So... I'm a bad mommy (ok, maybe not - but I really have to learn to put 2 and 2 together!). A few weeks ago I mentioned that Perry had an accident (peed) in the house (3x in a couple of hours). Then he did the same the next weekend. So, I figured, bad me - didn't let him out fast enough (though the boy has the bladder control of a champion - can go 20+ hours when we're traveling without needing to pee!) Also, Perry vomits - he always has, I switched him to a water bottle instead of a bowl in part because he vomits. It didn't stop it but it certainly reduced it significantly. Third thing, last weekend/ Monday of last week I thought I saw blood on the couch - but I checked him over and didn't find anything so figured I was mistaken.
Now, mind you - these were all days apart and I didn't put the three things together since all had other (individually) explanations.
Fast forward to last Thursday - I had to go out of town for 2 nights for work - hubby came with me so Perry was being watched by my housekeeper (she doesn't live in, but she stays at the house when we're out of town for short trips). Thursday morning I get a call that she's called the vet, who is now at the house, because Perry was vomiting and had blood in his poop. Vet gave him a bunch of meds (for nausea, antibiotics, a few other things) and took a blood sample. Even at that point he wasn't acting obviously sick (still running around, drinking, eating). Friday the blood test came back - he's got a bacterial infection AND tick fever (the African sort-of equivalent of Lyme's but can be more dangerous). I haven't been giving him his advantix treatment every month because I've never found a tick on him (the landlord's dog who lived with us used to get ticks sometimes when she would go outside of the yard wandering - but I've never found one in the yard). In this case I check him often and never found a tick on him either. So, guess we'll go back to doing the advantix more often even though I've never seen a tick because one obviously bit him.
He seems fine - running around as usual, eating and drinking as usual, but of course when he was diagnosed I put the three things together - hmm, maybe the peeing in the house was a symptom of the infection... the vomiting, I guess, wasn't his usual vomiting, and I guess that was blood I'd seen on the couch (even though I hadn't noticed it in his poop - but then again I don't inspect his poop very closely as long as it seems to be coming out normal). He's on 3 different meds (and seriously, if medicine companies know you need to cut them up, they should make it easier!) but doesn't seem to be having any problems. I need to check with the vet to see if he needs to get re-tested after he finishes his meds, especially for the tick fever!!
So, that's our drama this week It's tough when your pup gets sick but is totally not acting sick so you don't even realize it!!! On the positive side of things, it's good to know (in an example when we were actually not too far away), that my housekeeper is keeping such a close eye on him (even checking out his poop!) and calling the vet immediately without waiting to check in with me first (which is exactly what I told her to do - any concerns, call the vet and then call me). This is even more impressive when you understand that Uganda is not an inside-pet-dog sort of culture.
And on a completely different note - after 3 years of never humping anything, Perry has now decided that his opposum (which used to be his favorite toy to chew on and "kill") is his new favorite hump-toy!
Now, mind you - these were all days apart and I didn't put the three things together since all had other (individually) explanations.
Fast forward to last Thursday - I had to go out of town for 2 nights for work - hubby came with me so Perry was being watched by my housekeeper (she doesn't live in, but she stays at the house when we're out of town for short trips). Thursday morning I get a call that she's called the vet, who is now at the house, because Perry was vomiting and had blood in his poop. Vet gave him a bunch of meds (for nausea, antibiotics, a few other things) and took a blood sample. Even at that point he wasn't acting obviously sick (still running around, drinking, eating). Friday the blood test came back - he's got a bacterial infection AND tick fever (the African sort-of equivalent of Lyme's but can be more dangerous). I haven't been giving him his advantix treatment every month because I've never found a tick on him (the landlord's dog who lived with us used to get ticks sometimes when she would go outside of the yard wandering - but I've never found one in the yard). In this case I check him often and never found a tick on him either. So, guess we'll go back to doing the advantix more often even though I've never seen a tick because one obviously bit him.
He seems fine - running around as usual, eating and drinking as usual, but of course when he was diagnosed I put the three things together - hmm, maybe the peeing in the house was a symptom of the infection... the vomiting, I guess, wasn't his usual vomiting, and I guess that was blood I'd seen on the couch (even though I hadn't noticed it in his poop - but then again I don't inspect his poop very closely as long as it seems to be coming out normal). He's on 3 different meds (and seriously, if medicine companies know you need to cut them up, they should make it easier!) but doesn't seem to be having any problems. I need to check with the vet to see if he needs to get re-tested after he finishes his meds, especially for the tick fever!!
So, that's our drama this week It's tough when your pup gets sick but is totally not acting sick so you don't even realize it!!! On the positive side of things, it's good to know (in an example when we were actually not too far away), that my housekeeper is keeping such a close eye on him (even checking out his poop!) and calling the vet immediately without waiting to check in with me first (which is exactly what I told her to do - any concerns, call the vet and then call me). This is even more impressive when you understand that Uganda is not an inside-pet-dog sort of culture.
And on a completely different note - after 3 years of never humping anything, Perry has now decided that his opposum (which used to be his favorite toy to chew on and "kill") is his new favorite hump-toy!