# Puppy lethargic and difficulty swallowing...please help!



## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

Hi all
My pup's been very lethargic since yesterday morning. We came back from our play session and he fell asleep, which is what he normally does after a play session, so at first I didn't notice anything. But then usually at around 4mp or 5mp he would get up and start playing again, but yesterday he didn't and just kept on sleeping. So at first I thought maybe its because it's so hot... but evening went on and it cooled down, and still Logan was just lying there. I can see he's not feeling well and he's having difficulty swallowing and he's salivating a bit, which I think is because of the difficulty swallowing. He's breath has a fowl smell. Any ideas what this could be? I'm very concerned and what bothers me most is I've not seen him drink water since yesterday morning which is also very unlike him cause he loves his water and usually drinks a lot. I'm thinking of taking him to the vet today. He ate fine last night, which is good....not as enthusiastic as always, but he finished everything...
Has anyone experienced similar symptoms with their dogs or any idea what it could be?


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

go to the Vet.


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

Sounds like a vet visit is in order. Especially if you haven't noticed him drinking water, has he done his business recently? If he's having difficulty eating and not drinking or going to the bathroom I'd be concerned about a blockage.


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

Please take him to the vet ASAP! I would say he has gotten into something. Hopefully it's nothing too terrible; but worse case is he needs to have fluids to help flush out his system. I don't want to worry or alarm you; but the breath being smelly is a sign of kidney issues. All of the symptoms you are describing "could" be kidney related. 
Please keep us updated. We are keeping you in our thoughts!


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

catahoulamom said:


> Sounds like a vet visit is in order. Especially if you haven't noticed him drinking water, has he done his business recently? If he's having difficulty eating and not drinking or going to the bathroom I'd be concerned about a blockage.


He wee'd this morning, very long one but didn't seem uncomfortable. Last nr.2 was yesterday morning.


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

Khan said:


> Please take him to the vet ASAP! I would say he has gotten into something. Hopefully it's nothing too terrible; but worse case is he needs to have fluids to help flush out his system. I don't want to worry or alarm you; but the breath being smelly is a sign of kidney issues. All of the symptoms you are describing "could" be kidney related.
> Please keep us updated. We are keeping you in our thoughts!


He's so young still, could he really be having kidney issues already? I'm definitely going to vet - will let you know how it went.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

I would take him to the vet now.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Get into the vet and offer him some broth to keep him hydrating and get some nutrients into him until you can get him in. Something may just be stuck or he may have eaten a stick of something and it is lodged funny. Don't take a chance. Call and fluids until you get in. Liver broth or homemade chicken broth. Vet


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

woganvonderweidenstrasse said:


> He's so young still, could he really be having kidney issues already? I'm definitely going to vet - will let you know how it went.


If he's gotten into something toxic then he could be having acute kidney issues. If you catch it early its usually just a matter of flushing his system. We had to do that with Shelby. 3 days of subcu fluids and she's had no other issues. My insistence on bloodwork for her is what led to the findings so quickly


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Are you sure he doesn't have something lodged in his throat? How are his gums, tongue and are the whites of his eye white? 
My littlest had a huge wad of grass in her throat once and she was acting like that. I made her throw up and she was fine. 
Just something to check while you wit to get to the vet.


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

Liz said:


> Are you sure he doesn't have something lodged in his throat? How are his gums, tongue and are the whites of his eye white?
> My littlest had a huge wad of grass in her throat once and she was acting like that. I made her throw up and she was fine.
> Just something to check while you wit to get to the vet.


I can only get in at 10am - it is now 07:17am in SA. I can't see anything in his throat. Gums and tongue seem a bit more pale than usual. whites of eye is white. 

I just fed him a small amount of beef and he drank the bloody water, also ate an egg - so his appetite seems ok. Although he wouldn't get up to eat I had to take the food to him and he ate lying down.

Two things are going through my mind that I might have done wrong; 1. the kidney he ate yesterday smelled slightly off.... 2. Yesterday morning we had or play session after I fed him. We waited a while..but maybe didn't wait long enough? Don't know if any of these could have anything to do with it?


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Has he gotten any vaccines or meds lately?


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

Liz said:


> Has he gotten any vaccines or meds lately?


 No last one was about 2 months ago


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

He worries me. Watch him like a hawk. Try to get more fluids periodically into him until you can get him into the vet. Please let us know how he is. I wish I could help but there are so many things it can be and it has already been a day or I would tell you to give some peroxide but it has been so long.


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

Just returned from vet. She took an x-ray and found his tummy is full of gass. She says he must've eaten something containing gass producing bacteria and gave him 3 days anitbiotic + a probiotic and put him on a diet of cooked chicken and rice.
He's still looking very lethargic, but I managed to get some fluids into him with the broth (thanks Liz). He still wont drink water but is eating fine. He just made a number 2 and it was firm (maybe too hard). And I saw something that looked like bread dough (curry colour yellow with grainy texture)....but I could be wrong. He's now started limping (don't know if its coincidence) and seems slightly off balance when he gets up. His breath smells really bad, but he seems to be swallowing easier than before. I hope I'm wrong but I have an uneasy feeling its something more serious than gas. The vet said to keep a close eye and phone her this afternoon with an update. If he does not improve or gets worse we must take him back.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

did they do any blood test? If not I would call and ask for one, If you are struggling to get him to drink take some blood from some meat and mix it in with 1/2 of cup of water at a time, this gets mine drinking.


