Sick Dog - Please Help! He can't walk!

[Specialk0783]

My dog has been sick for last 3 days. When we take him outside to go to bathroom he doesn't and he's having a lot of trouble walking; he tries to sit every 3 seconds or crawl to where he is going. We took him to vet 3 times and they just say he's sick to his stomach but I don't see how that can make him unable to walk. He used to jump up to get on our bed and he can't now...he can't make it up. He has also urinated on himself twice which he never does. He's only 1 yrs old - 49 pounds American Pitbull Terrier. The vet originally said his stomach was irritated from rawhide bones but they have found no blockage of his bowel and xrays came up clean. He's waddling wherever he goes. Someone please help, I don't know if the vet is missing something!

[Dano]

My dog has been sick for last 3 days. When we take him outside to go to bathroom he doesn't and he's having a lot of trouble walking; he tries to sit every 3 seconds or crawl to where he is going. We took him to vet 3 times and they just say he's sick to his stomach but I don't see how that can make him unable to walk. He used to jump up to get on our bed and he can't now...he can't make it up. He has also urinated on himself twice which he never does. He's only 1 yrs old - 49 pounds American Pitbull Terrier. The vet originally said his stomach was irritated from rawhide bones but they have found no blockage of his bowel and xrays came up clean. He's waddling wherever he goes. Someone please help, I don't know if the vet is missing something!
I would take him to another vet and if they find nothing, I'd take him to anoter vet. Get them to check and seee if there are crystals in his urine.

[Marty]

Is the dog eating and drinking? There are no vet techs on right now maybe they'll be on soon :( Yes I would try another vet as Dano said. Good luck and keep us informed.

[kjf85]

Yeah- I would keep taking him to a different vet until someone found something or could give him something to help him. I know i can't stand to see my dogs hurting. I hope everything comes out all right!!!
ps
Have you had them check his hips? if hes not wanting to stand long and can't jump- it could be possibly something with his hips.

[tnob]

Buddy of mine had a dog back in the day that had a hip broken the fixed. The dog got constipated alot. It would do the same thing you describe. He just took a turkey baster and would squezze some oil in its but and give it a good enema. Dog would go back to normal.

[the_flamingo]

I would try a different vet. I've taken Jaha do a few different vets because I don't like or agree with what they tell me.

[rocksteady]

My dog has been sick for last 3 days. When we take him outside to go to bathroom he doesn't and he's having a lot of trouble walking; he tries to sit every 3 seconds or crawl to where he is going. We took him to vet 3 times and they just say he's sick to his stomach but I don't see how that can make him unable to walk. He used to jump up to get on our bed and he can't now...he can't make it up. He has also urinated on himself twice which he never does. He's only 1 yrs old - 49 pounds American Pitbull Terrier. The vet originally said his stomach was irritated from rawhide bones but they have found no blockage of his bowel and xrays came up clean. He's waddling wherever he goes. Someone please help, I don't know if the vet is missing something!
What type of Xrays did the vet do?? Because Plastic will not show up on the xray unless they give the dog barium to coat

Any blood work done? I would also give him some nutro Cal asap.. and go to a different vet..

[sillyfilly]

have you or the vet checked his anal glands by chance? they can be irritating when they are full. but yes another vet sounds like a must do. sounds like he could be having kidney trouble...blood work sounds like is needed to see if that is so. My dog has been sick for last 3 days. When we take him outside to go to bathroom he doesn't and he's having a lot of trouble walking; he tries to sit every 3 seconds or crawl to where he is going. We took him to vet 3 times and they just say he's sick to his stomach but I don't see how that can make him unable to walk. He used to jump up to get on our bed and he can't now...he can't make it up. He has also urinated on himself twice which he never does. He's only 1 yrs old - 49 pounds American Pitbull Terrier. The vet originally said his stomach was irritated from rawhide bones but they have found no blockage of his bowel and xrays came up clean. He's waddling wherever he goes. Someone please help, I don't know if the vet is missing something!

[Specialk0783]

Thank you for all the comments.

He finally pooped today, but its like he couldnt really control it, it just started coming out and he still isn't wanting to walk - most of it was diharreha.

Answers to rest of questions:

1. The vet twice gave him fluid injections to prevent dehydration.

2. They took x-rays but did not coat to look for plastic to my knowledge, though if he's pooping then he doesnt have a blockage - could the plastic be affecting him without blocking him up?

3. He has never had a broken hip and just last week he was playing and jumping like a normal pit...last week he could jump up on our bed and back down 10 times in a row at light speed - we also take him for runs at a track and we've clocked him at 28 mph when he runs next to the car. He is in excellent shape.

