Is my dog sick with the flu or something more serious?
By Carissimo
@Carissimo (262)
United States
February 13, 2007 8:53pm CST
Maybe someone here can help me, I hope so. My roommate's dog has been acting kinda weird for the past 3 days. Peanut is a 6 pound long haired chihuahua. He is almost 7 years old. He has the worst skin allergies, he practically scratches all of his hair out. His eyes also drain alot. We give him Benadryl on a prn (as needed) basis. It works for his allergy symptoms. However, this is not the problem. On Sunday morning, he was fine. He went back to sleep and then had a difficult time waking up. We just kinda thought it was allergy related and we let him sleep. Later on though, we got him out of bed to take him outside, he was acting scared and nervous. He was shaking and wouldn't even walk down a flight of stairs. Oh, I also forgot to mention that when he was like a year and a half, he had a knee replaced. Anyways, he is still exhibiting these symptoms. We have been giving him aspirin and it seems to help for awhile. About an hour after the aspirin is given, he will get up and play and walk around a little bit. His paws and his head seem to be somewhat clammy, his body seems warm. We called the vet and they didnt seem overly concerned. His appetite is fine. He is not having any problems with his bowel and bladder. About a month ago, he went to the vet. He had blood in his urine, he received antibiotics and the blood is no longer present. They also ran alot of tests to see what was causing his allergies. When the thyroid tests came back negative, they checked his blood for further diseases, etc. All the blood work was negative. We really dont know what to do. Has anyone had similar issues with their dog? Any vets online want to give their opinion. We are worried about the little guy. Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
3 people like this
7 responses
@pirtlems (245)
• United States
14 Feb 07
without a doubt i wouldtake him to a vet. if your regular vet was the one that was not concerned then take him to another.if you think you can not afford it then you don't love your dog very much.i treat my dog as though he was a child. it could be nothing much or a big problem . only a vet will know. and by the way there can be blood in the urine that is not visible without the right chemical test strip.
@Carissimo (262)
• United States
14 Feb 07
I am a nurse, I know that blood is not necessarily visible if it is there. The vet actually tested it after completion of the antibiotics. Both my roommate and I have dogs and we treat them as our children as well. We both love our dogs VERY much! I dont know if you are trying to help or trying to place guilt. I am writing for opinions, not accusations. Thanks though.
2 people like this
@monkeywriter (2004)
• United States
15 Feb 07
I'd take him to the vet for sure asap. It sounds serious! I'd have taken that dog to the vet sooner. I worry when my dog had diarra a few times in one day. Its insane. We have paid more for stuff my little dog and her problems then any other animal. But heck its worth it, I love my dog too much to care for her huge vet things.
Good luck. Keep us updated. I hope your dog is fine really soon, okay?
@charmedgal1121 (50)
• United States
14 Feb 07
I think if you have concerns that your dog is sick you should call and make an appointment with the vet to put your mind at ease and find out the truth.
@bethmt (419)
• United States
14 Feb 07
Since you said he perked up a little after the aspirin then it could be pain of some kind that's bothering him, or it could be the allergies. It might be a good idea to bring him to a different vet and get another opinion. I hope Peanut is feeling better soon.
@Melda1 (44)
• Canada
15 Feb 07
It sounds like this dog has food allergies, quite possibly yeast allergies. We went through the same thing with our dog, in terms of him losing his hair. Although our dog was much bigger and of mixed breed, I relate to the hair falling out and the signs of distress your roomates dog is showing.
If your regular Veterinarian is not getting to the root of the problem try taking the dog to a Naturopathic Vet. They can do blood tests, Iridology and get to the root of the dogs problem.
I am thinking it is probably the dogs food, so do not give him any scraps from your plates until it can be determined what it is he is allergic to. The first thing I would do is buy a bag of no preservative, no additive natural dog food, available at most Veterinary offices.
@Winterpast (5)
• United States
14 Feb 07
Please take your precious Peanut to an emergency vet! Acting scared, nervous, sluggish could be something very serious (stroke, blood disorder, body-function breakdown). My Maggie took lots of medications for her allergies and ended up with kidney failure, although neither I nor our vet was aware of it until it was too late. Act NOW!
@BlackBay (584)
• Canada
14 Feb 07
It's sounds like the allergies are aggrevating him. These little guys can be so sensitive to cleaning product we use in the home. Cleaners leave a residue on floor,carpets, furniture, even the fabric softner on close can irritate a dog,their own grooming products could be a problem too, perfume, hairspray, etc. I would rule these out one by one by changing the products(if you haven't already do so)or not use any. I f he has a good appetite and goes to the bathroom without difficulty, then it's more than likely an allergen that is irritating him.
