[Sithumya17]

Hi guys am inquiring bout a few concerns about my pup I've found recently

So the first is a change in appetite... He was always a very hungry pup Ate food very well no issues with feeding at all but recently maybe 3-4 days he seems to not have an appetite... Actually its more like he wants food(he comes at usual time near the kitchen asking for his meal) but when we give it he doesn't want to eat or eats veryy slowly and a less amount..
Also we have noticed he seems to cough while eating as if its hard to swallow or something has got stuck... (Sorry I don't know how to explain it properly in English) I also noticed a slight fever on him so perhaps that's what causing the appetite change?
In any case we give his meal on a small table to assist his neck but is this symptoms of some serious illness...?

My second concern is a slight limp in his front paw... He's a very active pup he runs and jumps around no matter how hard we try to stop him but usually if he slips or anything he'll limp a bit and it'll be fine again but this limp has been there for a couple days... Its not pronounced He's not in pain either just a slight limp...

Also I will be visiting the Vet in 2-3 days so I won't use advice here to substitute for professional treatment It just doesn't seem to be an emergency cause he is still eating and being active but there is a slight change in behaviour

I am just wondering if these are symptoms of a serious GSD illness they are prone to... Thxx in advance ?

 

[Jchrest]

Dogs (and puppies) rarely show pain. It’s instinct to try to mask it because they would be either killed or abandoned in the wild for illness, disease, distress. A good sign that he is in fact in pain is the loss of appetite. . He could have fractured something, causing the limp. Is he holding his paw up frequently? The pain could also be a sign of something else, like kennel cough or viral/respiratory issue. Has he been fully vaccinated? Perhaps a case of Pano? Just throwing options out there.

As for the food, if they are very small pieces of kibble, they sometimes inhale them instead of chewing like they do the rest. Seiran is on a large breed formula, but the pieces are tiny, and she does the accidental inhale every once in a while. She hacks it back out and continues eating.

Are you relying on touch for a fever? Dogs temps run higher than humans, and often feel feverish if you’re comparing it to a humans fever.

Good luck, let the vet know everything you’ve posted here, and let us know how it goes.

 

[CometDog]

Make sure you vet is aware of mega esophagus in the breed. Please do not panic and think it is that! BUT it is important to be thorough and not all vets are familiar with GSDs and some of their more prevalent conditions.

As for the front leg, he is prime age for Pano. Very common in the breed and it does pass. Best to have vet check for injury of course, but if it is common pano it will resolve. Is it transient from leg to leg, or always same leg?

 

[Sithumya17]

Dogs (and puppies) rarely show pain. It’s instinct to try to mask it because they would be either killed or abandoned in the wild for illness, disease, distress. A good sign that he is in fact in pain is the loss of appetite. . He could have fractured something, causing the limp. Is he holding his paw up frequently? The pain could also be a sign of something else, like kennel cough or viral/respiratory issue. Has he been fully vaccinated? Perhaps a case of Pano? Just throwing options out there.

As for the food, if they are very small pieces of kibble, they sometimes inhale them instead of chewing like they do the rest. Seiran is on a large breed formula, but the pieces are tiny, and she does the accidental inhale every once in a while. She hacks it back out and continues eating.

Are you relying on touch for a fever? Dogs temps run higher than humans, and often feel feverish if you’re comparing it to a humans fever.

Good luck, let the vet know everything you’ve posted here, and let us know how it goes.

Hi thx for the reply ?
He isn't holding up his paw but it is slightly visible when he is walking or running... In fact it looks as if he stumbles a bit... He is fully vaccinated but I will admit I am not aware of symptoms of the serious GSD illnesses I did research online so I believe Pano is likely?? I just wish to know cause am afraid of the Vet brushing it off as something simple when it could be something serious...I will look into the other diseases u mentioned and inquire from the Vet

As for the food so far he had been eating well with no issue but the coughing /hacking started recently so am not sure if its cause he's feeling unwell or something else...

As for the fever Yes initially (when he was younger) I assumed it was fever by comparing to us but am pretty sure he's actually running a fever this time His tounge feels hot and he pants a lot after even small play

I will update the thread with his condition I pray its not something serious I cant bare to see another dog especially one so young suffer...
He was actually looking and behaving better than yesterday We gave him food in small amnts and he ate well He didn't feel so hot either The limp was still slightly visible I will wait another day and take him to the Vet soon
Thx again ?

 

[Sithumya17]

Make sure you vet is aware of mega esophagus in the breed. Please do not panic and think it is that! BUT it is important to be thorough and not all vets are familiar with GSDs and some of their more prevalent conditions.

