Pain, Lethargy, Sickness - What Can It Be?

[Guest DiforDan]

Our greyhound Slinky is 9 years old.

 

A couple of nights ago he started panting, in obvious distress (we think pain) and pacing, he couldn't get comfortable anywhere, he was up and down, up and down. Yesterday we took him to vets who, like us, couldn't find anything obviously wrong. He still had an appetite at that stage. HIs temperature was high normal. They gave him an anti-inflammatory jab and an antibiotic.

 

Still no better, we took him back to vet later and had blood tests, x rays and a scan - all revealed nothing. All organs OK, nothing really wrong with his teeth, nothing. He was then given an opiate injection to settle him down. In the night he was panting again but not pacing. Then this morning he is just lying there, very limp, and not interested in food now. He has vomited his water up a couple of times. His breathing is steady now (maybe he is drugged up to the eyeballs??)

 

Spoke to vet this morning and they have prescribed him Tramadol for pain and an anti-nausea drug, also Synulox. Obviously they are trying to throw whatever drugs they can at it without knowing what is really wrong, just an idea that it is GI in origin. Vet says he is giving Slinky drugs that work on the brain more than the stomach, to avoid more gastric irritation.

 

It's very distressing, seeing the poor little chap laid so low. Has anyone had any similar experiences?

[GeorgeofNE]

I'm more than a little surprised a veterinarian would just pump various drugs into a dog with absolutely NO clue (apparently) what's wrong.

 

What kind of blood work did he run, and read, that quickly that reveals nothing?

[racindog]

Poor Slinky. IMO that opiate injection could be part of the problem. I am not a fan of pumping drugs into them-sometimes that causes more problems then it helps. If it'd be me I might be looking for a second opinion. At any rate I'll be praying for him-I know for a fact that Dr. Jesus can cure him. Give him a little kiss and tell him we are praying for his fast recovery.

[msjpk]

Please take him to another vet for a 2nd opinion. Something is going on and he is in pain.

[Guest DiforDan]

Thanks for your replies. I am not sure exactly the tests they did yesterday but they said there is nothing in his blood to indicate any problems, and his major organs were scanned and they could see nothing wrong with them.

I am very happy with this particular vet who seems very thorough and thinks a great deal about the dog's problem.

I know it seems bad to just throw drugs at him, but with no evidence except an idea that it is something in his GI Tract, all the meds are about making him more comfortable.

The good news is that he has brightened up a bit. He was persuaded out for a pee in the garden, then had a little to eat, and we gave him the anti-nausea pill and the antibiotics with it. He has kept it down now for over an hour and he is resting quietly.

Obviously watching him all the time for any new symptoms, but without the panting and pacing, he seems better. Touching wood.

[MP_the4pack]

A second opinion never hurts.

[Guest DiforDan]

Slinky is much better now, he has been slowly improving for the past 3 days, phew!

 

We now suspect he might have sustained a sort of groin strain from getting up off the vinyl floor in the kitchen where he was insisting on snoozing! Although hopefully not serious it would still hurt a lot wouldn't it? His leg was sort of skewing out at the back when he tried to get up.

 

Have noticed he hasn't laid down in the kitchen since his owchie. Just a theory, nothing else came back from the vets. I know some of you thought our vet wasn't thorough enough but it is a multi-vet practice and he did consult his colleagues and nobody could "put their finger on" the cause of Slinky's pain. The great news is that he is back, eating, smiling and being a little sweetie again! Yay!

 

A friend has advised the use of paw wax to make sure his feet and legs don't slip. I already have Bag Balm, I guess paw wax is different though, thicker, with more traction?

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

Did you vet do a full tick panel? it wouldn't hurt to have one done just incase.

[Burpdog]

Can you put some non slip rugs where he goes? The problem with sticky paw is that they sweat thru their pads and using it every day is not a good idea.

[Guest DiforDan]

Yes, Burpdog, that was my other thought, another rug in that room. Mind you he hasn't been back in there to lie down since the incident earlier in the week, so with any luck the problem will solve itself! Thanks for the heads-up on the paw wax, it does sound a bit of a faff to keep it applied.

 

Lovey_Hounds, no we didn't get a tick panel done. We are in the UK and these things are not routine at all. It's not that there are no ticks at all here, but Slinky doesn't go anywhere to pick up a tick, so I really think it unlikely. Thanks for the idea though.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Just a note, though, that if Slinky ever raced then he was around other dogs, any of whom could have had ticks. Tick-borne diseases can remain in the bloodstream for years after the initial bite, and symptoms don't always show at the start. A TBD can manifest with all kinds of strange symptoms, so a tick panel isn't a bad idea, especially if he ever shows mystery-symptoms again.

[juliemac]

So glad to hear that Slinky is starting to feel better ... and please keep us informed on his progress.