worried... Mulder is sick

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Mulder

Spooky Mulder

Barked: Thu May 24, '12 6:33pm PST


	Yesterday night Mulder was acting strange at agility class, having a hard time going to the bathroom, when I noticed that the cyst (sebaceous) on the base of his tail had erupted... it was oozing and bloody, so I wiped him down, called it a night and headed home. Once back he immediately started to diarrhea... and continued on for the rest of last night, getting up every two hours to go. At some point in the night he also threw up, and after I'd gotten up with him to take him out again he threw up a second time. I phoned the vet and got him the earliest appointment I could. I didn't give him a morning meal, but he was drinking normally and didn't seem to be in any distress. When I took him in they did a fecal, fully drained the cyst, and gave him a shot to stop the vomiting (not sure what this was?) and sent him home with 500mgs of metronidazole/flagyl to take every 12 hours for 5 days. The fecal came back normal. Unfortunately I had to leave right after that to work, and didn't really have a chance to monitor him for long after giving the pill (which he took at aprox. 2pm, maybe 2-ish hours after receiving the shot). Now tonight he seems very melancholy and is not wanting to eat. He eats raw, so my plan was to just give him a couple of turkey necks so the bone would keep his stools firm. He has NEVER refused to eat raw, and yet will not touch the necks. Desperate, I gave him some of Ridley's ground beef (its a grind made specifically for pets, not a grocery grind), which he did eat some of. However, I was afraid straight meat without any fiber would not help the diarrhea issue, so I boiled him some oatmeal to go along with it.... which he also wouldn't touch. I finally sat down in the kitchen and spoon fed him some, which he did take given that way, but didn't finish and Ridley got the rest of it. Do you think this could just be stress from not feeling good? I know its normal to not really have an apatite when you feel bad, but Mulder NEVER refuses food. Could any of the medication be making him not want to eat?

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Henry Miller

He's a tramp,- but they love- him!

Barked: Thu May 24, '12 8:01pm PST


	I totally understand why you are worried. He may not have an appetite for any of the reasons you mentioned. The good news is that dogs can go for a few days without eating and be fine (unlike cats.) When a dog has diarrhea and vomits, it's the bodies way of getting rid of anything upsetting its system. I'm not a vet, but if it were my dog, I would make sure he was drinking water to stay hydrated, and I would let his system rest. (People typically advise to feed boiled chicken and rice, or pumpkin, but that makes little sense to me. Anytime you introduce new foods, especially rice and pumpkin that is hard for dogs to digest, it's going to be taxing on the dog.) I would actually fast my dog for a day and then see how he was feeling. If he was still not interested in food, acting lethargic, or vomiting, I would probably go back to the vet. The most important thing is that he is drinking water. I hope he feels better really soon!

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Squ'mey

too old to eat- any more KD

Barked: Thu May 24, '12 8:02pm PST


	to you. I would think he may just be a bit punky with the meds. But if he doesn't eat tomorrow, maybe give your vet a call again. This will give you a bump to the top...hopefully someone more knowledgable will chime in.

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Jackson Tan

Lad about town

Barked: Thu May 24, '12 10:17pm PST


	Poor Mulder. It's definitely possible that the antibiotics are making him feel sick, also some pus from the cyst might still be in his system. Just keep his fluids up, make him some broth, chicken and rice will help firm up his stool if you can't get bone into him. A probiotic might help too, the flagyl will probably give him the runs until the course is finished. Hope he feels better soon.

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Charlie

The world is my- food bowl!

Barked: Thu May 24, '12 11:17pm PST


	Any idea what drug they gave Mulder to prevent vomit? Read online that about 9% of dogs who take Cerenia become lethargic and lose their appetite. Edit: Reread online and metronidazole lists the same possible side-effect. I do find it strange that Mulder would refuse such a high-value food as raw meat. I don't want to worry you at all, I just know that my dogs are obsessed with their raw, and if they ever stopped eating I'd be real alarmed. Unfortunately, no other ideas off the top of my head. Best of luck Mulder, and keep us updated. Edited by author Thu May 24, '12 11:18pm PST

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Farley

Farlekiin the- Dragonborn

Barked: Fri May 25, '12 12:05am PST


	Feel better Mulder!

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Chance

How You Doin'?

Barked: Fri May 25, '12 12:48am PST


	I hope Mulder feels better tomorrow. Maybe the Ridley's beef had more smell than the turkey necks did.

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Jackson Tan

Lad about town

Barked: Fri May 25, '12 2:28am PST


	ETA: Sorry, I made a mistake. As Flagyl is an antifungal the probiotic probably won't help. Got mixed up ... thought it was an antibiotic. Disregard that!!

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Scruffy

He's a- Scruffador!

Barked: Fri May 25, '12 3:13am PST


	Jackson, Metronidazole is the generic version of Flagyl. I have had bad experiences with Metronidazole. It makes my dogs sicker than they were before going on it. It gave Scruffy loose stool, lethargy, extreem itchyness and eventually it gave him a seizure. It made Starr drool, gave her loose stools, and it made her kinda loopy. It made Lily lose her appetite. I agree with the others that the meds may be affecting him. If he still isn't eating and is still isn't his usual self I would call the vet. I hope Mulder feels better soon!