Update-03091201:28>I am up tonight worrying about my dog,(he is sleeping fine), and I felt bad about how I left this thread yesterday. I was pretty raw emotionally, probably a 7 out of 10. I won't go into it at the risk of "going emo" on all you fine folks, but it goes farther then a dog with the sniffles. Let's just say we are getting ready for some funerals in the family.

I want to apologize for deleting my original post. I think it is a cowardly move to delete ones posts, especially ones they are ashamed of. I wasn't ashamed of what I had posted in this case, only immediate regret of sharing drove me to delete my posting. For those that care about old dogs and want to share concern or advice, I will try to reconstruct my original post from memory, and update Rascals condition.

I woke up yesterday morning about 5 and my wife had been up for about an hour with our 12 year old terrier mix. He has been suffering with a respiratory infection, and just last week we spent $400 to get X-rays that show a collapsing trachea near his sternum, possibly a congenital problem, possibly and more likely related to his obesity. We have been giving him antibiotics for a respiratory infection that has been causing him to have a hard, unproductive cough. The coughing had mostly gone away, until then. The coughing was accompanied with reverse sneezing that wasn't stopping. For hours. By the time the office staff got in and called us back for an appointment, we had massaged his snout, filled the tub with hot water so he could breath the steam, and basically petted him nonstop. I posted looking for further First Aid advice. I got MeanGirls instead.

So I over reacted. A bit. Here is what I am ashamed of, and would like to delete, but I'm trying to avoid that.

you people. I have been up half the night worrying about my dog, and all you want to do is rub my face into how many people don't like me. Fine, whatever. I don't know what my dog ever did to any of you that would cause you to take pleasure in his suffering. Every time I feel like I am dealing with the dregs of society here, someone gets lower.

Anyway, took him to the vet, didn't learn much, other then keep taking antibiotics, cut back on the cough medicine, add some children's Benadryl, and make sure he gets plenty of water. He lost a kilo, and he was running around looking fine. He started having a little sneezing attack about 11, I massaged his snout and nose and it seemed to clear it out, but I am staying awake watching him.
Anyway, since the MeanGirls have made the effort to troll this thread, I may as well keep my updates on rascals condition here. So I may wind up bumping it in the future.

[This message has been edited by WhiteDevil88 (edited 03-09-2012).]

My puppy has that problem, antibotics was the only 'cure'.

Bendadryl is more for allergies, not colds.

Steve's wife is a vet tech. Synthesis' fiance is a vet. Maybe they could help.

Oh wait, nevermind.....You've burned those bridges.

quote Originally posted by aceman: Steve's wife is a vet tech. Synthesis' fiance is a vet. Maybe they could help. Oh wait, nevermind.....You've burned those bridges.

Thanks for trying to turn my concern for my beloved pet into some kind of blame fest. But just for information purposes, what did I do to Chris and/or his fiancé? I understand how offering my friendship and information to Crazy People was a bad idea, but Steve and Melanie held the torch to that bridge, not me.

So if my dog dies from respiratory failure, at least you know that you did your very best to make me feel worse. Thanks.

Canine influenza is not unheard of.
It's supposed to be pretty nasty. Might merit a trip to the vet.

Go to the vet.

There I did my good deed for the day to the forum troll.

Steve

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't http://serve.mysmiley.net/c...rs/character0029.gif
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: Go to the vet. There I did my good deed for the day to the forum troll. Steve

Go **** yourself. There, I gave your advice all the consideration it deserved. ******* .

quote Originally posted by WhiteDevil88: Go **** yourself. There, I gave your advice all the consideration it deserved. ******* .

That is the reason you are considered a troll here,
“You can’t handle the truth.”



I posted a perfectly good answer to your question without ever swearing at you, but you insist on being vulgar towards me. I wasn’t to you in my post just told you to take the dog to the vet.

You can’t post to anyone who you feel is wrong or has wronged you without getting vulgar. I could have gone into more detail as to why you should take the dog to the vet but why bother when all you would do is what you just did.

