# Sick Puppy PLEASE HELP!



## Mighty Hunter (May 17, 2011)

I don't know if any of you have experienced this or not but our vet is stumped. Any input is much appreciated. 

Yesterday Hunter went to doggie day care, which he LOVES, and when we picked him up that evening he seemed fine although obviously wore out from playing, as usual. We fed him and put him to bed to sleep and left for a few hours. When we returned home he seemed even more lethargic and as the evening progressed began to shiver. We also noticed a bit of a skin rash on his belly that is localized around his umbilical cord spot and down the side of his leg. I wrapped him up to keep warm and let him sleep with me in fear that something was terribly wrong. 

We woke up this morning and instead of his usual happy time breakfast dance he just sat there looking at me with these sad eyes. He had no interest in eating and barely wanted to move. We finally got him to eat some canned food after laying it in front of his face but he still doesn't want to move and we have since noticed this raised patch on his back. The vet seems to think that the raised patch is a burn, possibly from the grill, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him. There are just too many pieces to this puzzle that do not make sense and like I said, we paid our vet for a big I don't know, Gee Thanks. 

Any thoughts?


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## BamBam (Feb 14, 2010)

Oh poor Hunter, sorry to hear he is feeling unwell. It is frustrating when you don't know what's wrong with them, you just want them to be able to tell you!
Have you spoken to the dog daycare to see if anything unusual happened to him while he was there?
Doesn't sound like the vet was very helpful. if he hasn't perked up maybe you should try somewhere else for a second opinion?
I think the rash can be quite common if the are running through long grass, nettles etc. But the raised area on his back looks odd.

Hope he feels better soon


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## Mighty Hunter (May 17, 2011)

We did speak to the daycare and they did not see anything out of the ordinary however she did suggest that the rash may be from the hot concrete. The dog runs are indoor/outdoor and he is very much a sun bather and since it has been in the 100's here in OKC she is probably right. It's really the other two things that are stumping us. The vet gave us some antibiotics and said he will more than likely be seeing him again tomorrow, which does not sound reassuring.


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## DixiesMom (Feb 5, 2009)

Some more information please--does Hunter play with other dogs while at daycare? Is it possible that he either ran into an object (doorway, wall etc) while playing? Does the patch on his back feel feverish? Could it be a bruise?


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## Mighty Hunter (May 17, 2011)

Yes there are lots of dogs at daycare which is why we originally thought the mark on his back was a scratch from another dog. It looks and feels like what dog scratches do to our skin, but on a much larger scale. The vet assured us that it was not the doing on another dog though. It is always possible that he ran into something, he is only 4 1/2 months old and as you know, it takes them a while to grown into their big paws lol. The fur covered spots of his body do not feel feverish however the inside of his legs and stomach where there is not much hair he definitely feels warm.


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## hobbsy1010 (Jun 4, 2011)

Hi,
we've had similar rashes with our Viz with long grass, turning into yellow Pusey spots(sorry about description) quite worrying at the time, we now use aloe vera gel works well for our dog and generally clears most rashes for him. With regards to your dog being lethargic, is there a possibility that it has eaten something? Our dog eat the top of a toadstool/wild mushroom when he was a year old, spent a night in the vets and was fed a course of activated charcoal(supposed to suck up all the toxins. This was scary at the time, dog droolling uncontrollably, eyes dilated, couldn't stand we thought he may suffer renal problems but he came out of it fine. They are tough little blighters, hope you get to the bottom of this.

Regards
D&J


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Ohhhh... Poor. little Hunter! He's a beautiful pup, but clearly he's not feeling well. Wish I could add some decent advice, but have no experience with this type of thing. It seems to me that SOMETHING must have happened at daycare, but what?! I will say a prayer for him... and if he was my dog, I would take him to another vet right away. It's a shame you had to pay for the big "I don't know". Keep us posted as to what you find out.


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

_The dog runs are indoor/outdoor and he is very much a sun bather and since it has been in the 100's here in OKC she is probably right_

It could be so many things or nothing but a little "heat stress." Dogs do not "sweat" like humans do. 100 degrees in OKC on a concrete slab? At 4 1/2 months old, he may not be old enough to know to get out of the sun. 

Watch him closely, keep him cool and plenty of water. Keep the vet's number handy.

I've seen our Chloe break out in hives from an overheated run during the summer.

I wouldn't take any advice, even from me, on any forum for medical conditions with your dog. If in doubt, see your vet. If you don't trust your vet, find another you can. There are some excellent dog vets around. 

Good luck and let us know what you find out.

Rod
redbirddog


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## Mischa (Feb 17, 2010)

How long has he been going to the daycare? When Mischa was around his age, we took her to V meets and she would be exhausted for at least a day - usually two. 

I've also read that Vs can be finicky eaters although this is not the case our Miss Piggy. 

Also, Mischa usually comes home with a new scratch or cut almost everyday when we take her out. She's still really rambunctious at 16 mos. And if a dog with the right type of crazy energy as hers shows up, she'll play hard. 

However, if what was happening with your pup was with mine, I would take her to another vet to be sure. If the 2nd vet found there was nothing wrong at least you'd have the small comfort of knowing the second opinion is the same. 

It's tough when these things happen and hard not to worry.


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## Mighty Hunter (May 17, 2011)

Thank you all for your comments and concerns. I am SO happy to say that Hunter seems to feeling much better. By late last night his fever was gone and he was back to him old mischievous self. Although it is still a mystery we are just happy to have our happy healthy puppy back.


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## JillandDan (Sep 8, 2010)

Glad to hear that he is back to himself. I hope whatever it was has run its course. I do agree with the other posts though to find another vet possibly. We have 2 for Holley. I am a worrier and a 2nd opinion is always helpful.


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## Macaroni (Jan 19, 2011)

Glad to hear Hunter's doing better. Aside from the scratch on the back, we've had similar situation w/ Mac a few weeks ago when it first got hot.....he just over heated one day at the park, and took a day to recover...he was drinking tonnes of water and no food so methinks it was heat exposure. The rash on the insude legs etc, seems to be pretty common due to the grass..Mac's rash seems to come and goe, but find polysporin helps clear it up when it looks bad.


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## hobbsy1010 (Jun 4, 2011)

Good news!!!


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