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Thanks to Sailor for the response; I opted to call the vet back. Before doing so, while Googling my dog's symptoms last night, I noted that the symptoms matched those of a collapsing trachea. I recalled the vet presenting an issue with the trachea being a possible cause but being fairly blase and nondetailed about it. When I called up and inquired, the vet assistant saw on the chart that, yes, the vet wrote down that a collapsing trachea was one possibility. Now, despite my vet's attitude, all I've read indicates that if it is indeed a collapsing trachea, as looks likely at this point, this will get worse and be fatal, eventually. After speaking to the vet's office again, they put my dog on a taper of Temaril. My dog could also stand to lose weight, but I'm wondering at this point if she can do so fast enough to make any sort of difference in time. (The X-ray picked up no thoracic tracheal collapse, but my dog's already snorting through most of her sleep.) However, I'm also seeing that intraluminal stents have their own issues ("I advise owners that tracheal stents should be deployed as late in the animals’ life as possible since few patients live more than 2-3 years without developing significant complications"). I'm kind of taking away here that my dog is doomed either way, but: How long should I wait to see if the drugs are effective? Since the disease is progressive, should I even wait to start looking into the stent surgery? Since this surgery apparently has a high mortality rate (particularly for dogs over 6, and my dog's right at 6), is there anything I should be taking into consideration as to whether or not to do it besides what I've mentioned? Thanks for any help.
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Jun 22, 2013 02:26
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Whoa, hold on before you go digging the grave. The HUGE problem with the theory that you've taken and run with from Dr. Google is that it is reaaaaally not likely that a Swissie has tracheal collapse. It is a disease of small dogs generally. It may be on the differential list for upper airway breathing difficulty, but I would not bet on it given your dog's breed. Go and get a second opinion from another vet. Your dog's signs are nonspecific past the point of what sounds like an upper airway obstructive process of some sort. This includes the trachea, the larynx, the nose and to some extent the mouth. Any number of things wrong with any of these could cause the signs you are seeing. Topoisomerase fucked around with this message at 05:32 on Jun 22, 2013 |
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Jun 22, 2013 05:30
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Are weimaraners always so clingy? My motherinlaw has two that whine and freak out if she leaves the room even for a sec.
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Jun 22, 2013 06:20
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Topoisomerase posted:Whoa, hold on before you go digging the grave. The HUGE problem with the theory that you've taken and run with from Dr. Google is that it is reaaaaally not likely that a Swissie has tracheal collapse. It is a disease of small dogs generally. It may be on the differential list for upper airway breathing difficulty, but I would not bet on it given your dog's breed. Go and get a second opinion from another vet. In addition to the breed not being classic, it's not very easy to diagnose tracheal collapse on x-rays unless it's really bad. The reason for that is simply that "collapse" is a dynamic process, and seeing it in motion is what confirms the diagnosis, unless it is so bad that you can see on the still image that the trachea is very narrowed. Because it is dynamic, you can also get cases where you see some of it narrowed on x-rays but there might be more of it involved if you saw it all moving, or you might see that there is part that looks narrow, but it doesn't move with each breath or cough. This is important because the narrowness isn't the big problem, it's the irritation and movement of the walls that causes coughing and worsening collapse until they can't breathe at all. If it were a little narrow but not moving with each breath, that's not so bad. There are moving xrays (fluoroscopy) that some specialty centers can do to confirm the diagnosis and severity, and to evaluate if a stent would be helpful or not. Some dogs have mild tracheal collapse for years, some do progress and die from it. Heat makes it worse, excitement makes them cough more, neck collars/leashes are no good, and weight loss should help. Be careful with the summer weather.
