Is this an emergency? - Page 1

My female who's about 5 years old and normally in excellent health shook her head like an ear infection one day last week, but it passed before I could get in to the vet (about an hour)....no discharge, definitely is not a yeast infection, but tonight her ears are RED.  Then tonight the skin on her muzzle is RED.  She appears to feel fine, excellent appetite, but I am scared because she feels warm.  You cannot take her temp, the vet cannot even take her temp and she's been to more than one vet.  I am quite certain she has a low-grade temp.  Do I need to get her into the emergency vet or will she be okay until morning?  The emergency vet is quite a drive from here, but if she needs to go, we'll go.  She's a house dog who could not have been into anything dangerous (posions)....could it be an allergy, do I need to try washing her face and ears?  Anyone have any ideas what might be going on or what I can do?  Thanks so much!

-Nichole

Try this link and then you decide.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1677&aid=2895

Last year, same thing happened to my dog, I went to the ER vet because of the temp and he wasn't acting himself, whining and crowding me. Turned out to be a Staph infection in the skin.

What do you feed?

If no diahrea or no vomiting, give her some ice cubes if she will eat them.. Keep liquids going in her till you  get to vet in am.

\

YR

Thanks all. 

Two Moons:  I think I found the problem.  My fiancee bought the dog food last week....he has adult ADHD and doesn't always get everything right unless I write it down.  I thought the food looked different (we use a storage container for our dog food so I never saw the bag)....the food didn't quiet look right but I gave him the benefit of the doubt.  He's been working long hours so I hadn't had a chance to ask him what kind of food he bought to be sure.  Last night, I woke him up and asked "What kind of food did you buy the dogs??"  He said "Dog Chow."  I said, "Purina Dog Chow from WalMart?"  He said "yes".  Can't say on here what I said next, but you get the point.  I am feeding ProPac right now (or I was) as it seems to be working well for both of my dogs.  My female has never been sick, she's been roughed up in a few fights, but no naturally occuring sickness.  She's always ate Purina ONE Lamb & RIce, I tried the corn-free Diamond for a little while but her coat felt like steel wool, so my friend who works for ProPac insisted I try it before going back to ONE.  My male gets yeast infections in his ears if you feed him cheaper food, so I checked his ears really well and he's a little yeasty.   Grr...I am not happy right now, but I should pay more attention to what my dog's food looks like.

YR:  She won't eat ice cubes usually unless it's hot, but she loves ice water so I've been bringing her cups of ice water and she is drinking.  She been pretty much asleep since I gave her the Benedryl, but I am waking her up and making her drink.

After finding out she's been fed a food she's never eat before, I gave my female a Benedryl and stayed up for a while....she felt like her fever is down/gone.  I took a little nap and when I got up, her ears are not quite as red, her muzzle is not quite as red, and she doesn't feel warm but she has started to shake her head again.  I think she's going to be okay until tomorrow (Monday) morning but I'm just going to watch her really close.  If dog food is in fact the culprit, it's amazing how much one bag of cheap dog food can cost...I'll probably take my male in for a steriod shot and my female for whatever she needs.  So I don't know how much Dog Chow costs, but this is going to cost me at least $60 st the vet if my female doesn't have to have any medicine.  I could have bought them two weeks ProPac for that.  I'll keep ya'll up to date...my fiancee is actually off today so if you're the praying kind, pray for him....it will be a long day.  Any more ideas on what I can do for my baby girl or if I need to get her to the Emergency vet today? 

And while I am half asleep and rambling...I live in the South and am a proud Southerner, complete with Southern drawl and and for the most part, Southern hospitality.  I don't know about other areas, but ten years ago, I could get in touch with MY vet and he would come in the office if I had a crisis, since we live in the sticks.  Now if my dog has a crisis, she has to be seen by some vet we don't know at an Emergency Vet over an hour away.  Were things like this everywhere in US?  Not really thrilled about that either...I'd rather have her see our vet, not some vet I don't know.  Ok, I'll shut up and go get some coffee now. 

Thanks all.

-Nichole

Good morning Nichole,and Merry after Christmas.From what you described its going to more than likely be your dog reacting to an ingredient in the new food you mistakenly bought.The head shaking is actually very typical when there is an allergy or intolerance.My mentors female(at the schutzhund club)did that almost immediatly when he changed her food a while back and go figure,she was ok with wheat and all the other grains in the original food and then we tried to put her on a better food and she reacted almost immediatly in a negative way.One of my GSD's use to do the same thing when he could'nt tolerate the protein source.I think you are going to be ok once you get her on her old food.Good luck and have a great New Year.

Get a flashlight and look in her ears...She is acting like she has a slight stoppage in ear canal...You might rinse her ears out with  a solution of   dawn dish soap  `1/4  to 1/4 peroxide to 1/4 alcohol/     shake up real well and put in a bottle that has a tiny hole in top....rinse ear well...let shake and then dry out with diaper wipers.....make sure you're outside for the shaking...she may have a slight yeast infection starting in ear...

later / After ears are dry:       use white vinegar on a papertowel that is twisted into a long string like and insert in each ear and wipe out   by twisting in ear till dries the ear and gets the vinegar into the lining and that will start the killing of the yeast...

YR