4. The vet did blood work but the results have not come back yet.

I'll keep everyone updated and please keep responding if you have more information for me.

Thanks so much.

[jaborichard]

check him for ticks there might be one on him they can cause this kind of problem of not walking like their paralyze

[ghost 1]

check him for ticks there might be one on him they can cause this kind of problem of not walking like their paralyzeDid the vet do a parvo test on him? sounds like parvo, he can do a test for parvo and see, i'de take him back and have him do that,,then you can get shots from him to give him for it , or leave him with and he'll do it but it,s expensive if he stays,,, i did the shots on my 5 pups and they made it but almosst died from it,,,go to the vet asap,,,,if he has parvo it'll kill him if not treated asap,,,, don't wait ,,get it checked

[ScrappyDoo]

Parvo is nothing to play around with either. Pits are more prone to catching parvo that most other dogs. For some reason their immune systems can't handle it. If that's what he has then bring him to the vet right away. My mother in law's dog had it and they had to rush her into surgery because of it.

[Suki]

Thank you for all the comments.

He finally pooped today, but its like he couldnt really control it, it just started coming out and he still isn't wanting to walk - most of it was diharreha.

Answers to rest of questions:

1. The vet twice gave him fluid injections to prevent dehydration.

2. They took x-rays but did not coat to look for plastic to my knowledge, though if he's pooping then he doesnt have a blockage - could the plastic be affecting him without blocking him up?

3. He has never had a broken hip and just last week he was playing and jumping like a normal pit...last week he could jump up on our bed and back down 10 times in a row at light speed - we also take him for runs at a track and we've clocked him at 28 mph when he runs next to the car. He is in excellent shape.

4. The vet did blood work but the results have not come back yet.

I'll keep everyone updated and please keep responding if you have more information for me.

Thanks so much.
hey, sorry to hear about your furkid. Here's some questions:
what did the diarrhea look like, color-wise.(I know, sounds gross, but it is important). What is its consistency? Is it foul smelling, like REALLY foul smelling?
Has he eaten anysolid foods lately? Runny and loose stool can occur when food passes so quickly thru the bowel, before the bowel actually has enuff time to remove the water, tho, I don't feel this is the case here. Diarrhea also occurs when an animal eats something that it cannot digest, hence, the bowel or stomach become irritated. Certain foods:products containing milk, a particular spice, fatty stuff,... or even factors, such as becoming overly excited, feeling anxious, adjusting to a new food or situation that is out of the norm.
Also, to answer, yes, he can still "eliminate" his waste, even with an obstruction. The obstruction can be a partial one, whereby waste, especially diarrhea, being that it's liquid will find an opening to expel itself.
"Greenies" are a product that doesn't break down, and being that dogs are gulpers, and not chewers, they can become lodged. Same with the raw hide. That's its #1 problem=they lodge themselvesand cause obstructions-also, if not chewed right away, that harbor bacteria such as salmonella. PLEASE always watch your pooches when they chew on raw hide. Also, some of their preservatives can contain toxins.
Glad blood work was done. Internal parasites can be the culprit to this as well. Is he up to date on all vaccines, etc?
Expressing his anal sacs MAY need to be done, if he is showing symptoms of impactment. Does he rub his bum across the floor, like it's bothering him? (it's easy to do, tho smelly=I'll walk yah thru it, if it seems necessary)
Also, think about it. A dog's digestive system pretty much closely resembles our own. Think about when you KNOW you're gunna get a case of the sh*ts=it really HURTS some times. Sometimes you double over and don't wanna walk either, let alone move, or jump. His stomach could be really painful to him, and him staying still is his way to best relieve his own discomfort. I'd let him decide when he wants to be moved. Personally, I wouldn't force the issue.
I'm glad they administered fluids. I'd hold ALL his food, push the liquids=introduce the water, if he won't drink that, switch to ice chips. SLOWLY tho. After a day or so, if the diarrhea subsides, again, slowly introduce him to a really bland diet: rice, boiled hamburg or chicken. A few spoonfuls, every few hours or so. See how he does keeping it down. Then continue that all again in another few hours. See if he keeps it down. After a day, or atleast 18 hrs of the bland diet, slowly introduce him to his regular food.
Initially, I was going to say try vet #2, but after reading all of the post, as far as diagnostics go, there's not much more to be done. A complete CBC=blood test will help to eliminate a lot. Moniter all of his habits over the next couple of days. HOPEFULLY whatever it is will literally work its way thru. BUT! If you feel more comfortable with a second opinion, then you should go that route as well. It never hurts. BEST of luck. {{{{{{{PRAYERS}}}}}}} en route for your baby!

