# Bacterial Infection



## ShirleyH (Sep 13, 2009)

I need your great advice and experience. Keeper went to the Emergency Hospital on Sunday after waking at 5:30 a.m. with vomiting and some diarrhea. By 11:30 a.m. it was evident he was in trouble--dehydrating, fever,
and not keeping water down although he was thirsty. Tests were done and Parvo and parasites ruled out. His temp was 105--very high. They ran blood tests and kept him for IV hydration and beginning antibiotic administration.
The blood work showed a bacterial infection of some kind. He is home and doing well and restricted to 2 spoons of Hill's I/D food every 3 hours for awhile plus two antibiotics. He is hungry and not understanding why he can't have 'more'. We are at a loss as to where and what he could have picked up.
He is a real scavenger and we're always taking stuff out of his mouth; however he's never off leash outdoors except at the tennis court where he chases balls--not likely to have happened there. At any rate, we are grateful for this good hospital and the fact that there is no liver or pancreas involvement. Having lost a Bolognese to IBD, we are super sensitive about this. We have pulled Keeper from the October shows since his IV site was shaved. The important thing is that he is getting well, but any insight from yoour experiences is so welcome.

Thanks as always,

Shirley H.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Sorry, no advice here - just wanted to say I'm glad he's on the mend. I know that was scary for you.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Shirley,
I'm sorry to hear Keeper is sick! I know how scary that can be, I went through a similar thing with Gucci earlier this year and its hard to know what exactly caused it.

If you take him on walks and he likes to sniff alot, he could've picked up that way, which also reminds me that people are putting alot of fertilizers down this time of year and using toxic chemicals on their yards, so be weary of that

I hope the antibiotics work quickly and he's on the mend real soon
:grouphug:

Kara


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## ShirleyH (Sep 13, 2009)

Thanks Kara and Kathie, he's much better this morning and wondering where his food is.
He can only have 1/2 can of Hill's I/D daily until normal bm's occur. He's looking at me as if to say 'why don't you love me anymore?'. We have an appointment with his vet on Monday morning. Absolutely we don't know where he picked up the bacteria and will never know. He was in a show 2 weeks ago and it could take that long to develop I suppose. You just want to be sure he doesn't get it again and I don't think there is any possible way to be sure.

Shirley H.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShirleyH said:


> I need your great advice and experience. Keeper went to the Emergency Hospital on Sunday after waking at 5:30 a.m. with vomiting and some diarrhea. By 11:30 a.m. it was evident he was in trouble--dehydrating, fever,
> and not keeping water down although he was thirsty. Tests were done and Parvo and parasites ruled out. His temp was 105--very high. They ran blood tests and kept him for IV hydration and beginning antibiotic administration.
> The blood work showed a bacterial infection of some kind. He is home and doing well and restricted to 2 spoons of Hill's I/D food every 3 hours for awhile plus two antibiotics. He is hungry and not understanding why he can't have 'more'. We are at a loss as to where and what he could have picked up.
> He is a real scavenger and we're always taking stuff out of his mouth; however he's never off leash outdoors except at the tennis court where he chases balls--not likely to have happened there. At any rate, we are grateful for this good hospital and the fact that there is no liver or pancreas involvement. Having lost a Bolognese to IBD, we are super sensitive about this. We have pulled Keeper from the October shows since his IV site was shaved. The important thing is that he is getting well, but any insight from yoour experiences is so welcome.
> ...


Hope Keeper's feeling better soon! There does seem to be an intestinal bug going around. Missy's Jasper came down with it a few weeks ago and no Cash has it.  Before them, Leeann's little Rumor had to be hospitalized for it. (but he was a very young puppy at the time) the good thing is that Jasper and Rumor are fine now. Hopefully Cash will be soon too!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShirleyH said:


> We have pulled Keeper from the October shows since his IV site was shaved.


Oh... forgot I wanted to comment on this. When Kodi went in for his surgery, I told them that of course his health and safety was the highest priority, but if there was any way to put his IV in without shaving the leg, I'd appreciate it. They were able to wet down that area of his leg with alcohol so that they could see his skin and get the IV in without shaving him. It's worth asking about for any of us who want to preserve their dog's long coat!


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

krandall said:


> Oh... forgot I wanted to comment on this. When Kodi went in for his surgery, I told them that of course his health and safety was the highest priority, but if there was any way to put his IV in without shaving the leg, I'd appreciate it. They were able to wet down that area of his leg with alcohol so that they could see his skin and get the IV in without shaving him. It's worth asking about for any of us who want to preserve their dog's long coat!


Great tip Karen. I am happy Keeper is on the mend.


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

I am so sorry that Keeper and you went through this. I am very happy to hear he is recovering. I hope he gets to eat soon. Eating something is not the only way dogs can get bacterial infections, here in the south they can get it from the soil. The soil here has a lot of bacteria great for the garden. Dogs can get a small cut scrape etc., it just depends on the conditions. My shih tzu got one and recovered, however he had MVD and his age it took a toil on his heart. We took him over to NCS vet hospital and the specialist there told me it is more common then peope know it just depends on the bacteria and where it goes. This is far more common in hunting dogs who run through bushes and brush. The really good new is most dogs recover completely. You'll never know how he got it but this is just another thought.


