my cattle dog mix is drinking excessivly-which we have taken away- vomited with the water.not eatingshivering with painweak back legs when attempting to walkseems to be spasming in left hipcourse thick coat-whick has been usualfatty tumorsdrooling a littletight/tension jaw but open ok to drink and throw upclicking teeth yesterday, thought that was a sign she wanted to throw upher bowels dont seem overly tight
Hi there,Thanks for your question regarding your 11 year old girl Tripper. It certainly sounds as though she isn't currently in a very good way. Given she is an older girl who his drinking quite a lot of water, isn't eating and seems to be painful - these are quite worrying symptoms. The first thought that comes to mind is whether Tripper is spayed or not. I commonly see these types of symptoms in older dogs who aren't spayed who have developed pyometra (pus in the womb). If she isn't spayed, you really need to get her to your local Vet asap - as there is quite a high chance this is the cause of her symptoms.There are quite a few other potential causes for these symptoms including anything from an organ problem (such as liver, kidney or pancreatic issues), to an endocrine issue (cushings disease, addison's disease or diabetes for example) or even an internal tumor somewhereIf she is drinking a lot, but seems to be vomiting most of what she gets down back up again - then she really should be put on intravenous fluids today. The worry is that your girl could actually become dehydrated despite all of the drinking she has been doing. If you can get Tripper seen today- please do. Here your Vet can also take a run a full blood test to check her internal organ function - in particular the kidney function. Do take in a fresh urine sample with you as well so they can use this to assess the kidney function also. I would suggest stopping the pain killer you have been giving her (from the other dog) just in case she does have a liver or kidney issue, as this could make things worse. If you really can't get your girl seen today - then you could try a little Pepcid. The typical dose is 0.25mg per pound of body weight twice daily. You can read more about this here; http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/famotidine-pepcid/page1.aspx . You will also need to continue to allow her to drink as much as she needs to in the meantime, until you can get her seen. As above - if she isn't spayed, you really do need to get her seen asap in order for your Vet to rule out a womb infection --> pyometra.Best of luck with Tripper and please let me know how you get on.Kind Regards,Dr M D Edwards
she is spayed
Ok great! That rules out the chance of a pyometra which is good. Given her age - this makes an organ problem like kidney failure or even a tumor more likely however, so if you can get her seen today or tomorrow, please do. We also have to consider that the pain she seems to be in could be due to arthritis or spinal degeneration, however as above - I do think it is important to get her liver and kidney function checked prior to continuing with any more of the anti inflammatory.Best of luck,Dr Edwards
Thank you very much
No problem! I hope your girl is ok. Keep in touch with how you get on if you can.Kind Regards,Dr Edwards
Hi Lisa,I thought i would get in touch to see how you got on with Tripper? Please just reply if you need any further advice or help.Kind Regards,Dr Edwards