The Dog Thread

11 Likes

Our Malamute is sick and maybe some-one on here can help with a bit of advice

We took her to the vet after she has been lethargic and vomited a couple of times. She had an elevated temperature and they ran tests that showed high auto-immune markers. She also seemed to have a sore neck, which added up to indicate meningitis. Off to the Veterinary Neurologist for more tests that were not conclusive, and in fact her condition had settled, she was lively and eating OK.

We can put her through more tests, which include MRI scans and a spinal-tap to take fluid for more tests. This means full sedation and two days in a dog hospital, and will cost about $3,000. So we are really unsure what to do and I wondered if anyone here has had anything similar with a dog or any pet.

It is not about the money, more about putting her through this trauma.

2 Likes

From my experience, the MRI and spinal-tap’s didn’t phase my little guy too much.

That said, his prognosis was always pretty poor (ended up passing about 6 weeks later), so it may have simply been a case of the pain was already so bad that anything like that just didn’t register.

1 Like

Obviously it’s difficult to give advice because every case is very different. If they can tell you for sure that things are dire and that the procedures are going to only give a cause and some extra time, then from personal experience I wouldn’t put her through it. But the fact that she has settled and appears to be okay again would also make me not act and just wait and see.

The fact I acted and was all for the vet’s advice on the initial consultation ended up being the reason my dog died. I’d wait and see.

2 Likes

@Bacchusfox, how old is she?

If she is an older dog like @Mackster I would wait and see also. No point putting her through the stress.

If after a while you reckon she is not herself, then consider the tests. (just my opinion)

1 Like

It is her third birthday tomorrow , still a baby

1 Like

Give her a while, am sure you will know whether she requires more tests.

You know her nature best.

3 Likes

At 3 years old - I’d be doing every test you can to make sure the diagnosis you end up with is as reliable as possible - so that the decision you make in the end is informed as it can be.

3 Likes

BF,

Firstly, soz to hear that your beautiful Malamute isn’t in the best of conditions.

Saying that, your post is really vague. “Tests not conclusive”, “condition had settled”, “was lively and eating OK”.

Is your beautiful dog OK now? If she seems OK, then I agree that a period of monitoring seems best. If not OK, do the tests. She is young and strong and will rebound.

All the best, dude, for your beautiful dog and you/your fam.

2 Likes

Sorry to hear about your girl. She is still very young. Probably not the same thing but we had a a similar thing with our boy Rocky a couple of months ago. He was 3.5 months old at the time and was vomiting in the morning and was very lethargic. We took him straight to the vet and they were pretty concerned about him so wanted to keep an eye on him so we left him there. They thought that he had an obstruction but couldn’t see anything on xray so waited a couple of hours but he was still not good so they operated on him to check if there was anything obstructing him internally. In the end they couldn’t find anything and kept him overnight on drip and he slowly got better and was able to come home. In the end they say it must have been a case of severe gastro. Wishing you all the best with your girl and hopefully she comes back to normal soon. Maybe see how she is in the morning.

4 Likes

How’s she going today @Bacchusfox? So sorry to hear she’s not been well and soooo hard to know which way to go next. I totally understand your situation- there’s no clear answer if she remains well - you can only do what you think is best for her. :crossed_fingers:that it was just a one off gastro type thing.

2 Likes

She seems well enough and eating ok

When we get back from the G and the backyard is full of holes she has dug, I will be happier

3 Likes

For some reason, my dog enjoys wearing my wife’s beanie when it’s raining outside. He’s a weird dog, but I love him so much :slight_smile:


13 Likes

Just gorgeous! Nice coat too.
As you can see mine did too!
He’d look good in an Essendon one!!
(We have a few photos of our dogs wearing Essendon beanies)

2 Likes

That’s a great idea! Wilbur will look awesome fully decked out in Essendon gear :slight_smile: Cheers!

There are so many totally inappropriate things I could post about the dog wearing a wife’s headgear.

But I will refrain.

Our Malamute seems active and bright, but we think we will get all the tests done, just to be sure.

7 Likes

The kids want a dog. Suggestions for a dog suitable for little kids (7 and 5), will be alone during the day, walked everyday and we have a large backyard. Any suggestion on breeds?

Standard poodle … greyhound

1 Like

Second the greyhound. They sleep most of the time so they’re not going to be destroying things out of boredom when they’re left alone, they’ll just snooze til humans get home for playtime. Lots of other sighthounds like afghans and whippets are similar.
They like being run rather than walked - they’d much prefer to tear around like a lunatic for 20 mins rather than walk steadily for 15km.

2 Likes

Easy, get a Labrador.

2 Likes