<p>My guy is quite sick, he had an infection before Christmas and we thought that was the issue, but last week his eating habits changed, on recheck with the vet he has really low platelets. There are a couple of treatable things it could be, and we are pursuing that, but we thought this morning that it was going to be his last day, by the way he acted.</p>
<p>At the vet his blood work showed some improvement, but not enough improvement to be relieved, so a new medication has been added and we will wait a few more days. I know it is like when people have the flu and they have moments where they wish they were dead, but as soon as they improve, those thoughts are out the door.</p>
<p>It is funny, the things that really bother us are not worrying the vet the same way, he has congested breathing which sounds pathetic, but it is only in his sinuses. He has not eaten for several days, so he is getting skinny, but the vet says as long as he drinks we are okay, his blood levels combined with the meds should have him feeling lousy so it is not indicative of his real condition.</p>
<p>We do have a great vet and we trust him, he said is it was his best buddy he would try this one last drug, but I am going to hate it if this does not work and we put him through 2-3 more days of flu like feelings :(</p>
<p>But it hurts to see him not eating, skinny, rarely wagging, etc. I searched on the forum and read some of the threads of the past few years and it was such a balm to hear so many stories of people with such loving dog-family stories!</p>
<p>I’m sorry, Somemom. What kind of dog is he and how old? It is so hard to see them like that. They are so dependent on us and can’t really communicate just how bad they feel. I hope your buddy gets better soon.</p>
<p>I am so sorry your dog is not doing well. It is so hard to see them not feeling well, you feel so helpless. I hope the new medicine does the trick and that he will be back to his old self soon. Hugs to you!</p>
<p>I’m sorry your dog is sick. Our little fluff dog died in his sleep 3 weeks ago. He was 10 and there were few signs that something may have been wrong. He was eating, drinking and acting as he always had. He went peacefully and for that we are thankful. I’m not sharing any of this to make you more anxious so I hope I’m not. He was loved by us and our extended family (especially by my young niece who insisted she carry him every where to which he willingly agreed). </p>
<p>When our very stoic 17 yr old S heard the news, he immediately commented “He had a great life!”. </p>
<p>His best “trick” was that he could sing - and I don’t mean howl. His favorite tune was “Happy Birthday”. If we started singing it, he would join in. In fact, he would run across the house just to join in. Our out of town family expected him to be on their annual birthday call participating in the well wishes. We used to play around and just start humming the tune under our breath, and he would always join in. So count us as one of the dog-loving families. I’ll be hoping your guy improves and is back to himself soon! thanks for letting me share.</p>
<p>So sorry your buddy is sick. It’s so sad to see such a loyal buddy not feeling good. When our dog gets sick, my H gets down on the floor next to the dog and gives him a gentle message while softly talking to him. It’s a sight to see. It really does seem to calm our dog and we can actually hear his breathing slow down and his body relax.</p>
<p>I hope your doggy gets better soon. Give him lots of hugs and plenty of fresh water.</p>
<p>Yeah, I dozed with him on the floor of the closet last night, that is where he wants to be and I don’t want him to be alone. I am sitting in the closet with him now, he feels safe here.</p>
<p>About five years ago, my lab was really sick when her body began attacking her red blood cells. She was so sick that she didnt seem to recognize me and completely refused to eat. She was treated with drugs, and when that didnt work the vet finally removed her spleen as a last resort. During the treatment, the vet felt it was important for her to eat to keep up her strength and suggested that I bring in rotisserie chickens from the supermarket or boil them myself for her. I did, and this was the only thing she would eat. She seemed to feel better after eating (I know I usually do). You might want to try this. My dog is now eleven years old and acts like a puppy. I hope everything works out for you and your dog.</p>
<p>ooh I hate that feeling. It would be so great if they could talk at times like this. What are the couple of treatable things the vet thinks it might be?</p>
<p>ohh, somemom. I’m so sad for you. I have this image of you sitting on the closet floor with your laptop and your puppy. (I don’t care how old they get, they always stay puppies to me.) </p>
<p>Try feeding him some cooked chicken (no grease or seasoning) mixed with a little cooked rice. You can also try adding a little bit of cottage cheese or a cooked egg. </p>
<p>Put one of your dirty (worn) shirts on his bed. It’s comforting to dogs to have the scent of their owners close by. It sounds gross but they’re comforted by the scent. </p>
<p>Keep in touch with your vet and let him know what’s going on with your dog’s behavior. Has your vet considered keeping him overnight for observation and IV meds & fluids?</p>
