The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

OK, this is really icky. We have picked up a virus somewhere and first Lucky got diarrhea. Luckily, he did it outside and I saw him do it so I was able to get right on it. Thanks to Dr. Matt keeping me in good supply of everything from atibiotics to diarrhea medication I had what I needed and was able to get him right on chlorpromozine and GI Mix. That stopped it in its tracks and then I cooked up a bunch of chicken and rice and he's been on that for the past 3 days. But today I thought we were all over it and I started to re-introduce his regular food and darn it, he got the diarrhea right back again. So he's in relapse. Meanwhile, Fancy threw up in the bed and Coco had a very loose stool on the carpet in front of the fireplace this morning. So I am pretty concerned about whatever this virus is that seems to be going around. I heard that a bunch of dogs got sick at Rose City and several of my club members who showed at Rose City ended up with sick dogs within a week or so after the show. Do any of you guys know anything about this? I can't find anything about it on the internet. It's all just word of mouth.

UPDATE - WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Hi everyone, Well, I am now in relapse mode here. After taking Lucky in on Monday and finding out that he had some other issues besides the virus I thought we were on the mend here. But this morning Fancy and Coco both are having loose stools again. So have have resorted to the chlorpromozine, GI mix and bland diet for them. And of course, I am scheduling the Silver Shield doses closer together now as well. What a bummer. I thought we were done.

Mary

I hope you find answers quickly and that they are soon on the road to recovery!

Well, I talked to Dr. Matt today and he told me to give 2 cc's of Silver Shield every hour today along with the chlorpromozine and the GI mix. He swears that will clear it up and prevent anyone else from getting it. So far Goldie is the only one who hasn't shown any symptoms. So Lucky, Coco, and Fancy are getting the full meal deal and Goldie is getting the Silvers. I am also switching everyone over to plain old boiled chicken and rice for their meals for the next several days and then I will try again to re-introduce the regular food. It sounds like this is a virus that is just sort of running around. I think a lot of people who have been at shows recently, not just Rose City, but other places too, have come in contact with this, but I also know that Lucky goes potty on the lawn at the bank next to my office too and last week I noticed that some dog had had a bout of diarrhea on the lawn there and I had to pull Lucky away from it, so he could have picked it up right there.

I just feel real sorry for them. Lucky in particular is having a real problem. Fancy and Coco seem to be bouncing back no problem and Goldie hasn't been affected at all - yet - knock on wood.

Well, the cat has it now too. Isn't that odd.

sounds odd for sure!

Hope all the fur family members feel better soon!

Well, Dr. Matt says we can give your dogs the flu when we are sick, so I would assume the dogs can give a virus to the cat as well, but I haven't talked to him about that yet. I did put her on the same chicken and rice diet the dogs are on and added 1/2 cc of Silver Shield to her dinner. And I am only giving bottled water to them just in case it is something environmental. I sterilized all the bowls and washed all the beds and blankets with a little Lysol concentrate and then I sprayed Lysol on the carpets and furniture. In doing so I found a few drops of diarrhea in the dog beds and on one of the rugs. So someone is dripping a little here and there. And Kate had an attack of it on my office chair today. I had to scrub my desk chair and set it in the sun to dry. I feel the sorriest for her (Kate - the cat). She's very old and skinny and in poor health anyway, so something like this is very difficult for her. She's having back problems and it is difficult for her to clean herself properly so I had to give her a butt bath, poor thing. I just feel so sorry for her. And Lucky had a bath right before this hit him the first time and every time I give him the GI mix he shakes his head and spits it all over himself. It has Pepto in it so it's pink and now he has pink spots all over his white coat, poor guy. I keep wiping it off with a washcloth but I think he'll have to have another bath shortly. In fact, they all should get a bath and try to get as much germs off of them as I can I guess. Waht a chore.

Sorry to hear that the animals are sick. Sounds like it could be environmental, since the second species ( cat ) is sick now too. Have you had the carpets cleaned, any pest services out or the neighbors have any of the above? A treat/food that they all except Goldie could have gotten in to? Waterborne...also could be a concern....such as having the roof/siding cleaned? Or the water supply affected somehow? Let us know how you make out...Prayers that is something passing and minor.

