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* Age: 9 years * Sex/Neuter status: Neutered * Breed: Border Collie * Body weight: 40 pounds * History: Had since he was 2, before that he was a stray. * Clinical signs: Lethargy, nausea, drooling, arches back when stomach is touched, weight loss. Burping/nonproductive heaving, especially during and after eating. Urine and stool normal, selectively eating but drinking water fine. * Blood work: CBC: Hct 47.4, WBC 14.5, Gran 12.7k, Plt 296, Chem: Glob 4.5 (H) remainder wnl, Blood gas: pH 7.42, Na 149, K 4.2, iCa 1.27, PCV/TS: 51/8.0, BG: 84 * Duration: Two weeks Sorry this is so long, just trying to provide relevant info. 2 weeks ago my Border Collie had a hacking cough and was lethargic. Our primary vet didn't have any openings so we brought him to the emergency clinic. Took X-rays, blood work and general exam. He had a slight fever, x-ray showed likely kennel cough and blood work looked fairly normal. Prescribed 10 days of azithromycin and sent home to monitor for the week. At this point he was eating his kibble but the azithromycin really upset his stomach. Monday and Tuesday that week he vomited up the kibble ate after taking the pill. The rest of the week he took the pill but would only eat a small amount of food each day, toward the end of the week he was eating less and less and becoming more nauseas, heaving in between bites when he would eat or drink. The following weekend he was extremely lethargic so we decided to take him to the emergency clinic again. They did another general exam and blood work which was basically the same as last time, they gave him IV fluids and cerenia and told us to monitor him but they weren't sure what was wrong. Over the next week he finished the azithromycin regimen and his cough stopped. He was still very nauseous and refusing his kibble. In the last few days he's been drinking water fine and he will eat cooked hamburger and bread, but not much else. When he eats he takes a few bites and then leans forward and heaves a bit, then he will keep eating. He has not vomited and only heaves while eating or drinking. He's still lethargic and mopey, but will go for walks and keep his normal pace. Not sure what to do at this point. The last two times we brought him in they weren't sure what was going on with his digestive issues. I am hesitating to bring him in again to put him through 8 hours of waiting in the lobby to have them tell us they're not sure what's wrong with him. We've already spent $1200 at the ER and they said the only thing they could do beyond what was done is hospitalize him for 48 hours for $2500 minimum. He has a history of stomach sensitivity and at his age I'm not sure if he is just taking a long time to recover from the azithromycin which seemed to have a strong impact on his stomach, or if there's a bigger issue here. Thank you for your time.
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Nov 5, 2019 01:33
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 01:45 |
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Primary vet had a last minute cancellation last night so we went in. They think he has pancreatitis so we're on supportive care for that now. Just wanted to update the thread.
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Nov 6, 2019 19:09
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Thank you for the update  I suspect nobody here had any professional advice or thoughts to offer, else you'd have gotten some replies (I'd actually intended to ask one of the vets where I work for thoughts but the last couple days have been crazy here). Pancreatitis is a very manageable diagnosis, I hope that's the case!
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Nov 6, 2019 22:55
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