Need help - Page 1

I have a friend that has a young puppy 7 weeks old. The puppy has had a shot and been wormed for whip round, coccidia, and tape. The puppy has been to the vet three times now. First time they found Coccidia treated it but the second two time there was nothing. The puppy is very tired and is a very picky eater. Vet put it on I/D special can dog food. It ate the first three cans but would not eat the rest. My friend said the gums are very white. The puppy wieghs about 5 pounds. The vet has checked three times for parasites and still nothing. ANY suggestions would be helpful Thanks

First thing that comes to mind is hookworm which does gives those symptoms (I used to work for a vet many years ago and that and coccidiosis were the main thing really sick puppies had back then), but the eggs are ridiculously easy to see on a fecal smear and I assume the puppy was wormed with pyrantel? Internal bleeding? Some form of anemia?

He has anemia! I just went through this with a puppy of mine. I went to the store and got baby vits. And gave it to him once a day. Then I took canned dog food and add warm water and dyne and forced fed him 3 times a day. When a dog is anemic they do not want to eat. I did this for like 10 days. I think this saved his life. Feel free to email me if you need more help.

a. the pup is much too small for it's age. I have a friend whose 3 week old puppies are 5 lbs. b. did the pup have tape and whip? or was it a prophaltic treatment - NEVER a good idea especially in a small pup. Could it have coccidia if it had everything else? c. What's the blood work like - has the vet even looked? If it's gums are white it's obviosuly anemic. Is there anything else going on like diarehha or corona or parvo - has he been tested? What's his electrolytes like? Any chance of a tick borne blood disease? d. needs to be kept warm - can not digest if not warm AND more suspectible to everything in the world. It needs easily accessible calories. Probably needs an IV at this point to get it over the hump(under the skin - it absorbs slowly). Get some chicken livers - DO NOT give the liver to the pup - much too rich but a small eyedropper of the blood every once awhile will help with the anemia. Also ask the vet re some of the high enery paste that they use for sick animals. Highly patable and high calories. Once you start to get some sustenance and energy into the little thing then you can worry about more traditional type food tho I would start with baby food - strained meat and then the original canned mighty dog (looks and feels like chopped hamburger). As it gets stronger I would move on to the hamburger but right now raw might be too much for it's system. When did mom wean them and how much supplemental nuitrion have they had? If it was an early wean did they supplement with goat's milk at all ( canned only do not thin with water) Good luck, please let us know how it goes.

If you didnt get satisfaction from your vet why wouldnt you go to another vet. You'd get a second oppinion if it were you wouldnt you? How can someone diagnose your problem on a message board? I'm sure the pup is enemic at this point, but thats obvious. But you need hands on help from a vet who can examine your pup first hand. Just like any other profession, not all vets are good at what they do. I hope your pup gets the attention it really needs.

I had a puppy like that once. The vets did everything and finally figured out he had Giardia. He showed few signs of the expected symptoms. Blood work doesn't find it. Multiple tests on stools finally found it as it's somewhat elusive. Ask your vet if this could be possible. Treatment usually consists of a week of Metronidazole and 3 days of Fenbendazole and sometimes it must be done a couple of times before the protozoa are eliminated. Birdy...

Thanks Birdy - I meant Giardia not Coccida but my brain got fogged. If he does in fact have Giardia when he is a bit older and in better health get him the Giardia vaccine shot. It is one vacccine I do believe in and it works. It's only given 2x if I remember correctly. Two moons also gave good advice. If your vet is not being proactive find another. I can not believe theydid not give this poor puppy some sort of supportive therapy - asking it to eat ID at this age is the height of irrespopnsibility. Do they not remotely realize how undersize this poor pup is ( by about 40-50%)

Some great advice on this posting for you - VKFGSD very comprehensive.... I would say, get to another vet and quickly.... Anaemia is a SYMPTOM - not a SIGN...... in other words a symptom of something wrong, and to get to the anaemai level on clinical examination as you have described.., the cause must be found, and found quickly. Good luck, let us know. Mo - Mascani

It could be a number of things. I would check the Heart for any abnormal sounds, like PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus). http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/pda.htm Good luck!

Thank you all for your suggestions!! it has been a big help The puppy has been treated for Giardia I for got to put that Two moons I was not asking for someone to fix the problem but have some suggestions or experiences that they could share. The puppy has been to two different vets now one with the breeder and two with my friend. But Thank you for your advise. He is bring the puppy to my vet tomorrow and I will make sure they run all the test that were stated here. Thank you everyone for your help/suggestions