OK I have a question: I NEED HELP!
I have Labs BUT this is not my Lab, it is my poodle.
On Labor Day I went camping with my horse and Rocky (the poodle).
A few days later I found a tick on him.
I removed the tick and didnt think that much about it.
BUT 3 weeks ago last Friday, he became really sore in his neck and left front leg.
HE wouldnt turn his head and was in pain.
I figured it was the way he jumps ALL the time and is really hyper.
I figured it to be a sprain so elected to watch it.
The following Tuesday he was no better and was having trouble keeping food down.
So off to the Vet we went. HE just said it was a sprain and the Ibuprofen was what made him throw up.
Gave him steroids and sent us home.
After talking to a Lab friend, she said one of her dogs did this, with the neck and all and her Vet treated it for Tick Borne Disease.
It was then that I thought of the tick.
I immediately called my vet , who was heistant, but with my insistance gave me a Rx for Doxycyclin.
We have done that, ten days worth and he was not sore anymore, BUT he still is having trouble with keeping food down.
He does great for a day or two, then he will go back to vomiting and being listless.
I returned to the Vet today, which he was having one of his good days and was very active. Kind of like when you take your car in to have it repaired and it will NOT make that noise that it always makes.
BUT the Vet DID do xrays and bloodwork.
xrays showed that he had a LOT of gas in his stomach and intestines, indicating an irritated stomach and bowels.
So he put him on Famotidine.
Bloodwork was all ok EXCEPT for elevated
ALT which is liver.
So he said to put him on Denamarin which is for Liver Support.
OK so I am worried that he has some sort of cancer but the Vet said he didnt think so, and he doesnt seem to think it is from the tick.
So what the heck would it be???
I still think it is from the tick and I was wondering if anyone knew what else I can do?
I do NOT want to lose my buddy and I feel that maybe I should be doing something else.
BTW, tonight, he DID throw up all that he ate again and is not feeling well at all again. When yesterday and this morning he was really seeming to bounce back.
He has done this several times in the course of 3 weeks that he has been sick.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
I know you all are great that is why I came here to ask!!
Thanks!!
PS he is a small dog, usual weight is 15 pounds. His first Vet visit he was 13.7 and today he was 12.6!!
He is losing his muscle too it seems to me, as his face is bony too.
HE is 8 yrs old

You can test for tick bourn diseases. Almost all vets have the "snap" test that tests for several different tick diseases & heartworm. I think it takes 8 minutes to read the result and is done in the vet's office.

Thank you! I will call him tomorrow. He just seems convinced that it is not TBD.
maybe I will call the other Vet in town and see what they say.
Thanks! I didnt know they had that "snap" test!!

I would repeat blood work and check Lipase and Amylase also. With all the vomiting, the pancreas might be involved now. Have you tried to feed the dog with a fat free easy to digest diet? 3-4 small meals during the day.

The snap test is a good place to start, but is not the be-all, end-all. I have a dog that was negative to the snap test, but eventually tested positive for Bartonella, which is a tick borne disease that is relatively rare.

If I have any suspicion that what I am seeing is tick borne, then I do a full course of Doxycycline regardless of the test results. My vet fully supports this, as she says she has seen enough dogs test negative on the snap (and even further tick testing) but respond dramatically to Doxycycline. We work under the "if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it probably is a duck" method:)

10 days of doxy is not enough for tick borne disease. I do at least 3 weeks, usually 4. Hope the snap test gives you answers!

I would worry about having given him Ibuprofen.

Having seen the tick borne in several Labs I would do the Doxy for a full month. It likes to come back. So get it all. I would just go on and treat for that. Will not hurt a thing.

It could be time to admit the dog and go with intervenous (sp?) fluids and calm down that digestive system. My girl had hemorragic colitis and she has a high lipase level all the time. When getting her back to food, we go very slowly with a low residue food (with less fat content than her reg. food).

The Doxy can be the cause of all the digestive symptoms. Tick born decease can be a tough one to fight. Monitor the ALT every couple of days if going for more Doxy. A tick panel sent to the Lab should have been done already.

