[JanH]

Just over a month ago I'd had a rough weekend here with dogs vomiting and upset; had two spend the night at the vets and one died dispite fluids etc; the only thing found was hookworms.
EVERYONE got 3 days of Safeguard treatments. I've also had my fox terrier (show prospect), a border collie and my skinny dog I'm trying to get weight on all on a flea pill (new one the vet recommended). Then a couple weeks later hit 'em again.
All has been well - until this morning my fox terrier didn't wake up.

:.-( He was my shadow...and was fine yesterday but did find (after the fact) a spot he'd vomited last night. He'd come up to sleep by me and at 6 this morning was gone. Now there's 6 vomiting again just like before. I've started everyone on another round of Safeguard - the vet isn't available (as in no one answering the phone)

I've never in 40 years of being around dogs had this much trouble. They'd been on Ivomec which doesn't get hooks - but has anyone got a better way? Losing Hatter is killin' me - and over the last 5 hours one more gets sick, then another, then another.
??

 

[gagsd]

I have no idea what it could be but it really does not sound like hooks. I'd highly recommend bloodwork to check kidney function if you have not done so already.
Best wishes,
Mary

 

[Dannay]

That's very very strange that all your dogs are getting sick at once. Could they be getting poisoned/into something outside? A contaminated food/water source?

 

[LuvourGSDs]

Oh my.....................

I can't even imagine what your going though & I'm so sorry you are going though this & for your losses.

I have just asked about using Ivomec on a post about HW's & worrying about using this method, because of not killing everything.

Please let us if anything learn from your case & if you find the issue.....flea med, ect................PLEASE share !

I'm once again so truely sorry for what you are going though & I sure hope the others will be ok !

 

[gagsd]

BTW, did you recently buy a new bottle of Ivomec?
I bought one last year and accidently ended up with Ivomec Plus. Lucky I caught it because it is deadly to dogs. The bottle looks much the same as the regular Ivomec and I can see how someone could use it inadvertently.
Mary

 

[MiasMom]

Originally Posted By: DannayThat's very very strange that all your dogs are getting sick at once. Could they be getting poisoned/into something outside? A contaminated food/water source?

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Just as a precaution--didn't you have some issues a while back with your neighbors--teaching their dogs to be aggressive? When I looked back, I saw someone else on the forum mentioned being careful with "treats" getting possibly tossed over the fence, since these neighbors weren't cooperative about any suggestion regarding their dogs. I would hope they aren't the type of people who would do something to your dogs, but to err on the side of safety, I would check my yard over again.

 

[melonyjhsn]

Hookworms are not your problem. I'm so sorry to hear that this is happening to you!

Do double check the ivomec and make sure you have the right kind. Also check your food and I'd toss the current food and replace it just to be safe. Then check your yard and see if your neighbors are not doing something to cause this.

Everyone getting sick at once is a dead give away that they are being exposed to something toxic. Hope you find it soon. Hang in there girl.

 

[JanH]

Well I thought it was the food last month and was assured it was not. I'd just opened a new bag and suffice to say Bella vomited much more than I saw her eat.

I haven't gotten any new Ivomec but that's good to know. I did think the neighbors might have followed through - except Hatter (the fox terrier) was not allowed anywhere near the fence...when he was out back he was on a chain on the back porch so he couldn't get over there. Bella was on it last night and got sick outside.
Abby - BC - sick but then went back to eating unphased
Fly - BC - was in intensive care last month; was a little woozy; vomited up some pink flem looking stuff; seems to have stabalized; *did* call the vets office again and haven't heard back.
Bug - 3/4 BC - (the "crinkle dog" posted here a while back) - sick but ok now.
Bruiser - oldest BC/heeler - vomited twice, ok
Jim - BC - vomited several times - seems ok now

But 6 others ate the same food and did not get sick; and have been in the yard. I've not found anything amiss in the yard. Because of the situation with the neighbors the dogs go out - with me standing there and do their business then either come in or come to the deck to be confined.

Jim has a serious weight issue - I took him in (first) in Feb. when Bug had the crinkly skin, as I could find no reason for him to not be gaining weight. He had been wormed with Ivomec (bottle purchased last year) (and yes I understand with collies/shelties/BC it's a risk); I took him in for complete blood workup and exam. He is not ill acting - but rail skinny. Liver and all was fine; he did test for hook and whipworms (was treated there at the clinic); had some fleas (got a pill there at the clinic). The only thing it showed was - slightly strange cell count. Not enough that the vet thought it was something wrong - just odd. So his organs are fine. Had started using BARF to tempt him to eat - he's eating both that and kibble - until he started vomiting this morning. I hide him - literally - as he's so thin but I can't get weight on him.

