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electriclandYoung Blue has been back and forth to the vet more than I like the last couple of weeks. First, two weeks ago, to look at his left hindleg, which he's been periodically favouring after getting up from a nap. Prescription: rest (ha!) and a course of anti-inflammatories. This was the vet visit in which I felt like a Bad Mother because of the tartar buildup on his teeth. We also got his goopy eyes seen to (course of antibiotic eye ointment).
So he's been very patient about having the eye ointment put in and not getting to run around in the off-leash area. Then last Thursday, just before finishing the anti-inflammatories, he started coughing/retching. I didn't initially think anything much of it, but my cousin P said it sounded like kennel cough, and he got worse over the long weekend (although he had a wonderful time running around with his cousins Bill the Rottweiler, Sandy the 6-month-old Lab/poodle cross, and sometimes Toby the standard poodle), so yesterday I took him to the vet. Heart and breathing fine, temp slightly elevated, not his usual bouncy bratty self, but they'd had a lot of dogs in with coughs so she gave me antibiotics and said to call if he started vomiting.
Today he was very quiet on our walk, didn't eat his breakfast, didn't show any interest in drinking, and seemed generally fairly miserable. (All the Airedale breed descriptions mention how stoic they are, incidentally, in a "Keep an eye on them because they won't let on they're sick until they're REALLY sick" kind of way.) Then he didn't exactly start vomiting, but did start retching and bringing up mucus, which was when I cracked and called the vet. He also started shaking, breathing loudly, and lying around with his eyes showing only the whites, which freaked me out more than a little. Mercifully, they gave me an appointment for 7:20 (later changed to 6 when they had a cancellation). I asked him to please make me look like an idiot and have a miraculous recovery in the meantime, but no. Met Jen and Tilde on the way down (Tilde has also started coughing and has a vet appointment for tomorrow morning; Jen said they asked her to tap on the glass and wait if there was another dog in the waiting room. Plague! And indeed Blue and I were intercepted on our way in and asked to wait outside).
His temp this time was 103, breathing a little fast and possibly a little congested. She gave him an anti-inflammatory shot AND and antibiotic shot and told me to up the antibiotic dose by 50%; also tried him on some wet dog food, in which he showed no interest. Basically he just sat around looking sad, which was pretty heartrending. Then, after some do-si-doing with some dogs who wanted to come in, we went home.
I got his pill (well, pill fragments -- I now have to give him 3/4 of a pill, which is a pain) and a couple of bites of wet dog food down him when we got home; then he napped for a bit, and had the rest of the can of dog food about an hour later. He actually seems a lot perkier already, so fingers crossed! Will try him on another can before bed.
The fun part is that we are ALL sick: me, Jen, Tilde, Blue. Tilde and I probably sound healthiest; I'm definitely on the mend, and Tilde has been on antibiotics anyway so may have dodged the worst of it. Sigh.
So he's been very patient about having the eye ointment put in and not getting to run around in the off-leash area. Then last Thursday, just before finishing the anti-inflammatories, he started coughing/retching. I didn't initially think anything much of it, but my cousin P said it sounded like kennel cough, and he got worse over the long weekend (although he had a wonderful time running around with his cousins Bill the Rottweiler, Sandy the 6-month-old Lab/poodle cross, and sometimes Toby the standard poodle), so yesterday I took him to the vet. Heart and breathing fine, temp slightly elevated, not his usual bouncy bratty self, but they'd had a lot of dogs in with coughs so she gave me antibiotics and said to call if he started vomiting.
Today he was very quiet on our walk, didn't eat his breakfast, didn't show any interest in drinking, and seemed generally fairly miserable. (All the Airedale breed descriptions mention how stoic they are, incidentally, in a "Keep an eye on them because they won't let on they're sick until they're REALLY sick" kind of way.) Then he didn't exactly start vomiting, but did start retching and bringing up mucus, which was when I cracked and called the vet. He also started shaking, breathing loudly, and lying around with his eyes showing only the whites, which freaked me out more than a little. Mercifully, they gave me an appointment for 7:20 (later changed to 6 when they had a cancellation). I asked him to please make me look like an idiot and have a miraculous recovery in the meantime, but no. Met Jen and Tilde on the way down (Tilde has also started coughing and has a vet appointment for tomorrow morning; Jen said they asked her to tap on the glass and wait if there was another dog in the waiting room. Plague! And indeed Blue and I were intercepted on our way in and asked to wait outside).
His temp this time was 103, breathing a little fast and possibly a little congested. She gave him an anti-inflammatory shot AND and antibiotic shot and told me to up the antibiotic dose by 50%; also tried him on some wet dog food, in which he showed no interest. Basically he just sat around looking sad, which was pretty heartrending. Then, after some do-si-doing with some dogs who wanted to come in, we went home.
I got his pill (well, pill fragments -- I now have to give him 3/4 of a pill, which is a pain) and a couple of bites of wet dog food down him when we got home; then he napped for a bit, and had the rest of the can of dog food about an hour later. He actually seems a lot perkier already, so fingers crossed! Will try him on another can before bed.
The fun part is that we are ALL sick: me, Jen, Tilde, Blue. Tilde and I probably sound healthiest; I'm definitely on the mend, and Tilde has been on antibiotics anyway so may have dodged the worst of it. Sigh.
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Date: 2008-10-16 12:47 am (UTC)It's the hardest thing when they're sick. And you feel better soon too!
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Date: 2008-10-16 12:56 am (UTC)and thank you, I am definitely feeling better today. I think it's mostly asthma at this point.
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Date: 2008-10-16 01:02 am (UTC)Glad you're better. And asthma sucks. Ack.
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Date: 2008-10-16 01:01 am (UTC)Seriously, though, I hope everyone starts feeling better soon. It's so hard when our doggies are sick.
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Date: 2008-10-16 01:05 am (UTC)It's probably payback for Blue's last round of pills, which were (a) the right size for him and (b) chewable and so tasty the package warned about leaving them around. I got spoiled.
and thank you! it is indeed hard when our doggies are sick. There's so little one can do!
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Date: 2008-10-16 01:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-16 01:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-16 10:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-16 03:00 pm (UTC)He seems a little perkier today -- he ate his can of dog food (although seemed uninterested in kibble -- this could be merely a ploy to get more of the canned stuff, of course) and drank some water. Hurray! I think rest will be very helpful.
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Date: 2008-10-17 05:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-17 04:09 pm (UTC)