Sick Dog and Vet can't find the issue

[XOLO]

I am at my wits end and don't know where to turn. I have a 5 month old xoloitzcuintli. About 6 weeks ago he diarrhea and vomited. Vomit looked like egg noodles. Tested neg for parasites but positive for bacteria. Vet prescribed an antibiotic for 5 days. Dog acted normal within 2 days of being on Meds. At day 8 diarrhea returned with no vomiting. Treated for another 5 days with antibiotic. Dog seemed healthy. However about 4 weeks later, dog seemed lethargic but we thought perhaps just part of the breed and was settling down a bit. Within a few weeks noticed a slight limp to left leg. No indication of any injury noted to foot, pads or any other location. Dog seemed to be more lethargic but appetite still good. Limp became more pronounced and when we moved the dog, the dog would yelp in pain. We took dog back to the vet on 6/7. X-ray completed on left shoulder and blood drawn for full workup. Dog was given 75 mg of Rimadyl twice per day. Dog seemed to grow even more lethargic overnight. On Friday call from Vet said Blood work came back from the lab normal. Took dog to the Vet again 6/8/2018 and requested Lepto, urine and fecal sample. Fecal sample normal but vet could see no reason to preform Lepto because symptoms are not consistent with this disease. Completed x-ray then on right shoulder. Nothing abnormal noted by vet. Checked for lime disease which was neg. Vet now thinks these maybe growing pains and they can’t find any other cause of the pain. I also requested both x-rays be send to radiology so those results are pending.

When I was taking the dog out of the car upon return from the vet, the dog let out a big yelp. Brought him inside to feed him and he let out a big yelp when he went to eat from his food bowl. He won’t go near the food bowl now and we must hold the bowl up for him to eat. Today 6/10 when dog tried to pick up a treat on the floor, he let out a big yep as if he were in a lot of pain. Still very lethargic and walks like an old dog, not a 5 month old playful puppy. No longer tires to get in bed with us but goes to the kennel to sleep.

Dog is current on Rabies, Bordetella, DHLPP, and Canine Influenza. Receives monthly heart guard and nexguard.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I have already spent $800.00 on the vet and I don't know what else to do. I just know that my baby is not well.

 

[ChickieShelly]

First thing I think of is pano. Here's a little blurb about it.
*Panosteitis refers to a short-lived (self-limiting) and painful condition characterized by limping and lameness. It is a condition that affects the long bones in the legs of young dogs, usually between the ages of 5 to 18 months. It can occur with any breed, but it is more common in medium- to large-sized dog breeds.*

 

[pennyJo1960]

Take pup to a chiropractor sounds as if the neck has been injured

 

[cassie]

This is just a comment about dog food. It really doesn't have a lot to do with this post but I'll throw it in anyway and you can take it for what it is worth. I have tried a lot of dog foods over the years. Right now I am feeding Purina One chicken and brown rice. I am not sure that rice is any better for dogs than corn is. However, chicken is the first ingredient. Most importantly from my point of view, the dogs like it and they seem to do really well on it. I feed free choice. They are a good weight, have good muscle tone, their coats are slick and shiny, and my little dog scratches a lot less. Their stools are firm and virtually odorless which shows they are digesting their food well. I have a Basset Hound and a Chihuahua cross.

 

[XOLO]

Is it possible it's neueological and not physical? Also did he xray his legs or just the shoulders? Could be something in the leg?

What is he eating? Could possibly be diet? Or at least the diarrhea maybe? Although maybe not with the other symptoms or if it was sudden.

He might need to see a specialist but that would be more money. But if the vet can't find anything wrong, a specialist might be able to tell. Like maybe orthopedic or physical therapist or even a neurologist in case it's neurological?

The diarrhea has been gone so I am certain it is not food related. He is on a grain free diet for puppies. I think perhaps I need to see an Internal Medicine Spec as it has to be something internal. Back legs were not x-rayed but there seems to be no pain associated with the back legs, I lean more toward something internal. I
I just thought that perhaps I could get some suggestions from someone that had been thru the same ordeal to tell the vet what to look for if I take him to a different vet so that I am not spending so much money to keep investigating. My heart just breaks seeming him so sad and in pain.

