Help Diagnosing

[inchtowntracking]

My buddy had a dog die yesterday and we was wondering if any of you might know what could of caused it. He said the dog was pretty inactive for about a week and never really came out of her dog house. She ate and drank but not that much. He was getting ready to take her to the vet but he found her dead when he was getting ready to go. He tried giving her pennicilin thinking it was some kind of infection but it did not help at all. The dog was 6 years of age with no other problems. He was told other dogs have died the same way recently but in different towns and he had no contact with them. Any help will be appreciated.

[walkerdog]

Just taking a guess, but maybe you should look into the syptoms of heartworms. Sorry about your dog.

[inchtowntracking]

Thanks for the help, I will pass it on

[Spokerider]

No offence, but that history is much to vague to be of any real use to even begin to think about connecting it to a diagnosis.

Lethargy, reduced appetite and water intake are but two of the most common symptoms of many symptoms, but often the first to be noticed by us that something is not right with the subject. There is a list as long as my arm that these symptoms relate to.

Dogs provide us with all kinds of clues that they are not feeling well, we just need to pick up on them and ACT upon them by initiating some investigations as to what the cause might be. Often, these findings lead to more clues in which to follow to try to acertain just wht the root of the problem is. One finding leads to another body system or pathway to explore. This subjective analysis, physical examination, along with an accurate, detailed history provided by the owner are KEY and necessary to providing an accurate medical diagnosis in the absence of obvious trauma.

Remember, dogs do their darndest to try to hide illness from us and others in the pack........it`s their hereditary survival instinct. Therefore, time is of essence when acting upon your observations. A dog can be much more ill than it first appears. Often, problems do not resolve on their own, but rather worsen.

If one is not comfortable exploring the possibilites of your dog`s symptoms and the significance of the findings, then a visit to a competent vet is in order, if only to rule out an acute situation.

There are good veterinary based books on dog cxare out there, I refer to mine regularly.


Prolly not the answer that you were seeking, sorry, but with the limited info as stated, it`s the best that I could come up with. Hope it helps you friend, if only for next time.

[inchtowntracking]

Sorry about not giving you very much information, I talked to him for like five minutesand that was all the info I got from him. He has been doing thisfor probably thirty years and has never had this problem before. He felt pretty bad for his dog, i thought I could ask her to get some help, or maybe more questions to ask about his dog to help diagnose the problem easier. Not to worried about an answer any more, thanks for the help that was given.

[Spokerider]

Hey, no need to appologise! You posted with the info that you had on hand, `bout all you could do.