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Sick Puppy :(

3K views 38 replies 10 participants last post by  msvette2u 
#1 ·
He is 10 days shy of 5 months old. He is normally full of energy and running around the house like crazy. My wife said when she got home she took him outside like normal, he came inside and gulped down a full dish of water (normal for him) and started running around in circles until he threw up all over. She then noticed a small amount of throw up inside of his kennel. He has refused to eat all night and hasn't really drank a lot of water since either. He has not been very active or energetic and when I took him out when I got home, he had a very small soft stool and then a river of "dirty" liquid. He also has a very dry nose. We are taking him to the vet ASAP (11.5 hours until they open) but just curious if anyone has any ideas or suggestions?

He normally gets 4 cups of NutraMax Large Puppy Breed and all the water he can drink. He has had 1 cup today since he hasn't ate anything else. Please help if you have any ideas or experience with similar situations in GSDs.
 
#10 ·
I forgot to mention he's up to date on all of his shots, 4x 7-1, Rabies, and we also had him MicroChipped.

I apologize, the parvo is in the 7-1.. the 2x was the "Kennel Cough" that my wife was worried about.

Is this a typo? You have had 4 rounds of a 7in1 vaccine shot? How many rabies? Your pup isn't 5months quite yet...Kennel cough 2x? why?
 
#9 ·
I sent instructions for home made pedialyte.
Hopefully that'll help.
A dog can still become ill w/parvo (or another illness) even if vaccinated, it just usually means it won't be as severe of a case.
You can't be too careful once they are showing symptoms like this.
 
#11 ·
some vet insist that they get two shots of kennel cough, one month apart. They use the "it builds the immunity slowly like the 4 in one or 5 in one shots." Another money maker.Plus, not many vets use a 7 in one shot anymore, especially four of them. I am thinking this vet is old school.
I wonder if the pup ate something and a blockage issue is starting to show up.
 
#12 ·
We gave the first 2 rounds of 7 in 1 in the home since I used to be a medic and pretty proficient with syringes and medications. The second two were given by the vet along with the 1 rabies vacc and kennel cough, which was given twice as the first time was a smaller dose to introduce it and then the second as a booster to get the white blood cells count up. He's still very well hydrated and did get around a half cup of food down this morning. We have an appointment with the vet around 0945 our time here in Arizona.

We are kind of thinking he might have found some puppy poop in the taller grass that we missed in our smaller community here. There are a few lazy people that don't pick up after their dogs unless people are around. There's a 6-7 week old white lab puppy a couple doors down that goes to the bathroom in the same area as our Gunner puppy does.
 
#18 ·
Parvo (if it's that) can live in the ground even after the poo is picked up.
There's a few other possibilities, as wyoming stated, a blockage or possibly coccidia or giardia.

I'd place my money on one of the above rather than a vaccine reaction due to mercury etc. (pure conjecture).

If dogs all had "neuro reactions" vaccines would no longer be used.
That said, I don't like adding lepto to our dog's vaccine protocol, it is a non-core vaccine and if I'm not mistaken, only two leptos are required for immunity, meaning that you overvaccinated for lepto by 2.

Your vet is correct that a series of vaccines are given until 4mos., but the usual schedule is 6-8 weeks, and every 3-4 weeks thereafter until 4mos.
We use this protocol with all puppies in our rescue plus our own puppies and have never had a reaction, also have gotten good immunological responses based on the fact the puppies never became ill with parvo (or distemper) in either our home or their new home.
 
#15 ·
Doing the math, your pup is 10 days shy of 5 months, the last vax. was at 4.5 months...so the last 7in1 was a few days ago...what does running in circles mean? like on the spot or around the kitchen table or something?

Where did you get vaccines that you can admin yourself? Online? Please don't share the link

The vet should have titered instead of assumed...

Here is a holistic view vs. conventional view...even the conv. one does not list a 7 in 1 4x

http://www.organic-pet-digest.com/dog-vaccination-schedule.html

Just so you are aware, even though maternal immunity might kick out the first vaccines, it doesn't protect against - mercury, aluminum, formaldhyde, msg. These all can cause neuro toxicity.:(
 
#16 ·
We gave the first 2 rounds of 7 in 1 in the home since I used to be a medic and pretty proficient with syringes and medications.
Well. Many times the ones you can buy haven't been properly refrigerated, if from a feed store.

