Question:
If you want some background information, please read my related thread: I think my dog is dying.

I have absolutely no idea what illness my dog has/d. He seems to have recovered outwardly, he's eating and drinking intermittently. He does display signs of muscle weakness and paralysis at times. Usually this is after I visit my Chinese vet, and I'm not sure what the vet is giving him, but it's clear and mixed with sodium chloride (0.9%) - that's all I can read in English.

At times he appears to be stiff in his hind legs when walking. Generally he's always got his head down. He doesn't seem to mind if I tilt it upwards, so I don't think it's hurting him. Sometimes he falls down when he's trying to sit, or can't get the strength or co-ordination in his legs together enough to stand up. Other times he falls over if I bump into him accidentally.

What are the chances that his symptoms could be related to a) antibiotics or b) dehydration?

If it's neither of the two, I'm left to assume it's distemper, in which case he's likely to die within the next few days, or his quality of life will be severely compromised.

I don't want to do anything rash. I'd like to be able to euthanize him if it seems like it's going to get worse, but there's no test available for distemper - or any other disease - here in the part of China where I live and my vet is just about the least helpful person on the planet. He keeps telling me not to worry, but he's not the one who has to get up at 2 in the morning to move the dog out of a puddle of his own urine because he's unable to get up.

I've cried and cried about my dog, because he's just a puppy and he doesn't understand why he got sick, and I don't want to put him down if there's a chance that he'll get better, but I don't want him to be in pain or to not be able to fulfill his doggy destiny because he can't enjoy life the way a dog should.

I love my dog. I need to make the right decision for him.

Please can somebody help me?!

Answer:
I so wish I could help you! You are literally breaking my heart and bringing tears to my eyes. I am so very sorry you and your pup are going through this. Sometimes there is just nothing that can be done....

It appears you have tried everything to get this pup better. Sometimes their little bodies just can't fight off disease.

I'm sorry I can't help you, I would if I could, believe me!!!!

Heather

Answer:
I second everything that Heather has just said. How helpless you must feel.

I found some info that would be helpful to discuss with that vet you're seeing
There's a chart on there you may want to go look at then print all of this off and take it to the vet. I don't know what else to say other then my thoughts are with you and prayers for that little furry soul.

http://www.biogal.co.il/canine2.htm

Clinical Diagnosis:
Distemper (CDV) a systemic disease which can be fatal in non immune dogs. The diversity of pathogenic expression and difficulty in confirming a diagnosis of CDV can be better addressed by the clinician with the assistance of serologic data.

Parvovirus (CPV) produces a diarrheal illness which can be severe and often fatal in unvaccinated puppies. In cases where viral antigen is not detected in the feces, serology can assist in confirming the diagnosis of CPV.Biogal's IMMUNOCOMB® Kit for Canine Parvovirus & Distemper IgG is a user-friendly method for determining antibody levels in dog blood or serum to both of these important diseases in a single test. Results are read by eye and obtained in 40 minutes. Each kit contains sufficient reagents for 12 bivalent test. No additional laboratory equipment is needed.


Applications
1. To assist in predicting the optimum age to begin vaccinating pups, based on immune status (i.e. antibody titer) of the dam.
2. To confirm antibody response to vaccination in pups.
3. To evaluate antibody levels in mature dogs.
4. To assist in diagnosing clinical cases of CDV and CPV in unvaccinated dogs
Canine Canine Parvovirus & Distemper IgG Interpretation of Results for ImmunoComb Antibody Test Kit

Contact: Alice Schahaff
Tel: 972-4-9898605 / Fax: 972-4-9898690
E-mail:biogal@galed.org.il

Answer:
I too wish there was something I could do to help you. My eyes tear up every time I think about what you must be feeling. I understand the pain of making such a deicison. I pray that someone finds a way. Good Luck

Answer:
I am so sorry you're going through this. Nothing makes us feel more helpless than when our furbabies are sick. I'm sorry we can't give you the answers. We are all feeling your pain.

