Her name is Brandy. She is about 6 years old. She showed up at my house as a stray when she was about 12 weeks old, thin, pickled with ticks and feverish.

I got rid of the ticks and fed properly she recovered fast. A few months later I took her to the vet for the first time and got her shots etc. On their check in questionnaire it asked if I wanted her tested for tick born diseases and given her initial condition I decided to have her tested.

She tested positive for Erlichia but my vet said it wasn't something they treat, just monitor her. Long story short, here we are over 5 years later and Brandy stops jumping up in the truck or on anything and slowly starts eating less but was still maintaining her weight. Suddenly about 3 weeks ago she became lethargic and stopped participating in normal activities and stopped eating completely. Right away I thought it must be Erlichia so I took her to a different vet. My heart sank when I learned it was treatable all along.

Before she quit eating, she was drinking water excessively but that has slowed some. She still drinks more than normal.

The new vet ran a comprehensive battery of tests and said the only thing truly out of whack was her white blood cell count which was 33 or 36k and should have been 16. She had no fever.

He gave he an injection of antibiotics and another of a steroid. and sent her home with doxycycline and nutrical. She started eating again and ate for 2 days and stopped again so I brought her back in and he gave her another antibiotic injection and we stopped the doxy hoping she would start eating again. She didn't and was barely walking at this point so back again to the vet and he kept her for 4 days and fed her with a syringe and nutrical with no improvement.
The vet doesn't think it is the tick disease but doesn't know what it is. All along she has had no fever at all.

Last night I got to thinking maybe it was the Seresto collar I put on her the first week of Dec. So today the vet removed the collar and bathed her and sent her home with me.

She can barely walk and cannot support herself in a squat for toilet activities. Won't eat, I have to syringe feed her. I'm at a loss, she is my only companion. If anyone has any ideas I'd be glad to hear them.



She is the black dog. I lost the golden one, Emmy Roo last Sep 25th to coyotes.

Man I hate to hear things like this. My heart breaks when I see animals suffering.

Sounds very much like the Ehrlichiosis. She should have been treated for that. Our one dog was tested early for it and was on antibiotics for 3 weeks after it was detected.

The collar is also a possibility, some of that sheit can do weird stuff, but I'd think it would have shown shortly after.


Good luck

Sorry to hear that, you've probably already read this.

Says shepherds are hit hard by it and lists imidocarb dipropionate as something to give on top of the antibiotics, along with IVs and feeding assistance..

Best wishes to you and Brandy...

No idea here, but I sure do hope she can be saved. So sorry.

Is she spayed? Test for pyometra if not.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. You are probably right about it just being Erlichiosis. My understanding is the vet treated her with a series of shots instead of doxy.

Before she quit eating, she was drinking water excessively but that has slowed some. She still drinks more than normal.

WTM45, she is spayed.

A couple months ago I contracted for a Belgian Malinois female pup to be Brandys sidekick and help her with the yotes. Tomorrow is the day I pick up the 8 week old puppy.

All I can offer are my prayers for you and your dog. I think it's more difficult losing a dog than a human in many cases.

I can't offer you any advice but I sure do hope Brandy gets well.

Man, Im sorry to hear of this, Sawbuck. May God bless you and your friend.

Did you have her tested for kidney infection?

I'm not sure, is that the same as testing for kidney function?

I won't assume but her vet was aware she was drinking water excessively.

I hope for the best for your beloved pet.

Tick fever AKA tracker dog disease. It's a bacterial infection carried by the lone star tick. The medical name is canine ehrlichiosis.

My GSP was diagnosed in August of 2016. The only reason they caught it was because my vet knows he hunts in tick infested terrain so they screen for it annually. His basic symptoms at the time were a general lack of energy and paleness of the gums.

He was put on a very heavy dose of doxycycline - 300mg twice a day for a month. My wife (a nurse) said this is borderline toxic for a human.

In any case, it worked. But the problem is now that he's had it, he will always test positive.

Ours had tick fever but caught with early symptoms. Alert vet.

Thanks guys.

She seems no worse today, we picked up the pup and they are napping together on the doggy bed.

I'm still hoping she turns the corner.

I think I'd be a little concerned too if a few days of Dox hasn't improved her. Ask about a Lyme disease titer test. They can be found together here.

Sorry to hear this. I sure hope you get it figured out.

Have her tested for Cushings disease. Lethargic, excess water, etc shoulds like cushings. Especially if she started having accidents.

Google it for the signs and symptons and see what other signs she has. Our dog just got diagnosed with cushings and it is treatable.

