Worried about my dog

Danalana wrote: My dog, JoJo is 10 years old. He hasn't slowed down one bit and runs and jumps just as he always has. We also have a dog who is 2, and that keeps him active.
Anyway, he has been fine until this evening. I came home from work and could tell he wasn't himself, even before he came in from his yard (they have a dog door and a fenced-in yard). He was trembling and that scared me. I offered him a treat, and he usually goes nuts over them...but he just spit it out on the carpet and got on the couch with me--still shaking. I have been using a hydrocortisone cream on his hind-quarters because he has been itching and scratching a lot. SO, I start thinking it's that and that he has ingested a lot of it or something. I wanted to give him milk, but we were out. Richard went to his brother's and got milk, which JoJo drank a lot of. He isn't trembling or anything now, but he is very "sad" or something He has just been lying there are looking at me. He's sleeping now, but I am so worried about him. I have cried and cried, trying to figure out what's wrong. He didn't even try to get me to give him any of my hamburger, and he always wants whatever we're eating.
About 3 years ago, he did this. He and I had our own apartment, and he started trembling right before we went to bed. He shook forever, and finally ended up throwing up about 6 times that night. After that, he was fine.
Yall, I can't stand this. My baby needs something, and I don't know what it is. I have had this dog since he was 6 weeks old, you know? He really is like my son.
I am going to take him to our vet in the morning if he isn't better, but I'm so scared something is wrong.
I guess I'm asking you to pray, if you pray. You might think that's silly, but I believe God cares about things we care about. And He knows that's my baby!

A&A'smommy replied: what kind of dog is he?

I'm sorry your puppy isn't feeling good!!!

MoonMama replied: I'm so sorry JoJo isn't feeling well Dana! KUP on what the vet says. Lots of feel better JoJo vibes ~~~~~~~ P&PTs!

luvmykids replied: I would be crying too Our pets are family members

Let us know what the vet says, prayers for Jojo!

Calimama replied: I hope he's okay!!

CantWait replied: He's probably ok, just got a doggie cold sorta thing. I bet he's better by morning, but I'm still sending some P&PTs your way.

Danalana replied: Thanks yall...I appreciate it so much!
He has been sleeping on the couch this whole time, and I have been taking care of him. He loves sleeping on any article of clothing that belongs to me, so I got 2 sweatshirts...I covered him up with one and made a pillow with the other one. What a precious little boy! I can't wait for him to feel like his old self.
I just don't know what I would do if something happened to him If he isn't better in the morning, I will be taking him to see the doctor. I'll keep you posted.

MoonMama replied:
Keep me posted Dana, I'm so worried.

Danalana replied: I will, Ally...thank you.

Here is my little man...this is at least a year old, but he still has that sweet little face



He doesn't look bushy now, though, cause I groomed him a few days ago.

MoonMama replied:
I LOVE that pic of JoJo!

Maddie&EthansMom replied: My dog did this once and it was b/c he ate something he shouldn't have (a nipple shield) and it got caught in his intestine, he couldn't poop it out and the vet had to dig it out. Maddie was only a few days old. I was beside myself with raging hormones anyway and to have my furbaby...our first baby be sick just made it worse. He was also throwing up..it really messed him up.

Take him in...you won't regret it. I hope you have a peaceful night.

amynicole21 replied: I agree, take him in. Even if he is just itchy or something, they will give him a steroid shot (been there, done that... a lot!).

