Mystery illness

[MajorLoki]

We brought our 7 1/2 week old pup, Major, home on Sept. 16. The first day home he had a few loose stools, I assumed this was from the stress of leaving his litter and the 5 hour drive to his new home, so I didn't think much of it. He had been vaccinated and de-wormed by the breeder, using Albon for the de-wormer. We took him to his new pet exam three days after getting him home. The vet found two parasites, I don't remember which ones, and put him on Albon again, otherwise Major was in good shape. During his 10 days on his medication, his loose stools slowly got worse and he almost totally lost his appetite and desire to drink. Again I made an assumption and figured the medication was causing this. When the diarrhea continued after he was finished with the Albon, I took him to the vet, where they found him to be quite dehydrated, and had a rather severe coccidia infection. He was placed on Albon a third time, given sub-cutanious fluids and sent home with us. Two days later Major was admitted to the vet clinic because he was showing no signs of improvement. While there for two days, he did pretty good and was able to come home again. He did pretty good for a few days, but took a rather fast and severe turn for the worse. We had a verry scarry emergency visit this last Sunday, and he has been in the clinic since. Our breeder has been in contact with our vet, and neither they nor the vet who saved his life at his emergency visit can figure out what is wrong with him. He has been slowly showing signs of improvement after his medication was switched up, but everyone is still confused. Has anyone had any similar experiences? We are verry worried about our little Major.

[brunie's mom]

Poor pup. It's awful to be going through with this. You should be enjoying and having fun with your pup....not running to the vets.

What food are you feeding? I wonder if his stomach upsets have been caused by diet? What did the vet clinic feed him when he felt better?

Was the pup a normal weight and size when you brought him home? How much did he weigh at the first vet check up?

The only thing I can think of us some sort of congenital defect (liver, kidneys,etc) that is not letting him absorb and digest his food.
Has a blood workup been done on you pup? Any fever? Any signs of infection?

Hopefully you will get some answers soon.

Gina

[Miabella]

Have they tested for giardia? Even if they did and he tested negative, that does not mean he does not have giardia. Sometimes there can be false negatives because the organism won't be present in every bowel movement.

The treatment for giardia in adult dogs is metronidazole, but in little pups it is safer to use Panacur.

[frontierrots]

Not only that but Albon (which is NOT a wormer by the way so the breeder KNEW he had coccidia before he left!) is very poor at some coccidia cases. I almost lost 2 pups to coccidia. It can be very debilitating

I'd have them look again for coccidia AND giardia. If he still has coccidia have they try Corid instead. That was the only thing that helped my 2, Albon did not touch it. (Oh yeah and coccidia is not "cured" it is fought down to a level the body can handle) If he has giardia then go with the panacur regiem

[moondog]

Originally Posted by frontierrots

(Oh yeah and coccidia is not "cured" it is fought down to a level the body can handle)

So what does this mean, exactly? Is coccidia similar to demodex in that all dogs have it and it's normally kept in check by the immune system.....or does it mean once a dog has contracted it, it is then always present (although kept in check by a healthy immune system)?

[flyballmom]

Originally Posted by moondog

Is coccidia similar to demodex in that all dogs have it and it's normally kept in check by the immune system.....or does it mean once a dog has contracted it, it is then always present (although kept in check by a healthy immune system)?

Butting in to say, yes. Coccidia is similar to e-coli. Normal to a dogs intestinal flora and fauna, but can overgrow and cause problems if the dog is ill or for some reason has an altered immune system.

[frontierrots]

Normal in many dogs (but not all). However in normal adult dogs it never shows up in a fecal and never causes problems

Once a pup has been exposed to coccidia, they carry it for life and can have outbreaks during illness or extreme stress. NORMALLY when pups/dogs are exposed it is low level enough that the immune system wacks it and you never know. Sometimes however they get a large enough exposure or theit immune system is low enough (fighting illness or after vaccines) that they get quite sick.

In my case I brought it home in 1995 with a new Shiba pup. A million years later in experience I will never ever even think of bringing home a new dog/pup when I have a litter! WHAT I was thinking back then I don't know, but the whole litter and mom were deathly ill and I almost lost 2. The Shiba pup never even had sloppy poo but did come with Albon from the breeder (a BIG red flag to me now!)