Don't have any answers but your dog will be in my wife and mine's prayers tonight. I hate reading this. Give the pup a big hug for us.

Thanks everyone. All advice is appreciated.

This morning she got up from bed and went outside on her own.

She was struggling so I carried her to her toilet area out in the woods. She snuck around the pup and I and went and laid down in the creek. Not normal for her this time of year, 40F. I'm convinced her abdomen hurts.


Yesterday, resting in the yard.





Little Freika's first day.

I'm comparing this recent picture, to previous ones you posted. In this pic, Brandy's peri- orbital area, around the eyes, looks a little puffy. Thinking some kidney problem. Qr possibly congestive heart failure. Maybe even a pericardium inflammation, the sac around the heart. It would cause occasional gagging, maybe cough, excessive yawning maybe, lethargy and less eating/poor appetite.
I would think though, that the vet has checked her heart sounds and xray of her heart for increased size.

I guess I will be the first to say it. You need to help this dog end her suffering. I did this with a sick dog. Brought him home so the kids could come see him one last time. I thought I had a week. He deteriorated rapidly in 2 days so I ended up putting him down on Fathers Day of all days. It just wasn't fair to put our emotions ahead of that poor guys suffering. It would be the kindest thing you could do now.

Hope you get it figured out. 6 years is to young to lose a dog.

Wyogal, I know her abdomen was x-rayed.


Here is another photo taken at the same time.
Do you still see what you described previously?

smarquez, I appreciate the sentiment. Don't think it isn't weighing on my mind.

Hard to tell from that angle. Sunlight and color of fur around her eyes from that angle looking down at her, I really can't tell.

Would have to get a little closer down to eye level to visualize.

As a last resort, I would get on the phone and call every vet I could until one of them sounded promising or knowledgeable of her problem. I then would take her as fast as I could to that vet. powdr

I would get A second third or even fourth opinion. I hope everything works out for you guys.

Assuming she was tested for diabetes too? Excessive water consumption and lethargy are hallmarks of high blood sugar, and it will also affect the vision.

Yes she was. Kidneys and diabetes are the first things he suspected. I know he sent her blood to a lab for comprehensive testing and also ran some tests himself.

I first took her to him on a Saturday, Sunday night he called me with an initial diagnosis that she had a tick born disease, I believe Rocky Mountain Spotted. I then informed him she had Erlichia. He gave her 2 shots and sent her home with doxycycline 3x per day. She ate good for 2 days and quit eating again. We took her off doxy and he gave her injections again and sent her home with nutrical which I gave her for several days until I felt she was crashing and took her back to the vet. I told him I thought she was finished, he examined her and decided to treat her and did along with syringe feeding her for 4 days when I asked him to remove her Seresto collar and bathe her. Her collar was removed Thursday and I brought her home. She looked terrible and was very weak. Today is the second day without the collar and I definitely see improvement although she is still very ill.

I know its a long shot but I'm hoping it was at least partially the collar. Today she is alert with clear eyes and much more involved.

Thats some good news.

Quality; quantity.

Care to expound?

She seems a bit improved this morning. When she saw I was awake she wagged her tail and came and sat by me which is her normal morning custom which she hasn't done for a couple weeks.
I carried her outside to her toilet area and will syringe feed her breakfast soon.

Glad to hear of the improvement.

I think we often forget that it's a living animal in distress and regardless of what is life does to fulfill ours, perhaps the most benevolent thing we can do is let it go.

I think a lot of folks should be let go. Many of them on this website alone.

My bull terrier girl had the onset of those sort of symptoms , I found upon taking her to the vet
she had a well advanced euterine infection...then had to make the toughest decision of my life.
One of the very few things in life that still comes back to haunt me 20+ yrs later and always will.

Ha!

Good to hear she is improving Sawbuck. Thanks for the update.

Thank you all for the support and advice.

Brandy is now walking with a near normal gait. Her hind legs seem to be working much better. The couple times she moved today she broke out into a slow trot. While this is a step in the right direction, Brandy is still very ill. Having seen many animals struggle while I was growing up on our farm, I know she might not make it. I can tell you that she is still fighting the good fight. If she doesn't take a turn, I think tomorrow or the next day, she may start eating on her own again.

Great to hear.

Good morning all.

Today Brandy is much improved. She is more engaged, is stronger and is walking well when she decides to move.

She got up from bed on her own and went straight to her toilet area without any signs of weakness. She also barked at the coyotes last night for the first time in 10 days or so.

I am syringe feeding her 3 times a day now. She was still losing weight so I decided to up her ration even more and she seems to be responding well.

