[claustro]

Hi everyone, my boy Bauer has been really ill for the past few days. He has eaten very little in the last 2.5 days and everything he has eaten he had to be hand fed.
I took him to the vets the yesterday and he said there was nothing wrong with him.The vet prescribed me some antibiotics, gave him a syringe and told me bring him back in a few days if he's not better.

He is not eating but drinks water.
He still plays but is very restless
He is nearly 4 years old
He started doing this weird gulping thing but he doesnt lick his lips, just gulps often.
I can sometimes hear his tummy rumbling
Im not sure what to do? Has anyone else experienced this with their dobie?

 

[falnfenix]

what diagnostics were done on your boy?

 

[claustro]

No diagnostics.. he felt the dog up and made me show him his gums. He said if the antibiotics dont work then the next visit will be xray or blood test

 

[Dobiewankanobi]

I'd be having the vet look for an obstruction via xray. My first thought was bloat, without torsion, so I'd check for that too. Xray and bloodwork are good first steps.

 

[claustro]

I looked into bloats and gastric torsion.Bauer only seems to have a few of the symptoms and is more than happy to play at anytime, sorry i didnt explain properly when i said "He still plays but is very restless" by restless i meant he doesn't breeze like a bullet to get the ball he just runs a slower pace, but still looks very happy when playing.he also doesnt seem in any discomfort or pain when i press his stomach. The vet said he could have a virus and the gulping could be from a soar throat, is this likely?. I also forgot to mention that the day he lost his appetite i had given him advocate flee drops. In the past i noticed that every time i gave him the advocate he would'nt eat for a day throw up but then he would be fine.But this time we are reaching the 3rd day

 

[dobermama]

I looked into bloats and gastric torsion.Bauer only seems to have a few of the symptoms

Dogs don't read the veterinary manuals, so they often present differently with bloats and obstructions than what you may read. If my boy was showing the symptoms yours is, we would already be at the vet having xrays and bloodwork!

Also, your comment about the flea drops concerns me- why on earth would you continue using a product that made him sick every time you used it? It is entirely possible that it has caused his issues, which means you need to check bloodwork to make sure he hasn't suffered organ damage.

Either way, I would be back at my vet yesterday, forcing a more thorough exam- or finding another vet.

 

[melbrod]

Gulping can be a sign of nausea, as well as of throat irritation.

In my dog, who is prone to bloat, frequent gulping is one of the first signs I notice before a bloat episode. I took him in with that symptom once (also he had been madly eating grass, another symptom for him), and the vet said his stomach was not tense and that he probably had irritated his throat eating the grass and had a tummy upset. We were in the ER by morning with a bloat episode.

I assume you mentioned the flea drops to your vet? Has he had a bowel movement since he stopped eating? What did that look like? Did he have a temperature?

I think I would want a full workup at this point including looking for an obstruction, partial or full, if my dog continued with the symptoms you describe.

 

[claustro]

Gulping can be a sign of nausea, as well as of throat irritation.

In my dog, who is prone to bloat, frequent gulping is one of the first signs I notice before a bloat episode. I took him in with that symptom once (also he had been madly eating grass, another symptom for him), and the vet said his stomach was not tense and that he probably had irritated his throat eating the grass and had a tummy upset. We were in the ER by morning with a bloat episode.

I assume you mentioned the flea drops to your vet? Has he had a bowel movement since he stopped eating? What did that look like? Did he have a temperature?

I think I would want a full workup at this point including looking for an obstruction, partial or full, if my dog continued with the symptoms you describe.

I mentioned the flee drops when explaining the whole story to my vet but he just ignored my comment.

The vet visit was yesterday and im going to take him again tomorrow. He went for a poo twice since he's stopped eating and it was a bit runny.

I plan on taking him again tomorrow. Just want to get some more info on this issue before i do.

Would a dog who has a bloat still be happy to play for 2-3 days?

 

[DogsR4Life]

I think its time for a second opinion. I would not go to this vet again, I would find another clinic.

He could have a partial obstruction, which can go on for several days. His symptoms cover some life threatening conditions, so I wouldn't wait around. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[4x4bike ped]

One of my boys... Straight to our Vet!

