It's Rudy Again

[Guest argolola]

Folks, I am really sorry to sound like a broken record. We are frustrated beyond belief, and broke too, with 3 vet visits in 2 weeks and also Rxs.

 

I posted in the behavioral thread about Rudy poopying in the house the past 4 days. It's been everywhere. We wondered if it's because of Lola getting so much attention with her limping, etc., but who knows.

 

He is back to running a fever tonight. The miracle occured about a week and a half ago when he got his ears cleaned and checked. They found bacteria and yeast, gave him a good cleaning and Otomax. He acted just like a puppy for the next two days. No fever, active, went outside when he was supposed to.

 

Now he is back to having a fever, crapping in the house, lethargic, screaming when I take his temp by ear. The vet gave him Vetprofen a few days ago, but I didn't give it to him tonight in the event it's causing the poopoo accidents.

 

I really thought the ears were the source of the problems from day one, since no one could figure out what was wrong. We are spending most of our time at home loving on, snuggling, doctoring and trying to comfort both sick dogs.

 

Thanks for "listening." I am still grasping at straws.

[greyhead]

I'm so sorry this is happening. Sending hugs and prayers.

[Guest TheUnrulyHound]

no need to apologise.... I am sorry for all that you are going thru, I hope you can find the answers you need

[Guest ss556]

It has to be frustrating not to be able to help them or at least figure out the problem. I hope you do find answers soon. Thinking of you.

 

[Guest mountain4greys]

That is frustrating. Sorry your going through this. I hope they can find the answer.

[VinnieAndRexsMom]

Could be two things going on at once.

Is he still on doxy?

 

from allivet website:

Look for the following side effects that can indicate your dog may be havinga problem with Vetprofen or may have another medical problem :

 

• Decrease or increase in appetite

•Vomiting

• Change in bowel movements (such as diarrhea, or black, tarry orbloody stools)

• Change in behavior (such as decreased or increased activity level,incoordination, seizure or aggression)

• Yellowing of gums, skin, or whites of the eyes (jaundice)

• Change in drinking habits (frequency, amount consumed)

• Change in urination habits (frequency, color, or smell )

• Change in skin (redness, scabs, or scratching)

Edited July 1, 2009 by VinnieAndRexsMom

[GreyPoopon]

FWIW, a neighbour has a Golden that had recurrent ear trouble. They tried everything. One day the senior vet checked for yeast, found it, and prescribed a more successful medicine. But the relief did not last.

 

What eventually solved the problem was a food change: the ear infections were apparently related to food sensitivities.

 

I haven't read all of the Rudy threads; I apologize if you've already been through this and found it unproductive.

[sweetdogs]

I too am sorry about all of Rudy's troubles. To follow along on the ear trail, my Faolin had terrible ear problems. They didn't cause the terrible problems Rudy has, but he was in pain & anxious. I tried all the drugs & voodoo & changed his diet to no avail. Finally went for environmental allergy testing & desensitization shots & that finally cleared up his ears for good.

 

I know you've done a lot of testing & treating. I hope you're close to finding the answer for Rudy.

[Guest Energy11]

Wow... sorry to hear this! I hope they get to the bottom of this SOON!

[Guest Winterwish]

I hope so much the issues can be worked on with great improvement. If he is on the doxycycline Lene',I can't stress enough that imo it is best that is discontinued. I don't mean to sound like a broken record on that Lene',but it's very important that not be seen as a calming agent,if in actuality it even has such an effect in certain dogs.

 

Has Rudy been seen by a different vet by any chance?

I know you've spent so much on vet appoinments and I feel for ya' Lene'! but if there was one more bit to spend on being seen,I'd really go for a second opinion to really get a new handle on things.

Would that be doable?

Edited July 1, 2009 by Winterwish

[Guest Flysmom]

Sorry, this is happening to you! Hope he gets healthy soon!

[Guest FullMetalFrank]

I am thinking it could be ongoing issues with his ears... Maybe it cleared up enough to feel OK for a couple of days, then came back with a vengeance? Since he is screaming when you're taking his temp by ear, it does make sense... Just a thought. Sending prayers for answers and a solution very soon!

[seeh2o]

Oh, Lene, I feel for you and Rudy so much. I wish I could just fix it and make things better. I hope some of the posters who have experience with ear problems are on to something that will help poor Rudy.

[Guest argolola]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your support more than you will ever know. Sometimes I just sit down and cry, because I get so overwhelmed. It breaks my heart to see both pups suffering and I'm doing all I can do to help them. Lola is still running and smiling while limping, so I try not to freak so bad over her.