All of the advice given me here helped immensely. Much of it helped me to research what might be going on with her.
A happy result now seems a possibility.

So what did you decided it was, the combination of the tick disease with the collar?

Good news..

Yes, that seems the most likely. I'm thinking it was likely a fatal combination unique to Brandy.

I have been feeding her a mixture of Hill prescription canned dog mixed with a squirt of nutri-cal, a fresh egg from one of my hens and some Call of the Wild dry dog food ground into a flour.

I also gave her 3-4 cc's of Durvet Vitamin B Complex Oral Gel for calves and goats (pic). I have no idea if it helped or was even detrimental but I gave it to her, finished the last of the tube this morning.


This morning I gave her a mixture of roasted chicken, a small amount of baked potato and ground Call of the Wild mixed into a slurry by adding no salt beef broth.

I wish I ate like that dog

glad to hear this isn't going to be a sad ending to a story

Good to hear!
Dogs are the best!

My gal friend the vet is not always real prompt checking her e-mail, and I think her server's real spotty, as well.....looks like my inquiry finally came up,....here's what she wrote:


Erlichia is a very bad disease that can vary in symptoms from being totally without symptoms to fatal. It was first called Tropical Canine Pancytopenia and came to this country with dogs brought home from Southeast Asia during the Vietnam war time. When I get a pos. on a blood test I usually run a complete panel of blood work to evaluate kidney and liver function. A round of Doxycycline at that time is always indicated or the older drug Tetracycline is also effective. "Tick Fever" has become the current nick name for this disease. The dog you described might be suffering from blood cell break down and severe anemia or a number of other problems. Blood transfusions are often indicated. B 12 injections and steroids do help. Unfortunately, The prognosis must be very guarded to poor at this time. Animals that do survive the hard battle are often sick for 4 to 6 weeks and require more than 1 blood transfusion so it is very important to do both a major and minor cross match each time and not transfuse from the same donor if at all possible. good luck with this one.

It's good to hear that things are looking up, and I hope that will continue to be the case.

GTC

Do you have a Vet School within a reasonable distance? The specialists in a Vet School / Hospital blew my mind when I had to get emergency surgery for a blockage in my Lab. They called in a surgical team and operated on her at midnight and called me at 2:00 AM to update me.

I would seriously consider doing that if you are willing to eat the expense. Best of luck to you and your pal. Hoping for the best!!

Greg, thank you. Her situation is indeed dire.

Sako, unfortunately I am financially limited.

Today Brandy is back on the doxy. While she appears to be incrementally improved today once again, I fear she has lost the tongue coordination to lap water. I am now giving her water by syringe as well as doxy 3 times per day. Oddly, she is laying on the porch, her normal vantage point for the first time in weeks and seems to be in very little discomfort.

If she continues to mend, that drinking problem should fade away. Dogs on the mend have an amazing ability to recover.

I would call someone and explain the situation. See if they will look at your dog pro bono. It would not hurt to ask.

Well guys, it wasn't meant to be.

We said goodbye to Brandy today. Join me in a toast if you wish.

Sorry to hear that, man. Not much consolation, but you tried your best till the end. Love on that new pup...

Sorry to hear that very much so. It was meant to be though as it was. She got to her favorite spot, and that was a pleasant place for her to relax

My deepest sympathies.

And a Bulliet will be lifted!

Jeff

May God grant you peace

I am sad for your loss.
You did your best.
Yes, a toast to your wonderful friend.

I'm awfully sorry she's gone, sawbuck.

Darned sand is blowing here now.

Sorry, sawbuck. I've been following the thread and praying for the best. I know your pain, and it sucks.

Very sorry to hear this. Grieve a while.

As soon as you can, give another lost pup the care you gave her when she was where it is.

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated.

Sorry to hear, Prayers sent

Sorry you lost your pal Sawbuck.

Good Girl Brandy, good girl.

I followed the thread. I am sorry for your loss. Your dog was lucky to have you, and had a good life. I hope your new puppy turns out to be a great dog for you.

Know you did your best for her, as she would have done for you.

I wonder if part of God's plan with dogs is to help teach us how to accept the loss of loved ones.

Very sorry for your loss.

Sorry to hear brother. Hurts my heart for ya.

Very sorry

Godspeed, Brandy,
....you had a good human.

sorry to hear this, and condolences, sb.

