What can the vet do??

[Dreeza]

ok, so I know if I post something about this...everyone is just gonna say "go to the vet"


But, you have to know Oakley HATES the vet...like is TERRIFIED. He turns into a shaking, growling, anxiety-ridden, aggressive mess that has to be muzzled.


Anyhoo, here is the thing...nothing is explicitly wrong, but something has just seemed "off" about him for awhile now.

- His nose & paws are sometimes ICE cold...having nothing to do with the weather
- He can no longer run with me (i'm not sure if this is cause he gets bored, or what though)...I have to like drag him
- He has been whining for seemingly no reason
- He has 2-3 small-ish 'bald' patches of undercoat (his topcoat grows though)
- He just went through a small period of anorexia...buuuut, he has kinda done that every now & then through his whole life.


Why I haven't done anything yet...

- He acts normal most of the time
- When he is acting all tired & weird on our runs, if I stop running & take out a ball, he will chase it until he dies
- Whenevs he is acting weird & I take out a ball...he turns normal, lol



so whatcha think?

What will the vet do for such vague issues? Is it worth his horrible anxiety it is gonna put him through?

thanks!

 

[bubbatd]

When was the last time he was vetted as for tests ??

 

[Dreeza]

in january. I was having similar complaints then too. He had a mild temp, but she attributed it to his anxiety.

 

[corgipower]

Anyhoo, here is the thing...nothing is explicitly wrong, but something has just seemed "off" about him for awhile now.

- His nose & paws are sometimes ICE cold...having nothing to do with the weather
That sounds like an issue with blood flow not sufficiently getting to the extremities. How are the tips of his ears?
- He can no longer run with me (i'm not sure if this is cause he gets bored, or what though)...I have to like drag him
Again, if blood isn't adequately flowing, it could cause him to not want to run. Also a pinched nerve could do that and possibly cause the coldness. Dragging him, however will also make him not want to, so I would not at all drag him and if he just doesn't want to, put him up.
- He has been whining for seemingly no reason
Back to the idea of a pinched nerve, which could cause mild discomfort with no obvious symptoms.
- He has 2-3 small-ish 'bald' patches of undercoat (his topcoat grows though)
That makes me want to go back to blood flow issues, but really, I have no idea. If there any flaking or scabbiness?
- He just went through a small period of anorexia...buuuut, he has kinda done that every now & then through his whole life.

The anorexia could be any number of things including just being off in general. Do you have a vet who does chinese medicine? Or at least acupuncture? If it were my dog, I don't think I'd take him to a regular vet unless more symptoms develop, but I would probably go to a TCM or acupuncture vet.

 

[Snark]

Just a question... Is it the vet's office or the vet herself that causes the anxiety? Would he be better with a vet who made home visits? (Just thinking if you wanted to get additional tests run, maybe Oakley would be more calm in familiar surroundings...)

Not sure about your area, but there is a 'mobile' vet in the metro St. Louis area who makes house calls (or at least she did a couple of years ago). I think my sister in California has a vet who makes house calls, too.

 

[TheGoldenRetriever]

- His nose & paws are sometimes ICE cold...having nothing to do with the weather
- He can no longer run with me (i'm not sure if this is cause he gets bored, or what though)...I have to like drag him
- He has been whining for seemingly no reason
- He has 2-3 small-ish 'bald' patches of undercoat (his topcoat grows though)
- He just went through a small period of anorexia...buuuut, he has kinda done that every now & then through his whole life.


Why I haven't done anything yet...

- He acts normal most of the time
- When he is acting all tired & weird on our runs, if I stop running & take out a ball, he will chase it until he dies
- Whenevs he is acting weird & I take out a ball...he turns normal, lol


so whatcha think?

All those symptoms together sounds like hypothyroid, i.e., low thyroid function. It's possible for any dog develop it -- doesn't have to be an older dog or anything, and dogs with low thyroid are not always overweight. If that's what it is ... then yeah, you gotta bring him to the vet and he will need a blood test specifically for thyroid markers. (Can still test for other things from the same sample.) If that's what it is, thyroid meds are easy to give and very inexpensive.

Just because he will still chase a ball doesn't mean he can't have hypothyroid ... could still have it but it's just that his motivation for ball-chasing so very strong that he saves his energy for that. The other stuff tho .... sluggishness, being cold, less appetite, missing fur patches, whining for no reason, less energy overall ...

 

[bubbatd]

That's why I asked about latests tests . I just got the call that Ollie's was normal .

 

[Southpaw]

My mind instantly went to hypothyroid as well.

 

[Saeleofu]

I'd venture to guess hypothyroid as well.

 

[Dreeza]

Just a question... Is it the vet's office or the vet herself that causes the anxiety? Would he be better with a vet who made home visits? (Just thinking if you wanted to get additional tests run, maybe Oakley would be more calm in familiar surroundings...)

Not sure about your area, but there is a 'mobile' vet in the metro St. Louis area who makes house calls (or at least she did a couple of years ago). I think my sister in California has a vet who makes house calls, too.

this...is genius. :hail:

There actually IS a mobile vet around!! It's only $20 visit fee for me too cause it is so close!!! I don't know WHY I didn't think of this as I have seen the van around. She is a very young vet (grad in 2005, according to the website).

It is DEF the office that causes his anxiety. I take him in occasionally to just get treats & he is super freaked out the whole time.

He will prob still be super anxious, cause he just doesn't like being handled in general, buuuttt, this should calm him down some!

I might call & inquire about her ways...and if she is into any holistic stuff. She also does a "behavioral screening"...I'm curious what that is about.

Anyhoo, thanks for all the advice..I'll def mention hypothyroidism to her as a concern.

Here is the website if anyone wants to check it out to see if it looks good
Home Page

 

[Jynx]

mobile vet is certainly a good idea,,as for his symptoms, have you had a Snap 4 test done recently? (it's HW, lyme disease, canine & equine erhlichia)...If not, I would do one and see if he comes back positive for any of the tick diseases.

Masi is absolutely terrified of the vet to, she has not 'bitten' them yet, but I know she is so stressed that it could very well happen,,I muzzle her and it actually seems to calm her like it's taken out of her hands..

 

[Grab]

A little late, but I thought of hypothyroidism as well

 

[bubbatd]

Folks , if you have a dog that seems afraid of a clinic , please drop in from time to time . Maybe a weigh in , just sitting for a while or a treat from the office gal .

 

[Dreeza]

Folks , if you have a dog that seems afraid of a clinic , please drop in from time to time . Maybe a weigh in , just sitting for a while or a treat from the office gal .

ha i do.

I did that before he even had a visit in Charleston.

No luck. At all.

 

[Jynx]

I've done it to,,no go(

 

[bubbatd]

Sorry !