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Jun 22, 2013 06:31
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Thank you both for your help and opinions. I will indeed get a second opinion and look into the fluoroscopy. (I should have noted that, though not very frequently, she has gotten the "honking" cough/noise that is said to be characteristic of the trachea issue, which drew me to that of the possibilities the vet mentioned over the wrapper/arthritis theories. I'll get the second vet diagnosis and see if it can be determined what's actually going on here.) In addition, Dr. Chaco, you've always been particularly helpful and provided excellent explanations when I've come to this thread with questions. I really appreciate that. Blenheim fucked around with this message at 16:10 on Jun 22, 2013 |
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Jun 22, 2013 15:34
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Real hurthling! posted:Are weimaraners always so clingy? My motherinlaw has two that whine and freak out if she leaves the room even for a sec. Yeah, they are. The training thread probably has some book recommendations for dealing with separation anxiety if it's destructive at all.
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Jun 22, 2013 17:11
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Is there anything to worry about if a cat suddenly starts dipping his paw into the water dish and licking it instead of drinking out of it normally?
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Jun 22, 2013 20:14
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tehloki posted:Is there anything to worry about if a cat suddenly starts dipping his paw into the water dish and licking it instead of drinking out of it normally? Your cat is a purrderer.
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Jun 22, 2013 21:08
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What is this thing on Pistol's tongue?  (click for big) He came back from daycare with it about a month ago and it seems to be growing. At first I thought he'd just bitten his tongue, but anything resulting from that should've gone away by now I think. It doesn't seem to bother him any so I'm not too worried about it but I'm thinking of having him tag along to the vet when Max gets his shots next month to ask about it.
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Jun 22, 2013 22:07
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:What is this thing on Pistol's tongue? I am almost certain that is a puffball mushroom. Some of them are edible so perhaps keep your eye on it, let it grow some more, and harvest it before it opens and releases spores. Or wait until it spores and then implant the spores on his tongue for even more mushrooms.
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Jun 23, 2013 01:07
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:What is this thing on Pistol's tongue? Kind of looks like Canine Oral Papillomavirus? Hard to tell for sure or know for sure though. It's just what I think of when I see dog mouth wart things.
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Jun 23, 2013 01:17
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:He came back from daycare with it about a month ago and it seems to be growing. At first I thought he'd just bitten his tongue, but anything resulting from that should've gone away by now I think. It doesn't seem to bother him any so I'm not too worried about it but I'm thinking of having him tag along to the vet when Max gets his shots next month to ask about it. If you ever notice any mass anywhere and it seems like it's growing, your best bet is to get it looked at by a vet. (I wouldn't be surprised if it was a viral papilloma either, given that IIRC Pistol is young, but always better to have someone look at it IMO) Topoisomerase fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Jun 23, 2013 |
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Jun 23, 2013 05:21
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I'll try to get him into the vet this week. I gotta go over there to get a refill of Max's meds anyway so I'll make an appointment for Pistol. He fits every bullet point for dogs that are most susceptible to COPV so that's probably what it is. From what I read the vet will do a biopsy then either freeze it off or cut it off, or tell me to keep an eye on it to see if it goes away. Poor dog is going to be so pathetic afterwards if he needs it to be cut/frozen off. And to think earlier today I was musing to myself that both dogs finally had no medical issues 
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Jun 23, 2013 07:04
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Animal health question: My family recently adopted a border-collie puppy from the shelter. We've had her for about 8 months and everything was going fine until around the end of May. For some reason she's begun losing lots of weight very quickly and her coat, which was traditionally very soft and long, has become short and brittle. She also acts bizarre, alternating between manic and stoic frequently during the day. Does anybody have any idea what could be wrong? The vet honestly didn't know, and we just wormed her but it doesn't seem to be helping.
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Jun 23, 2013 14:44
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Did the vet do any kind of bloodwork or run any tests at all? I've had vets just kind of grunt at me until I was specifically like "...yeah so can we do bloodwork or whatever?"
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Jun 23, 2013 14:47
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Superconsndar posted:Did the vet do any kind of bloodwork or run any tests at all? I've had vets just kind of grunt at me until I was specifically like "...yeah so can we do bloodwork or whatever?" No, but that's a good idea. I wasn't present at the office but it sounds like he just completed a physical examination and that was it.
