<p>It’s so hard to deal with a sick pet, particularly one that won’t eat. Is there an equivalent of marijuana for dogs? I lost my dog to cancer in May. He was 14. Treatment wasn’t an option. He never lost his appetite. That was actually one of the things that made the decision so hard. He still loved to eat. The problem was that there was fluid around his lungs that made it really hard for him to breathe.</p>
<p>I think you can give marijuana to dogs. After all they gave my D morphine after surgery & she didn’t even weigh 2 lbs!
You would want to go very slowly however.
<a href=“https://www.avma.org/news/javmanews/pages/130615a.aspx[/url]”>https://www.avma.org/news/javmanews/pages/130615a.aspx</a>
Maybe try a tincture.</p>
<p>My girly girl is spending the night in the emergency vet, getting IV fluids and antibiotics. Turns out that as I suspected she had developed a fever and a systemic infection. I was debating taking her temp last night, but I decided that I would wait to see hoe she was doing today. She wouldn’t eat OR drink, so I took her to our vet. Her white blood count was extremely low, and she was dehydrated. They gave her subcutaneous lactated ringers, and consulted with the oncology practice who said she needed IVs. The oncologists didn’t seem too worried about this development, and said that most dogs recover in 48 hours. Of course, they also said that most dogs do not have severe problems with this particular chemo drug. Sigh.</p>
<p>In other news, I think our vet bills for the last month have passed $2K and are on their way to $3K.</p>
<p>Oh, one tip to pass on: the vet said that when trying to get a sick dog to eat, a good thing to try is chicken baby food. Swipe it on their tongue with an implement or your finger, and they are more or less forced to swallow it, can’t spit it out. Now, if only there was a way to make them drink. You can’t reason with a dog and tell them that they need to take liquids, even if they don’t feel like it.</p>
<p>@Consulation- chicken or turkey baby food can be fed on your finger, a spoon or a tongue depressor. The latter are great because they are disposable. You can dribble water from a syringe (get some from your vet) into the side of the pet’s mouth. Doing this regularly can really help but you can also learn to give sub-Q fluids at home; ask your vet.</p>
<p>We have 3 dogs:</p>
<p>Simon, my Scottie, will be 14 on 9/29. He was the last show dog that I bred and my daughter’s breed ring dog. I dread losing him but so far, he’s doing great.</p>
<p>Jasper, is a Sheltie pup that I rescued at the age of 4 weeks when his “breeder”, a puppy mill owner, was going to drown him because he was profoundly deaf. I had just lost my darling Sheltie at the age of only 10, and was not looking to get another just then, but I couldn’t ignore the plight of this helpless, tiny thing. He is rather funny looking- the result of Merle to Merle breeding; white where he should be sable and vice-versa, blue eyed and pinkish, prick ears. He is the happiest little guy though- thrilled to awake and delighted to sleep and eat.</p>
<p>Willie- He’s an American Eskimo Dog, that my D gave me for my birthday last year (he was 2 and had been abandoned at a shelter). He is a gorgeous dog with an “iffy” temper- he needs a firm hand and knows that I am the boss- as a result, he’s a fluffy darling of a dog who follows me everywhere. He had been left outside at his previous place and has some “territory” and “guarding” issues, but again, patience is key and he’s learned so much in 18 months!</p>
<p>The vet should be able to show you how to do subcutaneous fluids at home pretty easily. That might help.</p>
<p>I have used a syringe to get water into an ailing chicken, but never tried it on a dog. Assuming that my girl comes through this and we continue with chemo–she would be having a different med in a week–I am definitely going to use both of these techniques if she is reluctant to eat or drink. In this case, I think it was the fever that was causing most of the problem. Right now she is still at the clinic on IV liquids and antibiotics.</p>
<p>I watched the vet techs do the subcutaneous fluids and asked them questions about it, and it seems like something I could easily do myself.</p>
<p>I gave our oldest cat, who weighed about 8 lbs, sub-q fluids for 4-5 years for kidney failure.
She lived till she was 21.
Its tedious, and you may need help with a dog, but it is doable and makes them feel so much better.</p>
<p>I have two neighbors who give subq fluids to their cats. They got the equipment from the vet and say it is pretty easy. I also knew people who rigged it up themselves for their horses.</p>
<p>As both a dog and cat lover, I post this hilarious study of the two (found in a link on the cat thread).</p>
<p>[Cat-Friend</a> vs Dog-Friend - YouTube](<a href=“Cat-Friend vs Dog-Friend - YouTube”>Cat-Friend vs Dog-Friend - YouTube)</p>
<p>Great video!^^ Sorry to hear of your dog’s struggles Consolation and the $$$'s. We had an expensive cancer scare a couple of years ago with our Lab and decided that in the future we were going to let nature take its course. Of course she’s older now (10 instead of 7) so it’s a bit easier to make that decision, still it’s very hard. Luckily she’s been fine for almost 3 years which in dog years means almost 21 years cancer free… Good luck to you and your pup!</p>
<p>I admire everyone here who has pets with special needs (even chickens!) that they attend to so lovingly.</p>
<p>On a lighter note, here’s something any of our dog-loving kids in college should appreciate!</p>
<p>[22</a> Dogs Who Partied Too Hard Last Night](<a href=“http://www.buzzfeed.com/erinchack/dogs-who-partied-too-hard-last-night]22”>22 Dogs Who Partied Too Hard Last Night)</p>
<p>My D and her fiance just got a puppy from a reputable breeder last weekend. The little guy was being pretty subdued, but he’d been through a lot (long plane ride, new surroundings, etc), so we were hoping his not eating was because of stress. Well, on Monday the breeder called my D and he was VERY upset. He wanted to let her know as soon as he could that one other pup from the same litter had just tested positive for Parvo. So my D and I rushed her little guy to the vet where a good friend of hers is a vet tech (studying to go to Vet school). So we were seen ASAP. He DID test positive for Parvo, but only mildly so. Still he was one very, very sick puppy. The vet set my D’s friend up with all she’d need to monitor the puppy at my D’s home…complete with IV, IV pump, meds to inject into the IV, a stethoscope, etc. My D slept on the floor beside the pup all night. He went back to the vet the next day and was on IV fluids all day again. He was able to keep some food and oral meds down, so they let him come home with us that second night…and at about 10:00 that night he was able to eat!! Now, just 4 days later, you’d never know the little guy had been sick! He still has meds to finish, but thank goodness he’s gonna be okay.</p>
<p>We were so grateful the breeder called us immediately. In the 20 years he’s been doing this, this is the first case of parvo he’s even had. The pups had all been vaccinated for parvo and had been checked out by a vet. But apparently these two pups were exposed pre-vaccination somehow. The breeder is, of course, gonna pay a substantial part of the vet’s bill. </p>
<p>The puppy is just adorable.</p>
<p>This is an example of the difference between a responsible breeder and a puppy miller. Glad the pup is okay.</p>
<p>My girl is spending another night at the emergency clinic. I devoutly hope that her fever breaks tomorrow and I can bring her home. If it hasn’t, they are probably going to try some other meds. In any case, I am going to go and visit her. H visited her on the way to work, and they let him take her out to walk around the building. She didn’t want to go back in, and didn’t want to go away with the staff member. Poor baby. 
He is visiting her now, on his way home from work. She is more attached to me, so I was afraid that she would be upset if I came and then left here there.</p>
<p>H just called and said that her fever has finally gone down a degree. But she still isn’t eating. Nothing since Monday, and we keep her at a good lean weight to start with.</p>
<p>Speaking of chickens, my last three were killed in their pen in broad daylight a few days ago by an unknown predator. Things are getting lonely around here.</p>
<p>We had an irresponsible breeder. Sold me a dog and made no mention of problems. When I picked him up, I didn’t notice anything-the puppy was very fluffy and the exchange was pretty hurried. A week later, the vet examined him, and after trimming a lot of fluff away from his face, showed me that his face was deformed! Snout was crooked (his nose points west rather than straight ahead), his teeth were all screwed up, making it look like he is snarling on one side. Also, one ear was longer than the other, so had been STAPLED to his head with surgical staples in order to make them appear the same length. Yeah, I’m clearly not the observant type (but have usually been a cat person, so what did I know). We have said he would make a great Halloween dog-we’d buy him a little doggy Phantom of the Opera mask to cover his right side.</p>
<p>The funny thing is, this dog is so weird looking that it is part of his character. I cannot imagine having him any other way, and I’m really glad we got him, because another buyer might not have been as good to him as we have been. You always hear about deformed dogs being drowned or thrown out of cars and such. He’s part of our family, just like our perfect lineage lab and jet black, gorgeous cat. As my DH says, “he’s a goofy looking little mutt, but he’s ours.” :D</p>
<p>Wow, hope your pup gets well soon, Consolation.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I was afraid someone would feel obligated to say something like this. </p>
<p>NO this is not an example of a “puppy miller”. He has been breeding dogs for 20 years and this is the first time this sort of thing has happened. He called immediately and has called every day after to check on the dog and is making things right financially. </p>
<p>I hope your dog gets better soon. I am out.</p>
<p>churchmom, I think Consolation was saying that your example WAS the responsible breeder and NOT a puppy miller. I’m sure she will clarify.</p>
<p>Consolation, So sorry to hear of your girl’s problems. Hoping for a swift recovery.</p>
<p>church, that’s what I thought too. An irresponsible breeder wouldn’t have bothered to call. :(</p>
<p>churchmusicmom, you got my intent backward. I was indeed saying that your breeder acted like a responsible breeder, not a puppy miller. I sent you a PM.</p>
<p>Sorry guys. I understand now. Thanks, Consolation.</p>
<p>How is your pup?</p>