I can't even imagine taking the chance.

If my DVM wouldn't take my concerns seriously. Off to the 24/7 emergency.

Absolutely no reason to chance it

 

[GFH]

Absolutely agree.

A Doberman that hasn't eaten (much) in 2.5 days?

To the emergency vet now, if you haven't already

 

[Tracydr]

Hi everyone, my boy Bauer has been really ill for the past few days. He has eaten very little in the last 2.5 days and everything he has eaten he had to be hand fed.
I took him to the vets the yesterday and he said there was nothing wrong with him.The vet prescribed me some antibiotics, gave him a syringe and told me bring him back in a few days if he's not better.

He is not eating but drinks water.
He still plays but is very restless
He is nearly 4 years old
He started doing this weird gulping thing but he doesnt lick his lips, just gulps often.
I can sometimes hear his tummy rumbling
Im not sure what to do? Has anyone else experienced this with their dobie?

Go back to the vet or go to an Emergency vet clinic. These are signs of abdominal pain. Many things can cause it but if they don't get surgery it can often be bad.

 

[pgh dobelady]

Have you taken him to the emergency vet yet? If not you are playing with your boys life. Please let us know what they tell you.

 

[DobeTerr]

Definitely return to the vet and have bloodwork and an x-ray done to check for obstructions or abnormalities. If your vet won't take your concerns seriously then take him to another clinic or an emergency clinic. Especially in a breed such as dobes I would not take the risk of there being possible bloat. Gulping, licking the lips, smacking, etc are frequently signs of nausea in the dog.

 

[claustro]

Just got back from the vet, they ran blood test and the vet said he has kidney failure. He said that this is probably genetical and half of the tubes in his kidneys were not functioning and the other half was working twice as hard. he said this has probably been going on since birth but he wouldnt have noticed.

The vet had bauer on a drip for a few hours and i just brought him home. The vet said he is not sure if the drip works. If it does then we will have to do this for the rest of his life every week but if the drip doesnt help then he doesnt know what to do.He said there is no way to repair or improve his kidneys, the best we can is try and save the parts that are still functioning correctly. I asked if there was a possibility of doing a kidney transplant, but he said he has never heard of this in the UK and may be possible in the USA, is this true?

I have attached the blood results for the UREA and PHOS he maxed the devices readings so the actual figures would be higher.
My baby is too young for this Im praying that this will just get better. Any advice?

 

[LindaH]

I'm so sorry for Bauer's diagnosis.

Perhaps you can find some helpful information here. Dr Becker is a holistic veterinarian. I suggest you try to find one for Bauer's treatment.

If he's on kibble, I would get him off.

Chronic Kidney Disease in Pets

There's also some helpful information in this article. I'm not necessarily recommending a raw diet as I don't know enough about kidney disease to be recommending anything beyond a holistic veterinarian, a veterinary university or a kidney specialist. At this point, tho, I'm not sure there's much you can do as the damage is done before symptoms show. I don't know if we do kidney transplants here, but I sincerely doubt it. I would think it would be cost prohibitive if it was a possible.

http://blog.barfworld.com/2013/03/17/keeping-kidneys-safe-kidney-disease-in-dogs-and-cats-2/

 

[falnfenix]

god, this hurts to read.

3 years ago today, we lost our first puppy to something called Renal Displaysia...he was 10 months old. it was a birth defect and we could not have prevented kidney failure. one of his kidneys never functioned due to size and the other barely functioned. we addressed the possibility of kidney transplants and dialysis with the vets at the University of Pennsylvania, which is THE place to go for renal problems in my region. they said kidney transplants in dogs have very low success rate and you would need a kidney from a littermate. dialysis needs to happen daily for it to work for dogs.

i hope the things in Linda's link are helpful. i really do.

 

[4x4bike ped]

The only things in my heart right now are sadness for you and Bauer and hopefulness that things can work out.

Our thoughts are so with you.

John

 

[sandy2233]

So sad for this to be happening to your puppy. Very serious stuff. Have you contacted your breeder?

 

[pgh dobelady]

So sorry to hear thid. You and y our boy will be in my prayers. ..