<p>Okay so my 14 year old dog is having a problem. Middle of the night last night he was panting heavily. This morning he wouldn’t eat. I took him to the vet. He was there all day and they checked his liver, kidneys, etc. Gave him some fluids. I just picked him up and the vet is worried because he still won’t eat. She wants me to take him to a specialist tomorrow for a $500. ultrasound.<br>
He had a much worse episode of this in Sept. 08 and his been fine since up until now.
He tested negative for Cushing’s disease at that time.
Oh wise cc’ers what do I do now? Should I get a second vet to look at him?</p>
<p>I’m sorry! It’s so hard with pets. I really wish they could talk. </p>
<p>First, it’s really hot in So Cal right now (I think you are from around here, aren’t you?), so maybe it’s the weather? I hope that’s not too obvious of a suggestion. </p>
<p>Second, what did you to during the Sept. 08 incident? Just wait it out? </p>
<p>Third, if the ultrasound does show something serious, needing an operation, are you willing to pay the big bucks for it? Would your dog survive a big procedure at this age? If the answers are no, then why do the ultrasound?</p>
<p>Oh. This is never easy. I have no anwers, just empathy.</p>
<p>So, they checked his blood and all is normal? Did she say what she expects to find or rule out in the ultrasound? She knows his health history and should have a reason to order an ultrasound. I’d want a bit more information before I put my dog through more expensive tests. Is the only problem that he won’t eat? How is his energy level, and does he still pant for no apparent reason?
If she suspects something that can be treated successfully and could give him a couple more good years, I’d consider doing the ultrasound to get the help for him. But what are we looking for??
If she can’t anwer your questions, I would get another opinion.</p>
<p>Geez, $500 for an U/S. I treat people and not dogs and I don’t even charge $500 for any of the U/S’s I do in the office. At 14, you just have to give your dog hugs and love and TLC. And you will decide what to do based on how he does over the next few hours/days. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>There are no good answers to your question. I can only share my own experience as we were in that same situation a few years back. We did go ahead with the MRI which cost about $500. Sadly, they found that my 12 year old dog had advanced cancer. I said “no” to trying chemo as she was so weak by that point. She died about 10 days later. I suppose I would make the same choice to have the MRI if I had to do it again, as I would not want the uncertainty of thinking that she might have had something treatable. </p>
<p>Just make the decision that feels best for you.</p>
<p>has been having health problems the past few months – hypothyroidism plus excessive drinking/peeing. Vet did all the tests including ultrasound, blood work, urinalysis, etc. Lots ruled out (diabetes) but no specific diagnosis. Dog is on several antibiotics and doing better. Now he (and me, too) is sleeping through the night. Now he can wait till he’s outside to pee. He goes out more frequently (3-5 hours) but not every 1-2 hours as previously. Vet wants him on meds for 6-8 weeks. After this problem resolved, will deal with hypothyroidism. Dog has been active all along but definitely more perky and playful since we began the meds. Wish he could talk. Our last dog had balance/walking problems when he was 15 – after getting IV fluids for a week, we knew it was time. Good luck with your dog.</p>
<p>Thanks all. He doesn’t have a couple of more good years. He is the son of my neighbor’s dogs and all of the other dogs in the litter save one have passed on. He is too advanced to have years, maybe one year, maybe months.<br>
I had the same question, what are we looking for in the ultrasound and if we find something how are we going to treat it. I wouldn’t do surgery or chemo on him.
I’m going to leave him be for now and hope he eats in the morning.
In the Sept. 08 incident he was rehydrated at the vet and was markedly better in the morning.
That’s my other issue…if it was something degenerative we wouldn’t see a problem in Sept. 08 and then nothing till May of 09.
I guess we were lucky with our 19 year old cat. I came home from the gym one morning and she was dead.</p>
<p>I could have started this thread. I just spent over $200+ at the emergency animal clinic tonight with our 14-year (this week) miniature schnauzer. She had some sort of cyst on her rear right ‘ankle’. It had kind of ruptured, and was oozing, and when they tried to clean it out, some sort of cyst (minus the fluid) came out (the vet showed it to me). So she’s wrapped up in a bandage and I have to take her back to our vet on Saturday for a recheck. Thing is, she’s already on antibiotics for an interdigital cyst she got last week. She’d really been fairly healthy (for 14) up until now, but I don’t know what to do if they start nickel and diming us to death. </p>
<p>We know she has kidney issues on top of everything, and when the triage tech came out to look at her tonight, she made a comment about her gums looking pale. I asked why this might happen and she said it ‘can’ be a sign of poor circulation. When I asked what could cause that, she said it could be kidney related. The vet last week (who did a thorough exam, including the mouth) didn’t say anything about pale gums, so I will ask them on Saturday. Also, since she has kidney problems, she can’t take anti-inflammatories, so they have her on something called Tramadol (which I’m not sure what it exactly is). But yea, she’s been rough on our pocketbook this last week.</p>
<p>OK, I know this sounds obvious, but did they check for dental problems? Perhaps she won’t eat because it hurts?</p>
<p>ebeeeee, I’m wondering if you have smoke in the air from the SB fires. Could this be bothering your dog, cause panting and lack of appetite?</p>
<p>ebeeeee,</p>
<p>I would probably do what you are thinking of doing. My dog went downhill over a few months (this was on 2005); in retrospect, I think she had some sort of tumor. We loved on her, fed her everything she wanted, and let her live out her days in peace. She would have been frightened any other way. She was older and had lived a good life. She passed away at home. </p>