[Suki]

Sorry, just thought of something else:

Is there any way you can get some of his stool to the vets? They can do a culture of it which might aid in his diagnosis. (helps to detirmine internal parasites, like whipworms, etc, but sometimes more than one culture is necessary).
Also, does he seem somewhat better after his bout of the diarrhea?
(I'll probably think of more stuff as the day goes by).

[Suki]

Also, I am @ work tomorrow at7:00 am, and I work for a vet that has 4 facilities, one of which is an emercency 24 hour care. If any problem, question or situation arises, and you need answers, there are plenty of vets between the four buildings that I can obtain answers from, so, feel free to fire away any questions, ok? Personally, I may not know the answer, but at least I can hope to obtain it for you. Hope he's doing better. xoxo:)

[Marty]

Also, I am @ work tomorrow at7:00 am, and I work for a vet that has 4 facilities, one of which is an emercency 24 hour care. If any problem, question or situation arises, and you need answers, there are plenty of vets between the four buildings that I can obtain answers from, so, feel free to fire away any questions, ok? Personally, I may not know the answer, but at least I can hope to obtain it for you. Hope he's doing better. xoxo:)Thank you Suki for your help ;)

[ghost 1]

Thank you for all the comments.

He finally pooped today, but its like he couldnt really control it, it just started coming out and he still isn't wanting to walk - most of it was diharreha.

Answers to rest of questions:

1. The vet twice gave him fluid injections to prevent dehydration.

2. They took x-rays but did not coat to look for plastic to my knowledge, though if he's pooping then he doesnt have a blockage - could the plastic be affecting him without blocking him up?

3. He has never had a broken hip and just last week he was playing and jumping like a normal pit...last week he could jump up on our bed and back down 10 times in a row at light speed - we also take him for runs at a track and we've clocked him at 28 mph when he runs next to the car. He is in excellent shape.

4. The vet did blood work but the results have not come back yet.

I'll keep everyone updated and please keep responding if you have more information for me.

Thanks so much.


this sounds like parvo and pitbulls that age are real prone to it ,,, bloodwork-don't think it'll show up on bloodwork,but they have a test for it(parvo) i had one they done like yours and it died because it wasn't tested for parvo, now if mine gets sick like yours a parvo test is a must,,, in pups most of the time puppies are immuned from the mothers milk but older adult dogs grow a immunance from it but with a dog your age is at prime risk for it and it will have direaea from it and it will eventually look dark red and extremely foul smell or redish(direaea) but if not treated immediatly they may last 7 days before they die from it,,,and after a few days they will get to where they can't walk,, time is of the essent, get it tested,

[Suki]

here is some very brief info on parvo. Parvo, however can lay dormant on ones' yard for as MUCH as 2-5 years!!!! So PLEASE get all proper immunizations, and watch the spread of it. VERY nasty stuff!!!



Parvovirus

Parvovirus is a viral disease of dogs. It affects puppies much more frequently than it affects adult dogs. The virus likes to grow in rapidly dividing cells. The intestinal lining has the biggest concentration of rapidly dividing cells in a puppy's body. The virus attacks and kills these cells, causing diarrhea (often bloody), depression and suppression of white blood cells -- which come from another group of rapidly dividing cells. In very young puppies it can infect the heart muscle and lead to "sudden" death. This is a very serious disease. Some puppies infected with parvovirus will die despite prompt and adequate treatment. While no extremely accurate statistics are available, a good guess is probably that 80% of puppies treated for parvovirus will live. Without treatment, probably 80% or more of the infected puppies would die.

Due to the high death rate, parvovirus gets a lot of free publicity. Many people just assume that any case of diarrhea in a dog is from parvovirus. This is not true. There are a lot of other diseases and disorders that lead to diarrhea. If you have a puppy, don't take any chances. Have your puppy examined by your vet if diarrhea is a factor in any disease. It is better to be safe than to be sorry. http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/rarrowyl.gif (http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/deindex.html) Back (http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/deindex.html)

[ghost 1]

here is some very brief info on parvo. Parvo, however can lay dormant on ones' yard for as MUCH as 2-5 years!!!! So PLEASE get all proper immunizations, and watch the spread of it. VERY nasty stuff!!!



