Very poorly new puppy: any good news stories?

[Dormouse31]

After years of considering getting a dog and months of researching breeders, costs etc, we finally collected our golden retriever puppy last Saturday. Reputable KC breeder, no concerns and we followed all the advice about not letting him out anywhere other than our own garden under direct supervision. We were over the moon with him and his cheeky character. He went to the vets for a check up and jabs on Monday, all seemed fine.

Yesterday he seemed a little under the weather, then he was sick a couple of times. We took him straight to the vets who weren't unduly concerned but kept him in for the night to observe and give him some anti sickness medication. Late last night, he went downhill: rapid heartbeat, bloody diarrhoea and severe sickness. They did an emergency op on his gut. Today he's very poorly, with a likely viral or bacterial infection, on a drip, antibiotics, breathing difficulties etc etc. Parvo test came back negative yesterday but the vet will test again tomorrow as sometimes it can be a false negative early on.

Does anyone have any good news stories to share about poorly pups? We're heartbroken and crossing all our fingers for him.

No stories to tell but have you been in touch with the breeder at all? To see if any of the rest of the litter are sick too? Hope your pup pulls through

So sorry to hear that OP, hope pup pulls through

Thank you Orangebird. We let the breeder know this morning, she was shocked too. She still has a couple of the pups, they're fine at the moment but at least she can be vigilant. I think she was going to let the other owners know and she asked us to keep her updated.

Very sorry to hear this OP and I hope he makes a speedy recovery. As a matter of interest do you know what his was vaccinated with?

So sorry OP. I hope your puppy gets better.
Has the vet tested for lungworm?

Years ago a vet told my dm our rescue dog had distemper. .... She went downhill fast. . Then recovered and lived til nearly 21!!!
Hooe your ddog is fine soon.

Could it be a reaction to his jabs?

A very long time ago we had a pup with distemper. She was treated with garlic and honey and lived till she was 15.

Thanks everyone, especially the good news stories . 21 years old, wow!

Gailforce it was Nobivac DHP, for distemper, parvo etc. The vets haven't mentioned a vaccine reaction but we will ask.

Re lungworm, he's had four worming treatments of two types so far but I know that not all treatments protect against lung worm. Again, we can ask but vets are doing loads of monitoring and seem confident its most likely viral / bacterial

No advice OP, but wishing pup better soon, it must be a very worrying time for you. Good luck.

Keep us updated OP. Hoping for good news for you x

Just spoken to the vet nurse, he's stable. He's still on the drip with heavy duty painkillers etc and quite dozy, but did manage to eat a small mouthful of chicken a few hours ago. The diarrhoea has stopped.

It's too early to say anything for sure but we feel the news is slightly more positive. Still crossing fingers and toes.

Thanks everyone for your kind words. Hope to be back with a positive update later tomorrow.

No advice from me but am handholding. Hope he's much better by morning.

I can tell you a positive outcome story , the difference being it's about a cat . When my mum got her Ragdoll kitten , he collapsed the following day and had to have emergency surgery for a volvulous , it was quite extensive and he had a largish bowel resection . 2 days later whilst still quite poorly at the vets we got a call to say that they thought it had happened again . We chose to operate again and indeed he had got another one , but in a totally different place so the original anastomosis were not affected . He had another hefty resection , spent a week at the vets and was 15 last May . Hope pup continues to improve .

That is good news OP that puppy is improving. Hopefully he will be back home with you in a few days.

I wondered about lungworm as puppy hadn't been anywhere except your garden, and symptoms are similar. I imagine they would have tested for this anyway when you took puppy in.

Good luck.

Thanks for the handholding. Cat stories are perfect too Floral, poor thing going through all that so young but what an excellent age!

I also have positive news! Vet was much happier with our pup when we spoke this morning. No more diarrhoea, breathing near normal, they were reducing the frequency of his painkillers. We saw him at lunchtime and the difference from yesterday was incredible! He almost tried to bound over to see us when the cage was opened! So happy to see us. He's eaten a few pieces of chicken every couple of hours, breathing still fine. Vet hopeful he can come off the drip tomorrow and have oral meds instead.

He's not out of the woods yet but considering we were preparing for the worst yesterday, we're now really hopeful. Vet still thinks it's a nasty viral or bacterial bug, he's in isolation etc.

I'll update again tomorrow, thanks for the good wishes

That's lovely to hear. Fingers crossed it continues, and is insured!! Vets bills are scary.

Great update. I'm sure he'll be back to his normal self in no time now. It's truly horrible when they're sick.

Great to hear pup's on the mend. My three kitties send meows and purrs. Goodness, they stop our hearts when they're ill, don't they?

When I was a teen we adopted a cross breed from the RSPCA. He suddenly became very ill. Only survived as my mum spent hours trying to syringe tiny bits of water into his mouth and encouraging him to eat. He did recover and had a long and happy life. He did however have a tendency to a dodgy tummy ever after and would starve himself for the odd meal if he felt like it. Chicken and rice and he would soon be back to normal. One side effect? He was VERY bonded to my mum as she had given him so much care. Not an issue. But they lived each other to bits. When the house filled with smoke one day her first thought was to get the dog!

Glad it's more positive news OP, as a dog owner of said breed my heart goes out to you for the worry but I do hope he'll make a speedy recovery! Just wondering have you checked your garden for signs of cat faeces, possible poisonous plants/weeds, people throwing things over your wall/fence etc?

Yes, Cantchooseaname, glad to report we have insurance. The vet bill is already running at four figures. I guess it's not surprising given all the treatment he's had as well as the midnight operation.

That's lovely about your family dog Wolfiefan, glad to hear he had such a long and happy life after being so ill as a pup.

We've taken advantage of the free evening to do a thorough check of the garden Owl1011, I know we can't be too careful, though vets definitely believe it was a viral or bacterial infection. It is a lovely breed!

Our puppy is back home with us! We're delighted . Vet called this morning and said he was much improved but also crying a little, better for him to recover with us instead of there. He's come home with four different medicines and a collar but that's fine. Vet says given the speed of his recovery, it was very unlikely to have been parvo, but still a really nasty bug. He's back for a check up on Monday. He's gobbled down food and medicine this evening and followed us round in between naps!

It was DP who wanted a puppy, I'd held off for eleven years and really only came round to the idea six months ago. I didn't have much experience of dogs growing up. Last weekend I think I was fully committed in my head but maybe not my heart. But we were both crying buckets all through Wednesday night and into Thursday when we thought we might lose him! Now I'm looking forward to him being fully fit and once he's finished his jabs, taking him out. I've even suggested we each take him to training classes so I can be fully confident with him as well.

I'm so grateful for our happy outcome . Thanks for the positive stories and messages which helped keep us going.

Fantastic news! So glad he's doing well and here's to many happy doggo memories for you!

That's lovely. It took me 15 years to convince DH. He loves our wolfiepup! Get well soon little one. Have a happy and healthy life.