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my puppy is 6 months old, hasnt had any shots, seems very tired and not eating or drinking much if any but i have not noticed any diarrhea or vomiting. she was like this for 2 days then fine for about a week now acting like this again. what can i do for her?
Optional Information: Type of Animal: dog Gender: female Age: 6 months
Hi there, thanks for your question- I'll be happy to help if I can! First off, I have a couple of questions for your to make sure I understand the situation.1. How long have you had your dog, and have you changed her diet recently?2. Have you checked her rectal temperature? 3. Has your dog been spayed yet? Thanks in advance for your help, I hope to hear from you soon!Sincerely,Dr. Ben
we've had her since she was about 12 weeks old, not spayed, i have not checked her temperature. i did change dog food brands, but taht was about 4 weeks ago. she doesnt go outside at all so she hasnt been around strange dogs or other animals. she is puppy pad trained. she is a chihuahua and isnt making her ears stand up often, and seems so tired all the time although she doesnt play or anything to make her tired. her eyelids seem very tired, and she squints alot.
Hi again, thanks for your quick response, I appreciate the additional information! Just a few more questions: What kind of food are you currently feeding your dog? Apart from the squinting does your little girl have any other symptoms (any discharge from her vulva, or pain in the abdomen for instance)? Do you know if she's ever come into heat? Thanks again!Dr. Ben
it is the beneful dry dog food. i havent noticed a discharge or any signs of being in heat. she doesnt appear to be in pain, just irritable when our other chihuahua tries to play with her. she keeps her tail tucked between her legs when she does get out of bed and walk around for a minute or 2, then is back in bed.
Hi there, thanks again for the information- I appreciate your assistance! From what your describing (squinting, moping around, tired all the time, etc), it seems like your dog may be in some sort of pain. There are certainly a lot of possibilities, but I wonder if her anal glands are impacted? This condition is common in small dogs, and can really make them feel punky- and you can certainly have a situation where they start out impacted, release a little pressure allowing a "recovery" for a few days, followed by a resumption of symptoms. There are some owners who feel comfortable checking/emptying the anal glands themselves, however these dogs are at risk for an anal gland infection, and should be checked and treated as soon as you can. An example of how to empty a dog's anal glands can be viewed here: http://www.ehow.com/video_2275318_express-dog_s-anal-gland.htmlSometimes aspirin can be helpful in the short term, a usual dose for a 5lb dog would be about 1/2 of a baby aspirin (81mg sized tablets, so total dose of around 40mg) every 8-12 hours. You could certainly try the baby aspirin and checking her glands to see if this helps, but if things aren't looking better by the morning I would strongly suggest having your little one examined by a veterinarian! I hope you find this information helpful, please feel free to ask if I may be of any further assistance! Good luck!Sincerely,Dr. Ben