As for the front leg, he is prime age for Pano. Very common in the breed and it does pass. Best to have vet check for injury of course, but if it is common pano it will resolve. Is it transient from leg to leg, or always same leg?

Yes that's what am afraid of it being a serious gsd illness like those... I am aware they are at the prone age to it so if that's the case I really hope the Vet catches on quickly and treats my pup ?
What kind of tests would I need to do for those?
The leg... I believe its the front left paw showing weakness but the thing is earlier he used to limp slightly from other paws too wenever he had a 'accident' as mentioned above (Ofc these are not frequent but am not sure if it might be Pano or just a sprain in the paw)
In any case I will do more research and make aware the Vet thx ?

 

[Chuck94!]

I believe you need x-rays to confirm a Pano diagnosis

 

[CometDog]

I know 2 dogs with Mega E that lead normal lives, they have it mild. Your pup probably doesn't have it! But,with the coughing, and if eating elevated relieves it, it is worth discussing with your vet when you go in two day. I honestly am not sure about tests.. see if your vet says it is worth checking for. Is he consistently coughing when he eats? Any vomiting?

 

[LuvShepherds]

I believe you need x-rays to confirm a Pano diagnosis

You don’t. It doesn’t even show up on X-rays until the dog has had it for a while. Squeeze the long bone. If the dog groans, it could be pano. If it ends in one leg and moves to another, it could be pano. Xrays are not usually necessary.

 

[Chuck94!]

You don’t. It doesn’t even show up on X-rays until the dog has had it for a while. Squeeze the long bone. If the dog groans, it could be pano. If it ends in one leg and moves to another, it could be pano. Xrays are not usually necessary.

X-Rays are how we found out Rollo had it a while back. But I guess there are multiple ways

 

[LuvShepherds]

X-Rays are how we found out Rollo had it a while back. But I guess there are multiple ways

Yes, but was it absolutely necessary? I spent a lot I didn’t need to spend on X-rays. My first vet diagnosed pano based on a physical exam. We switched vets and the limping was worse, so the new vet insisted on X-ays and came back with the same diagnosis, not based on xrays because he was so young there weren’t a lot of markings but based on a visual and physical exam. A vet who has seen enough pano can tell without an X-ray.

 

[Chuck94!]

Yes, but was it absolutely necessary? I spent a lot I didn’t need to spend on X-rays. My first vet diagnosed pano based on a physical exam. We switched vets and the limping was worse, so the new vet insisted on X-ays and came back with the same diagnosis, not based on xrays because he was so young there weren’t a lot of markings but based on a visual and physical exam. A vet who has seen enough pano can tell without an X-ray.

I don't know if it was absolutely necessary, probably not as you said there are other ways. The vet wanted to do x-rays and we did, the cost was not an issue, and they confirmed Pano and gave Rollo his medicine. Everything was healed shortly after and was great.

 

[LuvShepherds]

You are lucky. Mine had pano from 4-18 months. Then it vanished.

 

[Chuck94!]

I'm sorry to hear that! That's 14 long months

 

[Sithumya17]

Hi guys am updating on my pup's condition We took him to the Vet today (Mom made this gigantic mistake of feeding him too early before travelling so he was a constant vomiting mess) I was really worried tbh... Actually we took him for ear taping as well and ofc for his behaviour and appetite changes... Doc checked him and said he had some gas accumulation (I believe that's what he meant) and a slight fever We were advised to monitor him for a few more days If he continues to lose appetite or anything else we'll get a blood report and some other tests cause he said Tick fever might be a possibility but I think he'll recover fine He weighed around 61lbs si I believe that's fine..? Will update again with developments ?

 

[CometDog]

Thanks for updating! My 6.5 month old is in the low 60s. He could be a 1lb or 2 lighter to be honest. Why did they tape his ears? They look proper in your avatar, and they can go up and down. Unless thre was an ear injury?

I would say really keep an eye on the eating and gastro issues. keep a diary of what and when he ate, if he coughed, if he got sick, what his stools looked like.

Just purely for the sake of knowing- things that can target our breed that are eating/digestive system related:

Mega E - signs are usually coughing while eating, seeming to have trouble, and frequent vomiting.
Bloat - gassiness, burping a lot, foul smelling burps. Walking around in distress trying to produce vomit. Can cause torsion which is an emergency. It has a "look" which is worth researching on youtube so you know what it looks like.
EPI- pancreatic insufficiency. Despite healthy eating dog can not keep on weight, is inexplicably thin, has greasy stools.

These are things that all GSD owners can benefit from reading up on.

What do you use for tick prevention? (sorry if you already said)

Did the vet do a stool sample to check for parasites and things like Giardia and Coccidia?

Sorry for the interrogation but it is worth being thorough.

 

[Sithumya17]

Thanks for updating! My 6.5 month old is in the low 60s. He could be a 1lb or 2 lighter to be honest. Why did they tape his ears? They look proper in your avatar, and they can go up and down. Unless thre was an ear injury?

I would say really keep an eye on the eating and gastro issues. keep a diary of what and when he ate, if he coughed, if he got sick, what his stools looked like.

Just purely for the sake of knowing- things that can target our breed that are eating/digestive system related:

Mega E - signs are usually coughing while eating, seeming to have trouble, and frequent vomiting.
Bloat - gassiness, burping a lot, foul smelling burps. Walking around in distress trying to produce vomit. Can cause torsion which is an emergency. It has a "look" which is worth researching on youtube so you know what it looks like.
EPI- pancreatic insufficiency. Despite healthy eating dog can not keep on weight, is inexplicably thin, has greasy stools.

These are things that all GSD owners can benefit from reading up on.

What do you use for tick prevention? (sorry if you already said)

Did the vet do a stool sample to check for parasites and things like Giardia and Coccidia?

Sorry for the interrogation but it is worth being thorough.

Thx so much for the really informative post!
I have researched on these diseases but since we don't actually have experience with them as u mentioned it's very important to be aware of the Gsd health risks and be extra vigilant since its not easy to differentiate between been generally unwell and having a serious illness
The Vet didn't take a stool sample but his poop has been normal but we will take one if his condition gets worse For now it seems as he's getting better He ate normally yesterday although we reduced the amount So we'll wait a bit and see his condition

As for tick prevention... When he came to us he had a lot of ticks was scratching like crazy so around 3 mos Vet gave a tablet (Its a very commonly given chocolate like thing for all dogs here) Which he said should be good enough for tick prevention for upto 6 mos. It worked really well No scratching or anything for upto now. I only noticed a single tick a couple days ago but maybe I'll switch to a tick resistant shampoo from his regular one if doc recommends it ?

We had to tape his ears cause he's already 7mos and after 5mos(He finished teething at exactly the 5mos mark) One of his ears went down and stayed down... We didn't want to miss the mark so we took him to a well known Vet to get it done properly Even got him a cone lol but surprisingly he's not bothered by it too much Anyways we were instructed how to redo it so fingers crossed that it helps!

Ps: Do u know what could have caused gas accumulation in his stomach? Vet wasn't specific about it just that he should probably get better now...

I'll continue to update the thread ?

 

[CometDog]

Glad to hear he is doing better! What kind of tick tablet is that? Im asking purely out of curiously since it lasts 6 months. We have Bravecto here which lasts 3 months and a big deal was made over that

I'm sure there could be a lot of factors for the gas accumulation. Diet, maybe stress, a tummy bug, or a genetic anatomical propensity towards it. There are pages and pages of debate over it.

It sounds like you are very in tune to your dog's health and are paying great attention to details, and you are researching and learning about what to look out for. That is a big important factor towards keeping a dog healthy. Keep us posted!

 

[Kyrielle]

Ps: Do u know what could have caused gas accumulation in his stomach? Vet wasn't specific about it just that he should probably get better now...

Probably eating too fast or inhaling while eating. Does he ever burp after eating/drinking? If he did and he stopped, that might be why there was a gas build up.

 

[Sithumya17]

Glad to hear he is doing better! What kind of tick tablet is that? Im asking purely out of curiously since it lasts 6 months. We have Bravecto here which lasts 3 months and a big deal was made over that /forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

I'm sure there could be a lot of factors for the gas accumulation. Diet, maybe stress, a tummy bug, or a genetic anatomical propensity towards it. There are pages and pages of debate over it.

It sounds like you are very in tune to your dog's health and are paying great attention to details, and you are researching and learning about what to look out for. That is a big important factor towards keeping a dog healthy. /forum/images/smilies/smile.gif Keep us posted!

Thx... It is true I am perhaps overly concerned about this pup but I have reason for being so... I lost my Gsd girl about 6 mos ago I thought she lived a happy life but now I realise there are many things we should have been aware of If we had been more aware am sure she would have lived a longer and more comfortable life which is why I want to raise this pup to the best of our capabilities...
Am sorry but I don't remember the name of the tablet but I shall find out next time I visit the Vet ?

 

[Sithumya17]

Ps: Do u know what could have caused gas accumulation in his stomach? Vet wasn't specific about it just that he should probably get better now...

Probably eating too fast or inhaling while eating. Does he ever burp after eating/drinking? If he did and he stopped, that might be why there was a gas build up.

Yes before going to the Vet I did notice him burping after eating but it stopped after coming back