He is over 15 years old. I just noticed tonight that his mouth is starting to swell (it has happened twice before) So i administered a pain pill for dogs as well as dental antibiotics that we keep on hand for him. Is this all that I can do for him? He usually gets over it in a couple of days but we caught it earlier than we normally do. Please don't think im cruel or anything but i can't take him to the vet unless he's dieing (that is why we have meds at our house) He was to be euthanized at the pound but we went to court to fight for him...best dog we have ever had everyone we know thinks so too! Anyway he is terrified and he had bad teeth when we got him but otherwise he is so healthy and still plays like a pup...Are there any home treatments besides what im doing that might help him heal faster...he's my buddy and i want him to be as comfortable as possible!
Answers:
My heart stopped 2 second when I read your headline. I thought " oh no please don't tell me" I remember your old baby. Is he eating and drinking water as usual?
You have done the right thing to make him less painful. Please consider "SHADEDTI'S OPTION" and talk to your vet about it. Give him lots love as always and take good care of him and yourself. Keep in touch. You have my support!
Sorry, you really should see a vet. Obviously you have no clue what you're doing and are letting the dog suffer and be in pain. You are cruel.
I feel that as long as he can still swallow and his airway is clear that you shouldn't worry. If he got his meds down and is comfortable then you should be okay. Give him a big old hug for me. Another thing to try is giving him some crushed ice. This may help the swelling and the discomfort in his mouth. I had a cat once with mouth problems and he loved iced water. He would almost lay his whole mouth in it so it must have felt good. Best of luck to you both.
If he's REALLY your "buddy", then take him to the vet, NOW!
Sorry to be cruel but he is 15 years old, and in pain, if you aren't going to provide him with proper vet care and keep him comfortable in his last days, then you really should consider putting him down. Saving a dog is a great thing, but dragging out their life and not providing good quality care is just plain mean..
If you are not a vet how can you judge how much your old dog is suffering. For your own peace of mind you should have him checked ~~
Aww poor baby - I understand you are financially challenged - have you ever discussed with the vet a payment plan ?? My vet is morethan happy to set one up for anyone %26 takes even $20 a month payents - vets want dogs to be as happy and healthy as their human owners - not taking your best buddy in to get checked really isn't a good thing for your pal - a dogs/ animals oral hygine is very important to it's health - excess plaque can be swallow %26 possibily get into the blood stream %26 case strokes , and other such horror stories
Call up your vet or others in the area %26ask around about options- your buddy will thank you for it.
Sounds like your doing all you can, just keep on loving him. Dogs are great friends and dont worry about others opinions. If his mouth cleared up before I am sure it will this time too. Might ask the vet if there is anything else you can do for his condition.
I had a dog like that. He lived to be 23 (Dach/terrier).
This info I'm giving you should be talked over with a vet, because wrong dosages could be fatal:
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Advil is a drug classified as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. It can be used in dogs but only very carefully at very careful doses. Overdosing is common and can result in serious toxicity.
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- Ibuprofen is a substituted phenylalkanoic acid with potent analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic activity.
- It inhibits prostaglandin synthesis by blocking the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins.
- Ibuprofen belongs to a general class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). Other related drugs in this class include naproxen and ketoprofen.
- Clinically, ibuprofen is most often used to treat arthritis and musculoskeletal pain.
- Following oral administration it is rapidly absorbed. Its bioavailability in dogs is 60 to 86% and it reaches peak serum concentrations in about 2 hours. Ibuprofen is transported 96% bound to plasma protein and has a half-life in dogs of approximately 5 hours.
- Ibuprofen is a non-prescription drug but should ONLY be used under the guidance of a veterinarian. Used improperly, ibuprofen can be highly toxic. Veterinarians may not recommend its use, as there are alternative veterinary drugs approved for the use in animals.
- Ibuprofen is NOT recommended for use in cats
- This drug is not approved for use in animals by the Food and Drug Administration.