GTC

I followed your post as well. I was really pulling for her. It's obvious you are one of the best owners of dogs. Somehow, owner isn't a good word. You are much more than that, and no one really "owns" a dog.
People take responsibility for a being that can't totally fend for itself. That's where "owners" come in. And by all accounts, Brandy will be forever greatful she had a human companion, as good as you were for her. She knows you did all you could. She is happy for the good life you gave her, and she knows you will re-unite at some point. Rest easy friend, you did a good job with Brandy, and she knows it.

sawbuck, sorry to hear. You did your best. Brandy couldn't have found a better friend.

Crushing news.


I'm so sorry. I love my dogs more than anything and it's so hard to hear something like this.

Very, very sorry to hear this news. I know how hard it is to lose a 4 legged friend.

Damn. Sorry to hear.
RIP Brandy.

Sad news, Sawbuck. Dogs occupy the same places in our hearts as our closest friends and family, and when they go it hurts just the same. Sorry for your loss, which I know from extensive experience is very painful.

Sorry, sawbuck. My condolences and best wishes.

And, here are some comments about the collar:

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/com...ning-on-new-seresto-flea-and-tick-collar

RIP Brandy

Very sorry. Been through it. Sucks, just sucks.

sawbuck, So sorry for your loss. We know and feel your pain. You were her your best friend,doing your best,and she knew. That's all you can do as a friend for a friend. RIP Brandy! memtb

I'd rather lose some of my relatives than my dog. As tenderhearted as you are sawbuck I can imagine how this hurts. Really sorry for you right now. Brandy was sure loved.

Dammit, I thought she'd turned the corner.

RIP





P

Aww man. I'm sorry.

Thank you very much Campfire.

Today is a new day.

Something for the new pup,....
Link: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16015

I've been using this on my dogs , through some of the worst years for ticks here that anybody remembers
( attributable to drought perhaps ?)
Seems to be very effective in repelling and knocking down ticks already aboard,.....
'nother good one
Link: https://www.pyranhainc.com/products/for-horses/equine-spray
BUT,....
They HATE the citronella smell of Pyranha , and object to the noisy hissing of the spray bttle too.
..... don't seem to mind this Endure at all,the spry bottle's dead quiet and in "stream" setting, lets you get right down through hair, to skin.....hell, the older dog seems to like it,....lotsa' lanolin, so it leaves their coat in great shape.

We've seen more than a few problems with the colllars, particularly in the hotter months.

Best regards,

GTC

Hey, that looks like just what I need. I'm going to check our farm store before ordering.

So sorry for your loss. I hate these threads.

No kidding, I didn't want to open it after the initial posting because my heart can't take stories like this. Our pets are so dependent on us for their care and to see sawbuck love this pup so much was really great. You're a great man sawbuck.

Have lost too many pets over the years, and it always gets harder and harder. Waiting for my last one until they can outlive me. Sorry for your loss Sawbuck, I know exactly how you feel. In your case, I'd jump right back into the fire. Sorry for the loss.

I'm no entomologist, but the last coupla' years of BAD tick problems here in my Valley have seen me studying, with equal parts amazement and disgust,.....
"The life cycle of the Tick (s)"
We can't solve regional problems on our lean budgets, but good "barrier strategy" is worth getting a handle on,....for the last several days I've been buring last years old weeds, and some young Amaranth ( ) sprouts,....while at the same time taking savage delight in knowing that any Tick Midges are going down, too. Within the week, I'll have covered the new burnt areas around the house, outbuildings, base area with Bifenethryn (sp?),....treatment of the canines will continue,...Ensure Horse Spray, and as well Iodine and Watkins Salve when sadly inevitable chew wounds or bleeding bites turn up on em'. Strong horse iodine is now "controlled",....thanks to meth scum using it to brew their poisons.
The bottom line is figuring out the life cycle of these noxious pests, and (at least on our own ground) BREAKING it.

Hateful duty, and at times frustrating,....but hey, do we really have any other choice ?
Give that beautiful young pup an ear scratch for me, ya' hear ?

GTC

Sad for you, man. Wish you'd gotten another six years with your loyal friend. Makes me remember all the ones that I miss, so I guess I'm sad for myself too. But on the other hand, I've been through it so many times because each time it WAS worth it. I'll go through the loss again and again, it's in the cards.

Hang tough.

Cross, done.

