Help/Advice....Dog seriously Ill

[pinkertd]

Has anyone here had their dog contract lyme disease??? I'm absolutely hysterical because my beloved companion, cocker spaniel just turned 13 last week is exhibiting serious symptoms that I am sure are lyme. She's hardly been sick a day in her life. I live in a development where you have to leash walk your dog, so she doesn't go anywhere except right here. My oldest son wanted to take the old girl out for a walk down by the river by his dad's two weeks ago. He just thought she would enjoy the heck out of it, which she did. She hasn't been for a walk like that in 8 or 9 years. I wasn't thinking about the ticks, we live in a heavy deer tick/lyme area of the state. When she came home I did find a deer tick had attached already, but quickly got it off and checked her best I could with her really, really thick coat. Over the next couple of days I pulled 2 engorged deer ticks off of her and proceeded to get paranoid. I've had lyme disease 3 times and was seriously ill from it and one of my sons has had it once. As the days have gone by over the last two weeks i've been wondering if I'm seeing subtly changes or it's in my mind. She been unusually lethargic. Four days ago she began leaving half her dinner. This is a dog who lives for her dinner each day! Yesterday she hardly got up to even drink all day. Barely touched 1/3 of her dinner. This morning her sense of balance is seriously impaired. She can't negotiate the steps. When I pick her up she's like a rag doll. I know it's lyme, it's affecting her neurologically like it did me. I need to get her to the vets tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm hysterical with fear and worry. I've never had a dog with lyme before. Does anyone know if there are good treatments and cures out there for dogs? I can't loose her. She's my baby girl.....

[IceH2O]

I think your only recourse is the Vet. It being Sunday I might even eat the cost and take her to a veterinarian ER.I don't think you'll want to wait till Monday.

[littlecich]

Taking a 13 year old dog for a run after she hasn't been for one for many years isn't a good idea. At that age, I'd be concerned about heart problems.

[Rbishop]

Definitely Vet time....so sorry to hear about this. There is an emergency vet site on the web, kind of like a poison control thing for dogs, I'll try to find the link. They may be able to give you better thoughts..

[Rbishop]

here is one..

http://www.newenglandusa.com/Pet_Friendly/emergency-dog-first-aid.html

[Rbishop]

another, very general

http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/index.cfm?function=showarticle&id=256

I think it is treatable if you get to a vet within 1-2 days....

[Rbishop]

http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0043.htm

http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dlyme.html

http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/lyme.html

[pinkertd]

Taking a 13 year old dog for a run after she hasn't been for one for many years isn't a good idea. At that age, I'd be concerned about heart problems.

It wasn't a run. She walked, we call it a "run" although I don't know why we do. It was a nice leisurely walk through the fields.

[pinkertd]

Thanks for the links Bob. I'll take a look at them. I just took her temp and she's running a fever too, 104.6. I can't get anyone to pick up at the vets, just get a recording. The ER service they refer you to...I've never heard of.

[Rbishop]

Maybe a call to the local Humane Soceity or ASPCA can give you a lead...

[Bitsy]

I honestly doubt that your dog contracted lyme disease. How large was the tick that you pulled off of her? Are you sure it wasn't just a wood tick and not a deer tick? Generally deer ticks are very hard to find on people because they are so small, much less on a furry cocker spaniel. If possible can you see the skin around where you removed the ticks? Is there a bulls eye like rash?

Has anything else changed in her life? Food, environment? I would still take her to the vet tomorrow. Until them, stay calm and I hope everything works out for you!

[pinkertd]

Bitsy, they were deer ticks. Deer ticks here outnumber wood ticks at least 100:1 Right now they are adults, the young ticks have not been born yet, so the adult deer tick is the size of a sesame seed and they are black. My cocker spaniel is a white blonde. There was also one walking across the kitchen counter later in the day. There's no doubt.

[pinkertd]

Someone suggested her symptoms are more like rocky mountain spotted fever which the ticks also carry. And that would more explain the serious neurological symptoms all of a sudden. I found a local vet who will see her right now. Thanks everyone, be back later.

[Easydoesit]

good luck, let us know what happens. i hope you dog is okay

[Dangerdoll]

OMG good luck, Pink!!

[Bitsy]

Good luck, hope everything comes out okay. Keep us posted!

[pinkertd]

We're back. She's got lyme disease and anaplasmosis, another tick borne disease. So it's like a double-whammy. Here's the symptoms of anaplasmosis:

The most common signs of infection are high fever, lethargy, and swollen painful joints (this can be dramatic). The pets become dumpy, will not eat well, and will be reluctant to move. Painful joints can shift from leg to leg and they may cry when they try to move. Other signs of infection include vomiting, diarrhea, and neurologic signs. We have seen dogs have seizures and other brain disorders with Anaplasmosis. Some pets may develop liver and kidney damage with the infection. This usually goes away with treatment, but we will want to be sure that there is no permanent damage. Some pets may develop bleeding disorders that show up as nosebleeds, bloody urine, or severe bruising on the skin.