Steve

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 03-08-2012).]

Take your dog to the vet. The time spent fighting here may be better well spent taking him to a real Dr. The internet is not a vet.

But seriously, I hope all is well with your dog. Animals give more love than humans, and sometimes they need us to return that love.

Tony

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: Steve

So my dog suffering makes you happy. Jesus Christ, you are worthless scum.

quote Originally posted by WhiteDevil88: So my dog suffering makes you happy. Jesus Christ, you are worthless scum.

That was from a reply to the thread Doni posted about some singer I was also posting in, I posted it here by mistake. I care more about your dog than I do about you; at least the dog deserves a better owner than you.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum6/HTML/092121.html

Steve


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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't http://serve.mysmiley.net/c...rs/character0029.gif
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 03-08-2012).]

quote Originally posted by Tony Kania: Take your dog to the vet. The time spent fighting here may be better well spent taking him to a real Dr. The internet is not a vet. But seriously, I hope all is well with your dog. Animals give more love than humans, and sometimes they need us to return that love. Tony

We made an appointment for 10, in the meanwhile he is obviously distressed, and we are freaking out. I was hoping I could get some good first aid ideas so he can be more comfortable in the interim.

Thank you, and Nurb, for not letting your opinion of me color your concern for an innocent creature who has only ever shown love, and who has attended more Fiero events then some humans on here. And thank you, Raydar, for being one of the best people I've never met.

quote Originally posted by WhiteDevil88: You are a worthless piece of **** .

I have to wonder how long it will take you to send your own thread into the trash can because of your own stupidity.
Have a good day
Steve

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't http://serve.mysmiley.net/c...rs/character0029.gif
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

Does it mek you feel really good to try to make me feel like **** when my pet is suffering? Congratulations. You are a success, for once in your miserable life.

I am going to chime in here with the following statement...

My ex-wife is a complete and total ******.... She really is. She hates my Fiancee simply for the fact that she exists...
My Fiancee has always been civil with my ex-wife, but with the crap going on recently in my children's lives caused by my ex-wife, Cindy has a VERY strong dislike for my ex...

She is willing to put aside ALL of those issues to help my ex-wife out with the animals... Because the health and well-being of a living creature takes precedence over her dislike for the person who owns said animal.

With that said... To all of you, including you Mark, who are being pissy because of the previous character/posts by the OP... You should be ashamed of yourselves. The OP is still a member of this forum, and last I checked, had not been speed banned, thus he is allowed to post here and ask the same questions as everyone else, and hopefully, people would be willing to put aside differences long enough to answer a question...

Even if the answer involved "I don't like you and I never will, but here is a possible answer that could help you out."

Stepping off my soap box now, and sending the thread link to Cindy, my fiancee, who is a veterinarian.

Well said Synth. Well said.

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Michael Geddie Photography

quote Originally posted by Synthesis: I am going to chime in here with the following statement... My ex-wife is a complete and total ******.... She really is. She hates my Fiancee simply for the fact that she exists... My Fiancee has always been civil with my ex-wife, but with the crap going on recently in my children's lives caused by my ex-wife, Cindy has a VERY strong dislike for my ex... She is willing to put aside ALL of those issues to help my ex-wife out with the animals... Because the health and well-being of a living creature takes precedence over her dislike for the person who owns said animal. With that said... To all of you, including you Mark, who are being pissy because of the previous character/posts by the OP... You should be ashamed of yourselves. The OP is still a member of this forum, and last I checked, had not been speed banned, thus he is allowed to post here and ask the same questions as everyone else, and hopefully, people would be willing to put aside differences long enough to answer a question... Even if the answer involved "I don't like you and I never will, but here is a possible answer that could help you out." Stepping off my soap box now, and sending the thread link to Cindy, my fiancee, who is a veterinarian.