<p>I once had a cat who was given all sorts of end of life last ditch attempts and still had to be put down and I never felt good about that. The heroics were for me, not for the cat.</p>
<p>It’s a terrible situation, and I hope you dog rallies in the morning. My pets hate the vet’s and would never want to eat there.</p>
<p>The smoke here isn’t bad enough to cause the problem and his teeth aren’t great but not the problem either. We really don’t know. DH is voting for no ultrasound and just let things progress as they will. I am going to see how I feel in the morning. From the news around here it is unlikely I will even be able to get to the specialist tomorrow.</p>
<p>ebeeee, I also have an elderly dog, 15 1/2, although you wouldn’t know it by looking at him, who started suffering the same symptoms. He occasionally would wake up in the middle of the night panting like crazy, and then it started happening more often, and during the day. He was also losing his appetite. The vet first thought, after xrays, that he had a collapsing trachea. His lungs are good, but as with any old dog, he did have some fluid, so he put him on Benedryl twice a day. It helped a little, but not entirely. </p>
<p>However, six month later, we saw a different vet in the same office, and she was more of the opinion that it was a muscle inside his throat that closes to prevent dogs from inhaling foreign objects. As dogs age, this muscle weakens, and when a dog gets excited from pain, anxiety, heat etc, and they start breathing heavy, the muscle closes, and a vicious cycle ensues. She found a secondary cause for his breathing which was a spot of arthritis in his spine. Her theory was that he was having intermittent pain from the arthritis, which cause him to pant, which led to the muscle close. So, she started him on a pain med, Tramadol 50 mg, 2x day. It’s sold at any pharmacy by prescription, and I get a 3 month’s supply for $10. </p>
<p>It was absolutely like night and day. He stopped the heavy breathing, and his appetite picked back up. I feed him Iams for seniors, but in the morning, I mix it with a wet dog food (I use Beneful because it looks the most like stew, rather than regular wet dog food). He’s also on thyroid and liver meds. Last year, we didn’t think he was going to make it another six months, but now, I could still see him going strong for a couple more years. His breed’s life expectancy is 12 yrs, and he’s 15 1/2, but he has the best disposition of any dog I’ve ever seen, he runs and plays, and jumps all over the place in the morning when he’s getting his wet/dry mix. So far, in the evening, I’ve kept him on dry food, and he seems to like it fine then. At least he doesn’t complain.</p>
<p>I know I’ve rambled on, but it seeing our dog go from what seemed like near death, back to his old self was such a blessing, and if there’s any chance your dog is having the same sort of attacks, I wanted to let you know just how quickly our dog turned around with the right medication combo.</p>
<p>I hope you got good news today, if you were able to see the specialist.</p>
<p>Thanks. We decided not to pursue the specialist. The wildfires in the area made it hard to get there and I really didn’t want to put him through that procedure just to find out he needed something even more expensive.
He is still drinking water but not eating. We are going to try to wait it out and hope he improves this weekend. If he doesn’t I’m taking him to another vet on Monday.</p>
<p>Sending good thoughts for your dear dog, ebeeeee. Hope he feels better soon.</p>
<p>So difficult with beloved pets. I had a labrador that i adored and she started panting and drinking gallons of water. Up until then she would never drink water unless we added a splash of milk so that she would think it was milk. I thought maybe diabetes but it turned out to be cancer. My Mum worked at the veterinary college and they all adored the dog too (if we were going away people would be offering to take her for us while we were gone) and treated her for free. She had a miserable few weeks and then got so bad they realized there was no hope and we had to have her put to sleep. If I had it to do again I would have just hugged her a lot and spoiled her rotten and let her make a pig of herself with food and not put her through the chemo. Makes me cry thinking about it and this was 25 years ago. But, of course, that is knowing the eventual outcome.</p>
<p>She was just 9. With a 14 year old dog I honestly don’t know what lengths I would go to. Difficult choice. I hope he is feeling better.</p>
<p>I would start trawling through google results when searching on the different symptoms. At the very least, you’ll find some boards focused on dog medical issues. Looking through those can sometimes give you a hint about what might be going on with your guy. </p>
<p>So sorry you’re going through this.</p>
<p>ebeeeee, I’m sorry to hear you’ve been dealing with so many issues! Fires, now your pooch… Big hugs to you.</p>
<p>(I found some good advice on how to deal with elderly pets on this site: [Dog</a>, Cat, and Pet Care Tips, Health and Behavior Information by Veterinarians](<a href=“Ask A Vet Online 24/7 - PetCoach”>Ask A Vet Online 24/7 - PetCoach))</p>
<p>(and this one is for the cat lovers: [Cornell</a> Feline Health Center](<a href=“http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/]Cornell”>Cornell Feline Health Center | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine))</p>
<p>ebeeeee, Solid Gold Green Tripe is truly a miracle food when dogs won’t eat. I’ve yet to come across a dog who can resist it. Hope you can find it in a pet food store by you.
Green Cow Tripe Canned Dog Food 13.2 oz Price: $1.99</p>
<p>Thanks all. Right now he is sitting in my office and he seems okay but he hasn’t eaten in two days. Still drinking and peeing so he isn’t dehydrated. I have tried fresh cooked chicken and he won’t eat that so I think he just won’t eat right now. Here’s hoping he makes it through the weekend. DH was nice enough to doggie sit so I could go have a glass of wine with my Friday regulars so that helped :)</p>