- Ibuprofen is available over the counter but should not be administered unless under the supervision of a veterinarian.
Brand Names and Other Names
- This drug is registered for use in humans only.
- Human formulations: Motrin庐 (McNeil), Advil庐 (Whitehall-Robins), Haltran庐 (Lee Pharmaceutical), Midol庐 (Bayer), Menadol庐 (Rugby), PediaCare (Pharmacia %26 Upjohn), and various generic forms of ibuprofen.
- Veterinary formulations: None
Uses of Ibuprofen
- Ibuprofen is used in dogs for analgesia, to reduce swelling or reduction of a fever. It is not recommended for use in cats.
Precautions and Side Effects
- Ibuprofen should not be used unless recommended by your veterinarian.
- Ibuprofen has a narrow therapeutic index in domestic small animals and very small changes in the dosage level can lead to toxicity.
- Ibuprofen should not be used in animals with known hypersensitivity or allergy to the drug, its components, or other NSAIDs.
- Hepatopathy, renal failure, and GI ulceration/perforation have been reported in dogs and cats treated with ibuprofen. Cats are estimated to be twice as sensitive to the toxic effects of ibuprofen because of their limited ability to form glucuronides.
- Signs of impending toxicity include reduced appetite, vomiting (+/- blood), black tarry stools, abdominal pain, dehydration, weakness, and lethargy. Blood loss from GI ulcers may cause anemia. Treatment of toxicity may involve intravenous fluids, activated charcoal (if given within 2 hours of ingestion), and blood transfusion if anemia is severe. Medications such as misoprotol (Ctotec庐), sucralfate (Carafate庐), cimetidine (Tagamet庐) or famotidine (Pepcid庐) can be given to treat gastric ulcers. Blood work is often necessary to evaluate hepatic and renal function before and after treatment of toxicity.
Drug Interactions
Ibuprofen may interact with several medications. If your veterinarian recommends ibuprofen for you pet, make sure you discuss all other medications they are on. Interactions may include:
- Cholestyramine may decrease the effects of NSAIDs.
- Phenobarbital may reduce ibuprofen's half-life by inducing liver enzymes. Dose adjustment may thus be necessary.
- Probenecid may increase the plasma concentration and toxicity of ibuprofen.
- Plasma concentrations of NSAIDs may be decreased by salicylates.
- NSAIDs may decrease the antihypertensive effect of ACE inhibitors and beat blockers.
- Coadministration of NSAIDs and anticoagulants may prolong the prothrombin time.
- The nephrotoxicity of both agents is increased when NSAIDs and cyclosporine are used concomitantly.
- The effects of diuretics may be decreased when administered with ibuprofen.
- NSAIDs tend to increase plasma phenytoin levels, increasing its pharmacologic effect and toxicity.
- NSAIDs increase the risk of methotrexate toxicity.
- NSAIDs may increase plasma theophylline levels.
How Ibuprofen is Supplied
- Tablets: 100 mg, 400 mg, 600 mg, and 800 mg
- Chewable tablets: 50 mg, and 100 mg
- Capsules: 200 mg
- Suspension: 100 mg/5 mL
- Oral drops: 40 mg/mL
Dosing Information
- Medication should never be administered without first consulting your veterinarian.
- The usual dose in dogs is 2.5 to 4 mg per pound (5 to 8 mg/kg) every 12 hours.
- It is NOT recommended for use in cats.
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All my info is from http://www.petplace.com/
Check out the website and maybe call up your vet to make sure the medicine is okay for your pooch and the dosage ammounts for your specific breed.
I hope this helps!
If your guy is 15 and gets around, eats and drinks, and has no other problems.. you have the problem.. a tender heart !
Take him to the vet. They will give him a calmative that will not hurt an older dog. your vet will know if he's got a heart that can't take one med over another.
Once he is asleep or very groggy, the vet can look at the teeth and see what needs to be done. She can put him further under so he has no pain, pull what needs to be pulled, stitch or two, clean the others, and wake him up. Put on antibiotics for about 10 days.