Answer:
I'm so sorry. I wish we could do more for you.

Answer:
Corey,you have certainly made a valiant effort for this little guy,if all our wellwishes and hopes and your love for him was all he needed,he'd be one healthy little puppy :(
I don't think you ever told us his name or what kind of puppy he is,when or if the time comes,that he seems beyond help,you'll make the right decision for your baby.
I think you probably have everyone in tears tonight....you are so far away,but remember,we support you in whatever you decide and our thoughts will be with you and the baby.

Answer:
Thanks again, everyone. I can't tell you how helpful you've all been in supporting me through this whole nightmare.

The dog is doing extremely well today. He's *almost* trotting around the house, he's got a healthy appetite (dropped half a watermelon on the floor and he eagerly lapped it up!!), and he's licking at people's legs again. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that he's in the clear.

In the meantime, I'm not going to let my vet give him ANY MORE ANYTHING. I'm personally going to monitor his hydration status, continue giving him oral rehydration salts (closest thing to pedialyte available) and if necessary I'll administer subcut fluid therapy. I'm starting him on actual meat today (kidney) rather than meat stock and I'll do everything I can to make sure that his red blood cells keep regenerating. The Hong Tao K (herbal supplement) I've been giving him seems to be helping a lot, and he doesn't mind the taste!

I'm hoping I'm right and that my vet was making bringing on the neuro-muscular symptoms I was seeing. Possibly he was giving him too much fluids when he was having his IVs. We'll see, I guess.

Thanks again, and keep praying or crossing your fingers or your preferred method of hoping for me and my little baby.

Answer:
Corey,since the vet is not even sure what he is treating and just making your puppy sicker,I probably would do the same.
It could go either way,but at least the pup is away from the stress of different questionable treatments and in the hands of someone who truly cares.I am very happy he's feeling better today,since there is still no diagnosis,there is still hope he'll recover.He's a very lucky pup to have you

Answer:
Sometimes, there is no substitute for common sense. All you can do is take one day at a time. You've both come a long way together. Hang in there! Seems there is good quality of life there and he's a happy little guy. What you're doing seems to be working.

Answer:
Hi momma,

I wanted to give you an update on the puppy.

I deduced that the vet was giving the dog something that made him lose control of his muscles. I thought it could be one of 2 of the solutions, so yesterday when I went, I asked him not to give one of them. The dog still lost muscle control.

All outward signs point to a recovery for the dog. He's no longer vomiting and doesn't have diarrhea, both for about 4 days now. He's eating solid food and drinking water on his own, no fever, no coughing, no runny nose, no nothing. The most distressing thing was the apparent neuromuscular damage. It led me to believe the dog had distemper, which he still might have, and would die no matter what, as most dogs with distemper do. If he wasn't going to die, he would have complications for life; blindness, paralysis, seizures, etc.

Today I didn't go to the vet here in town. I've been e-mailing a vet who may or may not still live in HK, but definitely worked there for a while. He recommended subcutaneous fluid therapy - putting fluid under the dog's skin to be absorbed by the dog's body. Since the dog seems well, my main concern was that he seemed to still be dehydrated.

On the advice of this vet, I went out and got myself some Sodium Chloride (salt) 0.9% solution with vitamins B6 and C in it, and put some of it under the skin on the back of his neck this evening. He didn't like it too much, and he was left with a big fluid filled bump on his neck that he didn't like, but it worked, there have been no side effects, and he seems to be better hydrated than ever before. I can't believe I actually did that, but I did, and I feel better about it, because he seems better than ever.

I still can't know what was wrong with him - it may have been nothing serious or it may have been parvovirus or distemper - no one here can or will answer my questions, and no one really can without giving him tests, and these tests aren't available here.

Answer:
*MAY BE REPETITIVE*

The subcut fluid transfer was a smashing hit! The puppy didn't like it too much, mind you, but he behaved.