Parvovirus

Parvovirus is a viral disease of dogs. It affects puppies much more frequently than it affects adult dogs. The virus likes to grow in rapidly dividing cells. The intestinal lining has the biggest concentration of rapidly dividing cells in a puppy's body. The virus attacks and kills these cells, causing diarrhea (often bloody), depression and suppression of white blood cells -- which come from another group of rapidly dividing cells. In very young puppies it can infect the heart muscle and lead to "sudden" death. This is a very serious disease. Some puppies infected with parvovirus will die despite prompt and adequate treatment. While no extremely accurate statistics are available, a good guess is probably that 80% of puppies treated for parvovirus will live. Without treatment, probably 80% or more of the infected puppies would die.

Due to the high death rate, parvovirus gets a lot of free publicity. Many people just assume that any case of diarrhea in a dog is from parvovirus. This is not true. There are a lot of other diseases and disorders that lead to diarrhea. If you have a puppy, don't take any chances. Have your puppy examined by your vet if diarrhea is a factor in any disease. It is better to be safe than to be sorry. http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/rarrowyl.gif (http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/deindex.html) Back (http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/deindex.html)


thanks suki,,,if the dog has parvo you will need to gets a pump sprayer and spray your yard down wif bleach,,, and clean house anywhere the dog has been in the house or it can affect any other dogs later ( a couple of years,) very serious stuff,,

[Suki]

Just checking in b4 I head out. I see there are no questions, so, HOPEFULLY, that's a good sign!

Have a great day. Hope the babe is well. Suki:)

[miakoda]

First, find a new vet and take him there!

There are several different reasons your dog could be in his present condition.

--A back injury could exlain his symptems
--He could have an intestinal blockage. Common symptoms are diarrhea & vomiting. If he does, a barium series is NEEDED!
--It could be tick paralysis. Bathe him in Adams flea & tick shampoo taking extra care in between toes & look down into each ear. Let it soak for 10 min. before rinsing.
--It could be a viurs depending on vaccination history. The parvovirus CAN be diagnosed with a CBC. A low WBC (white blood cell) count is very indicative of the virus. This is often the preferred method of double checking results from the snap tests as you can get a false negative. There are several other viruses besides parvo though. That's why a vet is needed!
--It could be pancreatitis.
--It could be gastrointeritis. Hemorragic GE is characterized by bloody, mucuousy stool as well.
--It could be trauma (kicked, punched, etc.....now, I'm in NO way saying you would do this to your dog, but think carefully...would anyone else?)
--There are hundreds of other possiblities ranging from mild to severe conditions.....

As far as the search for a new vet, try to find one who does CBC's & Comprehensive Profiles (check liver & kidney function) in house. We have these machines & results take approx. 20 min. at the most w/15 min. being the average time. It's so much nicer & can be a lifesaver in many situations. Similar bloodwork that has to be sent out can take up to 5 days! A dog might not have that much time.

One other question I have: is your dog urinating normally?

Since you haven't responded, I can only imagine the worst. I would love an update.

[Specialk0783]

Thanks everyone for the help.

In regards to the following:

Tick Paralysis - the vet said that with tick paralysis most of the time all the dogs limbs are affected, not just the hind legs. If the dog had lyme disease from a tick bite he would just lay around all day and most likely wouldnt even be able to waddle as he does currently. His front limbs are perfectly fine.

Parvo - The dog is not vommitting which is the #1 sign of parvo. Also, he is extremely well vaccinated; the vet ruled it out almost immediately.

He is currently spending his second night at a specialist. He has currently been prediagnosed by four doctors at this specialist as having Myathenia Gravis - a neurological disorder affecting the muscle strength in his hind legs. They said he is in no pain, he is only in a weakened state because his brain is not properly sending messages to his hind legs. They informed us that this situation can be fixed with medication. A neurologist is going to test him tomorrow for the MG to make sure they are 100% positive; if so, they will prescribe the medication and they said he will be back to normal within a few days. I will continue to keep everyone posted. Thank you so much for the feedback and the response.

[miakoda]

I'm glad to hear from you. I will do some research tomorrow on the mentioned disorder so maybe we can help from there. You & your dog are in my thoughts. I hope all goes well. I'm here if you need.

