Rex's vet visit today

Doreen · 10-17-2009, 06:52 PM

Well, we had to bring Rex into the vet today. DH took him since my stomach was a wreck today. I sent him with a letter that I wrote to the vet, since DH doesn't know exactly every detail of what I do with Rex. He ended up calling me from there with a question anyway.

Rex was bleeding way too much after his stools and it looked like his insides are starting to come out of his rectum when straining to go so much. He is walking around hunched over like he is constantly going to try to have a bowel movement.

She said there wasn't much they could do anymore for Rex and saw that we were doing everything we could also so is recommending that I go to an internist. She gave a list of 4 very good ones. She had seen every food that I already had tried on him and I even sent dh with print outs of The Honest Kitchen, Preference, so she would know exactly what he was on.

She gave him 2 antibiotics because she was worried about something in the blood, DH couldn't even remember all that was said. She really spent a very long time talking over everything with him as well as looking inside Rex the best she could. She took blood for CBC's etc plus to see if he is anemic, dehydrated. He also has this growth under his belly that I've been keeping my eye on. I was hoping that the change to the raw diet would help his skin condition. He came to me with erruptions under his belly, but very minor. As he is aging they are getting bigger, but this one looks like it is just about to start oozing. She said it didn't look bad to her, but she did an aspiration to ease our minds.

It is actually the bottom of all the growths, the very pink one, and starting to turn black around the edges

So that is what was going on here today. That and letting Rex outside many times. I started feeding him again, not as much, but the whole diet again. He doesn't seem to be going out as often, but he is still straining to push out more than what is in his body. Still not diarrhea, looser than what he has been doing, but it is all the blood afterwards that got me so worried and him having to go out sooo many times in an hour.

Spyglass Sally · 10-17-2009, 07:05 PM

That sounds very strange after how well he'd been doing and I can see where it'd be scary too. Sorry to hear it. Please keep us posted.

Ron · 10-17-2009, 07:07 PM

hope he starts feeling better soon

Doreen · 10-17-2009, 07:11 PM

Thanks guys. I think he is starting to feel a little more himself, very slightly. He seems more content than the past couple of days.

Spyglass Sally · 10-17-2009, 07:28 PM

I'm looking back at the Nice Poop! thread and it seemed like he was doing really well - you even joked on Tuesday about maybe seeing one bounce. But on Wed you said "I tried chicken livers with Rex and that didn't go over well at all with his poop! Just a little bit and his poop was shooting out like a water hydrant!" Maybe I should stop trying to be the detective, but do you think this might be reaction to that?

daisy'smom · 10-17-2009, 08:40 PM

Poor Rex. I sure hope he starts to feel better soon. He was doing so well lets just hope this is a setback and he will get back on track.

Doreen · 10-17-2009, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyglass Sally

I'm looking back at the Nice Poop! thread and it seemed like he was doing really well - you even joked on Tuesday about maybe seeing one bounce. But on Wed you said "I tried chicken livers with Rex and that didn't go over well at all with his poop! Just a little bit and his poop was shooting out like a water hydrant!" Maybe I should stop trying to be the detective, but do you think this might be reaction to that?

I hadn't given him the chicken livers since those 2 days weeks ago.. He was fine after that incident and I stopped the liver.

I just went back to read that post.... I was referring to the time that I did try it, not that I tried it that day, but in the past.

I went back to the original post "chicken livers"... it was 9-19 that I first gave him the chicken livers.

Doreen · 10-17-2009, 09:10 PM

Has anyone seen a skin condition like Rex has before? I am used to boxers having little skin tags all over as they age, but this is so unusual to me. People were guessing at his past, that maybe he was laying on an oily, dirty floor where ever he might have been kept before, which caused the skin to get all those little bumps when we first got him, but now are bigger ones.

bruinsBoxers · 10-18-2009, 07:34 AM

Did they tell you what they thought they saw with the aspiration ? My vet will look at it while you are there to let you know what he thinks , but also send the sample out for thorough testing .

The hunching over can also a sign of pain , something dogs try to hide .

The edges turning black do not give me a good feeling . That would make me worry about cancer.

KeeperBoy · 10-18-2009, 07:43 AM

I don't have anything to add, just sending lots of good thoughts to sweet Rex! The poor thing!

Keepers has had a few flare ups in the past year but nothing that has lasted more than about 12 hours. Hopefully the internist will have some more ideas.