Vet gave her a shot to help her with the pain and fever (along with a few pills for this for the next several days) and several weeks worth of doxycycline. Hopefully in a few days we'll see some improvement in her. Thanks everybody!

[Easydoesit]

aww:(
i hope everything works out!

[dixienut]

its always something,,.. my deepest wishes to good health for your baby, i know how it hurts...they are not much different than our kids, so times even more,. for they suffer in quiet.......

[Rbishop]

Hope things go well! It pays to watch all our pets daily for changes in their behavior!

[Dangerdoll]

best of luck that she shapes up quickly, Pinker... she's lucky to have someone who can notice her behavior changes.

[pinkertd]

If I hadn't know she'd been bitten by two ticks, her symptoms would seem to support a stroke type of thing going on, but then I discovered she was also running a high fever. Plus when she did go to the bathroom it was diarrhea, and from 1.5 cups of dog food 4 days ago to eventually about a tablespoon last night. Too many things going on. After I saw she could'nt go up or down a few steps without losing her balance, I saw she also lost her balance walking a straight path. No tail wags either.

She's eaten a bit of boiled chicken, but won't touch her dog kibbles, which is fine with me. As long as she can tolerate the chicken, that's the hiding spot for her pills for the next few weeks. She seems just a bit brighter, I think her fever probably came down. We did her favorite thing after we came home from the vets......we hopped in bed together for a snuggle nap. Her favorite things.....food, food, and sleeping in bed with me! i grabbed a shot of her as she tried to keep her sights on me while I was vacuuming. She hates the click of the camera so it's a one shot deal and she's gone! The old girl is Sugar, the blonde dog, she's a cocker/golden mix. The black dog is our almost 5 year old purebred cocker Molly (a.k.a. goofus!).

[Dangerdoll]

wow, she is pretty. I am glad she is on the road to getting better pink and am glad she is starting to feel better. You can also cook a bit of rice to go with the chicken for her, rice binds them right up and usually is a saving grace for loose stools.

[BigFishKeeper]

TAKE her to the vet ASAP!!! Did you clean the wound when you pulled the ticks off???

[Dangerdoll]

BF... Pinker took her to the vet.... she's on meds now

[Rbishop]

Good job, Pinker! Hope she gets back to health quickly.

[captaincaveman9]

good luck, I hope your dog gets better soon

[BigFishKeeper]

Ok sorry doll. Good luck!

[msjinkzd]

Baby food is another good way to get nutrition into them when they aren't eating well. I used to make the rice with chicken stock as well and offer meatballs of the mix to ill dogs when I worked in an ER vet hospital. Hope she continues to improve for you and all ends up ok.

[Dangerdoll]

nice pointers Jinkz

[pinkertd]

Thanks Jinkz! Ever see a dog eat around the grains of rice??? Haha! She does. But she was doing a little better last night, ate a bit of her regular dinner. She's still hesitant to do the steps, but I think she's still in quite a bit of pain. She's staying awake a little longer now and actually wags her tail once in a while. Big improvements!!! I still see her go downwards a bit when ít's getting near to the time to give her another dose of medicine, but I think each day that'll improve too.

[msjinkzd]

Glad to hear she is improving, she is lucky to have you! Did they give her anything for the pain at home? Poor girl, hope she is feeling great again soon.

[Sploke]

Glad to hear things are looking up. My parents' dog has had lyme several times, as has one of our dogs. The doxy seems to clear it up pretty quickly, I don't know anything about the other thing though. I've been getting our dogs a lyme "vaccine" every year with their shots. Its weird though, it doesn't actually protect the dog directly, the dog carries it and it actually inoculates the ticks when they bite them. I'm not sure how effective it is (heard strong opinions in both directions) but since we started, our dogs haven't gotten it, and we live on a farm where they are outside pretty much all the time...so it either works, or they've just been lucky so far.

[pinkertd]

The anaplasmosis is much nastier, quicker and more dangerous and painful than the lyme. Symptoms show within 10-14 days of the infection. If it was just lyme, we probably wouldn't be seeing a whole lot of lyme symptoms yet. The vet did give me a pill to give her every 12 hours for the pain, we've got 2 pain pills left.

[Bitsy]

Glad to hear things are looking up for you pup! It is never easy to have a sick animal, I think sometimes it's even more difficult than a sick child, because pets can't tell us what is wrong and what they need to feel better! Hope things continue to look up!

[Fishy_Fun]

The best of luck to you and your dog.