Danalana replied: Oh yeah...we used to get the steroid shots all the time for him. he has skin allergies, but hasn't had a flare-up in years now. I think it was from the shampoo I used for his last bath...he started itching after that. It was flea and tick shampoo, and I thought it was hypo-allergenic.
Anyway, I stayed up for a long time last night, and finally got some sleep. I came in here and got him...he usually snuggles up with me under the covers, and that's where he went. This morning, he seemed pretty much back to normal...but yall know how mothers worry. I took him in anyway. He has a little bit of arthritis in his back....sorta near his back legs. That could have caused the shivering if it was hurting him, but the doc says it isn't bad. The weather can make it worse though. I think it was his stomach, really. He never rejects a treat! His anal glands were also full and needed to be emptied (sorry for TMI), and he cut his nails. He gave him a steroid shot and said he looks fine
Man, I am SO relieved! I am crazy about him anyway, and then add pregnancy hormones in the mix...
Thanks for the support yall

amynicole21 replied: Glad you took him in and that all looks ok! Did the vet say anything about glucosamine (sp?) supplements? We gave them to my dog when his knees were bad (before we finally coughed up the $ for surgery!)

Danalana replied: No, he didn't. Do they help? I know it is in a lot of the stuff humans take for arthritis.

CantWait replied: Yay, glad your dog is ok Dana.

Glucosamine is a natural supplement Dana, you can find it at any grocery store in the vitamin asle.

Danalana replied: Yeah. I have seen it in the vitamin aisle...I wonder if I could give him that, or if there is a special "doggy" glucosamine

A&A'smommy replied: awwww I'm glad you took him in, I hope he gets back to his old self QUICK!!!

jcc64 replied: Glad he's doing better, hon. Just a little fwi- dairy is not good for dogs. They can't digest it properly. I'd avoid the milk from now on.
My dog had a horrible night like you describe a few years back. I stayed up with her all night, convinced that she was dying and not wanting to have my kids come downstairs and find my 90lb dog dead on the floor. Whatever it was, passed. She was fine the next day. She probably ate something nasty out in the woods.
ANyway, glad your poochie is on the mend!

DillsMommy replied:

Kaitlin'smom replied: glad he is doing better

Calimama replied: Glad he's doing better.

Danalana replied: Oh, i don't normally give him milk. I wanted to give it to him in case he had ingested some kind of poison.

grapfruit replied: Dana I'm glad your doggy is feeling better!!

I have a question though.

1) how does their anal gland "fill up"?? (I did see something about this on a Dirty Jobs Episode)

2) what would happen in the "wild"?? How would it be emptied then??

Danalana replied: Well, it's mostly a problem for smaller dogs.
***This is going to be TMI!*** (Isn't it nice of me to warn you?)
When big dogs poop, their turds are big enough to stimulate the sack to empty, as well. In small dogs, sometimes the turds aren't big enough to do that, so the sac just fills up. I honestly don't know what would happen in the wild. I'm assuming that it would eventually start emptying if it got full enough Anyway, it's this that makes them scoot on their butts.

A&A'smommy replied:
right!! And thats why you see smaller dogs RUB their bottoms on the floor or ground

Danalana replied: Looking back on my post, I guess i could have used "stool" instead of "turds"...sorry! Oh well, not like you haven't heard it many times, huh?

momofone replied:
i think i've seen it in petsmart

Danalana replied: Oh ok! Thank you

A&A'smommy replied:

grapfruit replied: Dana you enlighten me. Thanks!

My2Beauties replied: I'm glad he's feeling better, BTW he's so adorable! I love animals!

HuskerMom replied: Glad he's feeling better!

Danalana replied: Thanks everybody
And Casey, I get that a lot

luvmykids replied: We give our lab regular glucosamine, my vet said the doggy version is just a marketing ploy I think it really does help, he's only four but he's so huge that the weight on his joints was making him creak and crack when he got off the bed, etc and that has stopped since we started giving them to him. Our little dog also has arthritis in his back, and it would hurt him so much he couldn't get on or off the bed and it's helped him too.

Glad he's better!

Danalana replied: How much do you give the little one, Monica? JoJo is 21-22 pounds.

luvmykids replied: Stevie is about 16 lbs, we give him one capsule every other day. They're a little big, I stick it in a piece of hot dog, something I know he'll swallow whole

Danalana replied: Hmmmm, I have never had a hard time giving JoJo anything...if they're big, I'll have to devise a plan.