My GSP is sick, not eating, sore muscles. Vets can't diagnose. What's wrong?

This sounds like a pretty complex situation, and I'd agree that an infection of some sort seems likely with a high WBC. I'd be worried about something viral, perhaps even meningitis, especially if it seems that she has neck pain, but that's basically a guess on my part. She should be tested for tick-borne diseases (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, ehrlichia, babesia, Lyme) if that hasn't been done. I'm not sure how far you are from a specialty hospital, but it sounds like she's still not out of the woods, and in the absence of a definitive diagnosis, I too would be worried. I would recommend taking Sky to a specialty hospital, where they might be more capable of diagnosing the problem and getting her the appropriate treatment.

There is not enough information here for me to properly help you. If a vet, in person, has not been able to help you I don't think us, over the internet without examining the dog or knowing the history, will be able to help you. My recommendation would be to get a second opinion from another vet if your current vet is unable to help you. If he is unresponsive to antibiotic therapy the type of antibiotic may need to be changed or he may need to be on a couple antibiotics at the same time. Not to scare you but cancer is VERY common in Boxers and being that he is older and he is not responding to therapy I would have this a differential diagnosis. I don't know what diagnostic testing has been done (if any) but that is often important. If you don't allow any testing to be done the vet is only doing his/her best to guess what might help. Some things cannot be fixed without testing. Regardless of all that, it sounds like his condition is very serious and that he may be suffering. If nothing can be figured out then you may need to consider humane euthanasia if his quality of life is not good. Of course, you know him best and I am just speculating but you should have that in the back of your mind if treatment is failing to cure him. I am sorry you are going through this. I hope this was helpful. If you have more questions please feel free to ask again. Best wishes.

I am sorry to hear about your dog. It is hard to say without know if your vet did any testing and what the results were. We would worry about things such as diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, protein losing nephropathy, protein losing enteropathy. If you have any information on bloodwork, x-rays, or ultrasound testing done on your dog it may help us narrow possibilities. You can consider doing a consultation with one of our vets if you have this information.

This sounds very peculiar especially in such a young pup. I would be worried that he has a fever, and it would be important to check. If so, I would be suspicious of polyarthritis due to sepsis, lyme disease or other tick born diseases. Common conditions I see in young pups are pancreatitis, gastrointestinal parasites, and gastroenteritis. A good physical exam would be helpful. A painful abdomen, a positive fecal exam etc would help to narrow down what is going on.

Hello, I'm sorry to hear that Riley is having this problem. I suggest you take him for a second opinion with a board certified veterinary internal medicine specialist. An MRI is not a bad idea but I think there are other less expensive tests that may be more applicable to run first like more extensive bloodwork to check for endocrine diseases, tick borne diseases, etc. Also, if he only had plain film X-rays, a contrast study might be a good idea. I suggest you ask your vet for a referral to a specialist in your area. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

With signs of muscle weakness, I would definitely have her tested for a condition called Myasthenia Gravis. This is an immune mediated disorder that can cause a multitude of symptoms including facial weakness, regurgitation, neck weakness and exercise intolerance. It can be tested through your vet and also treated for. The only other possible cause that comes to mind for a pet with muscle weakness and a tight jaw, would be tetanus, but you would expect a multitude of other symptoms including vomiting, fever, severe lethargy and inappetence. I hope that they can find out the cause soon! If she still comes up negative for anything after the additional test, then I would consider an MRI or CT scan on Xena moving forward. Best wishes and take care.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Zorro. I'm sorry he's so sick. It could be distemper if he's not vaccinated against it. There is no specific test for distemper, and treatment is symptomatic. You could have an MRI done of his head to see if there is a problem with his vet. Being this sick, he should be at the vet's under intensive care. I wish I could give you an exact diagnosis but I can't without seeing him in person. I'd take him back into a vet now. Best of luck.