I had a phone call this morning from a lady who 6mth old pup had started being ill last weekend and was sick during the night, over the next couple of days she deterioated and was taken to the vets. Symptoms include not eating or drinking, depressed, arched back, seems to be limping on all 4 legs (if you know what I mean), didnt like to be touched indicating tender all over, high temp of 105, bloody stools and a discharge from vulva. Vet kept her in and put her on a AB drip for 2 days. She seemed to perk up and the people collected the dog yesterday. She seemed better than she was but this morning she is no better and in fact seems a little worse than she was. She wont drink at all but will lick a little from the hand, she is eating a little, still has blood in stools and the discharge from vulva, she is still very lethargic and depressed and not the bouncy 6 month old puppy she was. The lady asked me if I had heard of anything similar but I havent. I have advised her to take the pup back to the vet and also given her the number of a weim vet, but I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that this pup was spayed 4 weeks ago?

Has anyone had anything similar or any suggestions to make?

Thanks
Lynn

PS: It isnt one of my pups, she was bought from a breeder in London, but the people only saw the parents from a distance in the garden!!

I've no real idea, but can dogs get anything like meningitis? It's just the sound of the arched back....just wondered.
Keeping my fingers crossed for the pup.
LynnT

Sounds like it could well be another wound infection from the spay. There was a thread about this last week I think can't remember the name. Jackie H

Hi Lyn, yes they can get meningitis, I know someone whose dog died from it

I had no idea what the symptoms would be in a dog, but it worried me. I do hope it isn't that.
LynnT

My weimaraner bitch had this twice at 7 and 9 mths old. The symptoms she displayed were stiff neck, wobbly on legs until she could barely walk, could not lower her head and when she did she groaned in pain, had a temp of 105 and she barely slept. The first signs of it were just a stiff neck so the vet treated her for 2 weeks for a slipped disc. He initially gave her a shot of antibiotics and steriods. She picked up within 24hrs so he thought the slipped disc was definately the problem so he treated her with steriods only, however because she wasn't getting any AB's she went down hill again and it wasn't until she was rushed to the Dick Vet in Edinburgh and a spinal tap was performed that the meningitis was confirmed. She was hospitalised on a drip for a week and it was seriously touch and go but she pulled through. She caught it again when she had her first season and we think this was because her immune system (like women's) may not be 100% during her cycle so we opted to have her spayed without risking another season. She has been left with some muscle wastage to her right hind leg but there has been significant improvement although it now won't get any better, also her right pupil will not always enlarge when it should.

She is now immune deficient, however there is an argument her puppy vaccinations could have caused this as the vets can't say for certain whether it was the meningitis or her vaccs. The vets said a possible cause of the meningitis was she had cystitis when she was about 5 months old and it possibly hadn't cleared up completey and one of the "germs" could have managed to get into her spinal fluid. I have no idea if any of this could be true, I did loads of research and although I could find other dogs that had had meningitis I couldn't find a reason why they had caught it.

Philippa I would be interested to know about the dog that died from meningitis if you don't mind telling me. You can email me privately if you prefer although I understand if you shouldn't really talk about it

Hi clare, Just out of politeness I will ask the lady concerned first, wether she minds, although Im sure she wont. I will post again as soon as I have asked her.

Thank you Philippa that's very decent of you but please tell the lady concerned I won't be offended if she'd rather you didn't open up old wounds

Hi again Clair, She has said its fine, and I have e mailed you her e mail address.

Thanks Philippa. I've not got your email yet but I'll keep checking

Hi Claire, I do have problems with my e mails sometimes, so do you want to send me your e mail address? Mine is sighthounds@hotmail.com

Hi Lynn, A dog will arch its back if in pain from abdominal pains as well as back pains, They will also arch their back if bloating. The pup isnt so much stiff in her joints as they are tender and painful. I have read the symptoms of meningitis and I dont think its that. I was wondering if something was left inside the pup when she was spayed? By that I mean some of the uterus etc not an instrument or swab! It sounded to me like she has a really bad infection in her abdomen but obviously I;m no vet and wondered if anyone else had had similar probs!

Kind regards
Lynn

There was a post a week or so ago with a bitch with post op infection that the operating vet ignored and the owner took her to another vet, just can't remember what the heading was. Jackie H

found it "not eating after spaying"

Hi,

That post was about my parents dog, who's a lot better now. She wasn't anywhere near as poorly as this puppy is and the symptoms presented a lot earlier than in this case.

She didn't have any discharge, blood in her stools or an arched back. Ebony was generally unwell, not eating and running a temperature. According to my dad she just wasn't right.

I really hope this little puppy is OK.

Fiona
x x x

May be Fi your Dads experience led him to realise all was not well. I could well be wrong but with a recent op I would be looking to a post op infection, if it is not, nothing lost, but with a temp of 105 there is a fever & infection. JH

Hi Jackie,

My dad's been around dogs for years and he 'knew' that Ebony wasn't well. I'm really glad that he's so confident in his own knowledge otherwise it could have been a totally different story with Ebony. Had my dad not has the knowledge he does he would have probably left it and she could well have gotten as ill as this poor puppy is.

Thankfully she's now doing really well and is driving my mum mad :D

Fiona
x x x

Hi Fiona, I am sooo glad that your dads dog is ok.... I just hope this puppy is too! I will speak to the owners in the morning and let you know how she is getting on!

Lynn

PS. Thanks everyone for your support....

Fiona, have just noticed I keep calling you Fi & Fifi I am sorry to be so familiar it is because we have a family member with your name and I use her pet names for you without thinking. Sorry. Jackie H

Don't worry Jackie - my friends have been calling me Fi or Fifi for years.

Fiona
x x x

Just thought you might like to know this pup is a little better but it looks like it has Barlows Disease. We will have to wait and see what happens.

Thanks again for all your help.

Lynn

Glad to hear the pup's a bit better. What on earth is Barlow's Disease? Is it a long-term thing?
LynnT

There's some info here about Barlows Disease.

Fiona
x x x

Thanks, Fiona. Not nice at all!
LynnT