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Jun 23, 2013 14:48
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I just noticed that my cat is urinating a bit while lying down. I saw a few drops drip out over the course of a few minutes, and when I went and checked her other favourite hang out places they all were wet with cat pee. Is this a sign of a urinary infection? My cat is quite old (17 years) so I hope it's not just a by-product of old age. Do I need to treat it immediately?
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Jun 23, 2013 16:32
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InternetJunky posted:I just noticed that my cat is urinating a bit while lying down. I saw a few drops drip out over the course of a few minutes, and when I went and checked her other favourite hang out places they all were wet with cat pee. Is this a sign of a urinary infection? My cat is quite old (17 years) so I hope it's not just a by-product of old age. Do I need to treat it immediately? My 17-18 year old cat is having the same issue. I just posted about it in the cat thread, so maybe some answers will pop up there?
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Jun 23, 2013 17:01
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Shnooks posted:My 17-18 year old cat is having the same issue. I just posted about it in the cat thread, so maybe some answers will pop up there?
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Jun 23, 2013 17:45
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InternetJunky posted:Wow, reading what you wrote is pretty eerie since it pretty much describes my cat as well. I found a vet that's open on Sundays so in a few hours I'll get some results back at least. Cool, keep us updated!
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Jun 23, 2013 17:47
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Shnooks posted:Cool, keep us updated!  The vet showed me an x-ray that showed about 50% cat, 50% poop. Apparently she was so blocked up that it's pressing on her bladder and forcing pee out. I feel miserable that I completely missed any signs she was having this kind of problem (she didn't really exhibit any behaviour changes or anything).So while I'm typing this she's having a cat enema, and has some more scheduled for tomorrow. The good news is all the other tests showed she's very healthy for a 17 year old.
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Jun 24, 2013 00:58
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InternetJunky posted:Everything was normal except for the absolute (literal) poo poo pile of poop in her. Great  ! So far we haven't heard anything and I'm very worried. Where I work we went through 2 months where every day was constipated cat day. Fortunately it's a fixable problem.
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Jun 24, 2013 01:05
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Shnooks posted:Great Manually deobstipating a cat is a terrible, horrible process, and I hope you never have to do that and the worst you have to do is shove enemas up a cat's butt.
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Jun 24, 2013 06:28
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HelloSailorSign posted:Manually deobstipating a cat is a terrible, horrible process, and I hope you never have to do that and the worst you have to do is shove enemas up a cat's butt. We did manually deobstipate one cat. We have a doctor who doesn't mind doing them D:
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Jun 24, 2013 11:03
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Pistol has an appointment tomorrow to get his gross tongue thing looked at. Assuming they freeze or cut it off, would it be a good idea to stock up on wet dog food for him until it heals or can he just suck it up and eat dry food?
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Jun 24, 2013 23:33
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Pistol has an appointment tomorrow to get his gross tongue thing looked at. Assuming they freeze or cut it off, would it be a good idea to stock up on wet dog food for him until it heals or can he just suck it up and eat dry food? He probably wont be able to eat dry food, but what you can do is soften his dry food with water or broth while he's healing. Just add some water and let it sit till it absorbs it.
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Jun 25, 2013 00:52
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Took Pistol to the vet today, she said that these things usually take care of themselves within 3 months so I should just keep an eye on it for another month or so then bring him back if it hasn't gone away or if it gets even more gigantic or spreads to other areas of his mouth. Until then I'm stuck looking at gross dogtongue because I'm pretty sure he'd implode if he ever shut his mouth, being part Aussie and all.