Mia

[Amber82]

Just a thought...I have a pit bull that is now 2 1/2 years old and when he was about 4 or 5 months old he had a problem similar to this. I went to get him out of his cage one day and he wouldn't move. I mean no lifting his head no wagging his tail....NOTHING! I of course freaked out because I had lost my first pit bull to parvo and I jumped right into thinking that that was what was wrong with him. I picked him up and carried him to the couch while calling the vet. I took him right in and first off told them to run the parvo test. When it came back negative they suggested that a CVC or CBC test was ran. (To count his blood cells) When it came back they told me that they weren't sure what was wrong with him. At this point having been seeing this vet since owning the prior dog that had died I broke down and told him that whatever it took to fix him no matter the cost just do it. So he recommended that he be put on steroids. His "idea" of what was wrong with him is that sometimes there is a disorder that happens to puppies when they hit a growth spurt that their insides do not grow as fast as their outsides and it is extremely painful. Think about this...Pit bull have an extremely high tollerance for pain, you need to bring that up to your vet. They do not buckel under the pressure of pain very easily. The steroids helped the growing of the insides to catch up with his outsides. If they feel that its the right thing to try (which isnt very expensive) than dont be surprised at the growth you will see in him.

[Amber82]

I'm glad to hear from you. I will do some research tomorrow on the mentioned disorder so maybe we can help from there. You & your dog are in my thoughts. I hope all goes well. I'm here if you need.

Mia
You know, when my first dog got sick with parvo I was pregnant and it sent me into a serious depression; but the best piece of information that I can remember is this...the vet told me that when dogs get sick that they have no will to live, they just give up, you have to give him a reason to live.

[SEAL]

have they checked for a hernia did he pull something when he was doing all the jumping maybe? i dunno if dogs can get those but sounds like it would be feasible.... random guess

[ghost 1]

let us know how he comes out,,,take care of that doggy, he'd take care of you

[Suki]

Amen!!! I will continue to send prayers your way!!!

My last rottie did something to his spine when he was 4 years old. We were told he'd have a 10% to ever walk again, (after endless tests, etc), and the most humane thing to do, would be to put him down to end his suffering.
Anyway, I wasn't buying that, and I pampered, and prayed like a mo fo. Well, 10 weeks later my "Kaiser" was up and about, wobbily, but walking. He lived to be almost 12=pretty good for a rottie.
Don't ever give up. I'm SOOOOO glad that i (we, as a family) didn't.
God Bless your furkid. {{{{{{{Positive Vibes}}}}}}} coming your way. I'll try to did up some info as well.
VERY glad you posted=don't know yah personally, yet, in my heart, the love we all have for this breed connects us all.

[Suki]

Here's some info, not much, but a start:


http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/vtndrkbu.gif




Myasthenia Gravis

Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disease in which weakness is the primary sign. This disease is caused by an inability of the certain nerve receptors (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) to function properly. This prevents the stimulus for muscles to contract which leads to the weak appearance. This disease occurs congenitally in some dog breeds. Jack Russell terriers, springer spaniels and smooth fox terriers are affected. It can also occur as an acquired problem in older dogs. In this case, it is thought to be an immune mediated disease. In older dogs, the first sign of problems may be megaesophagus -- enlargement of the esophagus due to the muscular weakness, leading to problems swallowing. This can cause regurgitation and lead to inhalation pneumonia.

Myasthenia gravis can be very variable in the way it looks. Only a few muscle groups may be affected or the dog may be nearly immobile. A dog can be almost normal after a rest and then lose strength very rapidly when it exercises at all.

Whenever megaesophagus is diagnosed, myasthenia gravis (MG) should be suspected. Conversely, whenever myasthenia gravis is diagnosed, chest X-rays should be done to evaluate the esophagus, in case megaesophagus is present.

MG can be presumptively diagnosed by a rapid response to injection of edrophonium hydrochloride (Tensilon). Dogs usually show an immediate improvement in muscle strength that is of short duration. Specific lab tests for this disease are available to confirm the diagnosis.

Dogs that acquire MG later in life usually have a fairly good prognosis with treatment. It is important to prevent aspiration pneumonia, so dogs should be fed from elevated food bowls and encouraged to remain standing for 10 minutes or so after eating. Anticholinesteras medications are very helpful. Pyridostigmine bromide (Mestinon syrup) is the most commonly used medication. If it is not effective, injections of neostigmine (Prostigmin) will sometimes work. In severe cases, corticosteroids may be necessary. It is very important to make sure that there are no other illnesses and no aspiration pneumonia signs prior to using corticosteroids.

Dogs can be maintained well for a long time with this disease. The more attention paid to prevention of aspiration pneumonia, the better the long term prognosis. In addition, many other medications interfere with the actions of the anticholinesterase drugs, so careful thought must be given to the choice of medications to treat other problems in dogs affected with myasthenia gravis.

A number of dogs with acquired MG will have remissions from the disease. Therefore, it is very important to monitor the antibodies to anticholinesterase receptors prior to treatment and at regular intervals during treatment. Recurrences of the disease after remission can occur, so vigilance is required throughout the lifespan of affected dogs.