He's so small, maybe 3 kilos, so I didn't give him that much (maybe 100mL), but it seems to have hydrated him better than anything the vet had done. I did the transfer myself, in my home, bottle hooked onto a coat tree (they don't use bags here!)... I went to a people medical clinic next to my school and told the doctor-lady what I was doing and she mixed the Sodium Chloride and vitamin B6 up for me, put it in the bottle, attached the giving set and sent me on my way with some iodine swabs. She also added a bit of vitamin C for good measure.

I'm not sure if I had told you the full details of my dog's illness, but it seemed like he lost control of his muscles for a period of time after visiting my Chinese vet each day. I thought it was because of one of the meds the vet was giving him, so yesterday we didn't give it to him, and the same thing happened. Today we didn't go to the vet at all, opting instead for the fluid transfer here at home. This evening he is absolutely fine - no loss of muscle control or co-ordination to report.

The whole episode leaves me with a lot of unanswered questions: What was wrong with him in the first place? Was it a serious disease? Will he ever fully recover? (He still isn't running around like a puppy should!) Could I have done anything differently? But without the necessary tests or a properly qualified vet, I may never have the answers to these questions.

Answer:
I'm glad to know things are improving that is just amazing

I would hold off on giving organ meats right now and just give some boiled chicken or boiled turkey.

Answer:
Wow Corey,that's great,are you by chance a nurse?
We don't know how lucky we are,to have vet-clinics in just about every street-corner(spread it a little thick ),but even they many times are guessing and only come up with,what seems to be a cure-all,antibiotics!
At 3 kilos,about 6lb I think,that's not much,but I am assuming he is a small breed?
I saw the hydrating procedure done on"Animal Planet"and it worked wonders for one sickly dog.Did you give your pup a name yet,if not,"Lucky" would be a good one,because he is in his misfortune,one lucky pup to have you,others might have ended his life a long time ago,

Answer:
Luba - we want to hold off on organ meats because of his stomach problems, right? We want to make sure he doesn't get sick again? I'm happy to report that he's not vomiting and his stools are fantastic. Well... as fantastic as stools can be.

Chico - I'm not a nurse, I'd never done anything like that before, but I knew that I had to do SOMEthing. I'd read up on this as much as I could and I was pretty confident in my abilities, plus I had the go-ahead from the vet in HK. The dog continues to thrive today; I'm measuring his recovery based on how similar he acts to before he was sick, and today he's barking when he sees people eating, which is something that he did before. Yesterday he wasn't barking, just looking.

He's also drinking more water, and while he's still a bit dehydrated, he's better than ever before.

Answer:
Corey,that is wonderful news for the weekend and I can imagine you are starting to feel some optimism.
It's amazing what we can do,using common sense and the internet
The vet in HK did a good thing helping you out,without even getting a cent(yen?)from you,there are still lots of good souls out there

Answer:
This board is like a roller coaster! Right now, I feel such a high! The power of positive thinking (or just thinking period!!) ! One day at a time! Today was GREAT!!!

Answer:
The dog continues to thrive today
Hip Hip HOOORAAAAY!! That is great news!

Organ and muscle is very high in protein maybe 'too' high at this point and because of their functions can contain contaminants that may be beneficial to avoid at this time. I was trying to find a link for you, there is something specific in organ meat that we need to be careful of and the name has lost me right now. It needs to be done in moderation, but I would have concern giving it to a dog who has digestive problems right now.

You must be just on top of the world knowing that things are improving.

What is sleeping like for both of you? Are you getting any?

Answer:
Hi everyone... I posted a picture of my puppy in the photos section. Picture was taken this morning. Puppy looks fantastic (but a little dirty!~)

Answer:
Sounds great!!!!!!!! Poor little sweetie pie! We've all got our fingers and toes crossed (metaphorically anyway)

Answer: