ward_hill
New member
After two vet visits, it remains unclear what is causing Buckley's lethargy and diminished appetite.
It started with Tuesday's dinner, which he ate all of, but not with the usual 90-second gusto. He'd had a somewhat loose stool on our afternoon walk, but that happens occasionally.
On Wed morning, he only picked at his breakfast. I took him to the vet at noon ... temp normal, heart normal, CBC bloodwork normal. They gave him a shot of Cerenia and sent us home with Metronidazole 500mg. He only picked at dinner, but did swallow his pill.
Thursday morning, same deal, ate part of breakfast. Same with dinner. I dropped off a stool sample last night, which was negative for giardia (sp?).
From Wednesday morning on, he just wasn't his usual self ... no counter surfing, sink diving, or any of the usual antics. He did poop late yesterday afternoon, which suggested to me that there was no intestinal blockage, and he perked up a bit last night, but still wasn't himself.
This morning, he was fed a mix of rice, cottage cheese, and cooked chop meat, but didn't really eat much. Then, I noticed he seemed weak in the rear. I tried to get him to jump up onto me for a treat (we normally don't encourage jumping), and he couldn't get up.
Back to the vet at noon. The vet (different doc at same practice who's seen him once before) checked his rear feet, legs, and hips. No apparent problems. Then, a Snap 4 Dx test ... negative for Lyme, heartworm and two other things (which I couldn't spell even if I remembered them!).
There was a discussion on NN late last year about Purina changing the Pro Plan Chicken and Rice Adult to "shredded blend". I stockpiled a couple of bags of the old formula, then transitioned to the shredded blend. He seemed to tolerate the switch without difficulty.
Speaking with my breeder this morning, I was advised to stop the shredded blend and switch to the Pro Plan Salmon for sensitive skin and stomach. I went to the store to buy it and noticed that what appears to be the original chicken and rice adult formula is now called "weight mangagement". (Anyone else notice this?) I bought small bags of both and will try these and see what happens.
The vet gave me Fortiflora for him to take with food, which is supposed to enhance good digestive bacteria and work against bad bacteria. And he's to continue the Metronizadole.
I'm operating under the assumption that nothing dire is going on here, but I'm still bummed out and worried.
It started with Tuesday's dinner, which he ate all of, but not with the usual 90-second gusto. He'd had a somewhat loose stool on our afternoon walk, but that happens occasionally.
On Wed morning, he only picked at his breakfast. I took him to the vet at noon ... temp normal, heart normal, CBC bloodwork normal. They gave him a shot of Cerenia and sent us home with Metronidazole 500mg. He only picked at dinner, but did swallow his pill.
Thursday morning, same deal, ate part of breakfast. Same with dinner. I dropped off a stool sample last night, which was negative for giardia (sp?).
From Wednesday morning on, he just wasn't his usual self ... no counter surfing, sink diving, or any of the usual antics. He did poop late yesterday afternoon, which suggested to me that there was no intestinal blockage, and he perked up a bit last night, but still wasn't himself.
This morning, he was fed a mix of rice, cottage cheese, and cooked chop meat, but didn't really eat much. Then, I noticed he seemed weak in the rear. I tried to get him to jump up onto me for a treat (we normally don't encourage jumping), and he couldn't get up.
Back to the vet at noon. The vet (different doc at same practice who's seen him once before) checked his rear feet, legs, and hips. No apparent problems. Then, a Snap 4 Dx test ... negative for Lyme, heartworm and two other things (which I couldn't spell even if I remembered them!).
There was a discussion on NN late last year about Purina changing the Pro Plan Chicken and Rice Adult to "shredded blend". I stockpiled a couple of bags of the old formula, then transitioned to the shredded blend. He seemed to tolerate the switch without difficulty.
Speaking with my breeder this morning, I was advised to stop the shredded blend and switch to the Pro Plan Salmon for sensitive skin and stomach. I went to the store to buy it and noticed that what appears to be the original chicken and rice adult formula is now called "weight mangagement". (Anyone else notice this?) I bought small bags of both and will try these and see what happens.
The vet gave me Fortiflora for him to take with food, which is supposed to enhance good digestive bacteria and work against bad bacteria. And he's to continue the Metronizadole.
I'm operating under the assumption that nothing dire is going on here, but I'm still bummed out and worried.
