Help! Sick Puppy?

Comments

• BradA1878

  September 2008 edited November -1

  Is it possible she eat a sock or something?
  
  We experienced a similar thing with Loa and she had a bacteria infection - has your pup been around any other dogs?
  
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• dlroberts

  September 2008 edited November -1

  I would be pretty concerned if your puppy goes that long without eating. I don't mean to sound rude, but in the future you probably shouldn't wait that long to take her to the vet. Puppies grow at an astounding rate and their body needs nutrition to sustain that growth. Also, diarrhea and vomiting can cause serious dehydration. I wouldn't be surprised if your vet holds off on the vaccinations until she recovers. She may require IV or sub-q fluids to rehydrate her.
  
  Treats are probably the worst thing to feed her when she isn't eating normally. Most treats are the equivalent of McDonald's french fries and can further irritate an already upset tummy. I'm sure your vet will have some advice for you, but usually when your dog gets an upset tummy, you should put them on a bland diet. There are prescription vet diets that work (like Iams I/D) or you can boil some chicken breast and mix it with plain white rice which works just as well (assuming your dog doesn't have a chicken allergy) and is probably cheaper.
  
  Good luck at the vet tomorrow! I hope its nothing serious. Please let us know how it goes.
• MikaAndMe

  September 2008 edited November -1

  I just wanted to ask if there is a place to take animals like an emergency room like humans? Mika started not eating Saturday and I had already made an appointment for her shots for Tuesday so I figured she would be OK until then. I am in a wheelchair and can't drive so I really didn't have a choice but to wait until then when I had a ride planned anyway. She only started vomiting last night and I have been trying to keep water in her put the poor thing seems to puke it back up a few hours later. I only fed her a treat once as a desperate attempt to get her to eat something but she normally likes her dog food just as much as a treat so she only nibbled at it. Thanks for the knowledge though and please let me know if there is a place you can take your dog on Saturdays if they get sick then. I've never really thought about it but I would almost think that there has to be. Nevertheless, I will find out what the story is tomorrow morning. And to the above comment, no, it's not possible she ate a sock Mine are bigger than her whole body, haha.
• MikaAndMe

  September 2008 edited November -1

  Sorry I read the above post again and yes she was around a new dog Friday and one Saturday. She had started to pick at her food Friday for the first time so I wonder if it could be connected. In what ways is it possible for her to get a bacteria infection?
• asia

  September 2008 edited November -1

  We did not really have a 24/7 animal ER where i grew up, but it was a farming community, so we all had the vets home and work numbers on speed dial or at the very least posted by the phone. I would definitely ask your vet if they know a place to take Mika in case of emergency (regardless of the time or day). If all else fails, see if there is a number the vet could be reached at outside of office hours (This is very common in my area, but may not be in other places), so you may at least ask questions and see if quicker attention is needed.
• Andrew

  September 2008 edited November -1

  Yes depending on your area there are usually 24 hour emergency hospitals in most suburbs and cities, and usually if you call your vets office after hours they (or should) will have a message either giving their number for emergencies or referring you to a hospital that does take emergencies, if not you should research it in the phone book and think about finding a vet that takes or refers to emergencies.
  
  I would not wait to take her in , not eating for a puppy is not a good sign especially for 3 days, and vomiting and diarrhea can be caused by some serious viruses in puppies.
  
  It would be impossible from here to say what it is causing it, it can be many factors.. the best thing would be to get her in ASAP to a vet. to start at least symptomatic treatment, and testing. Like stated above she is probably going to require iv fluids or Subcutaneous fluids due to dehydration.
  
  Your puppy should not be exposed to other dogs until all her vaccines are done or you are positive that the other dog she is having contact with has been fully vaccinated.
  
  Good luck!
  I hope it is nothing,
• tobyshiba

  September 2008 edited November -1

  It might be best to get her to a vet ASAP.
  
