Dog health issue!!! Help!!!

Phil Nowack

Phil Nowack

Well-known member
Last night Kodi, my 21 month old CBR, started squinting.... I took him to the vet , but he couldn't come up with anything. He has been doing it all day as well. It clearly is irritating to him as he stops whatever he is doing when he does this. His gums are pale. The vet is waiting for a consult from a collegue at Iowa State... Any ideas?
 
His gums are not normaly pale? If thats not the case then pale gums could be a circulation or oxygen issue. Can't help you better than that. I'd start looking for an emergency 24 hour vet nearby just in case, and if he show any other signs of distress get him there ASAP. Maybe the vet s on the forum will see this and have better recomemdations
 
For normal diarhea I just give amodium but I would be more concerned with the pale gums.

No , the algae problem is still out there. They had warnings on the radio just last week as several dogs had just died from it. As stated, pale gums on a dog that normally has good color is a bad sign. One reason owners should always check their dog's gums when they know the dog is healthy so they know what is normal for their dog. Pale gums can show early signs of shock or other circulation problems. You can also check capillary refill by pressing against the gums with your thumb. When you take the thumb away the color should return instantly. Any delay is a bad sign.

I would call the vet again and let them know about the gum color. You said that you brought him to a vet. I assume they did a blood work up. If not, they should. Xrays or ultra-sound may also be considered. If he isn't drinking enough he may need IV fluids. Is he showing any other signs of distress ? IE: can't get comfortable, pacing, panting more than normal, repeated stretching of his hind legs ? Any of these can indicate abdominal pain. Speaking of which, when you palpate his stomach , is it turgid or does it bring about a pain reaction ?

good luck,

dave b
 
No diarhea.... aside from his squinting, he is normal....he did sleep more than normal last evening...Kodi is going back to the vet at 8:00 this morning. Last night I thought it was getting better.... This morning he doesn't want to keep his eyes open at all. :(
 
Did he get in the trash? Or something else he has never been in before? Are his eyes dry or full of tears and goop? Wonder if it's an allergy....
 
There is nothing new around the property. Not in the trash... etc... The only thing that I can think of is last weekend huting... I know he was head under the water... but that was Saturday... the first sign that we say was Wed night.... ??????? Don't know... I 100 % believe it is some kind of eye irritant. No goop or dry eyes...
 
Blue green algea boom just got some news coverage last evening. They say they have had 4 reported deaths since the beginning of duck season. I myself have never heard of this disease..

Hope your dog heals quick.
 
Phil,

Sorry for the mix up . I read your first post too quickly and thought it said "squiRting" not squinting. That is why I mentioned diarhea and abdominal pain. I assume the doc put some drops on the eyes and look under the special lite to see if there were any scratches. I also assume that he rolled the upper lids back (inside out) to ensure there was no foreign debris caught to the underside of the lid .

I think I would also like the vet to try some tetracaine hydrochloride solution in the eyes to see if that relieves the symptoms. It numbs the eyes . IE: if you have a scratch you wouldn't feel it. If it stops the squinting, it would seem to indicate that it is pain with the eye and not something else that is making him squint.

Does he squint more as the light increases ( photo-phobic ) ? Or is there anything else that seems to trigger it ?

good luck,

baumy
 
Mike W.
You will want to know more about this. It isn't a disease, but a "blue-green" algae that forms in some lakes. It can cause death to humans as well. There were usually cautions that would begin around July-August. I recall that Lake Mendota would have warnings at times and that there were some kids that it struck when they were on the beach there.

Not something I've ran into anywhere else except when I lived in Wisconsin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria
quote: "Some species of cyanobacteria produce neurotoxins, hepatotoxins, cytotoxins, and endotoxins, making them dangerous to animals and humans. Several cases of human poisoning have been documented but a lack of knowledge prevents an accurate assessment of the risks.[14][15]"
 
I would look at Blastomycosis, I have had three friends who have had their hunting dogs get Blastomycosis. Two of them died due to getting it in their lungs and did not get it diagnosed/treated quick enough. My other friends lab got Blastomycosis in his eye and had to have it removed.

Either way I hope Kodi gets better and will keep him in my thoughts...

Bob
 
Not sure what the vet did for tests... the ran a bunch... Friday he sent Kodi home with antibiotic. The ISU vet thinks it is Blasto or some similiar type virus... He seems to be 100% better... still watching...
 
Glad to hear your dog is doing better.. Any idea when they'll know exactly what it was?? Any recommended precautions?

Keir,

Thanks for the info... I thought I had heard of it all and was kinda surprised when this one cropped up on the news. The other state duckhunting sites hadn't heard much of it either.

Hope everyone up here has a great finish to their seasons.

My lab pulled up lame on a Sunday snow hunt.. Did the 'broken tail' routine. Tucks his tail tight to the belly and can't seem to extend his back haunches at all. He showed no signs of exhaustion prior to a tough retrieve deep into the cattails. After 3 hard days of hunting and two tons of retrieves I should of seen it coming. Poor guy doesn't even want to go down the stairs today.. Vet said a week of rest should clean him up.. God I hate seeing him get old.
 
All test came back negative.... nothing wrong... I guess I should be pleased with that... but..... ?????????????
 
Phil,

I am not sure if this pertains to you or not. I would think that the Vet should have thought of this already.

If the dog keeps squinting his eyes, perhaps he scratched his cornea. This is the outside covering of his eye. My lab had the same problem but it was only in one eye. Took him to the vet and they put some drops in his eye and then used a blue/purple ultra violet light and you could see where the dye was in the scratched area.

Vet gave him some ointment and antibiotic that I had to apply 3-4 times a days for about a week. He seemed fine after a few days.

His gums "may" be slightly pale due to this because of the stress that it is causing him as well b/c we all know that stress can cause circulation problems.

Hope this helps,

Mike
 
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