Raleigh, Archie, Gus

Marianne, Thanks. No, Gus had not had his rabies shot yet. We are waiting till he is 6 months old. Wish we would have waited till Archie was 6 months old.
I know you're right when you said there is no way to tell if the rabies shot caused these problems. The whole thing just seems so strange. This has been going on for 3 1/2 weeks with the diarrhea. I'm going along with what the vets are suggesting to do. It seems like the 2 vets have different opinions.

Do you know if anything can be done if the diarrhea issues are a long-term abnormality with his immune system? Boy, it scares the heck out of me.

I don't think I mentioned that I took Archie to the vet last Friday. There is a lump on his left eye lid. I had the vet check it out. She said there is one on the right one too. It's not as noticeable. She didn't know what they were.

She also said she does not want Archie on this prescription diet very long. The other vet put him on it.
She also did skin scraping of his lesions. The test for mites was negative and the test for, is it ringworm?, could take up to 2 weeks.

Another thing that has changed with Archie is his water consumption. He hardly drinks water at all any more. When Raleigh or Gus would be getting a drink Archie would be right there with them getting a drink. There were plenty of times he would get a drink even when the others didn't. Now he takes 1 or 2 little drinks a day. Last week when I said something to the vet he said he is getting plenty of water in his food, which last week was chicken and rice. Just makes me wonder why that has changed.


The lump by his eye has not gotten any better and I'm worried so we might make a trip to the vet. The man vet wants another stool sample done. He said the lab can miss parasites so he likes to do a couple of them. He also wants me to get an antibiotic for Archie's skin. I read that puppies shouldn't be on antibiotics because of their immune systems. Archie's already had antibiotics twice plus I person I spoke to at the vet's today about the Metronidazole said it has antibiotic in it. UGH!

Gus is doing good. His bouts with diarrhea usually don't last long. Right now it is pretty good.
His itching hasn't been a problem either.

Oh my goodness. If it isn't one thing it seems to be another. I'm hoping that some of this stuff they will outgrow as they get older. Puppies go through a lot it seems and maybe it is just taking a bit for the immune system to get caught up. Well, one can hope right.

You're doing good Vicki, trying to stay on top of all of this. It must be quite overwhelming and confusing trying to make head or tails out of what should be done to help these issues.

Hang in there.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hi Sharlene,
Yes, it is overwhelming and confusing. Right now Archie is on Iams prescription diet, Intestinal Plus(formerly Low Residue),FortiFlora, Benadryl and Metronidazole. I just don't understand why he started with these problems all around the same time. His stools were so good before. Always nice and firm. The one vet did say the same thing you did. His immune system is trying to catch up. I sure hope it does and these problems go away.

Archie's results from his stool sample and urine test were both good. So we wait to see if the Metronidazole and the diet help him.
The vet said on Wednesday not to worry about the lump above Archie's eye. I can't help but worry because it is more noticeable than last week.

Hi Vicki,
I am sorry that I haven't gotten back to you sooner. I have been reading posts, but haven't been responding much lately.

You asked what questions I would ask the manufacturer of the rabies vaccine. I don't believe EVERYTHING I am told. I work special ED and the common language is lying, so I question EVERYTHING. Your vet said that he reported Archie's seizure to the manufacturer. Do you have any proof? Did your vet give you a form or copy of that correspondence? I would insist on reporting myself, so that I could be sure that the seizure actually was reported. I would ask how common seizures are following rabies immunizations. I would ask about other symptoms/side effects that have been reported and how often they occur. I would ask if there was a fund to help cover the medical expenses that occured as a result of vaccination side effects. I would ask about the dosage size for a small breed dog, since it's the same regardless of size. Basically, I would ask for clarification of anything I was unsure about and study links to research further. xxxxxx

Hi Kathy,
I haven't been here for a couple of days. Thanks for your response.
Those are great questions to ask. Once the holidays are over I'll see about calling.
Hope you and Rosie have a nice Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Archie has several issues and one I haven't mentioned is he sprays in the house. I told the vet about it and he said it is a behavior problem and when I catch him doing it I should pick him up and yell NO, then try to take him outside. Most of the time I don't catch him doing it but I know it is him. It has been getting worse. If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate hearing them. I don't know what to do.

Hi Vicki,

Regarding the peeing in the house..... You have it harder because you have three, including one other pup. Archie may need to be leashed and with you (or someone) whenever he's in the house. When someone can't be right there, a small crate can be helpful. They tend not to want to soil their dens, so crate training can be very effective. Take him out often and encourage him to pee, then over praise him. Make him feel wonderful when he's successful. You mentioned his other health issues. Could he possibly have a UTI or other issue that is making it difficult to hold his urine? How long has this been going on. If from the beginning, he may never have fully gotten the idea of where it's appropriate to relieve himself, so you might have to start again at the beginning with the basics. I'm sure others will be along with more suggestions. I am sorry you are having these problems. Xxxxx

Kathy, I'll answer you about the spraying next time. I don't have much time right now.

I have another question. Archie does not drink much water. This started around the time he started with the diarrhea. The last time at the vets I mentioned it. The vet said he's getting enough water in his food. Lately I only see Archie drink maybe once a day and it's not a lot. All this stuff is really driving me crazy and worrying me! Any suggestions?