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Jun 25, 2013 23:19
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OK, Swiss Mountain Dog person here again. I went to the specialist, and he determined that my dog's heavy breathing/exercise intolerance is caused by an elongated soft-palate issue. Resection is recommended. There are two vets accessible in my area who can perform this surgery. - Vet A, the specialist who diagnosed this, has done about 30 dogs, all small breeds, and reports no past complications in the surgeries; he claims the procedure is quite straightforward. He's at what our usual vet claims to be the best clinic in the state, and he quotes about $2000, most of this being for the anesthetic procedure, which is rather elaborate. (I have a list of the medications involved from the estimate, if posting it would help. I got the feeling at the diagnosis that Vet A might be a bit intimidated by giant breeds, and I wonder if the elaborate anesthetic procedure isn't tied into that.) - Vet B, with whom I have merely spoken over the phone, has done about 80 dogs, including a few larger breeds. He, too, reports no complications in past surgeries. He adds that he uses a ~*~laser~*~ to perform the procedure because it cuts down on bleeding, which he says can be a problem with this operation (but says, like Vet A, that it's still pretty straightforward). He quotes about $500. I asked about the difference in price, and he claimed that there really isn't any elaborate anesthetic procedure necessary for the procedure; he says he uses just a standard injectable and isoflurane gas. As mentioned, my dog is overweight (by ~15 lbs.); my usual vet, after being informed of the specialist diagnosis, advocates the route of getting the weight off and seeing if that improves the situation. The weight has to come off in any case, but it's going to be hard to exercise her more with the breathing issue (and I don't like to see her suffer with her breathing and not being able to enjoy her walks, to be plain). I've also been told that letting this abnormal breathing go long-term can put stress on the heart and lead to aspiration pneumonia. Usual Vet, though, says that the surgery can have complications, which is why she advocates taking the weight off first. Pricewise, I've looked online, and I've seen cases that cost $2000 and cases that cost $500, with no correlation in breed size or seemingly any other factor. I don't want to go the cheap route just for the sake of going the cheap route, but I do have questions about the longer anesthetic procedure for Vet A. (Concerning past surgical history, if needed, my dog is 6, has been under a couple times for lipoma/mole removal, and has taken past anesthetic well.) Is this procedure indeed rather straightforward, or is Usual Vet right about it being complication-prone? Is there any special anesthetic needed or advisable? Is it a good idea to go for the resection at this time, before doing weight-loss? Again, thanks for any assistance.
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Jun 27, 2013 02:29
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I came home from work tonight and my dog's eye is noticeably injured, and a little pus-ish. I, nor my family, know what exactly caused it but we recently had my brother move in temporarily with his 3 cats (all declawed) and his 9 year old Rhodesian Hound dog thing. I'm venturing that my dog and his dog got into another scuffle because neither have been able to assert dominance over the other yet. Assuming that her eye is injured due to a paw or mouth, if her eye isn't a bit better in the morning how quickly should I be racing her to the vet? Edit: She's not panting as if she's in pain, but her eye is definitely tender. Psyker fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Jun 27, 2013 |
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Jun 27, 2013 03:40
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Psyker posted:I came home from work tonight and my dog's eye is noticeably injured, and a little pus-ish. I, nor my family, know what exactly caused it but we recently had my brother move in temporarily with his 3 cats (all declawed) and his 9 year old Rhodesian Hound dog thing. I'm venturing that my dog and his dog got into another scuffle because neither have been able to assert dominance over the other yet. Assuming that her eye is injured due to a paw or mouth, if her eye isn't a bit better in the morning how quickly should I be racing her to the vet? If the dogs aren't getting along, then don't leave them alone together. If they're having spats its not about dominance. That being said, I'd probably rather go to the vet sooner rather than later for something involving an eye injury.
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Jun 27, 2013 04:03
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Those with fearful dogs what do you do on a walk and there's something weird that the dog doesn't want to walk towards? There was a motorcycle parked under a tree on the sidewalk and I guess it looked weird to Cash. I didn't force him towards it and walked to the other side of the road and went around, but what do I do if that's not an option?
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Jun 27, 2013 04:37
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cheese eats mouse posted:Those with fearful dogs what do you do on a walk and there's something weird that the dog doesn't want to walk towards? There was a motorcycle parked under a tree on the sidewalk and I guess it looked weird to Cash. I didn't force him towards it and walked to the other side of the road and went around, but what do I do if that's not an option? I taught Lola specifically to go up to weird things on cue ('go see'). Just stand in place until they calm down a little, then encourage them to move forward and sniff the thing. You might have to throw high value food forward, starting just in front of you and slowly increasing the distance. If the dog sniffs the thing, give the cue you'll want to be using and jackpot. The first couple of times, expect to be there a while.