  As for other dogs, she should not any ANY contact at all with other dogs, unless she is totally vaccinated ( in a few months )
  She is only 8 weeks old, and very, very vulnerable. She can easily contract things from other dogs.
• dlroberts

  September 2008 edited November -1

  I would add to that if she does come into contact with another dog that is fully vaccinated they can still carry something they picked up elsewhere. For example, when Joey was a young puppy I stopped taking Lucy to the dog park because I didn't want her to bring something home that she had immunity to but could still be transferred to Joey.
  
  Now that we've assaulted you with all this advice, relax! You are going to get her checked today and hopefully get to the bottom of what is ailing her. As Amber said, it is a great idea to have your regular vet and a veterinary hospital programmed on your phone. I have all four of my vets stored in my cell phone and I have two emergency hospitals on the refrigerator. At the least, you can call and ask for advice on whether or not to bring your dog in. Most places won't charge you for quick phone consultation of that nature.
• MikaAndMe

  September 2008 edited November -1

  Thanks again guys your information is priceless. I have good news. I took her to the vet today and it turns out she has coccidiosis which is a micro-organism in her intestine that causes her to vomit and kind of have a stomach bug in a way. She still hasn't eaten but the vet says that once she gets the antibiotics in her system she should want to eat again and the vomiting should stop. Apparently she gets this from her mother so it's good to know that at least my yard seems to be safe for her to use the bathroom. I won't be taking her around other dogs for a while as I want to avoid this at all costs. I just wanted to give you the good news and thanks again for all of the useful information.
• MikaAndMe

  September 2008 edited November -1

  The reason I said good news above is because when I told the vet the symptoms she initially thought that Mika had Parvo, which is potentially fatal. They did a test on her to check for Parvo and it came back negative but that's how they discovered the coccidiosis. It isn't good that she is sick but at least she will seemingly be OK. I just wanted to clear that up and let you know how scared I was waiting the 10 minutes for the Parvo test to come back. I was so relieved when he said she had good news for me. Anyway, I will keep everyone posted and update some playful pics once she gets to feeling better. Thanks!
• brandon_w

  September 2008 edited November -1

  It is good news that she doesn't have parvo.
  
  I hope she is feeling better soon.
• sunyata

  September 2008 edited November -1

  I am very glad she does not have Parvo.
  Sending get well wishing towards Mika and you!
• dlroberts

  September 2008 edited November -1

  Wow, yeah, parvo is really scary. I'm very glad she doesn't have parvo. For whatever reason, it didn't even cross my mind as something to consider, otherwise I would have been worried about it too.
  
  Did she get any fluids? Did she get her vaccinations?
• Andrew

  September 2008 edited November -1

  Thats excellent news!
  From what you said about the symptoms thats what I initially thought it could be parvo, thankfully it is not!
  
  Thats great coccidia is a easy fix.
  
  Im sorry if I was vague in my statement about having contact with other dogs, and happy everyone else caught me on it.
  
  I also think a puppy should not have contact with other dogs at all during their vaccination period. However if it is your only dog, the first 12 weeks of life are the most important for socialization and there are puppy classes that require full vaccinations from the puppies in the class and that they have also not had contact with other dogs. In order to socialize them before their important period of learning is over these classes can be very helpful. Everyone feels differently about this and there is some risk even though most trainers require proof of vaccination you never know what else they have been doing with their puppies. It's up to you but that would be a exception to the rule for me.
  
  have fun with your puppy!
• MikaAndMe

  September 2008 edited November -1

  She did get her vaccinations and some antibiotics that I am to keep her on for 10 days or something like that, it says on the bottle. She is holding down water better but she probably won't eat again until the antibiotics have a chance to get in her and make her stomach a little better.
  
  I will probably only expose her to my friends dog every now and again and that might be it. I don't want her to get sick and I definitely can't afford for her to get sick, haha. I will be cautious but I also understand that meeting new dogs is important so I will have to make a few compromises. Nevertheless, I am glad I got tat cleared up and thanks to everyone.