Thank you, Chris. And if I ever did I anything to "burn bridges" between us, I am truly sorry. I have nothing but admiration for your helpful spirit and your struggle to be a good parent to your kids. If I have been a little blunt in any replies to you, please realize that my thought process tends to distill my posts into short and deliberate answers that some may misconstrue as disrespectful. My actual opinion of you, even without the monumental good karma from the Trevor Project, is of an honest, well intentioned father who lives for his kids. I like you a lot, and you are a far better person then this forum deserves.

Hello! This is Syn's fiancee, Cindy. I don't see your original post in which you stated your dog's symptoms. If the dog is still having problems, I'm happy to help. I will, however, add the disclaimer that more often than not, the best thing you can do is have your pet looked at by a vet. Diagnosis "over the phone" can be difficult and incorrect, simply because there are so many things that can be elicited from a visual and tactile inspection that are often missed with a verbal description, even with good questioning on the part of the doctor. With that said, let me know what's up!

(PS: I don't regularly visit the forum, so contact Syn if you need me)

Do you have any pine trees in your vicinity? At this time of year, there are a type of caterpillar called 'Processional' caterpillars because they march away from their nests in long lines. The caterpillars can eject tiny poisonous hair follicles when threatened, and those follicles can make dogs AND cats seriously ill, and even kill them without immediate vetinerary attention. to provide the correct antidote. I posted a photo of one in another thread recently. You should check to see if there are any in your vicinity.
I would take Rascal to the vets immediately, even if it is not the caterpillars causing the malaise.

Now that you are living in a new area, it might be wise to check the other trees too. Some are producing pollen, and 'sticky buds' which are poisonous to animals too. The sticky buds will cling to the animal's fur, and when the animal tries to dislodge those sticky buds, they injest some nasty fluids, which again will make them ill.
Zwerver suffered from the sticky bud syndrome a couple of years ago, and I only found out by chance what was wrong with him. he needed a special medicine which combats the poisons, and cleans their stomach linings at the same time.

[This message has been edited by fierofetish (edited 03-08-2012).]

quote Originally posted by Island Cat: Hello! This is Syn's fiancee, Cindy. I don't see your original post in which you stated your dog's symptoms. If the dog is still having problems, I'm happy to help. I will, however, add the disclaimer that more often than not, the best thing you can do is have your pet looked at by a vet. Diagnosis "over the phone" can be difficult and incorrect, simply because there are so many things that can be elicited from a visual and tactile inspection that are often missed with a verbal description, even with good questioning on the part of the doctor. With that said, let me know what's up! (PS: I don't regularly visit the forum, so contact Syn if you need me)

Cindy, thank you for taking time out of yourschedule to reply. We are at the vet right now, they will probably give him an injection, he has been on guanifisen and anti biotics for a week now. He has been coughing non productive, and reverse sneezing. His nasal passages appear dry and inflamed. We sat with him in a steamy bathroom this morning and i will take him to the beach today to see if the ocean air will hell
Nick, thanks for a helpful reply. I don't know if our redwoods have those caterpillars, and "sticky bud" syndrome means something completely different in California.

Rascal is currently barking at all of the other dogs in the waitting room, so he must not be feeling too bad.

quote Originally posted by WhiteDevil88: We made an appointment for 10, in the meanwhile he is obviously distressed, and we are freaking out. I was hoping I could get some good first aid ideas so he can be more comfortable in the interim. Thank you, and Nurb, for not letting your opinion of me color your concern for an innocent creature who has only ever shown love, and who has attended more Fiero events then some humans on here. And thank you, Raydar, for being one of the best people I've never met.

Let us know how it goes.

I will be willing to bet its just a cold, and he ( she ? ) will be ok after a bit of antibios..

EDIT: Ok, i see its a him from the above post

[This message has been edited by User00013170 (edited 03-08-2012).]