A few days later the 2 got sick - rushed them in and they were given fluids and meds for hook/whips - Freckles died the next morning; Fly recovered. Had several getting ill.
At this point *EVERYONE* got a 3 day treatment of Safeguard and I was adviced Ivomec gets everything except hooks and whips. Everyone recovered, was assured there was no issues with the feed.

Have fed another bag or two without problems. Opened a new bag yesterday - and have more issues.
I've thought things aren't adding up too but when there wasn't more issues and figuring get new parasites I dosed again a couple weeks later anyone that was even the slightest bit ribby...3 dogs. No problems - until Hatter died sleeping by me. Then this morning the above started getting sick. I'm done with this feed - no more. It might not be the food - since several didn't get sick - but at this point I'm done. Losing two in just over a month and having my other half mad 'cause the dogs are getting sick - not worth it. But it seems like there is no solution - that it's random and that's somehow worse.

The only water Hatter drank was in the house - others are drinking the same water as well as outside water.

 

[JanH]

I just lost Fly too. :.-(
Can't deal with anything right now.

 

[LuvourGSDs]

Oh, I'm so, so, so sorry.

This really stumps me.

 

[arycrest]

I'm so sorry for your losses. I can't imagine the heartbreak you're going thru.

I agree it sounds like they're getting into something poisonous. Wish I could help you.

Just to cover all the bases, could your dogs be MDR1 mutant or be getting a larger doseage of Ivermectin than they should have?
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-vcpl/
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/univ...inOverdose.html
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/ivermectin-toxicity/page1.aspx

Good luck and I pray you find out what is causing the problem.

 

[BowWowMeow]

This is awful! I am so sorry. This is just heartbreaking.

I'm sure the worms aren't killing them and giving them those high doses of all that stuff is not going to help a sick dog. It's poison on top of poison.

What are you feeding? Outside water--could that be the issue?

 

[gagsd]

We had a case a few years ago. The family had 5 dogs and brought in a new 7 week pup. The older dogs (oldest was 3years) started getting sick. 2 died.
The family had never vaccinated their dogs. Apparently the puppy had been exposed to parvo but still had mother's antibodies to protect it. The older dogs did not. All 5 tested positive for parvo
Mary

 

[arycrest]

Originally Posted By: BowWowMeow...
What are you feeding? Outside water--could that be the issue?

Ruth's question got me to thinking.

Could your supplier be accidently selling food that should have been in that huge recall for the food contaminated by the Chinese melamine?

IMHO you should take a sample of the food and have it anaylzed - it could be a small scale problem with the dog food manufacturer like a toxin of some type.

Have you thought about calling the Health Department and asking them to inspect your house/yard/water to see if they can find anything unusual?

Plants? Anything on the list of toxic plants in your yard?

 

[JanH]

Thanks for the responses...to be clear, none of the dogs have had Ivomec for about 2 months. They were wormed last month per vet orders with safeguard.

As for the food...I did some checking as to the manufacturer of the dog food - since both times was a fresh bag of dog food doing it...found that it's made by a company here in AL that *DID* have products recalled in last year's melamine fiasco...supposedly not dog food. But why when they eat do they swell up lilke pregnant...and 3 in a month die. But then others are unaffected. I was assured last month by the vet and the feed store there was no way anything could be wrong with the feed...I no longer believe that. I also no longer believe any claims of any dog food marketer.

The only plants in the yard are a few oak trees - it's pretty bare so no plants they can get to, no water they can have contaminated; have been here 2 months and never use rat poison because of the dogs and because with dogs and cats we don't need to...mice don't stand a chance.

All are being switched over to human grade food. The unopened bag of food will be taken back to the co-op.. I'll never use it again. It's Hunters Special Performance.
http://www.sunshinemills.com/?na=true&type=page&page=sitemap

Their recall was for biscuits http://www.sunshinemills.com/press_release.html - I didn't know until yesterday they manufactured the Hunter's Special. They're talking hundreds of millions of $$ profit.
I can't prove anything - but I know the way my dogs looked after eating the other day; and there is little that makes sense about two healthy dogs bouncing through the house that are dead within a day of eating it. None are allowed unsupervised in the yard due to the neighbors.
I can't confirm or clear the food or the neighbors...and it doesn't change losing my dogs :.-( They were cremated today. The rest of the household is out of balance.