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

The high fever makes me think of Lepto, but he has an appetite, so I doubt it very much. We all get these mysterious aliments at one point or another. If anything, maybe this will cause him to develop an immunity to whatever it is. I hope Keeper feels much better very soon.


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## ShirleyH (Sep 13, 2009)

Thanks everyone. A great idea, Karen, wish I'd known sooner to ask about the IV site. Too late this time I'm afraid although they did a neat job. We want him to recover completely anyway and DH thought it best if he took a break. He was in a show 2 weeks ago and who knows might have picked up something there.

Leptospirosis was ruled out but good thought.

Shirley H.

PS. Know anyone else besides us guys who can get excited about an almost-normal bm? Keeper's on the mend thankfully. He will see our regular vet on Monday for a check-up.


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## Brady's Grandmom (Nov 11, 2008)

I had a similar experience with Bacca last year. He went downhill fast. They tested for all kinds of things and everything was normal. They treated him with the antibiotics that they use for lyme disease and he immediately responded. The tests never confirmed it but that was their best guess. Hope Keeper's on the mend. it is truly scarey when they are so sick.


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## ShirleyH (Sep 13, 2009)

Thanks, Brady's Grandmom. The vet never mentioned Lyme disease and told us all indicators were for bacterial infection. I wonder if there is a specific test or indicator for Lyme's?

Keeper's Mom


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShirleyH said:


> Thanks, Brady's Grandmom. The vet never mentioned Lyme disease and told us all indicators were for bacterial infection. I wonder if there is a specific test or indicator for Lyme's?
> 
> Keeper's Mom


There is a titer they can draw for Lyme. The problem is that a negative test doesn't mean the dog doesn't have Lyme... only that they haven't built enough antibodies yet to test for.

I don't think Lyme typically presents with intestinal problems, though... it's usually more flu-like symptoms, body aches, lameness, etc. Still, it doesn't hurt to ask the vet about the possibility.


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## ShirleyH (Sep 13, 2009)

Thanks, Karen. I know Keeper had two expensive blood tests done, one the CBC and I'm not remembering the other. I have heard of lameness being a hallmark of Lyme and he didn't have that. So far, the prescribed treatment is working so we are hoping it is totally clearning out whatever this is. I am still just amazed at how rapid the degeneration was. From 5:30 in the morning to 11:30 when we realized this was big trouble.

Shirley H.


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## Brady's Grandmom (Nov 11, 2008)

There is a test for lyme disease and Bacca's came up negative. He had deterioated so fast that we took him to the emergency vet at 9 PM at night. When they hadn't solved anything by the next morning and I got annoyed because they wouldn't consult my Vet or answer the questions of a scared Mommy, my daughter Karen(Brady's Mom) and I picked him up and rush him to my Vet. They ran more tests and decided to try the lyme antibiotic since lyme disease is a problem in our area. I am so glad Keeper is feeling better !


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## ShirleyH (Sep 13, 2009)

Karen mentioned the titer for Lyme's. I can imagine you aren't going back to that emergency vet. There's no excuse for not consulting with your vet or answering your questions. Were fortunate that our vet uses this emergency clinic on weekends and that they are really responsive and thorough. We should just all be glad that our guys and girls are okay.

Shirley H.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Brady's Grandmom said:


> There is a test for lyme disease and Bacca's came up negative. He had deterioated so fast that we took him to the emergency vet at 9 PM at night. When they hadn't solved anything by the next morning and I got annoyed because they wouldn't consult my Vet or answer the questions of a scared Mommy, my daughter Karen(Brady's Mom) and I picked him up and rush him to my Vet. They ran more tests and decided to try the lyme antibiotic since lyme disease is a problem in our area. I am so glad Keeper is feeling better !


But the treatment for Lyme is doxycycline, which is effective against other bacterial infections as well. So the fact that they treated him and he got better doesn't mean it was Lyme. Glad that it solved the problem whatever it was, though!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShirleyH said:


> Karen mentioned the titer for Lyme's. I can imagine you aren't going back to that emergency vet. There's no excuse for not consulting with your vet or answering your questions. Were fortunate that our vet uses this emergency clinic on weekends and that they are really responsive and thorough. We should just all be glad that our guys and girls are okay.
> 
> Shirley H.


To be clear, though, in cases of suspected Lyme, they begin treatment even before the titer has come back, and often continue (if the animal or person has shown a positive response to treatment) even if if the titer comes back negative. A negative titer does NOT mean the animal (or person) didn't have Lyme. A positive titer just confirms that they did. Because prompt treatment is important, and Doxy is a fairly innocuous drug, they treat even while awaiting results.


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