Is she too old for Panno? - Page 1

My 21 month old showline bitch is worrying me. She is normally the happiest dog in the world. She's always grinning and running around for most of the day.

The last couple days she's been more still than normal and whines often. This morning she woke me by licking me and she was panting and whining. I've felt for cactus spines, tender spots, heat spots, swelling, etc..  She has energy bursts where she seems normal and is eating but I'm worried. She doesn't act like this all the time sometimes she seems fine.  She doesn't feel feverish and her poops are normal.

I'm planning to take her to the vet tommorrow.  Does this sound like something more urgent? Could this be Panno? Or is she too old for that?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Dawg

Oh, and her belly is not swollen and isn't tender or hard.

I concur with your decision to take her to the vet. This does not sound like panno or anything related to muscles. I wonder if she has some sort of obstruction or twisted bowel etc? When she woke you, did she need to go out? It could be that she is restless because she hurts, but it might be nothing. What is her capillary refill like? Do you know how to check that? What type of exercise do you normally give her? It is unfortunately too little information to really be of some help, but you know your dog. If you feel something is different and she is acting unusual, then she probably is and it is a good thing to get some help. Certainly, if you notice loose stool, bloody stool, vomiting, retching or something more ominous than what you indicate, get her to an emergency clinic immediately.

Hodie,

Thanks for replying.  We have a dog door that goes into our backyard (fenced in 6 1/2' cinderblock), so she wouldn't have needed to go out.  I've noticed it sometimes during the day, too.  I take her on a couple of walks a day and the kids play fetch with her alot and she dogs their every step. She's normally very active, chases birds, airplanes out of her territory. She is often playing "herd the dog" with my Havanese. We have 3/4 acre fenced and she runs all the time.

You know, I've been working on her barking lately.  We live in a neighbor hood and she barks at everybody as they walk by.  After the thread about my friend's dog I started thinking more about making her be more selective about threats/barking and make her stop when people walk by.  I wonder if it could be wanting to bark and trying to be good.  I often have the same delimma :)

If it's a twisted gut, is that the same as colic in a horse?  What other symptoms would she show? I'm definately calling the vet tomorrow.  Barring the poop, vomit thing, is there anything else I should watch for to take her to the vet? I'm going to take her temp., what is the baseline temp for a dog?

Thanks so much,

Dawg

Oh, and her capillary refil is very quick. I did it on her gums like a horse. Is it the same for dogs?

Yes, capillary refill time can be checked by the gums. The color should return in a second or two. The twisted bowel is unlikely if she has been doing this for several days and shows no serious signs. You would see vomiting or an attempt, lethargy to the extreme, panting, but perhaps not loose stool or blood coming out the rectum unless advanced. I would suggest that unless you see her vomiting, being extremely lethargic, having diarrhea etc., that this may be some sort of behavioral issue. Her temp should be between 100.5 and say 102 or so, depending on what she is doing. If she is eating well, drinking and otherwise ok, I suspect she is fine. It might be a good idea to take her out for some exercise, gentle at first, to see how she does. At the first sign that something is not right, stop. Could she have hurt herself jumping or running? Is she outside acting normally as you describe above? If so, she is probably just fine. Good luck.

In anycase, good luck, and please let us know the outcome

Well, I took her to the vet today and he couldn't find anything. And she has been acting normally today.  He said sometimes they are kind of "off" and you just don't know what is the reason.  She's still eating well and poops are good. More active than she was. Maybe she had a strain or something like Hodie said.

I guess I was being a worrywort.  Thanks for the help, though.

I'm more comfortable knowing for sure there wasn't a problem.

Thanks again,

Dawg

Thats good news. Much better to worry about nothing than not to worry and leave something serious until its too late, and really its often difficult to judge if a problem is serious or not...

Always better to check and have a healthy dog.