 

[EastGSD]

Jan I am so sorry, this must be so awful for you

Many hugs sent your way.

I do want to say that I do not think this is a food issue. This seems like some type of toxin reaction...while it *could* be an alflatoxin reaction something tells me this is something else in the environment. You mentioned above that one of the dogs had a funky blood value on a test? What was that test and what was the level?

What medications have the dogs had in the last week? I am looking and it looks like flea pills? (which one?) safeguard and anything else?

You mentioned a number of dogs with weight issues and illness earlier in the year as well.... this seems connected to me in some way.

What does your veterinarian think about all of this?

Hang in there Jan, I really hope you are able to figure this out.

Cherri

 

[srfd44-2]

Was a necropsy done on the dogs ? I am so sorry for your losses. My heart breaks for you. I am so sorry.

 

[JanH]

No necropsy; no medications in the last week. Flea pills were the beginning of March; Safeguard early March then for some (not all) again a couple weeks later so mid March.
The main one with the weight issue is one border collie - the one the tests ran of. I need to get a printout of what exactly was on that - the vet was not too concerned with it.
There was a couple that were a little leaner (not skinny) than I'd like to see them.

As for illnesses - Bug's skin issue and Jim's weight were the only ones serious enough for a trip to the vet before this last month. Jim was tested for basicly everything - thyroid, pancreas, liver, etc.
When the whole thing happened last year with the recall I put Hatter on a BARF diet as taking no chances. I can't help but think he'd be alive if I'd not switched to the 'safe' kibble a couple months ago.
Everyone's being switched over now...might not be perfectly but it's better than trying the food one more time and losing more.

And it's not counting the rescued walker hound that died that we attributed to age...he had no access to anything the others did except for the same feed. He ate a bowl of food in the afternoon - was normal then and went to sleep and didn't wake up. I was figuring he was 9-10 and he'd had a hard life before. Now I wonder. He was kept on the front deck - no access to the back yard where Fly and Freckles (and the other sickies) were. We buried Rem in the side yard.

Just too many problems...for so little time outside and such supervised time inside and out it doesn't make sense. Most of the dogs are with me literally all the time...they lay here in the office with me, some run errands with me; the only time I leave them they are in their crates.
It may not be the food - but these problems were not there when I used Pedigree (many don't like it) or other brands. I have lost faith in all commercial dog food - when there is $$ to be made I don't feel they have the dog's best interest at heart.

As for Jim - I don't know what else to do with him but BARF/raw. I can't get weight on him - there's nothing "wrong" with him that rings any bells other than a few fleas and + for hookworms/whipworms, which was taken care of. He, still, has not gained weight substantially in the last month; appetitie isn't the greatest unless it comes to real food. The vet cautioned against RAW/BARF diet - said cook bland stuff.

Fleas are an issue here no matter what I use to dust the yard and bedding...and am not convinced medicines work. I've tried several kinds and the only way Hatter was comfortable is regular baths with Dawn or, more recently, tea tree oil shampoo - both recommended to get rid of fleas. The problem wasn't as much in the winter but have bug bombed, flea dipped, sprinkled and all the house and bedding as much as I dare.
I've had it recommended to use DE and garlic...and at this point there's nothing left to do but try. But fleas didn't kill these guys.

I don't know what else to do - the randomness of it doesn't make sense. Nothing is quite right without Fly and Hatter here. He wasn't just a show dog prospect - he was a shadow. Whether he'd have ever gotten his CH did not matter to me at all, although he probably would have. He didn't get in the yard unsupervised; he was either on the back deck, in his crate or at my feet. What he had access to is what I fed him. Fly was allowed a little more outside time but normally she'd go pee and potty then come bark to come in...wanting to be with me.

We've been here 2 years and never buy mouse/rat bait. The cats have far more access to roaming until the last couple weeks they've been confined - and they're fine. Nothing makes sense about it.

 

[Dogrunner]

I'm so sorry..it's so heartbreaking. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

 

[LuvourGSDs]

I'm still feeling your pain & so, so sorry.

If you ever figure out the cause, please share. This really makes me wonder, so very sad.

My thoughts are with you......