Yes, I thought about environmental too, but with all the dogs who got sick at the Portland show having the same symptoms I tend to think it's the virus. And Dr. Matt told me today that people can pass the flu to dogs so I am thinking maybe a virus can be passed form dogs to cats too. I am taking the precaution of giving bottled water right now though. And no, we haven't had anything like carpet cleaning, power washing, or lawn and garden work done here at all. Nothing has been different from normal. Same food, same treats, same everything. And the cat is an inside cat so it isn't something they got into out in the yard that I don't know about. In fact, since Fancy is going into heat and Lucky just had a bath right before this all started, I have been taking them out on leashes rather than giving them the run of the yard. I didn't want Lucky or Goldie to get dirty right after their baths and I didn't want Fancy playing that come and get me game. Since she is going into heat she is pretty wild and doesn't want to come back in the hosue when I let her out. So I have been keeping them on leashes, which means I see where they are and what they are into. So I am pretty sure this is a virus. I also have to keep in mind that Kate, the cat, is very old and not well anyway, so her diarrhea really could be a coincidence and unrelated to the dogs. She's been having back problems and been in a lot of pain, throwing up a lot and having loose stools off and on for the past few months. She is getting cortisone shots every 3 weeks and is getting some special supplement from Dr. Matt in her food. I am going to take them to the vet tomorrow and have him take temps, check stool samples, all of that. Then maybe we'll have a better idea.

Mary

Sorry to read that your furbabies are sick! Hope everyone is better soon!

Sorry to hear that everyone is sick. It does sound like your being a good doctor and mom to them. I am sure they are glad to have you around to make them better

a friend of mine just went thru this....what finally helped was a shot of an antibotic and fluids inserted under the skin.

Eewwwwwwwwww... so much fun! Sounds like you are washing all the time. Poor babies. Sounds like at least you have a wonderful vet! Good luck getting everyone healthy again!

Well, we went the vet today and he confirmed that, yes, in fact, we do have the flu. And, yes, it can most definitely be passed from the dogs to the cat. Unfortunately, Lucky has a little more going on than the flu. He has blood in his urine and signs of kidney distress. So Dr. Matt has him on Silver Shield and antibiotics - a month's course of various different things starting with the Silver Shield and moving on from one antibiotic to another and then another urine test in about 3 weeks. He is also staying on his chicken and rice diet and taking the GI mix for awhile longer. We don't really know what has caused the kidney problem, but Dr. Matt actually suspects stress. AFter we are all done with all our medications we will address what exactly is causing the stress. I just can't imagine unless it is just the fact that there are so many animals in the house and maybe he feels responsible for them all since he is the only male. Who the heck knows, but Dr. Matt is thinking that he might put him on some herbs to try to relax him after we get him straightened out. He thinks he was already in some distress before he got the flu and that's why he got it so much worse than anyone else. All the girls are already over it. They had one day of loose bowels and Fancy threw up, but they are all over it now. I am giving them all the Silver Shield for another week or ten days anyway just to make sure. And Kate, the cat, is also on the Silver Shield and she has some special cat food for the next week as well.

This answers another issue we've been having. Lucky has been lifting his leg in the hosue quite a lot this past year and I thought it had to do wtih Fancy. It started right after I got the first unspayed female in the hosue (Honey about a year and a half ago). I thought that was what caused it. She left last October, but of course by then I had Fancy and she is now about a year and a half old. She is currently going through her second heat cycle. So I jsut chalked it up to that. But Dr. Matt asked me if Lucky was peeing a lot and when I told him about him lifting his leg Dr. Matt said probably he has had this kidney problem for a long time and its just been a real low grade infection, but enough that he has to pee a lot. So he is thinking that perhaps after we get him all healed up maybe we will see an improvement. Lucky never peed in the hosue before so I have been real mad at him. And maybe that has added to his stress - having to go and then getting cussed out for it, trying to hold it and then having an accident and getting in trouble, always worried about getting in trouble, but not able to do anything about it. Poor little guy. I guess the flu is not the greatest thing in the world to have, but on the other hand, it led to my finding out that Lucky has a different and more serious problem. Thank heavens we now have some clues and can start helping him to get well. Funny how things work out, isn't it.

