Mystery illness/injury?

[BouncySpy]

Hi everyone, I'm back again with yet another problem :( it seems like it's just been one thing after another with my poor dogs lately.

My current problem is with my 5 year old maltese Gizmo - he has suffered from a luxating patella since he was a puppy and has had intermittent bouts of tummy upset if even a minor change in food occurs (normally resulting in foamy yellow vomit). I posted a bit ago about trying to wean him off of wet dog food because of teeth issues and I have mentioned that I added a black lab puppy to our family roughly a month ago - Gizmo has been acting fine with these changes (besides the diarrhea scare a few weeks ago) up until around 5 days ago.

Since Friday he has seemed kind of... off, for lack of a better word. He wasn’t as energetic or as interested in his normal activities, like barking wildly at every little noise and following my every step. He definitely wasn't acting "sick," just kind of tired. I attributed this lack of energy to an ear infection that he has been suffering from for roughly two weeks. He has been given Bur Otic solution, Otomax, and on Monday he was given a BNT after the first two treatments didn’t work. Now, this morning when he was taken out to potty he seemed reluctant to walk down the stairs (something he has never had a problem with before) and yelped like crazy when the puppy merely brushed against him, and again when he accidentally brushed against my leg. By the time both dogs had pottied and were taken back upstairs, Gizmo was trembling all over and panting heavily. This is exactly how he acted during the bout of diarrhea so I wasn't extremely concerned, but since then he has defecated three times and none of them were particularly abnormal. Since this morning he has randomly had shaking fits, been panting heavily off and on, has had a “hunched” appearance, has shown a general lack of interest in every activity, and seems very sore. He seemed to be doing better earlier, but this improvement was short lived after he jumped off the couch to investigate the doorbell and instantly began yelping and again took up his hunched stance.

I simply don’t know what to do at this point! He has been to the vet roughly 4 times in the past month – he had booster vaccines, went in for an allergic reaction to said booster vaccines, went in for his ear infection, and then went in 2 days ago for his ear AGAIN! This isn’t counting the several times my new puppy has been to the vet – she needed shots, treatment for a skin condition on her ear, etc. I obviously have no aversion to taking my pets to the vet when I feel that it’s needed, but since he has had 2 checkups in a month I don’t know if taking him is worth the stress it places on him - he has SEVERE anxiety at the vet.

I am, however, going to call my vet tomorrow if his condition hasn’t improved, but I was just wondering if anyone has any idea what could be causing this? I’m sorry for the incredibly long explanation, but I just wanted you guys to know all the circumstances surrounding his condition.

Here is a summary of his symptoms again (just in case I left something out the first time):
-trembling, panting, favoring his back end (has difficulty sitting/laying down), pacing, lacking energy, ear infection that we just can’t determine the cause of, random bouts of yelping when running/jumping (which I have been limiting greatly since the first time it happened), and a “hunched” appearance.

He has been drinking water and eating with the same enthusiasm he has always had, but the food and water must be brought to him.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I would at least like to have some idea of what this may be before I go into the vet so I can be somewhat prepared. Thanks in advance everyone!

[MyMalteseKid]

Hi...It sounds like Gizmo has moved into a different stage of LP. Has your vet discussed the 4 different stages? When he jumped off the furniture because of the door bell the LP probably increased the pain and location of the knee(s). If he is not going to his food and/or when outside yelping, etc., his hind legs are bothering him.

Yellow throw up could might that his tummy is empty and the acid in his tummy causes the white or yellow foam.

Ear infections could also cause him to react. Ear infections could be/are painful. Shaking can also be a sign of pain. Pacing maybe because he is umcomfortable.

For his LP do you have a crate that Gizmo can go to for resting?

I would even say that with his booster vaccines, etc., can cause the way he is acting but not with the LP issue, even after a week or more after vaccines.

If you take Gizmo to the vets tomorrow have the vet explain LP and the stages. Also discuss reactions to vaccines. You may have to watch for this with any other vaccines down the road. Is your vet recommending surgery for Gizmo's LP?

Let us know how Little Gizmo is doing and what your vet has told you. Even seek a second opinion if you think you might want to do.

[jasper]

I hate to even suggest it, but you need to ask your vet about immune mediated encephalitis. It is a reaction triggered by vaccines in some dogs. Mine had the reaction weeks after her vaccines. She had her vaccines, 4 weeks later knee surgery and then as she recovered from knee surgery she had shaking/seizures...with treatment of prednisone and valium, she is recovering quite well. However, she could have been dead within a week or so, had my vet not responded so quickly. She will no longer be able to have ANY vaccines. However, to comply with law, they will giver her a titers blood test that will prove to the state that she is not diseased. It is a genetic disorder and not contagious. Her brother has not yet shown symptoms, but we will stop vaccines for him as well.

As far as the stomach issues, my male has same problem with senstivity. Whenever his stomach has issues, I add ground flax seed (kept in fridge) to his food and it clears it right up.

Good luck!

[BouncySpy]

Thanks for the replies! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to update, but I’ve had my hands quite full for the past few days!

After being told to monitor Gizmo’s condition for a few days to see if he experienced any improvement, he visited a vet after a most upsetting Sunday filled with diarrhea and absolutely NO appetite and has officially been diagnosed with colitis and a possible pinched nerve in his back/neck – most likely due to the intense head shaking caused by his ear infection. Poor Giz has had quite the month! The ear infection and back problem was most likely the reason behind his seemingly random pain responses to his normal activities, however, colitis is also extremely painful so I’m sure that didn’t help matters!

The good news is that the BNT that he received last week has resulted in a remarkable improvement in his ear and he is now on prednisone and metronidazole for the next 3 weeks and 1 week, respectively, to treat his back and tummy troubles.
The bad news is that the poor little guy had NO appetite yesterday (even for his favorite snacks) and the vet has put him on an additional 24 hour fast which means that he can’t have anything until tomorrow morning! He hasn’t had a bite to eat since his dinner on Saturday and now he’s stuck with nothing but Gatorade and pedialyte for the next 12 hours.

The vet also decided to place Gizmo on a strict diet of canned + dry Purina EN since he has always seemed to have a problem with loose stools. Does anyone have any experience with this food or condition? I’m sure the vet knows what he’s doing, but the food seems to have an absolutely terrible ingredient list! I have heard that fiber is important in treating this disease; however, so perhaps that’s the point? A grain free diet certainly did NOT sit well with Gizmo as that is what I think officially started this fiasco 3 weeks ago!

P.S. MyMalteseKid - the vet did say that his LP seems to have progressed into the next stage! Thanks for the information - I would never have known to ask about that otherwise! To be such little monsters, these guys are just SO delicate sometimes!

[MyMalteseKid]

Hi...TU for the update. For the colitis did your vet also do a stool sample check for bacteria, parasites, blood work, etc. Can you give Giz added fiber mixed in his food to help using an insoluble fiber which will add bulk to his diet.

I hope Gizmo will soon be on the road to recovery and feeling much better. Let us know how he is doing.

[lovemylittleguy]

Poor baby... this just breaks my heart. I really am curious if the vacines had anything to do with all his new symptoms. Bless his little heart. I hope he is on his way to a full recovery.

[maltesemom4]

I would not feed the purina...it is an inferior dog food. If it were my dog I would go with Natural Balance Sweet Potatoe and fish formula it is a grain free/allergy dog food. It worked wonders on my Daisy who suffered from Irritable Bowl sydrome. It also worked for my sister's maltese who suffered from itching and ear problems.