Don't be sad Campfire. Brandy lived a truly great life. She spent her time hunting the unoccupied square miles surrounding my house and never knew a fence or confinement.
When she was about 8 or 9 months old I decided to leash train her so trips to the vet would be easier. She absolutely loved the leash and walking together. For months afterward she would walk beside me in the mornings while checking the garden, right down the rows by my side following every move just like she was on a leash.
In the spring she would tag along beside me picking blackberries. She would go down the fence row ahead of me nosing the ripe ones until she found one she wanted and then she would stand there eating it before searching for another. She had a sweet tooth and I'm sure she got the best ones.
Most of the time in the early years it was just she and I. I talked to her a lot because she would tune in and try to process every word, never nonsensical stuff but words and phrases that had meaning. She aquired a pretty good vocabulary and would answer a question with her nose. Pointing toward me was affirmative and turning her nose away meant no.
Her first toy was an old shoe and she developed a shoe fetish for a while. I had a lady friend that would fly in from CA every couple months. Once on a visit Brandy disassembled the lady's $170 sandals. On the ladies next and last visit, she brought some cheap faux rabbit fur house slippers which met the same fate. I chided Brandy knowing she understood perfectly and would molest them no further.
The lady asked me if I wasn't going to whip Brandy and it became a bone of contention between us.

My house sits in a little valley, a natural choke point for wildlife bounded by a creek on one side and hills on another. Even the snakes migrate through the yard come late Jun/early Jul when the creek begins to dry.
Brandy loved rodents of all types but especially moles or voles and mice and rats. She also had a below average nose for a dog.
When she was about 6 months old I went outside to bring her in one night because she was running late. I found her in the front yard eating a mole. The backyard was overrun with them. It was a moonlit night and she had finally unlocked the secret to hunting them. She stayed out there nearly all night catching them in the back and bringing them to the front to eat them. She also killed a lot of rabbits. She didn't chase them much but had a way of walking up on them and just grabbing them. Later on Brandy took to killing fawns in late May and bringing them home and eating on them. After a couple seasons of this I chided one day when she brought one home. As far as I know, she never killed another. It was one of the few times I discouraged her from being a dog.
As Brandy grew up I just got into the habit of cooking for both of us. One of her favorite breakfasts was 3 homemade biscuits with bacon egg and pepper jack cheese. She and Emmy Roo ate lots chicken quarters and pork steak along with green beans and other veggies. In the evenings sometimes I would fire up the grill and as soon as the meat went on she would go hide until I called her for dinner. I would buy a lot of marked down/quick sale meats and sometimes we would get her favorite meal, porterhouse steaks or t-bone with a little baked potato/sour cream, greenbeans cooked with bacon and a slice of texas toast. That meal was always a morale booster for she and Emmy both, afterwards they would spend the evening playing in the yard in some kind of canine celebration.
Brandy also guarded my free range chickens. The wilds start only 60' from my front door. The biggest threat is coyotes. It had been nearly a year since I had lost a chicken until Brandy became ill and the coyotes took one of my hens. Coyotes were Brandy's obsession. Every evening after we put up the chickens, if coyotes were near she would get into position and wait for the yotes. The yotes would do what I call drive bys testing Brandy and she would sometimes give chase. Twice they split her tail wide open in a skirmish. Sometimes they would stalk her and Emmy in the daylight and I would kill it and the yotes would get scarce for a while. Brandy would then spend moonlit nights mousing into the wee hours. She would sometimes come across snakes and would give her distinctive snake bark. Once she was bitten by a baby copperhead and only got a little sick. Afew months later she was bitten again and swelled up pretty good. I gave her benadryl and she was fine in a couple days. after that she avoided copperheads and would bark like crazy when she found one.
She was a great companion but a selfish fishing buddy. Usually I would fish and she would hunt rabbits and stuff.
Some days she didn't want to hunt or had finished and so she would pester me to go home, especially if the fish weren't biting. About 45 minutes of no fish and she would start vocalizing her wish to go. Sometimes I didn't care and we would pack up or I would tell her we were staying. If we were staying she would usually walk off a few paces and take a sullen nap or decide to go back to hunting.
Sometimes in the fall we would go on a squirrel hunt. Brandy loved squirrels and hunting them but she didn't have the greatest nose and she rarely caught them so I would take her on a hunt where squirrels were plentiful and shoot them out for her. Just one or two and she was happy. I'd let her carry one back to the truck and she would wool it around all the way home up until I took it and skinned it out for the frying pan.
Well if you made it this far I suppose the things about Brandy missing in this narrative are that she was an extremely cautious dog in nearly everything she did and was the most polite dog I have ever known. She would never invade anyone's personal space, I don't know why she was just that way, always observing from a distance although she was not shy or nervous, just quietly strong.

I will always remember Brandy for the life we shared and not the pitiful way it ended and I hope the Campfire can also enjoy the abundantly good side of her story.

I am sorry for the loss of your beloved pet. You tried your best. She knew that you loved her.