The antibiotic is very, very important because the infection from the teeth can infect the kidneys. If you do not take your old man, you may be slowly killing him if he has an infection that he cannot get over because the infection is still there even after the antibiotics you gave.
Also, you may not be giving the correct antibiotic to kill the bacteria in the gums !
When he comes home, you will probably have to soak his kibble
or chop up his homemade food/meat/veggies once the teeth are out.
I just did this to a 14 year old Dalmatian that I rescued. He had 4 teeth pulled and a few stitches. [ I clean the other teeth once a month, so the others were not bad at all. ]
Topper was anesthesized for about 20 minutes - that's all !
He was very groggy, so I let him stay there for about 6 hours - the vet gave him IV fluids so he would not be thirsty and to make him feel better.
I think she gave him Reglan and Vitamin K, too.
I took his clean soft pad to put in the steel cage so he would have good traction. I picked him up about 6 pm and we went home ! He vomited 2 times and slept that night - no food. He could regurgitate, vomit, or something and aspirate the vomit and if it got in his lungs !!! this would cause pneumonia !
He was sore for 3 days and had 2 pain pills a day for 5 days. He ate 4 cans of high calorie gruel in a can from the vet and then Canidae dog food from the can, mashed potatoes, soaked rice, chopped chicken. Watch what is on the recall list as to what is safe.
He is fine ! I promise you ! I think he'll be around to about age 16 - I hope! He's on supplements with MSM, glucosamine, and chondroitin in it along with Vit C, yucca, and enzymes for digestion - make sure it has the MSM in it.
Besides Canidae dog food, fresh chicken %26 carrots or veggies, he needs nothing else.
Your vet can show you how to clean teeth with a scaler, brush, and a solution called * chlorhexadine * to get the tartar off.
Please, do not be afraid. Have some time off, and take him there.. will be the best thing you can do and have him comfortable.
He trusts you to always do what is best for him. So, go do it ! You'll be glad and he'll be happy without those nasty teeth.
Write back and tell us how he did !
Hugs to your Pops !
I will try not to be so aggitated with you so you will understand what the others are trying to tell you. when your dog had the problem before, a lot could have changed within your dogs chemistry, the problem could have compounded, and the meds might not be the right dosage or even be the right med for the problem your dog has not. It does sound like he needs some dental care. 15 is not too old for dental care. My dog lived to 22 and had dental care every year. They put her under and she came out just fine. But bad teeth and bacteria can get in the blood stream and into your dogs heart and cause really awful heart problems and shorten your dogs life even more and make your poor dog even more uncomfortable. Please take your dog to the vet for one last visit to have him checked for his swelling gums and let the vet decide. Then you will feel relief and the dog will be taken care of. Thats all it will take and peace of mind will be yours. I beg you to think that way. give your darling a little doggie downer before going into the vet and no anxiety for him. good luck with your baby he has a long life ahead of him. I will think happy thoughts for both of you. I understand your anxiety but I do know you need to check it out. I have been a veterinary technician for ten years. Stay calm and so will your dog. xx cheers!
just do as usual, best place to die is on our buddy lap not in a lab. you are something and all the bests for you and your buddy.
Why can't you take your dog to a vet unless he's dying? Don't' you have to get the dog his shots like a rabies vaccine when he needs one and a distemper shot too? I'm glad your able to afford a vet but just don't understand just cause your dog is scared or gets upset going there that you can't take him to one. My dog gets scared to but it's an important thing in keeping them healthy. maybe your vet could come out to the house and have a look at him to make sure everything is fine. But I will tell you my dog is 15yrs old to and the day i see him in pain from anything that can't be treated anymore I know I will have to let him go and not be selfish just cause he looks like he's still has that puppy look in his eyes.
Also why would your dog die from having surgery? If he gets over it in a couple of days then don't worry about it I guess cause you say it's happened before. But if you want to do more then call the vet and ask.
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