She ate foodtwo cups and asked for more but I felt it best she ease back into it so I had to cut her off.
Eating is an excellent sign. If that vet suspected a UTI he/she should have tested the urine. They can cath the dog and get a sample. That would also tell if she had urinary retention. When ever a dog acts strange, it is usually exceptional. They put up with a lot before they complain. Restlessness, not eating, are symptoms of discomfort. two years ago, my 3 yr old Lab died while we were out shopping. She died of bloat. it is more common than known. But it is a surgical emergency if not treated within a hour or so of onset will result in a painful death. Hope your pet is well
I just saw this thread. I'm glad she's eating and seeming to be better after the vet visit. Female dogs sometimes have these issues. Excessive licking is usually a sign. Did they give her any antibiotics? My female Brittany was gimpy a few years ago from straining to lick after she had a uti. Antibiotics cleared that up, and she stopped straining to get at the area, and she was back to normal in a couple weeks. I wish dogs could talk. Or that we could understand what they are saying. I hope she gets better!
Also, like human females, older female dogs and sometimes even younger spayed dogs can get incontinence be it urine or fecal, both of which also can cause excessive licking. Back in the day vets could prescribe estrogen for urine but I don't think they do that anymore. I would bet there is a new med for it though *if* that comes up.
One of my boxers was acting strange last week, similar symptoms as Matts dog. Took me a day to narrow down all the symptoms vs. what her routine typically is like to find out what was wrong. It ended up being that my boxer had 3 cracked teeth (from chewing bones) and this was causing her pain. While my dog was under sedation at the vets, the dr also found 2 lumps on her legs. One was found to be cancerous. Another fiscal tip for folks that may not know. In a pinch, where you may not have the cash set aside for emergencies like this, Care Credit is a great way to help manage for medical purposes only. Often times they offer programs to defer interest so you can pay off the principal and get back to square. I have an account and I use it when I need to. For my dogs and on one occasion for myself when I needed a root canal.
They do actually. You just have to learn to understand what they are saying. Their language is not only vocal, they also use body language and eye contact as part of the process.
I just went thru this with my lab. Hope your pooch gets better! Emergency vets....the good ones...are no more expensive than a regular vet for the actual treatments given. I just spent $531 there last friday. You get a higher office visit fee for after or weekend hours, but all other costs should be the same as Monday thru Friday 9 to 5 prices. I agree with catch all the stuff coming out for samples.
I hate to see an animal get sick. So often they just suffer through it. Some breeds are more suceptable to certain ailments. I think all the inbreedfing, breeds out their natural defences. So often they end up deformed and sought out for these annoralies. I now have labs and love their personality but even they have some health issues. We used to gets mutts from the pound. They lived longer and healthier. The only thing is that they were not "bite proof" like my labs have been.
I'm a geneticist in my day job, there is a lot to be said for hybrid vigor. All my hounds are mixed breeds.
mattjm1017 I'm glad to hear your dog seems to be doing better. I had a similar scare with my beagle/lab. One morning she refused to get up, wouldn't eat, appeared to have diminished control of her hind end, was all hunched up, just didn't look good at all, it looked to me to be something very serious/ life threatening, she was three at the time. The vet diagnosed it as a muscle strain of some deep core muscle, gave her a shot of painkiller, and some steroid and said watch her for a couple of days. She bounced right back and was pretty much back to normal a couple days later.
You should experience this with a 160 lb mastiff. She seems fine otherwise, so we'll address it at her next normal visit. They're both confined to the laundry room until we get this house sold, so it's not terribly inconvenient. She's due for some vaccinations in May.
We had a 140lb female newfie lab mix that had these issues. Had her on all sorts of meds to clear it up, and it never fully went away.
I don't have high hopes. She seems otherwise healthy. I read that uti can contribute, as well as other ailments that cause her to drink excessive amounts of water. She does drink a lot of water, but always has. She's almost nine years old, which is pretty old in mastiff years
Well she seems to be a lot better today. She is more alert and had an appetite first thing in the morning. I gave her the meds and she has been sleeping pretty much all day but overall her appearance and attitude is much better. Tomorrow she will go to the vet and get the rest of her problems fixed up and should be on the road to recovery.
My wife got the newfie mix years ago when she volunteered at a no kill shelter. So we don't know exactly how old she was, but she made it to 14 at least based on how long we had her. That lab mix gene in her had to have helped. It's a shame how short lived giant breeds are. A friend had 2 Danes. 7 +8 years was it. One had cancer, the longer lived one bloat.
Keep an eye on her privates, the ammonia in urine can burn the skin. Quick trim with scissors down there?