Yep, Raydar is awesome. Charlie too. That whole group in Georgia actually seem like pretty good people. I hope your dog is ok, the best idea is always take them to the professional at the first sign of real trouble. I wish we had known the signs Jack was displayng last summer, we would have got him to the vet right away. Unfortunately... I feel like we failed him, and now he's gone.

Hope your friend is well, please do report back.

Troll some other thread trolls.

If you are still at the vet's Jeff, I would suggest you explain that you are in a new home, and ask for any pointers about the local flora and fauna that Rascal might have found. I suspect you are a very responsible dog owner from your posted love for him, and don't allow him to wander the neighbourhood without you in attendance..so anything like I suggested would probably be locaI in your grounds, if you have a garden where he can roam free. I bet that, if it IS due to him finding something which affects him, they will have other pets being brought in with the same symptoms.
I hope he gets better REAL soon.

Yes, please keep us posted. Good health vibes coming your way

He is acting better, thevet recommended some children's Benadryl. The vet looked at his nose and doesn't see any discharge like you would see if he insufflated some plant matter. He may have just been dried out from the guanifisen. Hopefully it's just a passing thing, he looked so,pitiful this morning like he couldn't breathe.

Your first post made no mention of the dog already being on antibiotics in it. Like other questions you and others forget to put in all the pertinent info. Without knowing that how is anyone going to give you a helpful answer?

You also didn’t mention in your first post how you take the dog to the beach, a fact I knew but wasn’t going to get into, until now.
That is like taking your dog to the dog park, there are other dogs there. Dogs that may not have their shots, That can be one of the problems, every time one of them or your dog licks the other dog or its poop they can transfer all their problems to each other. No matter how well your dog is vaccinated you have to pay attention to things like that. Dog parks and beaches that allow dogs are like petri dishes for every kind of disease known to man and dogs. Going to them is not a good idea especially if you let your dog run off the leash.

My first post that I left up unedited told you to take the dog to the vet, what most others here had already said before and after my post. It was the right thing to do, with the little info you posted, not saying the dog had been on antibiotics or that you let it run loose at the beach on a regular basis. All should have been in your first post but they weren’t.

I still stand by my first post as being the right thing to do and say. When someone else posts a question and you have a beef with them you go of onto a completely different subject and start ranting about a completely different subject and try and send the thread into the trash can. That makes you a troll, like it or not that is what you are, now under this name or any other you have had here.

I hope the dog is OK and you remember what I said about the Dog Park and beach, and how you try to send threads into the trash because of a conflict you have with some people on here. Maybe if you weren’t such a prick to other people they wouldn’t be to you.

Think about it.

See I said that whole post without ever trying to degrade you or call you names, try it and just maybe other people here would be nicer to you.

Steve

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't http://serve.mysmiley.net/c...rs/character0029.gif
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

I hope the dog will be ok.

Wow... I'm embarrassed.
Everyone has their "moments". I just love my dogs. One day, maybe I'll be the person that they think I am.

Jeff, I hope he's doing better.
It occurred to me that half of the people I know are sniffling and sneezing with allergies. There's an awful lot of stuff in the air. If the benedryl helps, that could be all that's going on. I hope it's nothing more than that.
All speculation on my part, however. Obviously, there are some much more knowledgeable folks here.

Did you move?!

Yeah, we moved about 1 mile from where we were before. Barb bought us a house, single story 4b2ba on a cul de sac. Living the dream.

quote Originally posted by WhiteDevil88: **** you people. I have been up half the night worrying about my dog, and all you want to do is rub my face into how many people don't like me. Fine, whatever. I don't know what my dog ever did to any of you that would cause you to take pleasure in his suffering. Every time I feel like I am dealing with the dregs of society here, someone gets lower.

I'm really lost about what's going on here... but I genuinely hope your dog gets better soon.


Todd

quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: I'm really lost about what's going on here... but I genuinely hope your dog gets better soon. Todd

Losing the original content does make it hard for people coming in later.. Short version is his dog was acting like he had a bad cold and was asking for short term suggestions. ( and after the vet visit it looks like the dog will be OK )

In retrospect, I should not have edited out my original question. I apologize to those who would actually like to help an old dog. He had a great time at the beach hanging out with all of his friends. I'm sure if this turns serious he will at least have had a good time.

