Hello,

\My name is XX. XX and I will do my best to help you with your questions about your dog and the bird he ate. I'm so sorry he isn't doing well.

The symptoms you describe are quite alarming.

The symptoms a dog will show after consuming any type of animal who has been poisoned depend on what kind of poison was used. Some poisons don't transmit that way at all; while others do. Common symptoms include: appetite loss, lethargy, tremors,

Sorry ... I didn't mean to get pulled away there for a moment and didn't see you had come online...

The prednisone and clavamox he is taking have the bases fairly well covered for most infectious and inflammatory problems.

How long has he been on these medications?

And he ate the bird just before starting these medications?

Do you know for certain the bird was poisoned, or was it just a random dead bird on the ground?

And to answer your question, I find these symptoms alarming because if not correctly treated, a dog who is hot, unsteady, and not eating could have a very serious disease, even fatal, if it's not appropriately treated.

Okay. So to be sure I understand ....

Approximately nine days ago he ate a bird which we KNOW was poisoned.

Okay - random dead bird. This may have had nothing to do with his illness, then. A dead bird on the ground could be harmless.

Then one week later he started acting sick and you took him to the vet. The vet prescribed clavamox and prednisone.

Did the vet do any diagnostic tests? Blood tests? Urinalysis?

Do you mind telling me what part of the country you live in?

And how old your dog is?

Thank you.

After doing blood tests and a urinalysis, did the doctor tell you for sure that the bird must have been poisoned?

Okay. That means the bird was not poisoned and that your dog's immune system is trying hard to fight off some sort of infection.

Am I understanding correctly that the symptoms have not improved at all after one week on medication?

Your vet made a good guess for a first course of treatment. Clavamox is a really strong, broad-spectrum antibiotic, but it's not effective against every kind of infection.

The difficult spot you and your pup are in is that the vet doesn't really have a diagnosis. This was just a guess, and a trial to see if the clavamox and prednisone would work. It hasn't. That means you will have to return to the vet for more testing.

If there isn't a budget for additional testing, the next best guess is to try a different category of antibiotic.

But that's just a guess, and it might be wrong. I would want to repeat the blood and urine tests because the problem should be worse now, and easier to identify.

I'd be worried about a blood disorder, too.

Those can be tricky to diagnose.

And some tickborne illnessess don't respond to clavamox.

Again, I'm so sorry Skeeter is sick. Clavamox and pred work really well for lots of problems, just not all of them.

Yes... to ask vet ...

Ask what POSSIBLE diseases could cause these symptoms, lab findings, and NOT respond to clavamox and pred that he is worried about.

Ask if Skeeter's red blood cells looked normal when he studied them under the microscope. I'm worried about auto-immune hemolytic anemia here.

Ask if tick-borne illnesses are a concern in your area.

Ask what diagnostic tests he is capable of doing that would give an answer for certain, so you don't have to guess and try more medications that might not work.

At his age you will need to be sure liver and kidney function are good. An ultrasound of his abdomen would also be really beneficial. The fact that he is twelve means the problem could be quite serious and not very easy to diagnose. I'm sorry to tell you that when we make a list of all the possible things that could cause these symptoms in a 12-year-old dog and not respond to Clavamox and prednisone, cancer is on the list. It's also difficult to rule it out and take it off the list. Sometimes nothing else will show on blood or urine tests.

I understand your frustration and worry. Poor Skeeter.

Is there anything else I can help you with?

You can always post more here and I'll be notified via email.

No. I'm sorry. If it were good news, Skeeter would have gotten better after only a day or two of being on the medications. I'm really sorry.

But your vet will want to know he hasn't responded so he can get to work on finding the right answer.

If you would, I'd appreciate hearing an update on how Skeeter is doing later.

Just return to this page any time and I'll be notified.

In the meantime, I'll sign off. Thank you for using our website, and please take a moment to rate my service below. I wish I had better news for you and Skeeter, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.