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

Rvent said:


> did they do any blood test? If not I would call and ask for one, If you are struggling to get him to drink take some blood from some meat and mix it in with 1/2 of cup of water at a time, this gets mine drinking.


I'm not sure. She took blood from the ear so I assume she did one, but did not say anything about results. I suppose it takes some time? I contacted the breeder as well -figured maybe she know something about diseases common among German Shepherds. She says it might be growing pains or panosteitis (long bone disease in large breed dogs). I read up on it a bit and the symptoms match those I'm seeing with Logan;
" It manifests with sudden, otherwise unexplained pain and lameness sometimes shifting from leg to leg, usually between 5 and 14 months of age.(Logan is now 5 months, 3 weeks) Signs such as fever and weight loss, and symptoms such as anorexia, and lethargy can also be seen. The cause is unknown, but genetics, stress, infection, metabolism, or an autoimmune component may be factors. It has also been suggested that rapid growth and high-protein food are involved in the pathogenesis."
She then went on to say if this is the case I must switch him to a low protein food? She knows I feed raw.

It does not explain his bad breath and not drinking water though...

Sorry..I remember now, she took the blood sample to test his white blood cell count and saw that it was up. His temp was 39.5.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

I would call and ask the vet if they did a blood panel, this is important.. they can tell if there is a problem with some of the organs like the kidney's, if they didn't I would take him back to have one done. Is his bad breath all of a sudden? it could be as simple as a peice of meat stuck in his teeth or something more serious.


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

Rvent said:


> I would call and ask the vet if they did a blood panel, this is important.. they can tell if there is a problem with some of the organs like the kidney's, if they didn't I would take him back to have one done. Is his bad breath all of a sudden? it could be as simple as a peice of meat stuck in his teeth or something more serious.


Since this morning I could smell bad breath. I will speak to vet about blood work.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Is it possible he ate some grass that had been poisoned or sprayed?


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

whiteleo said:


> Is it possible he ate some grass that had been poisoned or sprayed?


very unlikely, and I think he will have been vomiting then?


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Please check bloodwork. I would also keep offering broth to keep him hydrated. I wouldn't change from raw as most meat is 18-22 percent protein which is rather on the low side. I am glad he is eating. There are things you can give for the pano I would just love if you could rule out and issues with his liver or kidneys and then you can address the pano. Please post what the vet says. Keep an eye on those gums and tongue. His lethargy is worrisome.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

i'm starting to think you need a second opinion immediately.


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

Great news..he's drinking!...he's drinking water and does not seem to have a problem swallowing anymore. Still lethargic and lame, limping and seems to be very stiff. But his tale is wagging and he's looking better than he did the previous 36 hours. I'm almost 100% sure its panoteitis - the symptoms match exactly. Liz I will arrange to get the bloodwork done to rule out anything else. Thank you all for your input, will keep this thread updated.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

So glad to hear he's doing a bit better. I read that Pano normally goes away on it's own after it's run it course, which is good news.
And, I have to say that it was so lovely to see all the suggestions and help offered, that's what I love about this forum.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

I am glad he is doing better. I will get my info on pano out but do post about the pano. Keep him quiet and not much exercise and keep an eye on those gums.


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

I'm glad you were able to get to the vet. I am with Liz on getting the bloodwork even if its just to rule out any problems with the liver or kidney. If his gums were that pale he may have had some damage to either that could easily be repaired with a little help. Hate to keep dwelling on it; but after dealing with Shelby and sine October I've been giving Bonzi subcu fluids to manage his kidney failure. I would hate for something as manageable as this to cause him any harm. 
I hope he continues to improve and this soon is just a memory!


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

Thank you everyone for all your support and suggestions. Logan is doing SOOO much better this morning - he is again playing with his ball and nibbling my hand - he is still a bit stiff, but moving around a bit faster than before so I think he is definitely recovering.


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

Here is a bit more info on Pano, if anyone is interested. From a working line GSD breeder who also feeds raw:
Leerburg | Panosteitis or PANO


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

I want to start giving him some chicken feet for the glucosamine and chondroitin(for joint support). He's never had it before, how much should I give him?


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Everyone here loves chicken feet. My teen pups get four to six per day then it is just a treat here and there as they mature. My seniors get three or four daily.


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## woganvonderweidenstrasse (Nov 22, 2012)

Happy to report Logan is back to his normal self and was playing and running around this morning. I still don't allow him to run around too much because I'm not sure if there is still some inflammation in the bones. I'm gonna try to keep him still this week - its gonna be a challenge cause I can see he's starting to get frustrated. Anyway just wanted to let you know that he's doing fine, and thanks to everyone for input, advice and support.


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