# Please help with Chihuahua



## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

So my mom's dog Apple isn't feeling well. He is about 7 years old and is neutered. He eats commercial frozen raw dog food, I think Primal. His companion, who is a Chihuahua mix, seems to be fine, just worried about his buddy.

Every once and a while Apple will feel sick/hurt for a bit. We will take him to the vet, get X-rays, bloodwork, etc but all that has been concluded is that during these episodes he will be uncomfortable and in pain. He will get some pain meds and after a few days he is just fine. He has gone to two different vets both of which are some of the best in our city, which is already extremely pet friendly. This doesn't happen often, but often enough that we are getting extremely worried. 

Right now his symptoms are:
-skips meals
-doesn't want to leave his crate except for food (not even when I visited, and he LOVES me)
-hasn't pooed as much because he doesn't want to leave his crate
-he just looks very uncomfortable and upset


This time around he hasn't been feeling well for about a week. 

Questions:
Does this sound like something a specialist should see?
If so, what kind of specialist? 
Has anyone else heard of things like this happening with chihuahuas? Or any other dogs at all?
Is acupuncture worth researching?


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I don't know if it's of any help but has he been checked for "gas". Sort of like collick in babies. Having "trapped gas" is really uncomfortable which makes you not feel up to eating or moving around much, especially if it causes cramping. Most of the time, the gas isn't stinky either so could be passed without much notice. My pup will usually start doing these weird little stretches a bit before the gas gets "bad" so we can try and prevent it happening.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

I would think of 2 things... either his teeth are hurting and there could be an abscess there, or he's got a problem with the raw food. What is the calcium and phosphorus content? Could he be constipated? some of the raw grinds can be really high in bone content which is VERY constipating, among other things. 

Both scenarios can be pretty painful! 

One way to inexpensively "check" if it's a food/digestion issue is to switch him to kibble for a little while (like Fromm, Precise, Purina One Beyond, Ideal Balance- these are my favorites for various reasons) and just see what happens then. These foods have well balanced calcium and use high quality meat meals that are low in bone content and won't be as constipating.

That is what I would try with him, if he were my dog. 

Good luck. 

I have a long coat chi as well.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Wouldn't x-rays have picked up if his stool was impacted because of bone? Just my thought. Along with the fact that it does sound like constipation, so the vet would have known that too and ruled it out right from the start.
Shamrock is right though, pre-ground raw do tend to be rather high on the bone end of things. You can get pre-ground, I think it's Primal (or Bravo?) that doesn't have bone added. Maybe try adding a bit of that to his dinner in place of some of his other food. I would also make sure that the food he is getting is a complete one, organs, bone and meat. Some of those pre-ground are not balanced, they are for supplemental feeding, but it will tell you that on the package. 
If you were to go to kibble, I'd try Farmina. I can't say enough good things about that kibble, it's transformed my kitten. 
Poor pup, it's awful when they aren't well and not happy and you don't have a clue why.
Oh, one other thing, and I know the vet would have ruled this out, but not a UTI or bladder stones? (bladder stones would have been picked up on x-ray too).


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## flashyfawn (Mar 8, 2012)

I know you said he's had bloodwork done but has he been tested specifically for pancreatitis? It doesn't always present with textbook symptoms, especially if it's a chronic condition. There is a specific test for pancreatitis and it does not always show up in basic blood work. 

If he were my dog, I would put him on a bland low fat cooked diet for a bit and see what happens. It may be a physical issue that has nothing to do with the food but experimenting with his diet won't hurt anything and is easy enough to do.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

getting a 2nd opinon can be helpful. if i thought my dog needed a specialist i
wouldn't hesitate going to one.


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## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

I guess we will search for a 3rd opinion since he has already gone to two vets. 

I will ask about the pancreatitis. Someone also recommended an ultrasound. 

My mom won't be able to make a bland, home cooked meal. They were on Fromm before, do you guys think we should try that again?


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

if your mom can't make a bland diet can you make a diet for the dogs?


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Which Fromm ? Some of hyphen can be high fat, and if he does have low grade pancreatitis Fromm won't help either. Something 26% protein and 10-14% fat maybe. 

Hope you get it figured out.


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## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

Unfortunately I cannot make his food. I am very busy with school and my own pets. Plus, without seeing him everyday and when he eats/poops it would be very hard for me to adjust the food to suit him. It just isn't feasible.


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## flashyfawn (Mar 8, 2012)

I don't remember all the numbers for the various Fromm foods but for a pancreatitis dog, most of the more popular high protein/high fat foods will not work This will include most (not all, but most) grain free foods. I think Fromm makes a weight management or senior food, and that will probably have lower protein and lower fat. But you need to know the dry matter numbers to really be able to compare fat percentages. Most pancreatitis dogs cannot handle anything over 10% and some need even lower. The dry matter % can vary a little in dry food but quite a lot in canned food when compared to what is listed on the bag or can. Of course, he may not have pancreatitis and it could be entirely unrelated, I just know that some dogs do show these exact symptoms when it's pancreatitis and most people don't even think of that as something to look into. 

I think an ultrasound is an excellent idea, and though you probably already know this, I'd have it done by someone board certified. If you don't have it done by someone who really knows what they're doing, it's a waste of money, IMO. I took my dog to a referral vet for her ultrasound, and that vet practice includes various specialists. If there is a place like that near you, you should be able to get in with an internist and either that person should be able to do a good ultrasound, or they'll have someone on staff who just does those, which was the case with my dog's ultrasound. It wasn't terribly expensive, although we went only for the ultrasound and did not see the internist. The only other thing I can think of is lower back pain, but I'm guessing that's been ruled out already? Good luck, it is hard to see them in pain and not know how to help. I think sometimes you just have to start running tests based on an educated guess of where the problem could possibly be, and if nothing else, you can at least rule things out and find out what *isn't* wrong with the dog.


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## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

The vet thinks it is lower back pain and that's why he was put on the pain meds. I just don't know how to keep him from having these episodes. The X-rays didn't show anything, but could it be a muscle issue? What would help that?

My thoughts right now are to ask about pancreatitis and the ultrasound and go from there.


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## flashyfawn (Mar 8, 2012)

What pain meds is he on? Maybe there is a muscle relaxer that could help? Robaxin can be used for that in horses but I don't know if it's used in dogs.


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