Please help- my dog has suddenly changed , lethargic and un-interested- 5years old

[Cameron Archibald]

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Hello Everyone,

I really need your help.
Our 5 year Finnish lapphund has suddenly started acting very very differently.

The first occurrence happened at around 4 am last Saturday , he woke us up with some whining and almost yelping in the night. He never ever does this but we thought it may be a one off.

However since then he has been acting completely out of character, usually he pesters us for attention or to go for a walk( like all dogs I guess) and he literally goes crazy when you mention his name. In addition he is also usually a very protective dog in terms of people coming to the door( barking etc and also greeting me when I come home).

But now he doesn't seem bothered with a lot of those things, he just sleeps in the spare room bed and doesn't seek out our company or come to the door when someone is coming in or when we should his name. He seems to lie on the bed and faintly whine occasionally like something is wrong but he doesn't seem to be in pain?
Last night I tried to coax him out of his bed for some treats and it really took some doing for him to get out( usually he knows the sound of the wrapper before I have even looked at him!). He doesn't seem stiff or ill, just lethargic and a bit uninterested. He will come on a walk no problem and play but he is not his usual enthusiastic self, this has happened fairly quickly since Saturday.
We have taken him to the vet and they have said that nothing is wrong with him, his temperature is fine and they seems to be no sign of an injury. She prescribed him with a painkiller and antibiotics anyway.
He is eating as usual and going to the toilet as usual, we really are at a loss and its really upsetting my other half( me as well actually).



Can anyone please help or offer advice?

 

[JudyN]

There obviously is something wrong - maybe your vet meant she couldn't find anything wrong. What tests has she done? Has she taken blood or a stool sample? Also, has he shown any improvement at all since starting on the meds? (If not, they might just not have had time to kick in.) If he doesn't improve soon, I'd be asking for further tests and seeking a second opinion if necessary.

Don't forget, there are a lot of relatively harmless possibilities. People can have viral infections that don't show any outward signs but can make them feel washed out and lethargic, and I'm sure dogs can too. My dog, when he was around 1, seemed lethargic for a good couple of months. The vet couldn't find anything and thought he was just calming down as he matured, but people who knew him could also see he wasn't himself. In the spring he perked up and was right back to his normal self. The vet then said he might have had seasonal affective disorder, but he's never been like that in winter since, so I'm guessing it was some form of virus.

 

[Mad Murphy]

Get him to a vet. Dont let yourself be fobbed off you need a proper examination and answers.

 

[Cameron Archibald]

The dog has already been to the vet.

Although they have not taken any blood or stool samples, just painkillers and antibiotics but they don't know, If it continues I will take him back and insist on these being taken .

 

[Josie]

Like the others have said. There is clearly something wrong and although your vet has said they cannot see anything how can they truly know without a blood sample or stool sample?

I would take him back straight away and make sure they do more.

Please let us know how it goes

 

[Mad Murphy]

So many things could be wrong, a tumour, a heart condition , a virus which antibiotics wont touch. The painkillers could mask symptoms making it all worse no one is being nasty we really do want to help but a proper vet exam is needed.

 

[Ari_RR]

My experience when by beloved boy Ari passed away - the cancer was detected by ultrasound test, the morning he died. Up until that point nothing came up on routine physical exams. But he had no symptoms up until the night before, when his heart started to give up, so maybe not knowing was a blessing in disguise in our case.
Whether you decide to do anything or not is a different story after you know what’s causing this, but I would also recommend going back to the vet (or a different vet), asking for more extensive testing, and trying to get to the bottom of this.

 

[JenniWDog]

Go back to the vet - pref a different one. Did they even test a urine sample for an infection?

My dog had a UTI but it was missed initially as she had a normal temp.

 

[poptart]

I can only echo what everyone else has said. If it's a medical problem only a vet can deal with it. You know your pet better than anyone and if you're worried you should keep on at them. Is there a senior vet at your practice? Someone with more experience might be a better bet.

Of course there's always a chance it isn't a medical problem. Has anything else changed in your lives that might have caused an upset?

 

[leashedForLife]

.

I’d definitely expect my vet [or indeed any vet] to do at least basic bloodwork! - CBC, etc, but in this case, i’d want kidney & liver enzymes, & i’d ASK for them.
If the vet tried to claim that’s unnecessary, I’d be looking for another vet, toot sweet.

It hasn’t been months, no, but it’s been 4 days that he’s acted completely unlike his usual self, & i would want answers, not vague reassurances. // If this had been a tummy upset, a gut issue caused by ingesting something he shouldn’t, a minor virus, it would have either GONE by now, or show diagnostic symptoms. He needs a thorough work-up to determine what the heck is going on, & the sooner, the better.

Hope U get some answers quickly, & he’s soon back to full health & normal behavior.

- terry

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