[93_zj]

Hopefully someone maybe can help. Keep in mind that she is acting completely normal; she’s playful and still has her appetite. 9 days ago our 14 week old puppy had diarrhea. We took her to the vet and he gave her Albon, one dose each morning for 3 days. On the morning of the 4th day when she woke up her stomach was swollen up. After reading some on here we rushed here to the vet worried it may be bloat. The vet said she has never seen bloat in a puppy and most likely it was worms. She is on Trifexis but the vet went ahead and gave her Drontal to clear up any worms she may have. After seeing no improvement we took her back to the vet and he was at a loss so he stuck a syringe under her skin in her stomach and pulled out a syringe full of blood tinted fluid.
She has seen 5 vets from 3 different clinics so far and none of them know what is going on. She is always supervised so we know that nothing may have fallen on her or something to cause an internal injury. The next step is exploratory surgery…

 

[Sorceress_Mage]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Have you spoken to your breeder to let her know about the situation? I cannot even speculate as to what may be causing this. Do you have a veterinary school near you? If you do, I would take the pup there.

 

[RedRosie]

Have they done an xray to make sure she didnt swallow something and it punctured her insides?

 

[LindaH]

My old girl had hemangiosarcoma/cancer of the blood vessels in her pancreas that caused bleeding into her abdomen like that. But I cant imagine a puppy with a hemangiosarcoma.Wonder if she had a bad reaction to the meds and they could have caused a bleeding ulcer. Is she eating okay, whats her stools like?/////I hope you find out soon and it can be fixed easily with your puppy being okay. Please keep us updated and best wishes for a good outcome! Just reread your post and saw she is acting normal. What about taking her to the vet school hospital, in Raliegh, I think.

 

[93_zj]

Her stools seem to have some sort of mucus in them. Since intially swelling the stomach has gotten smaller. The vet said with her acting normal that he did not want to operate. He prescribed he a diuretic to see if possibly it will heal its' self. He said if he were to perform surgery then he would do xrays and then surgery. We're worried sick about her but she's acting normal so we're staying positive.

 

[Nubis'sDad]

did any of them do an xray or barium?

 

[melbrod]

Possibilities that I can think of are:

Liver Problems--blood tests might give you a better idea of what is happening there.
Heart Problems--of course dobermans are prone to this. But she seems an awfully young puppy for that.
vonWillebrand's--a bleeding disorder. Maybe some kind of trauma could cause bleeding into her abdominal area?? Do you know her vonWillebrand's status? A simple mail-away genetic test, done on a cheek swab, can tell you whether your dog carries a vonWillebrand gene.

But I am NOT a vet--a teaching hospital (vet school) would probably be the best place to go for help, especially if your vet isn't sure what is going on or how to treat it.

 

[Darkevs]

Hope the Vet's can figure out what the issue is.

Hugz to Daisy.

 

[Dictator]

Hopefully someone maybe can help. Keep in mind that she is acting completely normal; she’s playful and still has her appetite. 9 days ago our 14 week old puppy had diarrhea. We took her to the vet and he gave her Albon, one dose each morning for 3 days. On the morning of the 4th day when she woke up her stomach was swollen up. After reading some on here we rushed here to the vet worried it may be bloat. The vet said she has never seen bloat in a puppy and most likely it was worms. She is on Trifexis but the vet went ahead and gave her Drontal to clear up any worms she may have. After seeing no improvement we took her back to the vet and he was at a loss so he stuck a syringe under her skin in her stomach and pulled out a syringe full of blood tinted fluid.
She has seen 5 vets from 3 different clinics so far and none of them know what is going on. She is always supervised so we know that nothing may have fallen on her or something to cause an internal injury. The next step is exploratory surgery…

Look up Albon and see what the side effects are especially in a young puppy.

Look up Trifexis also; sometimes it can be a combination of meds. I believe Trifexis is a fairly new Heartworm Med.

The only Med I have ever used for problem diarrhea is Tylan Powder it has been around a very long time. It is also used for colitis & gastorintestinal problems.I would get a salt shaker type bottle with the powder & just sprinkle a little in the food. I have never used it on a very young puppy though.

Fingers crossed for your puppy.

 

[Darkevs]

had to check out the Tylan powder. never heard of it before.

interesting stuff, well worth looking into further. Tylan ® Powder (Brand)

93_zj, forgot to say, check out Slippery Elm Bark powder too. it is a herb that is very helpfull and gentle for treating digestive disorders.

 

[Adara]

I believe Albon is a sulfa drug and Dobes as a breed tend to have a sensitivity/allergy to sulfa drugs. I would immediately make sure your vet is aware of this (also for any future meds!). I have NO SULFA drugs written on all my dogs' vet charts at any vet facility (including any ER we go to).

 

[melbrod]

It IS a sulfa drug--yes, do call your vet today. I copied this little bit off-line about the possible side effects of this particular sulfa drug--note what I underlined--not every dog will have problems, not all dobermans are susceptible--this probably has nothing to do with your pup's problems, but the vet should be informed about the doberman's known sensitivities to sulfa drugs. They can still be given, but there should be a very good reason that a sulfa drug is used instead of another.

