[Brotinn]

Hello,
I adopted a going-on 6 year old spayed female miniature Schnauzer from a rescue group on March 17th. She's underweight for her size and had a moderate amount of fleas. She was energetic, happy, and hungry when I brought her home. She wanted all the food in the house and had a strong appetite.
Upon noticing the fleas, I bathed her, shaved her down, and bathed her again with some tea tree oil shampoo. She handled everything well and was still eager to get attention and treats. Her baths were followed by some Capstar to kill the fleas. She was doing great and getting along just fine with my other dogs.
That evening she vomited her small noon meal. She was given a small dinner and after a couple of hours vomited that up as well. This wasn't very surprising to me because the foster had her on a mix of Iams and other donated foods and she was switching to a totally holistic meal (Canidae Senior, a small amount of organic pumpkin puree, and a small amount of holistic canned food). Since I wasn't given any of her old diet to slowly transition her, I figured it was just kind of a shock to her system. Despite the vomiting, she was still energetic, happy, and still had a healthy appetite.
The next morning she vomited once more and my roommate noticed what looked like a tapeworm in her stool. So we went ahead and took her to the vet to get that taken care of and to see if there might be another cause to the vomiting. The vet looked her over and expressed concerned over possible pancreatitis due to her breed, but she wasn't exhibiting the symptoms. She was given a fecal test and injections of Droncit for her tapeworms, Cerenia for nausea, and Pro Pen G. The whole experience at the vet's office was very upsetting to her but she still took the treats I gave her.

Throughout the day she seemed to become very lethargic, which I attested to the injections. She was still drinking and now she's acting repulsed by any food. She went from begging for food to acting like any food is the most disgusting thing. I assumed she was just upset from switching homes 3 times in one week, 2 baths and shaving, and a dramatic vet visit. She has mild diarrhea, and prior to her vet visit she had solid, formed stool. She's acting depressed and no longer gets excited to see us when we come home like she did when we brought her home. She isn't jumping around or anything. She's just been sleeping, only getting up to potty or get water.

The medical records from her previous owner don't indicate any medical problems. I don't understand how in 24 hours she could go from a happy, energetic dog eager for food, to a depressed, lethargic one with no appetite whatsoever.
Could pancreatitis really develop that fast from a sudden meal adjustment? I'm really worried about her and I'm struggling to find an affordable vet clinic to take her to. My current one is fairly cheap already but with funds tight right now I have to try to cut back even more. I do not want to return her to the rescue group at all though.
If anyone has any suggestions, it's greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Amaryllis]

Drowsiness, diarrhea and vomiting are all side effects of Droncit. Pro Pen G is a type of penicillin, which can cause digestive upset. Cerenia can cause anorexia and diarrhea.

My guess would be this is a passing thing caused by the meds, but I would call the vet and ask him, just in case.

 

[Brotinn]

I called to ask about this just to clarify that all of these were side effects and the tech I spoke to basically said that she should be feeling better and that none of these symptoms should be occurring and said we should come back in. It makes me wonder if she really believed that none of these are side effects, if it was genuine concern, or if it was just an effort to get more money (I've had unfortunate experiences with this from my previous vet).

I'm looking into possibly getting a second opinion about her current behavior but I'm inclined to believe this hopefully a passing thing considering her behavior was polar opposite BEFORE her visit to the vet. I'm just worried about her not eating since she's already underweight. She's drinking about as much water as my other dogs do, but of course in my worried state I feel like it's still not enough.

 

[Abbylynn]

I lost my boy Leeo from pancreatic neucrosis. Pancreas issues can come on suddenly even though they may be brewing on the back burner with no warning signs. I had no signs from Leeo until it was too late. It was misdiagnosed as something totally different. It is hard to diagnose without testing according to my ER Vet.

In My Honest Opinion ..... If they "Think" Your dog has pancreatitis issues she should be given a CBG, GHP, Lytes and cPL. It is an albumin thing with Schnauzers. They should not be guessing at it. It is a dangerous disease.

I say this because this is what they did for me and these are the tests that found the disease. I would not wait too long for a second opinion if it were me.

 

[Brotinn]

I appreciate the input. It's been helpful and I've done a bit more researching on my own.

Small update for the night:
Tori (dog in question) is still a bit lethargic but it's also probably because she hasn't eaten in over a day. She was a bit more active toward the end of the day and even started giving kisses again. She went for a short walk and enjoyed being outside. After reading some things to entice her to eat, I offered her some organic peanut butter. She licked the spoon clean and had about 1 1/2 tablespoons of it.
I have some boiled chicken and rice to try to give to her tomorrow morning. I gave her a small piece of chicken that she ate with no problem but didn't want too much. I'm hoping she'll show more interest in food tomorrow. She seems to be improving, even if it's very, very slowly.

 

[Brotinn]

I just wanted to provide an update on Tori's situation.
Over the few days she has done a 180. She has regained her appetite, being much more active (having fun chasing the cat), and she no longer has diarrhea. She's still a bit weak from not eating and being so thin, so I'm making sure she's getting to eat several small meals throughout the day. She has at least 4 pounds to gain to reach a healthy weight for her size.
I think it ultimately ended up being a combination of side effects from those medicines she was given. I'm so happy she's doing better. Again, I really appreciated the input I received here.

 

[Abbylynn]

I am just relieved to hear she is on the road to recovery. When our dogs get ill it can be very stressful. I wish they could tell us where it hurts.

 

[BernerMax]

I just wanted to provide an update on Tori's situation.
Over the few days she has done a 180. She has regained her appetite, being much more active (having fun chasing the cat), and she no longer has diarrhea. She's still a bit weak from not eating and being so thin, so I'm making sure she's getting to eat several small meals throughout the day. She has at least 4 pounds to gain to reach a healthy weight for her size.
I think it ultimately ended up being a combination of side effects from those medicines she was given. I'm so happy she's doing better. Again, I really appreciated the input I received here.

OK great! But pls be really careful with tea tree oil, it can be absorbed easily thru mucous membranes and even the skin and it is TOXIC to dogs (I think there was a thread on it on dog forums awhile back)....