What could be wrong with her!? (non GSD)

[PatchonGSD]

I shelled out 100.00 bucks for the blood work today, to get the results tomorrow. I did call a couple other clinics to see if I could get results today but they wanted waaaay to much plus wanted to do their own exams since she would be a "new patient" so we'll wait for the results tomorrow.

[huntergreen]

Originally Posted by PatchonGSD

Called the vet, she said she didnt think it was mouse or rat poison because there were no bruises on her skin or gums....


If there were internal bleeding, wouldnt that show up as fluid in the intestinal tract on an xray though?

no, bleeding doesn't show on an xray. did the vet check the "black" stool for blood.

[TaraM1285]

Did they run a fecal? Black & tarry feces and anemia are signs of hookworms...

[PatchonGSD]

No, they didnt do a fecal or check for the blood. The vet didnt feel that it was a parasite based on her overall body condition. I assume that because she hasnt eaten anything that could change the stool like that such as liver, they know that there must have been some blood.

The more I think about though, the less it really makes sense. I'll definitely be calling back in the morning with more questions. Hopefully the bloodwork will provide some answers.....but on the other hand I hope it all comes back normal, and that wouldnt answer anything.


She is doing pretty good right now. She just ate and drank some water. She isnt her normal "bright" self, but she sure looks better now than she earlier. IDK......

[sparra]

I can't believe you have to wait 24hrs for blood work.......crazy!!!
Bloods will tell you straight away if it's infection, anemia etc.
First thing I thought of was rat bait.....not sure what the vet is going on about regarding bruising etc......
Sounds like she is feeling better.......hoping you get some answers soon.

[Saphire]

My vet has to send out blood work. It's picked up at 11am daily and is back by 6pm. If the vet is in the clinic he will call you with results, if not he calls first thing in the morning so I do see the almost 24 hours for some vets, mostly rural I am guessing.

[More Ball! says Jake]

My first thought was IMHA. Pale/white gums and black tarry stools are two symptoms. Is her pee also orange or discolored? Is she breathing heavy? Has she been recently vaccinated? Gotten into poison or eaten something she shouldn't have (onions, etc.)? Had a tick on her? Will keep my fingers crossed it's just some weird illness and the antibiotics will clear it up.

[PatchonGSD]

Originally Posted by sparra

I can't believe you have to wait 24hrs for blood work.......crazy!!!
Bloods will tell you straight away if it's infection, anemia etc.
First thing I thought of was rat bait.....not sure what the vet is going on about regarding bruising etc......
Sounds like she is feeling better.......hoping you get some answers soon.

Ya I know....I hate the waiting. The vet explained to me that bait poison is an anti coagulant and that if she had ingested it, she would have bled under her skin and gums with as much as we handled her.

Originally Posted by More Ball! says Jake

My first thought was IMHA. Pale/white gums and black tarry stools are two symptoms. Is her pee also orange or discolored? Is she breathing heavy? Has she been recently vaccinated? Gotten into poison or eaten something she shouldn't have (onions, etc.)? Had a tick on her? Will keep my fingers crossed it's just some weird illness and the antibiotics will clear it up.

What is IMHA? Pee looks normal that I can tell. Its been hard to catch her doing it up close with the toddler to chase around and no to all the other questions....at least not that I know of. I guess it could still be the beginnings of pyometra, and I'm hoping and praying the antibiotics work.

[Cstout]

I dont know much, if anything about dog diseases. But, I will share a scary story about my pup with you. At about 4 months old he started acting weak one morning, i thought nothing of it, figured I overexercised him or something. Next day he could barely walk. He acted like his back legs were paralyzed, he peed on himself. When he came to me at 8 weeks, I dont think he ever peed in his crate once. So, him peeing on himself made me sure something was wrong. He wouldnt eat, wouldnt walk, he was breathing very shallow, his eyes and nose were runny. I was very scared. We brought him in and he had a temp of 104. The vet honestly thought he had distemper. We did all the tests we could afford, but couldnt get a diagnosis. The blloodwork only showed that he was sick (anemic). We were at a loss of what to do, the vet said we should try antibiotics and pain meds just to see how he reacts. So, we did IV antibiotics at the vet, brought him home, gave him his antibiotics and pain meds and within 3 days he was completely back to normal. Today he is 9 months old and healthy as a horse. I still have no clue what was going on with him, but it all turned out okay. I hope everything works out for you too. Having your dog sick and not able to fix it breaks your heart, I know.

[More Ball! says Jake]

Sorry -I'm so used to talking to everyone on the IMHA list that I forget not everyone knows what it means. It's immune mediated hemolytic anemia. Our Sheba developed it when she was 11. When you get the results of the blood tests tomorrow I would be curious to know what her PCV or HCT results are. If it is anemia your vet should be able to tell based on these numbers. Since it sounds like her urine is normal and if she is eating and drinking normally, it might just be an infection. Will keep my fingers crossed that she starts to feel better now that she's on meds.