<p>somemom - with a 15 1/2 old dog, I know what you’re going through. We’ve certainly had our issues over the last months and each time, I never know if it’s going to be the ‘one’ that does her in. It was very hard to leave her in December for two weeks while we were on vacation. Thankfully, our house sitter works part-time as a vet tech, so I knew if anything came up, she’d be on top of it - and as it turned out, she did have to pick up some Flagyl at her office when our pooch came down with some diarrhea. A week ago, she was sort of walking sideways and backing into things. I was thinking stroke. Next day she was fine, even after a couple of hours at the groomer. The following day she was perkier than I’d see her in weeks. </p>
<p>I have prepared myself for a long time for this. I have the name of a vet who does pet euthanasia in the home, so if it gets to that point where we have that option, I will call her. </p>
<p>I think the fact that your dog is still drinking is a good sign. If she stops drinking, that’s a hard one to deal with. Last summer when our dog had vestibular syndrome and wouldn’t drink, we had to give her fluids under her skin once a day with a needle. It was NOT fun, but I’m sure it made a difference in her recovery.</p>
<p>Somemom- I am sure that having you in the closet with her is giving her some comfort.</p>
<p>We have a 13 year old dog, and he has doggie dementia. He recently climbed into my daughter’s laundry chute and fell down 10 feet into the laundry room. he then was fine for a few days- the vet checked him out and a week later acted like he was on death’s door. Now he is back to normal, for a senile dog. It is so sad to watch them decline, I feel your pain.</p>
<p>Rom828- so sorry to hear about your loss. They certainly become a part of our family and your little one sounds like quite a spunky friend. I hope you have some video of him singing!</p>
<p>Our guy is usually 100#, so he fills up the tiny walk in closet and is between laundry hampers so does have the scents around him.</p>
<p>He has low platelets- either he is not making them = cancer or his immmune system is destroying them. He was not eating much earlier last week, at the end of the week we took him in and they kept him for two days of IV fluids, sent us home with steroids. Platelets were 40k on day 1, 20k on day 2, they went up to 30k today, but should have gone up to 50k + and are normally 6 figures.</p>
<p>So, the immune thing is generally treatable and we added a 2nd steroid today, but need to give it 2-3 days to do it’s thing. It’s tough to see him feel so lousy.</p>
<p>Last Friday is the last time he ate, it was hand fed white meat chicken only for most of last week. The vet says don’t stress that, it is partially a symptom of how he is feeling more than how he is actually doing, but he is getting that old dog skinny hips look and it is so pathetic</p>
<p>We had a similar problem with one of our dogs last year. We were preparing ourselves for his death. His anemia was alarming, he didn’t eat, skinny, lethargic, panting. Well, it turned out that all of this, contrary to the usual symptoms, was all caused by hypothyroidism. Within a week of taking medication he was gaining weight and now is a new dog. Turns out his sister has the same problem, but with more of the usual symptoms (weight gain and hair loss). The vets were so alarmed by his anemia and other symptoms that they discounted the low thyroid count at first and did all sorts of tests. So…I hope you have explored that avenue. Good luck!</p>
<p>Two Sundays ago, out of the blue, my beloved mutt suddenly stopped eating. He didn’t even come running to the kitchen to check out the bacon we were eating. As the day went on, he started standing in one place and panting. Of course, it was Sunday, so it meant an emergency vet visit. He had a 104 fever. In the course of treating this, an Xray showed a large tumor on his spleen.<br>
We still don’t know if the fever had anything to do with the tumor.
We went back and forth on what to do. On antibiotics, he quickly got back to normal, good spirits, eating, etc. If he had seemed really sick, we might not have done this, but we went ahead and had surgery done for him last Friday to remove the spleen.
Once again, he is bouncing back quickly. BUT the pathology reports aren’t back yet and it is very possible he has cancer.
This is my third dog as an adult. We had a Berner who we loved to death who had hip dysplasia. We have a 10 year old Lab who is a tank, is never sick, except for the occasional ear infection. This mutt is special to me though – we have really bonded. He may be my last dog. This part is so hard.</p>
<p>Somemom, Mine was also a closet dog. That was always the first sign that he wasn’t feeling well. We ended up putting a bed in the back of the closet for him. Some people thought it was strange, but our beautiful, baby boy did it on his own. (((((hugs))))) to your closet dog and you.</p>
<p>I have been a dog owner for 30 plus years now, and I also worked for a veterinarian for 13 years, so I can offer some advice. For dogs that are having trouble eating, make some chicken soup- homemade if possible, and cool it to lukewarm. Also, cats and dogs can sometimes be tempted by tunafish. Something about the pungent smell they can’t resist. I have sat for many a night with sick pets, and I just know they feel the love that you are providing them…</p>
I have this image of you sitting on the closet floor with your laptop and your puppy. (I don’t care how old they get, they always stay puppies to me.) </p>