from her mom :grin2: And now , I can go do some work :grin2: I hope this jumped started her back to eating .

Most know on here , my hair is gray , you know that foxy looking gray , like. The movie stars have , anyway if these dogs don’t stop stressing me , along with Miley , it going to be that granny blue color ! :wink2::grin2:

Thanks my friend for helping out Miss Ali

Doc
 
#31 · (Edited)
Kenny,

Finally found this thread--ignore the PM sent today, Kenny. Your Ali girl is in my prayers and best thoughts!!!

About the not eating--there are a number of things that will cause a dog who looks and acts normal except for not eating--an infection anywhere (sounds like she may have something going in the lungs--aspiration pneumonia (I don't care what they say--those of us who've been reading the Kenny DocK posts for awhile can translate anything). And often they'll act like they are really interested in eating but when presented with food will not eat it. Kidney problems always have non eating as a symptom--that's because their kidney aren't cleaning waste products from the blood and the waste products build up and they will make a dog feel very sick. Of the thng I'm going through with my geriatric visitor--who is on an anti-arrhythmic which is well know for turning off the appetite switch as if it never existed. I can offer her any number of things and she will get excited and then sadly turn her head. And even worse, when I do find something she will eat by herself today--it becomes something she won't (can't bring herself to eat) tomorrow. There are a few things she will always eat--raw chicken gizzards--but I don't think a diet of only chicken gizzards is that great for her so she eats what she will and I am very accomplished at feeding dogs who don't want to eat--we sort of keep her diet balanced (at least sort of) and make it into little balls and poke it down her--she's willing enough to stand close to me and let me open her mouth and drop the food down her like that--so she's still hungry but every dog that I know of who has been on mexilatine has had the same problem--NO APPETITE!

Keep us posted...

ABTLH

PS Just read the food report from last night and this morning--a lot of times with this sort of non-eating Ken, try different things if she won't eat kibble or canned food. One of the things I got for my visiting girl (because I remember someone whose cardio bitch wasn't eating and she was trying everything--started giving her frosted wheat biskets)-it's almost the only thing that Jersey would eat from the beginning and still eats--not in her bowl of course but from my hand will eat 1/2 a cup so when things are really bad for her she get about a cup of those throughout the day.

ABTLH
 
#32 ·
I've been out of town and just saw this - Good thoughts for Ali..... and I like how you are getting her to eat - sneaky is good!!
My go to food when dogs don't want to eat.... which is mostly when I have a picky bitch out showing.... is scrambled eggs. Might be worth a try & since it is what my girl with copper storage eats all the time, I know that they are ok for dogs with liver issues.
 
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