[observer]

He's 7 1/2 weeks old NOW or when you brought him home almost a month ago? It does seem as though the breeder knew he was sick, using the Albon -- and was in a hurry to have the pups leave, too, perhaps?. And the stress of leaving home on a pup who was already being treated sure wouldn't help.

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by flyballmom

Butting in to say, yes. Coccidia is similar to e-coli. Normal to a dogs intestinal flora and fauna, but can overgrow and cause problems if the dog is ill or for some reason has an altered immune system.

Was just doing some reading. Coccidia is a parasite. It is not normal in most dogs. The mother dog may be carrying the parasite(and not be showing signs of having it) and pass it on to the puppies. The pups can seem fine till they are weaned, or the stress of going to the new home...and then the diarhhea starts. If one pup in the litter has coccidea....all of the pups have it.

It would seem to me since this pup has been treated repeatedly for coccidea, there may be something else going on with him. A healthy pup should have been well on his way to recovery by now.

Gina

[MissMary]

MajorLoki I am so sorry to hear that your puppy is sick {{HUG}} I will keep you and him in my thoughts. I hope you find what is wrong soon and the little guy get well fast.

To everyone who has replied - you may have very well just saved a chihuahua puppy with the info. you have given. "Thank you!"

[Lola B Marie]

If you don't get improvement with the pup , you might want the vet to do a complete blood work up looking for bacterial over growth in pups belly. This is not found in a stool sample as we learned with Lola. Amoxicillin is very good treatment if a certain bacteria is present. Also Tagamet which reduces stomach acid is used with this. She is not allowed any dog food at present but that can hopefully change down the road. This treatment really helped her get from an under weight dehydrated puppy to a 112lb ,18 month old beautiful girl with a great shine to her coat. Good luck with your pup. If it turns out that this might be the same condition, pm me and I will help you with the food plan.
Jane

[moondog]

I've been reading, too, and another antibiotic that is suggested on the PetEducation site for coccidia if Albon isn't working, is Tribrissin.

Coccidia (Coccidiosis) in Dogs: A Cause of Diarrhea
Coccidia

I didn't realize that crytosporidium is a type of coccidia.

[marianne]

Has your vet checked for parvo? My last litter of Rottweilers in 1999 did have coccidia and responed well to the meds my vet gave. I was told it was a stool thing at the time. With 9 pups it could have happened.

[MajorLoki]

Just an update on our pup, Major. First off, Thank You for the well wishes and advice. He is now back home and his meds were changed to Primor, and Flagyl along with i/d canine food. After the last fecal exam it looks like the coccidia count is coming down, and his appetite has returned. However I would like some advice on how to deal with the breeder. I have talked to our vet and his three partners, and they all agree that the breeder knew the pup had coccidia when he sent him home with us. They are also concerned that this pup is not what we were led to believe when we purchased him. We were told he was the pick of the litter when we first talked to the breeder. The vets find it hard to believe that the pick of the litter is the one pup out of the whole litter who has trouble fighting off a coccidia infection. They also say he is way undersized for an 11 week old pup, even for being so sick for so long. He weighs 5.1 pounds as of today. The vets are also concerned with the way Major's hind legs point outwards, they say this could be a sign of joint problems. The breeders daughter is a vet, and takes care of the dogs and pups. So I do believe they knowingly sent us home with a sick pup who was probably not the pick of the litter. The breeder has offered to replace our pup with a pup from an upcoming litter in Dec., but that doesn't help with the $1,000+ in vet bills we have paid out for Major. Any suggestions on how to handle this situation would be greatly appreciated.

[MissMary]

I am so glad to hear that Major is home and doing better. I hope he continues to get better. I also hope Major don't have joint problems.
I am sorry I have no advice for you as far as the breeder. Are you thinking about replaceing Major with another pup? I wonder what would happen to Major then? I feel for you it has to be so sad and the cost so hard! I hope this ends in a happy story for you. I sure do wish the best for you again sorry you are going threw all this and I am glad to hear Major id doing better.