New Dog – Tick Bites, Loose Stools, Whipworms, Limping

Dog Food Advisor Forums Diet and Health New Dog – Tick Bites, Loose Stools, Whipworms, Limping

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  • #47308 Report Abuse
    Alina S
    Member

    Hey, all. I’m new to this forum, but I have read a lot of articles here already! Unfortunately, I have a lot of health-related questions for this post, so I apologize in advance. It would be great if I could get as much help as possible, though. 🙂 I’ll start with a list of his background information, then move on to a semi-detailed list of my health concerns for him.

    -Rottweiler/Shepherd mix (at least, we think. He almost looks like he has some Corgi in him.)
    -1 year old
    -30 pounds
    -Adopted from local animal control on Tuesday, 7/15/2014
    -Was at the shelter for a month
    -When he was found, he was covered in ticks
    -Tested positive for whipworms
    -Up to date on all vacs
    -1/2 tin of Nutro Ultra patte per feeding
    -1/2 cup grain free Science Diet per feeding*

    *I know everyone hates Science Diet, but it’s what the shelter was feeding, and I didn’t want to switch dry foods on him right away.

    Took him to the vet Friday, 7/18/2014
    -Gave me medicine for whipworms
    -Said he looked fine otherwise
    -He’s getting neutered on Friday, 7/25/2014
    -He’s getting tested for heart worms and tick-borne diseases on that day, too.

    Now, onto my list of concerns…

    -Loose stools
    He doesn’t have full out diarrhea, but his stools are very watery and hard to pick up with a doggy bag… They just smear over the grass and it’s awful! I did some reading and it seems like both whipworms and lyme’s disease can cause diarrhea. The whipworms are under control (hopefully,) and we’ll know about the lyme’s disease this Friday. So,
    -are his stools loose because he’s still getting used to his new home? Should I be worried?
    Any feedback on combating this problem now and in the future would be greatly appreciated.

    -Whipworms
    I read that the reinfection rate for whipworms is very high. After the dewormer, and after his heartworm test, he will be on HeartGard Plus. Will that be sufficient for protecting him from whipworms, or will this be a consistent problem? Am I looking at any long term damage from the whipworms?

    -Limping
    I just took him to the groomer’s today. I do not know what went wrong, but he is now limping very badly on his right hind leg. When he stands, he stands just on his very tippy toes of this leg, and if he’s walking/running, he either limps on it, or just hops on his 3 legs and avoids using it all together. I’m going to wait and see if things get better tomorrow morning, before I call anyone.

    -Can I wait until I bring him to the vet this Friday to ask about it? He does not seem to be in pain. He does not cry or squirm when I touch his paw, his leg feels fine, his hip sockets feel even to me, the pads of his paw are fine. His nails do look really short, but I can’t find evidence of blood. Do short nails cause limping?
    -What should I do about walks?

    I’ve been taking him out onto the leash and just moseying around the front yard, but that is not giving him the bathroom time that he needs. He is running around and playing, and shows a lot of eagerness while outside and even chased after a rabbit, he’s just limping. Is it okay to walk him like normal, so he can relieve himself fully?

    I’m really sorry about all these questions, but I thought it would be best to make one long list. Feel free to just pick and choose a certain topic to answer; don’t feel pressured to answer all these questions. This is my first “adult” dog, meaning I am doing this all without the help of my parents (I’m in college,) and I want to do everything right so I don’t have mountains of vet bills later on.

    Thank you so much!!

    #47310 Report Abuse
    USA
    Member

    Hi Alina

    I will take the limping question.

    Limping suddenly after he was groomed is a sign of trauma. You checked the foot pads on the injured leg and tried to detect any swelling or dislocations. Good Job!

    If all his other legs are fine and he is not showing any other symptoms the limp can be from an injury to the foot, ankle, knee, or spine (pinched nerve, etc). It can also be a sprain or strain to soft tissue which will not show up on an x-ray.

    I suspect he jumped out of the tub or off a table or he was manhandled and his leg was pulled into an unnatural position during his nail clipping. At the very least the “Groomer” should be able to tell you what happened. I would be very wary of going back to the same place if I were you.

    You should try to restrict his movements so he does not add to his injury before you can determine what is going on. Especially no jumping and avoid stair climbing. Maybe walk him on a leash until his leg gets better so he can’t run.

    The vet should manipulate his leg from the ankle, the knee and the hip to see if he can determine the site of the injury. He should also pay special attention to the knee to rule out luxating patella and do a drawer test to rule out an ACL injury.

    I hope everything turns out okay and your pup has a speedy recovery!!!

    #47311 Report Abuse
    Corinne M
    Member

    Hi Alina,
    I’ll let others here on this forum make specific suggestions on the health concerns you asked about, but I would strongly encourage you to hold off on the surgery (neutering) if you can – maybe do it after your dog’s a little healthier and has had a chance to recover from the digestive issues & whip-worm medication. That’s just an awful lot for a little body to go thru all at once. Plus, if the tick panel comes back “positive”, he’ll probably be given more medication – it just seems like a lot going on at once and if you can reschedule his surgery he might have an easier recovery, and in the meantime you can just bond with him and help him to get strong and healthy.
    Best to you & your new pup!
    Corinne

    #47315 Report Abuse
    crazy4cats
    Participant

    Hi Alina-
    Congratulations on your new pup! Wow! What a task you have taken on. I’m in agreement with the others. Please hold off on getting the dog neutered. That is the least of your worries. Also, definitely check with the groomer and then don’t ever take him there again. It sounds like something happened. Hopefully, it is only a sprain. As far as the loose stools go, try adding a spoonful of plain canned pumpkin and start adding a probiotic also. This may help. I know how yucky it is to try and pick up loose stools with a bag, or even a shovel. Not fun! Good luck to you!