 

Yes, Rudy is still on the Doxy, but at a super low dose. When we take him off totally, the fever gets too high.

 

No poopie accidents in the house last night, but I didn't give him the Vetprofen. Thanks for the info. I bet that was the problem, because he knows to go outside, so maybe he couldn't hold it.

 

 

[Guest ProudGreyMom]

Poor Rudy!! What's wrong with that sweet boy?? Andy had double infections that went on and off for years because he had them while at the track and they were untreated. Finally got them under control after a few years.

 

 

[VinnieAndRexsMom]

I don't think that most of were thinking that the doxy had calming effects. I believe that we thought it was taking care of whatever was causing the fever and making him feel bad. When he takes the doxy, his fever is lower, he feels better, so he acts better.

 

Lene'

Is the lower dose doxy per the vet or did you lower it?

 

I also like the suggestion of different meds for the ears, if indeed, it is the ears. If it's yeast, then the meds have to treat the yeast and just cleaning with an otic solution won't do the whole job.

 

We had a cocker years ago with ears that weren't good (floppy long ears with lots of hair). We used an old med caled panalog and used the blue otic solution to clean in between. If I could have propped her ears up for air to keep them dry, this combo would have worked just fine. I am so grateful for greyhound ears

[Guest Winterwish]

Lene',if you are going to continue the doxycycline,I strongly urge the use of appropriate probiotics to maintain as healthy intestinal flora as possible.

What is Rudy's temperature when you take it? 

Edited July 1, 2009 by Winterwish

[Guest argolola]

Lene',if you are going to continue the doxycycline,I strongly urge the use of appropriate probiotics to maintain as healthy intestinal flora as possible.

What is Rudy's temperature when you take it?

Last night it was 104.4 so we wiped him down with cool washclothes, then it went down to 102ish.

 

I usually include yogurt with active cultures in his food.

 

I called the Jacksonville greyhound vet and upped his appointment to Friday, so hopefully we will have some answers in a few days. Hopefully the vet will take him off Doxy and find the source of the problem, treat it, and stop the fevers for good.

 

Thanks everyone.

[Guest Winterwish]

Sounds good Lene'. There's an excellent PDF file from Cornell about probiotics,I'll find it and post the link in case it's of interest. It actually does get to be very interesting to know about. by the way that can help a lot even in terms of coping with the situation. Learning about it actually can make it much more doable,or give you more of a sense of control I think. I'll go find the link. Hang in there Lene'!

[Guest Winterwish]

I can't really link to that PDF file,but if you google - use of probiotics for dogs cornell - you'll be able to go down the list quickly and find it. It'll come up as one of those PDF things. It's a very readable piece of information.

Maybe you could give the vet a call and ask if Rudy would benefit from being given pepcid today? It might help for his stomach upset.

 

[Guest chaoran22]

i don't know the history of your problems with rudy and dont' know what kind of ear problems you're having but with my girl, she literally went from october until june with constant infected eras - seriously, not more than a week went by between treatments before her ears were completely infected, itching, and just a horrible gross mess. i spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on constant and varied ear medications - not to mention had to put up with disgusting stuff coming out of her ears every day and she was miserable and i was unhappy. finally late may, i decided to try a grain free food, not even kidding, by the third day, her ears cleared up on their own. i wasn't even using medication at that point either b/c i has just finished another round of medication and didn't know what to try next (my vet at the time was unhelpful too, i have since then gotten a new fantastic vet). i really would not have believed that just switching to a grain free food woudl clear up her ears on their own - i really regret all the toxic ear medications i used on her for so long when it was such a simple fix (not to mention the hundreds of dollars that could have been much better spent). just my story in case it might help give you some ideas on his ears. good luck - i finally knew what it was like to have a chronically sick dog before her ears got better and it was just awful so i know how hard it is - the frustration was the worst. hugs!

[Batmom]

Ask the vet about histoplasmosis and blastomycosis.

 

I'm sorry Rudy's still having problems.

[seeh2o]

Lene, have you contacted OSU about Rudy? Last year, in desperation over Carl's eye problems, Dr. Paulo emailed me right away and said he would be happy to consult with my vet. In fact, Monday I sent him an email just to follow-up on Carl's progress and I heard from him right away. It might be worth a shot, they deal soley with greys and not just greys with cancer. They are so nice and so knowledgeable, it certainly couldn't hurt and they will consult for no cost. Here is the initial email address that I sent the email to on Mon.: greyosu@osu.edu