Not to be an alarmists, but.......
Watch him closely. Don't know about out there on the West Coast, but Distemper has made a major comeback here in my area this winter, with many many cases showing up. My nearest neighbor lost his favorite companion, and 4 others I know have had it. Early signs can include cold like symptoms--which will often go away after a couple of days and then the real damage begins.
It can come in several forms.

Nervous system failure (seizures and tremors)
Digestive system infection.
Respiratory infections.

2 strays that showed up at my house about a month ago died from it within 48 hrs. It was pitiful to watch--too far gone for the vet to do anything.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Not to be an alarmists, but....... Watch him closely. Don't know about out there on the West Coast, but Distemper has made a major comeback here in my area this winter, with many many cases showing up. My nearest neighbor lost his favorite companion, and 4 others I know have had it. Early signs can include cold like symptoms--which will often go away after a couple of days and then the real damage begins. It can come in several forms. Nervous system failure (seizures and tremors) Digestive system infection. Respiratory infections. 2 strays that showed up at my house about a month ago died from it within 48 hrs. It was pitiful to watch--too far gone for the vet to do anything.

That is alarming. He does have all his shots and recent blood panel, so does Phoebe. You can only protect so much.

A couple of years ago, both of my dogs (Marley & Reggae) came down with what I thought was a cold or flu at about the same time.....trouble breathing, coughing, diminished appetites, etc. According to my vet, they were suffering from what he called "kennel cough" that had progressed to a severe respiratory infection in both dogs. I don't know what kind of contact your doggie's had with other dogs (if any) but that may be what's happening.

Whatever you do, don't "self-diagnose" and certainly don't "self-medicate!" A lot of the generic dog medications can, in some cases simply mask the symptoms and not cure the problem. Find a competent vet in your area (there are good ones and bad ones....trust me on this) and get your dog there pronto. What may be a passing issue for humans can prove fatal in dogs.

Good luck...rub his belly for me.

BTW....you may want to look into animal health insurance. I use VPI (www.petinsurance.com) and it costs about $45 a month for each dog. That may seem excessive until you get one of those $500+ bills from the vet. They're pretty fast with reimbursements and cover most things you may encounter with your pet.

quote Originally posted by Doni Hagan: A couple of years ago, both of my dogs (Marley & Reggae) came down with what I thought was a cold or flu at about the same time.....trouble breathing, coughing, diminished appetites, etc. According to my vet, they were suffering from what he called "kennel cough" that had progressed to a severe respiratory infection in both dogs. I don't know what kind of contact your doggie's had with other dogs (if any) but that may be what's happening. Whatever you do, don't "self-diagnose" and certainly don't "self-medicate!" A lot of the generic dog medications can, in some cases simply mask the symptoms and not cure the problem. Find a competent vet in your area (there are good ones and bad ones....trust me on this) and get your dog there pronto. What may be a passing issue for humans can prove fatal in dogs. Good luck...rub his belly for me. BTW....you may want to look into animal health insurance. I use VPI (www.petinsurance.com) and it costs about $45 a month for each dog. That may seem excessive until you get one of those $500+ bills from the vet. They're pretty fast with reimbursements and cover most things you may encounter with your pet.

Thanks, we do have VPI on rascal and phoebe, phoebe has full coverage, rascal has less because of his age. We always take our pets to the vet, but we are thinking about dropping the coverage. We have enough cash to cover emergencies.

quote Originally posted by WhiteDevil88: Thanks, we do have VPI on rascal and phoebe, phoebe has full coverage, rascal has less because of his age. We always take our pets to the vet, but we are thinking about dropping the coverage. We have enough cash to cover emergencies.

Cool....I wasn't aware you had it already. Why are you thinking about dropping it?