    #47336 Report Abuse

    Make sure you have the heartworm and Lyme results back before neutering him. If positive hold off until past treatment end.

    #47366 Report Abuse
    Alina S
    Member

    Thanks for your replies, everyone. Unfortunately, his leg has not gotten better, so we are going to the vet today. Not very happy about that, but I am hoping it isn’t anything too serious.

    And thanks for everyone’s concern over his neutering. While I don’t want to overload him with too many medicines and vet appointments and what not, if I don’t get him neutered within a month, animal control is legally obligated to take him back. And our vets office is VERY busy for neuters, so I’m lucky I got the appointment when I did.

    I will also ask the vet about the probiotic!

    Thanks, everyone!

    #47378 Report Abuse

    Hi Alina S
    I have a kennel of sled dogs. 4 Racing mutts, 15 northern spitz breeds. I use them for going to the store, hauling wood, hunting, family R&R, in short, how I make my living.
    I have been doing this for 20 years. I have been responsible for literally hundreds of dogs throughout my life. I wont say that I am the leading authority on dog health but I have been around and working with dogs since I was a little kid.
    I also encourage waiting till you dog healthier to surgically remove his testicles.
    My being a male human have a problem with that.
    As well, the few sled dogs I did neuter usually died earlier than the ones I didn’t.
    Average life of 10yrs for nueter/spay as opposed to 14 for intact.
    I don’t know why. Never bothered to ask the vet. Kinda didn’t trust neither he nor she since they were the 1s that suggested “for health reasons” to do it.

    Limping,… Nail/s cut too short? Hip disease? Roughly handled? Wait till he’s healthier.

    Soft stools, I no longer like feeding my dogs commercial dogfood. It seems to detract from their health. They alway had soft to runny stools, high body temp, poor hair conditions, skin problems to name but a few issues.
    However I do know from experience that switching brands or even formula requires chipping.

    I am truly sorry if anyone becomes angered, insulted, hurt by my comments.
    My intent for this post is to share and hopefully assist other dog lovers assist their dogs live a healthier and/or longer and/or more productive life.
    HAGD

    #47381 Report Abuse
    Corinne M
    Member

    Hi again, Alina,
    I do get the part about Animal Control having their policies, and the vet’s office being busy – both totally valid and I get that you are trying to be responsible & compliant in getting the neutering done on time. But above you said that this is your first time being responsible for a dog on your own – and so I wanted to encourage you to take a firm hand when it comes to your pets health. I have kids in their mid-20’s ( I assume they are close to your age) and this is what I would advise them if they asked:
    There is nothing wrong with saying to the vet “I’m not comfortable putting my dog thru surgery right now because he’s not well. What do you recommend?” Any pressure or threats by Animal Control could be responded to by saying, “When I adopted him, he had whipworms, and had not been cleared for tick-bourne illness. He is now on medication and when he is strong enough and cleared by my vet, I will neuter him.”
    I wont preach further, but I did want to nudge you a little to push back when you feel it’s in the best interest of your dog.
    Good luck!
    Corinne

    #47382 Report Abuse
    USA
    Member

    Hi Alina

    Corrine and the others are right. No surgeries should be done when a dog has all the stress to their bodies that your dog has. Any vet would be able to postpone the neutering and give you a medical exemption to show Animal Control.

    #47394 Report Abuse
    LabsRawesome
    Member

    I definitely would not take him back to that groomer. They obviously either twisted his leg around while clipping his nails, or let him fall/jump off a high table. I never let anyone be alone with my dogs. If they are having any procedures done (besides surgery) I am in the room. I just don’t trust people. Once you get all his test results back, you will have a better idea what is exactly going on with him (heartworm and tick born illnesses) But if you have any more trouble with worms or giardia, I would recommend Panacur. It takes care of 4 different worms, it also quickly clears up parasite related diarrhea. This site sells Panacur really cheap and gets it to you quickly. http://www.revivalanimal.com/Panacur-C-Dewormer-Safeguard.html Please keep him away from that groomer tho. I’ve seen hidden camera footage of a groomer being really rough with dogs, and slapping the **** out of them. 🙁

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by LabsRawesome.
    #47400 Report Abuse
    InkedMarie
    Member

    I understand about the vet being very busy & you got an appointment but please, don’t neuter him now. He’s been through a lot. I may have missed it but what did the groomer say happened to his leg?

    #47402 Report Abuse
    LabsRawesome
    Member

    She pretty much has no choice but to neuter. That’s one of the down sides to adopting from shelters. If you don’t comply with the shelter’s policies, they can, and will, take the dog back. Before you can adopt, all animals in your house must be up to date on shots. That’s one reason I won’t adopt from shelters. They have too many rules. And I am not over vaccinating my dogs and cats for anyone. With that being said, I did adopt my 3 cats from a kill shelter, as well as my Springer Spaniel when he was a puppy. And with 3 dogs and 3 cats, I’m not looking to get anymore pets right now anyway. And also, I really doubt that the groomer will admit to doing anything to the dog.

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by LabsRawesome.
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