Mary

Oh, poor little sick ones. I hope everyone bounces back quickly.

Hope you guys are getting back to normal.

Everyone, including Lucky, is on the mend now. The girls have been right since yesterday and Lucky is doing a lot better today. Thanks to Dr. Matt and his GI Mix and Silver Shield. What miracle remedies those are. Thanks everyone for your support.

Mary

Glad to hear everyone is feeling better and on the mend.

So happy to hear everyone is on the mend. You poor dear and those poor little babies. You are to be commended for doing an outstanding job of nurse!

Oh dear Mary!! My heart felt sympathies go out to you. I hate it when my dogs are sick ( dogs are reason we now have Pergo almost everywhere in the house) I was just grumbling because Joslyn found some bad smelling cat (?) poop or pee or roll in and I am going to haul her downstairs to the shower. I was sitting here thinking "geez, something smells dead" ....anyone figure out what this virus or bacterial infection is?

Sorry to hear about the relapse....if they have what my friends dog had, they all need a shot of antibotic, it works much quicker and also need to be hydrated.

good luck.

Must be the season - Theo has gone from constipated to runny every other day for the last 4 and he's really warm and sleepy. Icky indeed.

Yes, it's a real pain in the pattootie. Just get one straightened out and another one gets sick. So far Goldie is the only one who hasn't shown any problems after the first day. She had just a little soft stool, but never really got the diarrhea and she straightened right out after getting on the Silver Shield and a couple doses of the GI mix. I think she's enjoying getting to eat chicken and rice for every meal. I am being kept pretty busy boiling chicken, cooking rice, and administering medications. Let's hope it runs its course here pretty soon. I am lucky that I could work from home most of the week, but I do have clients tomorrow and will have to actually get out and do some business tomorrow. Normally, if I have someone having a little problem, I just take that one with me and make them stay in the kennel in the truck. But with this virus being so highly contageous, I just can't let them leave the property. I would hate to be responsible for anyone else's dog getting sick. And the more I think about it the more it ticks me off to think that other people took their dogs to shows knowing full good and well that the dogs were sick. How terribly irresponsible of them. It's just like people going to work when they have the flu. I always get mad when someone shows up at my office with some sickness and passes it around to everyone else. And that's bad enough, but at least we humans can tell our doctor what is wrong and make some decisions for ourselves about what to do for our illnesses. The dogs don't have those options. They are just at the mercy of us humans who might not quite know what to do for them. And vet bills are a lot more expensive than picking up a bottle of Nyquill. I know some folks who have ended up in the ER with intraveneous liquids and a $300 vet bill because of this deal. So my dogs will be stayin here at home until I know everyone is all healed up. One thing about it, though, my hosue hasn't been this clean in ages. I have washed every blanket, dog bed, and my clothes, tennis shoes, towels, and bedding - even the down comforters with Lysol concentrate in the water to kill any germs. And sprayed the carpets and furniture with Lysol Spray. So the house is actually pretty darn clean right now. I should shampoo the carpets again, but am just too tired from all of this to face that project. Luckily, there have only been a couple of accidents on the carpet. Most of it has been either outside or on the pee pee pads in the dog's grooming room.
Hopefully, we'll get on the other side of this pretty soon. Good luck to all the rest of you who are dealing with this. I hope no one is getting seriously ill out there.

Mary

Sorry the kids are still sick. Just a note as is my experience with Holly that when she has had diarrhea and I have tried chicken and rice it gets worst. I realized that rice and her does not go well together. Hope for a soon clean bill of health.

Oh Mary!

What a nightmare!!! I pray this passes quickly and STOPS! Make sure you are getting your rest too... don't want you to get sick on top of all this! All my best for a swift and full recovery for all your dogs!