[Skidoggy]

Hello,
This is my first post, we have a 6 year old male Boxer who we are very worried about, I'm wondering if anyone has seen the same symptoms in their dog.

He is so lethargic he sleeps all the time, he's gone from hiking for miles to nothing, the vet did a Thyroid test but only the T4 and it came back normal, a blood test also showed kidneys, liver etc are normal, the only thing was he has slight pancreatitis.
He was vomiting so I feed him ground turkey which right now is the only thing he will eat, won't eat rice, dog food etc.

Has anyone used the Hemopet lab out in California with Dr. Jean Dodd? After reading her articles our Boxer has a lot of the symptoms for Thyroidism which I suppose are not the norm for Thyroid as other veterinarians see it, the head tilt at times, he sometimes stares in to space as though he's in a trance, used to be friendly with other dogs and people but turned aggressive even towards my daughter, as though he didn't even know her then he returned to normal, Dr. Dodd speaks of these things in her articles, also that pancreatitis can be a symptom.
He will jump at the slightest noise and is so sensitive to touch, he's never been this way before.


Now the severe tiredness, he'll fall asleep standing up, today he actually stood up when he heard my husband come home but last night he just seemed not to be able to get comfortable and started to pace a little.

Anyone had this happen? I am going to ask my vet to take blood samples and get them to Hemopet, I'm hoping it is Thyroid and can be treated and we will have him back to normal.

Our vet thinks it's neurological with all these symptoms which I understand but it's very interesting to read about Dr. Dodds findings.

Thank you in advance for any advice/help/suggestions.

 

[spotted nikes]

Have you had him tested for Lyme disease?
Also, if you give Fish oil as a supplement, consider Vit E toxicity.

 

[Fade]

I would def have him tested for Lymes Rarely does a Thyroid problem become that aggressive at least in my experience I am sure it happens but i would look into other things first. but Lymes disease on the other hand can have varying symptoms and we just so happened to have a dog come in 3 days ago with similar symptoms to what your describing and I just pulled his test results off the fax machine a few hours ago and he came back very positive for Lymes. Already this year we have had a record # of dogs becoming positive for Lymes disease. And many many of them were misdiagnosed or undiagnosed from other vets. with the strange warm weather this year the ticks out here in Chicago started out in force in march! and I am sure places that do not normally have as many issues will be getting them more this year.

I do not like some of the symptoms you are describing and as a precaution I would def just read through http://www.healthcommunities.com/rabies/symptoms.shtml that and see if it is similar to your dogs symptoms. Do this right away. Please. Its extremely unlikely but a lot of his symptoms is spot on to exposure to rabies. Rabies vaccinations are only partially protective and there is still a 30-40% chance a dog can be infected with rabies even with its vaccinations. Its most likely not the case but Its better safe then sorry especially with his random aggressive and spacing out. With children in the house leave nothing to chance! If you read through this and it you feel this is a possible call your vet right away and tell him your concerns.

 

[Abbylynn]

My dog was thought to be having seizures and other issues. He was misdiagnosed and had Pancreatic Neucrosis ... which led to his death.

He was lethargic, slept more than usual, did not always eat, vomited, did not always drink, would lie around, sometimes just stare at me for hours, had to be carried during an attack, could not defecate properly, hunched over with pain and acted as if he were having seizures. He was given Phenobarbitol ... which was "one" of the worst drugs they could have given him.

Your dog does not sound like Leeo ... but here is an article on Pancreatitis since you mentioned he had it "slightly" ... and in the first paragraph it will take you to information on hypothyroidism ... and there is a wealth of information on many diseases on this site. It made me aware of what was really going on with my dog ... the vet was wrong.

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/dog-pancreatitis-symptoms-and-treatment

Please keep us informed on your dogs progress.

For my dog ... It took a trip to a reputable ER hospital to find the real disease ... by then it was too late.

 

[georgiapeach]

Boxers are prone to pancreatitis, so that's a possibility, as is the Lymes mentioned above. Whatever the case, I'm praying for a speedy diagnosis and cure for your baby. Boxers are my first love!

 

[Skidoggy]

Thank you all so very much.

Abbylynn: I am so very sorry about Leeo, absolutely terrible for that to have happened.

I took "BoBo" in to the vet today for blood samples so they are on the way to Hemopet. I asked the vet about Lyme disease and she said it couldn't be that as we are in Colorado and that rarely happens...not sure about that...

I am absolutely beside myself with worry and upset, I broke down at the vet's and all the way home as I am so upset, he is getting worse and I feel as though I'm not doing enough or moving fast enough and now the weekend is here. Last night he started pacing around the back yard and he cried when I sat with him, it was truly awful, we just want to know what's wrong so we can help him, he is our baby and I feel so helpless.

Next thing our vet says to do is to go to Denver to a neurologist but I honestly just feel if it is neurological it's something more than that.
I'm no vet but I just know it.

If this is not Thyroidism I'm hoping Dr. Jean Dodds may be able to have some ideas so we can move fast. What tests to do next, there is something so wrong.

I'm doing more reading about the pancreatitis, my mind is a whirl.
Thank you all again for all your help and advice, I know people here understand what this feels like x

 

[georgiapeach]

{{{Hugs!}}}