Sick Poodle. . . Help! - Paw Talk

loveabby · #1 02-27-2007, 05:16 PM

I have a 3 yr old toy poodle who used to be active, energetic, and extremely hyper, jumping around a lot. I took her to the groomer 2 weeks ago, brought her home and played a little ball in the backyard with her. Within moments, she "yiped" as if she had hurt her back legs. Now, when I take her out so she can "do her thing" she just sits and shakes her hind legs as if she were freezing cold and having shivers. I know poodles have bad knees/legs. She has BARELY gone to the bathroom and/or eat, however, she does eat her snacks and will eat canned dog food. Due to her lack of appetite, she doesn't pee or poo in the yard. She doesn't even want to go for walks anymore. Overall, she "looks" healthy but she is now very inactive, sleeping all day, hiding under the bed and being anti-social as if she were depressed. I thought she might be sick so I took her to the vet. The doctor said that she looked fine, her bladder wasn't full, and that she'll eat and drink when she wants to and when she does, she'll want to pee and poop. I told her that her legs/hips might be aggravating her and she assessed her joints and confirmed that her knees needed to popped back in so to speak. She gave me some pain medication (for her knees) and recommended I switch her to JM (joint management) dog food. It's been almost a week now and she hasn't changed at all. What can I do? The vet I go to is very respected and well known to the community. They have always done a great job; however, I'm thinking about getting a 2nd opinion. I'm a RN and I know that humans need to urinate daily (a minimal amount) and have BM's regularly. What about dogs? Is what she said true? I have never seen my dog like this and it worries me. Please help. Any advice would be appreciated.

Angelnstuff · #2 02-27-2007, 11:42 PM

i've no experience in this sort of thing, but if your worried it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion.. or maybe call the vet and tell her that your baby isn't feeling much better.. is she drinking any water? if she hasn't been drinking any water in the past week i would think she'd be dehydrated..

NjMalta · #3 02-28-2007, 01:41 AM

Get a second opinion STAT!

and get back to us please.

mulder · #4 02-28-2007, 01:43 AM

get a second opinion. it sound slike an injury ask for xrays or something

Zack_the_Mouse · #5 02-28-2007, 02:46 AM

Sounds like you might want some x-rays done just to be safe

Nakita · #6 02-28-2007, 03:54 AM

I agree with the others about getting another opinion. I hope your dog is feeling better soon.

HappyDancer · #7 02-28-2007, 04:19 AM

poor baby...you really need to get a second opinion...I hope she gets better soon...please keep us informed

loveabby · #8 02-28-2007, 10:51 AM

Thanks for your concerns and advice. I am going to take her back this week. I just fed her some canned dog food last night and she ate that without any problems. Still, she won't pee or poop and just shakes her hind legs. I want to get some blood work done on her and see if maybe her white counts are up - if so, perhaps they can give her some antibiotics. The vet said that she wouldn't be peeing or pooping if she hasn't been eating or drinking much - duh. However, I would think that she would need to pee/poop more than just once in a week! The vet I go to normally does an excellent job and they are very affordable which is why I like them. I have never had problems before so that's why I'm reluctant to get a 2nd opinion.

angel_baby · #9 02-28-2007, 11:19 AM

I'll have to agree with everyone else. Get a second opinion and get back to us. If she isn't eating/drinking well and isn't urinating or pooping there's something wrong. It also sounds like X-rays are in order to see what's up with her legs.

loveabby · #10 02-28-2007, 12:20 PM

I just got back from the vet. She finally peed and pooped when I got there. Apparently, she was excited from seeing other people and dogs. She was acting pretty normal too. She had a temperature too, 103, so the doc put her on antibiotics. She isn't sure what is wrong with her - obviously. Well, hopefully this will do the trick.

Formula86 · #11 02-28-2007, 03:01 PM

Glad to hear she's doing a bit better. However, I would still demand some x-rays.

Or get a 2nd opinion. A 2nd opinion isn't "going against" your vet. It's just that everyone sees things differently, and someone else might have a different/better idea.

Hope she's back to normal soon!

angel_baby · #12 02-28-2007, 04:03 PM

Glad to hear she is doing a bit better. I hope she makes a full recovery but I would still suggest getting some x-rays done.

kathydip · #13 02-28-2007, 08:35 PM

Hopefully she will get back to herself but don't feel bad about a second opinion. My vet often refers me to other vets since his office is downtown. Frankie had hurt his back leg when he was a pup. My regular vet thought it was his knee but was not sure so he sent me to another well respected vet for an xray and her opinion. She didn't see anything wrong on the x ray with his knee and I never gave the x ray to my regular vet. Frank only got worse. We went to a surgical specialist that took one look at Frank walking and said it was his hip. I told him we thought it was his knee. He moved Frank's leg and still said it was the hip. Then he took the x ray taken by the other vet and looked - yep it was the hip - he showed me and even I could see the damage! Frankie now has one less hip.
Moral keep taking your baby until they fix her! You are her mom and a nurse. Trust yourself.