Hello,
I'm feeling uneasy about a diagnosis and prescription from my vet today. One of my dogs (2 years old), healthy and robust for the whole year she has lived with me, got diarrhea over the weekend. I would have let it run its course for a while, but she had a fever, too. Her first ever fever with me. She is still eating, but she is incredibly food driven. Nothing stops her from eating, so I took her to my local clinic.
The doctor immediately jumped on a diagnosis of "blood parasites". I've taken care of dogs for 12 years, with the very occasional fever (almost never) and also very occasional diarrhea, and I've never heard of blood parasites. The doctor did not draw blood or closely examine the dog. Just asked if she is throwing up. (She isn't.)
Just as a caregiver, my instinct is that my dog just got a hold of something rotten in the road while walking, as she sometimes manages to do, and got some bacterial infection or something that also gave her a fever. I just wanted a fever reducer and a minimal course of general antibiotics, usually 5-7 days at a clinic here.
Instead I was given 14 days of Doxycyclin and told that it covers both blood parasites and general digestive infections. I don't know. It just feels like overkill. My dogs don't like taking antibiotics (and neither do I- they effect my mood and make me extremely depressed).
Does anyone have experience with or knowledge of blood parasites? Should this really be an initial diagnosis, based only on diarrhea + fever + no vomiting?
Thank you for any insight.
(Note: We live in Thailand.)
I'm feeling uneasy about a diagnosis and prescription from my vet today. One of my dogs (2 years old), healthy and robust for the whole year she has lived with me, got diarrhea over the weekend. I would have let it run its course for a while, but she had a fever, too. Her first ever fever with me. She is still eating, but she is incredibly food driven. Nothing stops her from eating, so I took her to my local clinic.
The doctor immediately jumped on a diagnosis of "blood parasites". I've taken care of dogs for 12 years, with the very occasional fever (almost never) and also very occasional diarrhea, and I've never heard of blood parasites. The doctor did not draw blood or closely examine the dog. Just asked if she is throwing up. (She isn't.)
Just as a caregiver, my instinct is that my dog just got a hold of something rotten in the road while walking, as she sometimes manages to do, and got some bacterial infection or something that also gave her a fever. I just wanted a fever reducer and a minimal course of general antibiotics, usually 5-7 days at a clinic here.
Instead I was given 14 days of Doxycyclin and told that it covers both blood parasites and general digestive infections. I don't know. It just feels like overkill. My dogs don't like taking antibiotics (and neither do I- they effect my mood and make me extremely depressed).
Does anyone have experience with or knowledge of blood parasites? Should this really be an initial diagnosis, based only on diarrhea + fever + no vomiting?
Thank you for any insight.
(Note: We live in Thailand.)