HELP! Sick Sheepie after 'routine' vet visit.
After the both dogs had been vaccinated he told me that it was only about 60% effective depending on the dog- would have been nice to know BEFORE the vaccinations but whatever. The vet also tried to sell me on their "medi-cal" dental dog food the entire visit (telling me that brushing his teeth wouldn't be as effective as switching his food), bringing Leonard in to be clipped down (something I told repeatedly him I wanted to do on my own) and that Leonard might need surgery to correct his bottom eyelids apparent Entropion (his eyes have never had any irritation and his eyelids look exactly like Ru's- his eyelashes are nowhere near his cornea) he seemed to be "selling" to me the entire visit. This vet has never done this before so it was a little off-putting and took away a lot of the trust I had in him as I find it hard to differentiate between him selling me things I don't need and genuine advice. This was on Tuesday night at about 8pm, both dogs seemed fine Wed but when we returned home from work Thursday one of the dogs had an accident which NEVER happens (even when Leonard was a puppy he wouldn't poop inside). We didn't think much of it as we figured they may have been rushed on their walk in the morning as we had been running late. We took them for their walk and Leonard began with the "runs". He went at least 9 times during our walk and it was nasty (but in small amounts). When we got home we let them out on their usual schedule but since they had been swimming/playing in the mud they slept in the kitchen. We were greeted with more accidents when we woke up this morning and on his morning walk he again went constantly and it was not healthy looking. My husband took an extra long lunch to come home and let them out again but by the time he got home Leonard had another accident. He has never had the runs like this before and they have now lasted a day with no improvement. He seems fine otherwise, I have been giving him lots of ice cubes in his water (which usually encourages him to drink more) and he is still keen on eating (we switched to rice and boiled chicken). His energy level and playfulness are normal and he played in the yard with my husband this afternoon. He seems completely normal except for the constant watery poops. Now for the frustrating part: I called the vet and asked them if this could be a side effect of the vaccine and they said they couldn't tell me unless I brought him in for an examination. I asked again if they could just look in the computer and see what he was given and tell me if Leonard's intestinal upset could be a side effect of the vaccine. Again she offered to book us in for an examination and told me she could not give me that information without an office visit. This made me a little bit angry and felt a lot like another cash grab. After talking in circles and telling her that he seemed fine otherwise and had no change in diet/energy level etc) she said she highly recommended a visit to the office "to be on the safe side" and quoted the office hours. I just want to know if this is worth another trip to the vet (they are open all weekend and accept walk ins so taking him in is no big deal). If this is a side effect of the vaccine it should pass and as long as he is eating and drinking and his energy seems ok he should be ok right? Are there any remedies other than rice and chicken we could be giving them? His nose is wet and cool like normal and he is currently sleeping soundly on his bed after a pretty energetic cat chasing session. If Leonard was your dog (apart from searching for a new vet's office) what would you do? Has anybody's dog had a Lyme vaccination and reacted in this way? If he actually needs vet care I won't think twice about taking him in but I have lost all trust in his vet after this week's events. |
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| I don't blame you for losing trust (and they are tough to find a good one to switch to). Can you get the name of the vaccine, and look it up online to see if looseness is a side effect? The loose stool, if it was my dog I would give plain "Pepto-Bismol" . . . that will usually slow the runs, after 2-3 doses, and I KNOW IT IS safe for dogs (I don't know about generics). I wouldn't give any of the specific anti-diarhea meds, as I do NOT KNOW if they are safe for dogs. I am not a vet, so I am only saying what I would do. At least you have a weekend now, so you are free to take out Leonard whenever necessary, and don't have more in house cleaning to do. |
Poor Leonard  and poor you.I would be furious with that vet and I'd never go back. Totally pisses me off when they over vaccinate, push unnecessary items, and especially their garbage foods. I'd keep an eye on him and maybe take him in but to a new vet. Good opportunity to meet and evaluate a new one. Some oes don't react well to revolution too... Hard to say, but you could try giving him some pepto bismol. |
| Revolution is a product of Bayer - Advantix group, and although it was hard to find the im----- ingrediant can cause "vomiting, diarhea, bloody stool" and a host of other things |
| yeah, sounds like a drug reaction and should settle down. I would feel less inclined to return to the vet in the future. Guess that's why I like my vet, we live in an economically depressed area so she is very careful about what she recommends to each client. If you want to stay with the vet, be up front and tell him off, you don't appreciate his pushing expensive products, etc. |
| Thanks for the responses! I just automatically worry that he is super sick- Ru didn't have a reaction so I wasn't sure if it was something more sinister. He actually hasn't started the revolution yet (they said not to start it until June 1- I will likely wait until all of this fun settles down). I will try pepto, I have heard that works in small doses. This morning is a little better as there were no accidents but we did run him outside first thing this morning. We are actually moving soon so I have had some recommendations for a new vet in the town we are moving to. It is only 10 minutes from here so I may book him in there for his next appointment/if this doesn't settle down. The reason we started going to our current vet is they are open until midnight every day and are very patient with Ru. All of this tummy upset is happening when we are trying to sell our house. Worst. Timing. Ever. |
| Some boiled chicken and rice will help. And perhaps a pepcid ac...Hope he feels better soon...and yes, I would look for another Vet! |
| Pepto worked like a charm. We mixed it in with his rice and boiled deer (we didn't have chicken but an abundance of frozen deer which is pretty lean). Little Piggy's beard is now pepto pink and a little stinky. Good thing he is getting his first major summer hair cut next week! Thank you so much. They say he needs a booster on the Lyme vaccine in a month. I am already dreading the aftermath. But hopefully by then we won't be dealing with staging/showing our house. One of our friends said our cute Sheepie was the best feature of the house and we should leave him in the house to greet potential buyers- something tells me an adolescent excited sheepie with loud gas and pink beard would make the house memorable to buyers but wouldn't necessarily motivate them  |
| Not sure I would get the booster for the Lyme vaccine. Can't you just use Advantrix? Glad doggy is doing better!  You might want to continue with the boiled venison and rice and introduce the old food slowly...A quick change may cause some problems again. |
| Did you know pepto whitens beards? I have NEVER had his beard so white. (after I washed out the pink of course). I have tried baking soda, peroxide, constant face washing and lemon juice. This is the first thing that has had such drastic results. There is not a trace of yellow and it smells pepto fresh. Obviously I won't be using it regularly as it is medication but it was an interesting side effect. We slowly mixed his food back into his rice and he is now back on 100% kibble. |
| Pepto does come in tablets. I slap 2 together with peanut butter and they are snarfed down. No Liquid. My vet also said amonium AD is ok as well. Tablets are the only way to go. No mess |
| We had tablets but I wasn't sure if it was ok for him to have- good thing to know for next time! |
How is Leonard today?  |
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