Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... help!

stci

stci

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 7, 2007
Messages
2,514
I have a 6 years old female cocker.

She's always sick. Urinary problems, allergies, skin disease, severe infection in the ears and eyes. I tirelessly since she was a little to care for her at the vet but the same symptoms recur constantly.

Today, she urine clear blood and I'm terribly nervous cause I don't have money to go to the vet. I don't have enough money to eat all the week and it's impossible to do more.

I have to think about euthanasia but I think I'm gonna die with her. she's my baby, my love. I know she's suffer and I can't tolerate this situation.

I always cry and I can't control my mental situation. Help me please, I feel very bad. My vet don't want to credit me. Help please... nobody can understand how I love her but money is become a really problem.

HELP PLEASE! ;(
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

Stci, I am so sorry about your poor baby! What does the vet say is wrong with her now? Is it something that can be treated to give her a quality of life? If it is just down to the money can't your vet help you out with an installment plan to pay? If not, you could try one of the vet schools/teaching hospitals as they might be able to do something for your dog at a lesser cost.

Please don't give up if your dog has a disease that can be treated. Can anyone in your family help you out? There are animal organizations that may be able to help as well. Where there is a will there is a way. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your sweet dog.
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

I'm sorry for your dog's health problems stci. It's really tough having a pet with chronic health issues. Do you have any friends or family members who could loan some money to you?
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

Thank you to be here Missy and June.

The vet don't want to help her if I don't pay all right away.

Parents just don't understand how I love her and I need her. They don't want help me.

The only veterinary school that exists in Quebec is at 4 hour drive from my house and I do not even know how to contact them and whether they can help me. I feel lost and during that time, my baby is suffering and I can't do anything.
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

Stci, why don't you call the vet school and see what they might be able to suggest. There are options available and you just have to find out what they are. Your baby is a living being and you love her and you have to do all you can to see what can be done to help her. Her condition may be treatable and she may be able to have a good quality of life. You just don't know right now. She is only 6 years old though so don't throw in the towel.
I am so sorry you are going through such a difficult time and I am sending lots of healing dust your way.
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

See if you can find a breed specific rescue organization by you. For cockers. Sometimes they know or have relationships with vets who have a special place in their heart for a breed.

This would be a terrible scenario -- but also sometimes they'll take the dog and pay for it's care. They then look for a new home for the dog that they feel can pay for ongoing medical care of the level they've decided the dog requires.

I'm not sure what else to suggest! Healing thoughts outgoing for your pup ...
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

Stci, Missy & Decodelighted make great suggestions -- try both of them. Also ask at your local shelter about vets they may recommend. Most of them use vets (some even provide low-cost treatment with their own in-house vets in bigger cities) that are willing to give discounts or take payments on time.

Most of us really understand how you feel. My dogs are my special buddies & even if they weren't, I would feel responsible for helping them to the max because they're living creatures that can't help themselves.

You are a terrific girl -- please let us know how it works out. Sending Dust and big sloppy hugs for you & your dog.

--- Laurie
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

How heartbreaking--I'm so sorry for you and your pooch. I know cocker spaniels are notorious for their ear infections, but it sounds like she's going through chronic allergies/infections--I can't help but wonder if the source of her skin, ear and eye infections could be related to diet? Have you had an allergy test done in the past?

I second deco's suggestion of locating your local breed rescue, they are a great resource and full of passionate people who might be able to help you.
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

That sounds like a food and possible other allergy. If Taz, one of my dogs, isn't fed the correct food, he breaks out in hives, has breathing issues, gets goopy eyes and nose, he gentile area becomes pussy and infected, and sneezes like crazy. After adopting Taz we went through a few food brands to find the one that worked for him. It's expensive in the states- $60 per bag. Lucky for us Taz is only 12lbs and his "brother" is only 6 so we don't go thru a lot of food. Taz also has seasonal allergies and is given benedryl when the pollen count is up to help his sneezing and wheezing. It might be time to find your dog a new home that can afford the resources that she needs. I know it's a very difficult thing to do but it's a better alternative to death.


ETA: I noticed that NEL suggested allergy testing. In my experience, all of the vets and specialists we have spoke to about allergy testing advised against it. They unanimously agreed that the results are too unreliable to justify the costs. We started him out on an extremely limited diet. Five vegetable based ingredients with Avocado providing the fat. He did well on that so we slowly added in other ingredients and watched for the results to narrow down the cause of the allergy.
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

Here is one more possible option that I didn't think of last night. It is a credit system designed for people who can't pay large medical expenses all at once: including vet care.

http://www.carecredit.com/

We were offered this as an option when our pup had her double knee surgery. We ended up making other arrangements to pay - but I just remembered that this EXISTED. Not sure if it is available in Canada?



ETA: Also, you may just have a BAD VET! If he hasn't been able to figure out what is wrong after *repeated* visits -- maybe it is HIM/HER? It's a long shot -- but maybe just a new vet would be able to offer some kind of inexpensive treatment options. Call around. Wishing you good luck on this.
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

Agree about a new vet -- that thought occurred to me too. I'm not thrilled that yours won't make payment options to save a dog's life. Often, even with a good vet, another set of eyes picks something up.