The adverse effects are idiosyncratic—meaning they are unpredictable in nature and do not relate to the amount of drug given to an individual.
• Joint inflammation and blood dyscrasias: Arthritis, fever, muscle soreness, and kidney inflammation can be seen. The Doberman pinscher is over-represented. Side effects occur almost exclusively after a previous uneventful exposure to TMS and usually around 8-20 days after therapy has started. Blood dyscrasias may lead to immune dysfunction, bleeding tendencies, or other problems such as aplastic anemia. Any of the blood cells can be affected. This is usually part of the joint inflammation syndrome.
• Hepatitis: Liver failure can result when a sensitive individual receives this medication. Nausea, icterus, and all other complications that occur with liver failure may result. It is not recommended to use TMS in patients with previous history of liver disease.
• KCS: In one study, small dogs (<12 kg) were at significantly greater risk of developing KCS. Lacrimal function usually returns with stopping the drug, but prolonged usage may cause permanent KCS.
• Fever: Most common adverse reaction in dogs (followed by thrombocytopenia) in a study of 40 dogs with adverse sulfa drug reactions.

 

[Country]

did any of them do an xray or barium?

How about an ultrasound?

 

[Dictator]

Look up Albon and see what the side effects are especially in a young puppy.

Look up Trifexis also; sometimes it can be a combination of meds. I believe Trifexis is a fairly new Heartworm Med.

The only Med I have ever used for problem diarrhea is Tylan Powder it has been around a very long time. It is also used for colitis & gastorintestinal problems.I would get a salt shaker type bottle with the powder & just sprinkle a little in the food. I have never used it on a very young puppy though.

Fingers crossed for your puppy.

Forgot when I did use Tylan Powder the course of treatment was for 6 weeks.

 

[honda123]

Her stools seem to have some sort of mucus... He prescribed a diuretic.. He said if he were to perform surgery then he would do xrays...

Are you serious? If there is any sort of abdominal distress, an exam, barium swallow and xray, and stool specimen analysis and blood work are standard recommendations. Now, there are pet owners that refuse, one-some-or, all- of the options, due to price, or whatever. BUT, I am a bit suprised that a Vet would not have already performed/recommended full bloodwork, (which will tell of elevated liver enzymes, multi kidney function ratios, muscle wasting markers... etc.), and a xray and/or ultrasound by now. . Mmm.

 

[DobieGal15]

Go to a specialist please, or veterinary school. Your pup is sick and this needs to be figured out. Waiting is usually not the best idea. Xrays and bloodwork should be the first things done, even before aspirating the belly. Possible issues mentioned are all likely and should be ruled out. Herniations can also cause similar effects as well. I would have an ultrasound done with a specialist and get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Good luck to you and your pup, sorry you are going through this

 

[Patches Mom]

Sounds like since your vet does not know what is going on time for a second opinion but to be safe than sorry .To me it is very strange for a vet to be poking a needle in a dogs before an x-ray or at least an ultra sound.Rays & Hugs to you all hope you find out what is going on.

 

[Australdi]

The mucousy stools and what sounds suspiciously like ascites, means I would be getting a blood screen done yesterday. Full liver panel. Please let us know how this turns out for your pup....I really hope I'm wrong and it's not liver problems (also get the vet to test for a liver shunt if the bloodwork comes back positive).

Don't wait and see on this....time is of the essence.

 

[93_zj]

I've been busy so haven't had time to get on here and give an update. They did x-rays, CBC/Chem tests, von Willebrand test, a bile acid test, and an ultrasound. So far all they can tell us is her liver is small for her age. Some of the protein levels in her liver are low normal. Waiting on the bile acid results to see if we go with surgery, tap and drain the abdomen, or do a liver biopsy.

 

[Australdi]

Thanks for letting us know, I've been worried about your pup and thinking of you. At such a young age, there's a high probability that she could have a congenital liver shunt. If your vet isn't familiar with them, it might be worth it to get a referral to a specialist clinic/practice that is.

I'm not a vet, but the liver is such a critical organ for the entire body, that when it begins to fail, your pup is very sick. I really don't want to scare or upset you, but the quicker the right treatment is instigated, the better the chances are.

Things you can do straight away to help your pup that won't hurt even if it's not a shunt, is change her sources of protein to easily processed forms like chicken, turkey and fish. also cottage cheese, tofu and oatmeal. (try to always use organic where possible)

Also giving her support with milk thistle, and by the sound of her stools, she might need a course of ursodiol (bile salts) to reduce her jaundice, if that's what it is. (you will need the vet to prescribe Ursodiol and unfortunately, it's not cheap).

It's also worth doing some research on liver problems here and on the internet, because supporting liver dogs requires quite a bit of understanding.

I really feel for you going through this and am praying for good outcomes.

ETA: I just re-read your original post, and the Albon also has to be a prime suspect. (but it might just have been the straw that broke the camels back if her liver was already compromised, so a shunt really needs to be ruled out too if possible.) Some shunts can be corrected surgically, but surgery in liver compromised dogs is high risk, so I can't stress enough what others have suggested, to find a good specialist vet who knows these conditions.