Symptoms of Ibuprofen Toxicity in a Dog

Staggering

Increased thirst

Increased frequency of urination

Digestive upset

Bloody stool

Listlessness

Liver disease

Kidney disease

Seizures

Typically you are told to monitor 6 weeks post tick bite for symptoms...
That being said, I'm not sure you will get a "true" reading testing now after treatment-your vet should have run a tick panel to include , I think it is C6 before starting therapy. This way, you would have had a diagnosis, would have been given a course of treatment long enough to be effective, and then re-tested to see if the progress. IF that is the problem-I have not seen a dog get a stiff neck form any tick illness and I've dealt with a few.
The digestive upset could have been brought about by all the meds- certainly-your vet should have instructed you to with hold food for 24 hrs, give meds (like a pepcid) to settle the stomach and give a food like ID until digestive system was calmed down.
If it is tick borne disease even on anti biotics you may see the liver enzymes go up- I would continue to monitor that.

Well I guess I am feeling really really guilty, as I did give the ibuprofen and now that may be why he is so sick.
He has a great apetite and drinks great.
BUT he is having the black stool (not diarrhea) and seems to have BAD indigestion.
I did take him to the vet and they are sending off the IDEXX - but wont know for a few days on the results.

I just feel like an idiot for giving him Ibuprofen.
I hope I havent done any irreversible damage.

Do you have a vet, referral center near you with specialists i.e Bd Cert internal medicine vets?
I would not be waiting for results without addressing the existing issues further. Black stool means bleeding and follow up testing is suggested now. There is something else going on with vomiting and black stools-please-get him checked further now.

The initial toxic effect is bleeding stomach ulcers. In addition to ulcers, increasing doses of ibuprofen eventually leads to kidney failure and, if left untreated, can be fatal.

What to Watch For

# Poor appetite
# Vomiting
# Black tarry stools
# Vomiting blood
# Abdominal pain
# Dehydration
# Weakness
# Lethargy

My JRT had Lyme Disease and the ONLY symptom he had was neck stiffness. By the time he presented with that though he had had Lyme for quite some time and it did effect his kidneys and his joints, specifically his hips. He was given over a month of antibiotics and then was retested and was okay.
I would worry about the use of Ibuprofen, dogs cannot process it and that may be the GI/Liver symptoms you are having are due to that and then on top of that he has a TBD as well.

Yes I think I have wasted a lot of effort on the TBD when all along it was something I CAUSED!!
I feel SO bad that I caused him to be so sick.
But we are on the right track now, and he is feeling better.
He is still on Doxy as my Vet thinks it wont hurt, just in case it is TBD.
We will find out in a day or two.
BUT he still wants to keep him on it, because of the False negatives you can get.
Right now he is resting comfortably and so far is not nauseated at all after eating this time.
With the three meds for his stomach and the one for the liver, I am hoping for a rapid recovery.
Thanks EVERYONE!! and I will let you know what the IDEXX results are in case anyone is interested

Don't want to make you feel worse, but why did you give your dog ibuprofen? Did you just not know to give aspirin instead, or ?

Well Aspirin is not good to give either, and NO I didnt know not to give the Ibuprofin, or I CERTAINLY would not have given it. I wasnt trying to make him sick.
That was kind of a silly question

Well, aspirin is typically recommended for minor pain by vets - I know no NSAID is good for the dog, but aspirin would have been the painkiller of choice if you couldn't get your dog to the vet for something different. Ibuprofen is generally a big no-no for dogs.

Here's a good article about aspirin and ibuprofen, and other painkillers.

http://www.k911.biz/Petsafety/AspirinTylenolIbuprophenDangers.htm

" The Hazards of Ibuprofen

People pop over-the-counter and prescription pain killers so routinely that they often assume that these pain relievers are safe for a dog suffering from arthritis. They're not. Pet owners who give non-prescription pain relievers like ibuprofen to their dog or cat can jeopardize their health and lives.

Over-the-counter pain relievers like Ibuprofen can have serious side effects for a dog. Over-the-counter pain relievers like Ibuprofen can poison a dog or cause serious or deadly complications such as heart failure, liver failure, kidney disease, dehydration, diarrhea or urinary obstruction.

Jill A. Richardson, Veterinary Poison Information Specialist for the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center states that "Less than one regular strength ibuprofen (200mg) could cause stomach ulcers in a 10lb dog, and about six could cause kidney failure."

Never give a dog ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, Nuprin), naproxen (Aleve), or acetaminophen (Tylenol). Even a child's dose is safe can be fatal. These pain relievers can cause severe, even fatal, stomach ulcers and kidney damage in dogs. "

If you want to get technical Ascriptin is recommended.
PLEASE stop with this-the OP already feels horrible, why do you insist on keeping this going!
"very worried", ignore this nonsense-we just hope your patient is doing better-that is all that matters right now.

How is your dog doing? I hope he is better.