I NEVER fiddle with 7ways. Too risky, especially in puppies and small dogs.

This is the protocols we use here in our rescue and with our own dogs.
Community Practice Vaccination Protocols from the College of Veterinary Medicine

We also ONLY give core vaccines - not kennel cough. You do not need KC vaccines unless you'll be boarding. We've found them 1) totally useless and/or 2) actually make the dog sick.

This is why, although proficient at some medical procedures, people should always visit the vet for vaccines or at the very least, vaccine guidelines/protocols.

it doesn't protect against - mercury, aluminum, formaldhyde, msg. These all can cause neuro toxicity.
This is not a proven fact and those ingredients are not in all vaccines.
 
#17 ·
#21 · (Edited)
It may be that the vet didn't want to rely on feed-store vaccines (or wherever they came from) and instead wanted to make sure the pup got vaccinated.
Other than the lepto- vaccine, I don't see much "wrong" with the way the puppy was vaccinated - we routinely do this in rescue without incident. The puppy gets spayed and rabies, if old enough, and dogs over 4mos. get spayed along with the rabies.

ps. Many vets won't accept you giving your own as a part of their "record" but they do accept what we do in our rescue as part of their health record. Often we get dogs from shelters where they were given their 1st vaccine and we add that to it.
 
#22 ·
Here is info re: Adenovirus from the CDC site...note the gastro issues with

What are the risks from Adenovirus vaccine?

A vaccine, like any medicine, could cause a serious reaction. But the risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Mild Problems

Several mild problems have been reported within 2 weeks of getting the vaccine:
  • headaches, upper respiratory tract infection (about 1 person in 3)
  • stuffy nose, sore throat, joint pain (about 1 person in 6)
  • abdominal pain, cough, nausea (about 1 person in 7)
  • diarrhea (about 1 person in 10)
  • fever (about 1 person in 100)
Severe Problems

More serious problems have been reported by about 1 person in 100, within 6 months of vaccination. These problems included:
  • blood in the urine or stool
  • pneumonia
  • inflammation of the stomach or intestines
It is not clear whether these mild or serious problems were caused by the vaccine or occurred after vaccination by chance.
As with all vaccines, adenovirus vaccine will continue to be monitored for unexpected or severe problems.
Note: Adenovirus vaccine is approved for use only among military personnel.


Vaccines: Vac-Gen/Side Effects
 
#23 ·
In life there's always risk vs. benefits.
For the general population the benefits of vaccinating outweigh the risks.

When you've had a dog die of parvo or distemper you understand the benefits better, I think.
In rescue we see the fall out all the time of non-vaccination, it is not pretty.
I have rarely ever seen problems caused by vaccinations, and what few I have seen, were transient and easily addressed with benadryl (allergic reaction, 2 in 10yrs. of rescue).
 
#25 ·
Rabies vaccine on the CDC site ref's guillain-barre syndrome in humans.

Now it does say rare...but then humans are not vaccinated against rabies every year or 3 yrs unlike our pets and although I don't have stats on how many have been, the likelyhood the mass population is NEVER vax'd against unless bitten by a wild or dog of question...so if it is safe then why not add that to the human vaccine protocol?

Over vaccination is unneccessary and not supported by science...what is supported is blood testing showing antibodies = immunity...TITERS

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) - Autoimmune Nerve Disorder - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment on MedicineNet.com
 
#27 ·
We had a lab test and stool sample done this morning, all came back negative. We are giving him something to take the water out of his digestive system to harden his stool back up, something to reduce the vomiting, and feeding him smaller amounts of food starting with a quarter of a can of ID 4x tomorrow and finally monday being able to mix half and half with his NutraMax.

Just as we expected, nothing severe like Parvo or anything crazy. The vet said it can't be anything too outrageous and if the problems persist after weening him back onto his NutraMax then to come see him again.
 
#31 ·
Nutro products were heavily involved in the melamine recalls. Our dog had a bad intolerance to the corn in them. When there's food intolerances and allergies it's usually to corn, wheat, soy and chicken.

What was the diagnosis, or what did your vet feel was wrong?
 
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