 

[ChickieShelly]

Does the Rimadyl help with the pain? How responsive he is to the anti-inflammatory could be a good diagnostic tool. If he is responsive, Pano could be a good possible diagnosis. If he's not responsive to the pain medication, a trip to the neurologist may be required to look for things like wobbles syndrome.

Also, do some research on grain free diets. New research coming out is reporting increased heart issues from grain free and raw diets. Plus too high of protein in a rapidly growing puppy can lead to things like pano.

 

[BrindleFinch]

http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/...e-or-grain-free-diets-and-exotic-ingredients/

Here's a link on some of the dog food stuff. Also, a little food for thought, average life span of a wolf in the wild is 6-8 years, we want our fur babies longer than that.

Not to be a Conspiracy Theorist or anything, but uh.

1.) No links to actual scientific studies - only to other articles published by Tufts itself. It is anecdotal evidence based on ONE case in specific, and generalities otherwise. Claims are unsubstantiated. Where are the articles / other practices to verify the claim that "Recently, some veterinary cardiologists have been reporting increased rates of DCM in dogs," as stated in the article? All of this is just being said. There's no outside evidence or scientific articles supporting it.

2.) Hill's / Science Diet and Purina both are donors to Tuft's Veterinary Program. Of course they don't want anything saying that grain free is healthier; of course they want things that say it's less healthy. Corn costs less and they would love to fill their food with more of it and less meat.

3.) The article points to home made diets being the cause, particularly vegetarian diets being a cause due to a lack of taurine. Ironically enough, grain-based diets CANNOT contain NATURAL taurine, as (unless they use yeast, which is still a live culture), taurine is only found in meat. It is the reason cats need more (and why it is regulated in cat foods) - they are generally more carnivorous in their dietary needs than canines. I know cats can't produce it themselves - it MUST come from meat sources. I'm not sure if dogs can synthesize taurine or not, but I'd be willing to bet they need it as well from meat sources. Raw meat is also a better source than cooked meat - most cat foods, even those with nothing but meat, generally have taurine added to them BECAUSE cooking takes so much out of raw meat.

ANY food that fails to meet AAFCO standards is a hazard. There is no way to confirm that homemade diets are meeting nutritional needs - that's exactly what the article is getting at. Not that "grain free causes heart issues," it's that homemade diets are on the rise and are unbalanced because people are more into the idea than the science.

 

[XOLO]

Sounds more like neck/back injury with possible nerve injury also. Did the dog possibly get hit by car or jump down from a real high place ? Is digestion ok now or has the Rimydyl upset the digestion ? Nerve injury and soft tissue damage doesn't usually show up on xrays. Ever tried homeopathics?
If it were my dog,it would be on Arnica 30c and Hypericum 30c, to start and then if no response would treat with remedies for ligaments and tendons. Hope your dog feels better soon !

No injuries we are aware of as we always keep an eye on him. We are taking him to UOI in the morning as they will be able to run all of the necessary test to see what the issue is.

 

[XOLO]

Update Monday 6/11/2018-
Woke up this morning to find a dog much improved so I decided to not go to UOI. Returned home from work today with a dog very anxious to get out of the kennel and do the normal things that we expect from puppies. I have no idea how a puppy can be so sick one day and seem almost normal today. At the first sign of illness again, I will be going straight to UOI to determine what the issue is. I just never would have expected such a quick recovery considering how sick he was but am so grateful to have my baby back.

 

[townchicks]

Glad to hear he's doing better. It sounded like neck pain to me. My old dog had a bad disc in his neck, and that would cause him to cry out with sudden movement and also to limp on his front leg. Nothing wrong with that leg, I was told that was a classic symptom of neck pain. Rimadyl is an anti-inflammatory, so that would have helped neck pain. Pano is also a real possibility, it will come and go. You don't say how old your pup is (or I missed it) but that usually starts to show up around 5 to 6 mos. Most common in large breeds, but can show up in medium size dogs.