You might also call the RSPCA -- I'd bet they could help, at the very least with suggestions of places to go.

--- Laurie
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

STCI - I was raised around a lot of dogs. My grandmother's sisters run a dog sitting service. In my personal experience, cockers are just more prone to health issues, ESPECIALLY urinary, eyes and ears. Make sure that you keep the hair around her wee wee area trimmed very short. This helps reduce the amount of urine that gets on the hair and ends up drying there. You might also wipe that area with a baby wipe or wet cloth once a day just to keep it clean. Dogs with larger eyes always have weepy eyes and get gunky eyes, it's a curse. I make a point to wipe my little boy's eyes once a day and keep some dog friendly eye drops handy b/c his get gunky and gross. My yorkie girl also gets eye bogies which I have to clean a lot. As to the ears, unless you clean them a ton and keep drops handy, I'm afraid you might be doomed. Dogs like cockers, basset hounds, bloodhounds etc have longer ears, and it's easier for more stuff to get stuck up in there because there's less chance of water or other things washing or blowing the gunk out.


With the blood in the urine, I think that is probably either a severe urinary tract infection, or she does have a food allergy. It could very well be a combination of both.

You need to find a new vet for sure. A good vet will be more concerned about helping you get your dog healthy, than they will be about having all of their money today. Call around, check for references, and find someone you can take her to.
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

Sparkly Blonde|1303221462|2899940 said:
That sounds like a food and possible other allergy. If Taz, one of my dogs, isn't fed the correct food, he breaks out in hives, has breathing issues, gets goopy eyes and nose, he gentile area becomes pussy and infected, and sneezes like crazy. After adopting Taz we went through a few food brands to find the one that worked for him. It's expensive in the states- $60 per bag. Lucky for us Taz is only 12lbs and his "brother" is only 6 so we don't go thru a lot of food. Taz also has seasonal allergies and is given benedryl when the pollen count is up to help his sneezing and wheezing. It might be time to find your dog a new home that can afford the resources that she needs. I know it's a very difficult thing to do but it's a better alternative to death.


ETA: I noticed that NEL suggested allergy testing. In my experience, all of the vets and specialists we have spoke to about allergy testing advised against it. They unanimously agreed that the results are too unreliable to justify the costs. We started him out on an extremely limited diet. Five vegetable based ingredients with Avocado providing the fat. He did well on that so we slowly added in other ingredients and watched for the results to narrow down the cause of the allergy.
Click to expand...

Good point about the allergy testing--when Byron was getting chronic ear infections, we opted not to test and just really focus on his diet...we quickly found out that chicken was the source of his issues.

I agree that these symptoms do sound food-related. I find the best way to isolate a food allergy is to get the dog on food that has as few ingredients as possible, that way you can more easily isolate the issue. I would immediately start with taking grains out of the diet, as they are often the culprit for chronic ear/eye infections, hotspots, etc.
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

I agree about the dog food causing health problems...my little Chihuahua had horrible bowel problems and digestion issues...I finally took him off of dog food and fed him very bland home cooked food for quite a while (ground beef and brown rice)...this let his tummy heal and then I was able to get him on "Blue Buffalo" brand dog food, it has no junky fillers, etc. and he does really well on this food.


I hope your fur baby feels better soon, I know how hard it is to see them suffering. Keep trying to find the answers!!
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

stci, I saw you mention Quebec. Are you near Montreal? DH used to volunteer with a rescue group there so I can ask him for information about agencies that might be able to help.
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

Thank you all! I found the money and "Poupée" in under antibiotic now! I'm sooooo happy!

I'm at 4 hours from Montreal.

You are all fantastic! You know why?

I show your topic to a person who loves fur baby and she accept to loaw me the money.

Baby is safe BECAUSE OF YOU! Thank you very much all sisters and brothers here. Love you! :love: :love:
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

stci|1303257505|2900507 said:
Thank you all! I found the money and "Poupée" in under antibiotic now! I'm sooooo happy!

I'm at 4 hours from Montreal.

You are all fantastic! You know why?

I show your topic to a person who loves fur baby and she accept to loaw me the money.

Baby is safe BECAUSE OF YOU! Thank you very much all sisters and brothers here. Love you! :love: :love:
Click to expand...

I'm glad you found a way to get her to the vet and taken care of.

After you run the course of the antibiotic, read up on dog allergies. It's very likely that she's allergic to grains or a protein source (although the grain allergy is more likely). The ear infections could be caused by the allergies and the increased natural yeast production caused by the allergy. The intestinal issues could be caused by a food allergy or bacteria. It is spring and that means lots of rain/snow melt. Standing water is a great place for nasty bacteria to flourish and can cause horrible diarrhea. The skin infections could also be caused by the allergy to the food or flea bites. Some animals are very allergic to fleas and can loose all their because of them. One flea bite and my Mia will chew the area raw and she'll have a large area around the bite that is devoid of fur.

Good Luck
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

Great news, Stci! Hope she feels better soon.
 
Re: My dog is always sick and I don't know what to do... hel

Oh, I'm so glad to hear this :appl:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top