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Jun 27, 2013 07:47
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Fraction posted:I taught Lola specifically to go up to weird things on cue ('go see'). Just stand in place until they calm down a little, then encourage them to move forward and sniff the thing. You might have to throw high value food forward, starting just in front of you and slowly increasing the distance. If the dog sniffs the thing, give the cue you'll want to be using and jackpot. The first couple of times, expect to be there a while. We weren't even close enough to sniff. Probably a good 10-15 feet away and wouldn't budge. He's seen motorcycles before and is even fine around my scooter. Maybe the silhouette spooked him since it was dark under that tree and hard to see?
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Jun 27, 2013 16:51
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If you have a long leash, maybe going up to the scary thing yourself and checking it out will help your dog. My dogs often get all watchful when there are large-ish objects in people's yards, like garbage-can-sized rocks just sitting decoratively on the lawn. I go over to it then call my dog, and it seems to show them the scary thing isn't a threat.
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Jun 27, 2013 16:59
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Blenheim posted:OK, Swiss Mountain Dog person here again. I went to the specialist, and he determined that my dog's heavy breathing/exercise intolerance is caused by an elongated soft-palate issue. Resection is recommended. There are two vets accessible in my area who can perform this surgery. Huh, that's a pretty big difference in price. Are they both specialists, or is Vet B a General Practitioner who also does the surgery? In terms of laser or not for the procedure, there's not a huge benefit to using a laser (assuming equal skill) but laser does carry it's own host of negative outcomes should things go bad - mainly if they don't have much laser experience and they are a little over zealous they can cause some issues, but it sounds like they have a good amount of experience with it. If you're good with a laser you can go faster, thus less anesthesia, but not $1500 less. Otherwise, yes, this is a procedure that can be done wrong. Experience is a very good thing here.
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Jun 27, 2013 17:19
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Are Greyhounds and Lurchers the only breeds that get corns on their feet? I think Vecna might have one on his toe, it's this flat oval raised area and it seems kinda painful. I'll try to get a pic of it in a bit. E: Pic  That raised whitish area is what I'm wondering about Triangulum fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Jun 27, 2013 |
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Jun 27, 2013 17:26
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Does anyone have suggestions for transporting a dog in heat? We want to crate him in the back of the truck however it is supposed to be quite warm. We were thinking of covering the top of the wire kennel but I am nervous it will restrict air flow too much, and make it worse. I am also nervous to leave it uncovered, because then there is direct sunlight on him. It is for a four hour drive. Suggestions would be great.
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Jun 27, 2013 19:21
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Can you just cover the top of the crate? Zip-tie a piece of cardboard to it or something. I mean that shouldn't restrict the airflow at all if the crate is all wire.
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Jun 27, 2013 19:33
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A space blanket would work even better than cardboard because it'll reflect the heat. I make tents out of them in the back of my truck when it's hot. Besides a covering, make sure he has water and consider clipping a fan to the crate and/or giving him a frozen water bottle wrapped in a towel.
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Jun 27, 2013 19:41
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Last Sunday I adopted a 6-year-old beagle, now named Laika the Spacedog, who came from a hoarder who was abusive and had 70 dogs.  Because of her past, Laika has a personality that is both pitifully resigned/acquiescent and neurotic. She's already very attached to me, so whenever I leave the house she gets super distressed and panicky. When I get home, she bays like crazy (which is endearing but I don't know if it's a healthy response). What can I do to make her more comfortable and not scared that I'm abandoning her forever? Here's her picture because I love her. (Don't judge me about the shirt. I'm an intern at an art gallery where we're having a Marvel/DC art show, and my boss insisted I bring her to work yesterday because she bought her this Iron Man shirt. Shrugs.) 
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Jun 27, 2013 20:04
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