can lightning strike twice?

[EAO76]

So the vet called back and offered for me to take her in for a Convenia injection which is an antibiotic that is injectable and lasts 10-14 days. So I set the apt for 3:20 today. Then I google it and read conflicting reports about this med. Basically half the things I read are how its a God send for pets who cannot take pills. Then others say their pets had terrible reactions, sometimes death, and that if your pet has a bad reaction there is NOTHING that can be done to remove the med. WTF why is this so hard? I don't know what to do!

 

[Cami]

That sounds like some serious risks!!
I don't know what I would do in your case but I tend to be really cautious to the point of *sometimes* not being able to make a decision. I almost just don't do something for fear of making things worse.
The way it stands now is that she is nauseated and won't eat due to the oral pills. She can't benefit from them if you can't get them in her. On the flip side you don't specifically know what you are dealing with (abscess or something worse).
Maybe the lesser of two evils is to take a chance on the injection. Get her feeling better....remove the nausea (hopefully) and the meds can do the trick and clear her issues up. This can be a moot point in a matter of days!! Well, on the way to getting better at least. Hopefully she won't be affected in a negative way by the injection.
I have no idea if any of that makes sense??

 

[entelekia]

Hard call to make with the antibiotics... but like Susi said, if you can't get them into her, they're not going to help at all.

Regarding the anal gland issue... Laika had an abscessed anal gland once and it if weren't because I could actually SEE it (it was irritated, red and protruding) I would have never known. She didn't lick or scoot. And it didn't smell at all until it was actually lanced and drained (yeah, sorry too).

Here's hoping it's nothing more than an angry gland.

 

[EAO76]

So I cancelled the appt for the injection(it was just going to be with a tech) and and scheduled a 4 o'clock appointment with the actual vet so I could discuss it. My concern is if it makes her sick then what? The antibotic is active fot 14 days but stays in the system for 60 days. She is so sensitive. I just fear she won't tolerate it. She has been throwing up all day. And her stools are loose and she won't eat ANYTHING. I wonder if the meds are even necessary? If it burst then the puss drained, its not leaking anymore. And they cleaned it out yesterday. Maybe her body can heal it on its own? Is that crazy?

 

[entelekia]

The problem is that if there was pus at all, that means there was an infection, and even if it drained, the bacteria (or whatever) can remain in her system. You really want some antibiotics to clear whatever is leftover in there.

Good thought about wanting to meet with the vet though.

Have you tried acidophilus pills? Lego doesn't tolerate yogurt, but I can shove a probiotic pill down his throat when his tummy is just beyond upset. Might be worth a try?

 

[EAO76]

I did dissolve some probiotics in a little chicken broth and gave it to her with a syringe. I just feel so bad she is miserable. I can't believe one dose of antibiotics could do this. Now I'm freaking out thinking worst case scenario. And what about the zeniquin that I spent 70.00 that she can't take. Do you think the vet will take it back?

 

[entelekia]

Hard to say. If they keep them in stock, they might. I have a really good relationship with my vet so they will sometimes "bend the rules" for me. Maybe you can float it by them? Can't hurt.

Just a thought, maybe the shot will be better because it will 'bypass' her GI system and go straight to the source? Aside from the stomach upset, is she showing any more symptoms? Maybe her tummy just can't take the oral antibiotics, but a systemic one would be ok? Just food for thought to discuss with the vet.

Edited to add: I just re-read and saw that that's exactly what you're trying to do. If your vet knows Nano well, and if she's usually healthy and strong, I might give it a shot. You're always going to find contraindications with any meds (hell, even some heartworm preventatives can cause death).

Another thing to ask is what about a not-so-strong antibiotic with a longer dose? Something that won't upset her tummy too much and she can take for more days to get a good amount in her?

 

[EAO76]

Well that's the idea in regards to the injection, to by pass the GI system. But its also a common side effect to cause stomach upset and diarrhea so we may or may not be better off.

 

[TysonCheeto]

I'm just catching up, poor baby! I hope all goes well for her. I'm sure your in knots over this whole ordeal :(

 

[EAO76]

So they gave her an anti nausea injection and subcutaneous fluid since she had been vomiting all day she was dehydrated. This vet (a different one than we saw Sunday) agreed that it was risky to give the injection to a dog that commonly has reactions to antibiotics. Although she did say that she has never had a patient react badly to that particular antibiotic (but I have no doubt my dog would be her first). I'm actually glad that she was leaning towards the cautious side because I really didn't feel comfortable giving her something that would stay in her system so long so her apprehension solidified that I was making the right choice. Her suggestion was to either try another oral or a topical. She encouraged a topical so that's what I went with. She actually said that since all the puss drained that there WAS a chance her immune system may be able to fix the rest on its own. So twice a day I'm supposed to warm compress Nano's bum and then put the ointment on it (let me tell you how much Nano loves me right now ) The whole thing seems ridiculous. I feel like I'm putting Neosporin on a gun shot wound. But she said not to worry that we'd notice if it wasn't working. So we are watching for swelling and redness. It actually looks much better than it did just yesterday. So now I'm just hoping she will start to feel better. Even after the anti nausea injection she still was burping up water and bits of food all night. And she hasn't eaten in more than 24hrs.

PS they wouldn't refund me anything for the Zeniquin :(