Symptoms = Sick?
So Lyla has been coughing a lot lately, but I mentioned it to the vet last week when the dogs went in for their pre-Thanksgiving boarding Bordetella shots and he was very unconcerned. He said it's allergy time for dogs too and as long as she was not exhibiting any lethargy, not eating, etc. not to worry. She still is not exhibiting those other symptoms, but the coughing has greatly increased. Then tonight, I picked her up for a cuddle, and I noticed a lot of mucusy discharge around her vulva. It had a slight pink tint. I cleaned it off and noticed what looked like a rash, but now I'm thinking it is probably scratches of some sort since it's just in one area of her stomach and is long like scratches. The strangest thing is that even though she has not been peeing, the discharge keeps coming out. I'm cleaning her every 15-20 minutes because it just keeps coming. She is spayed so I know it's not heat related. She has had discharge after urinating since she was very young, but never has it just continued to discharge throughout the day. I don't know if any of these things are related or all separate, but I'm a little concerned. She is acting completely normal otherwise. Still playing and still eating. The vet won't be open until Monday, and even then, there's a chance it will take me a day or two to get an appointment, but I would appreciate any insight in the mean time to help the overprotective mom in me stay calm! =)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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I really don't have any answers but I would watch for a fever as that could be a sign of an infection. I would think that any female dog could still have some discharge even if fixed, is she peeing more often that it could be bladder related? Have you changed her diet (coughing)? Playing and eating are good signs so if your vet said not to worry I would still watch her closely but not panic and call them on Mon. with ?'s. Good Luck to you and Lyla!
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I don't know if I'm the right one to help you stay calm!
Whenever I hear of persistent cough, my primary fear is heartworm. Has she had any gaps in dosing or missed doses or vomiting up a dose of heartworm medication? We treat all year so we don't bloodtest. It's unlikely if you treat regularly, but I still worry.
As for the discharge, that doesn't sound right. I suppose it could just be some sort of minor irritation or something, but I would definitely have it checked. If she's eating and not vomiting and no fever I would probably wait til Monday to call the vet. If she develops a fever or is lethargic or seems to have cramps/pain in her abdomen I would maybe call the emergency vet and see what they say.
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Permalink Reply by Sky and Lyla on
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Oh dear! You're right, that doesn't help me stay calm, lol! Both doggies are on year-round heartworm prevention. To my knowledge she has not vomited any doses up... she did back in July when her Giardia popped up, but she was awfully young then (5 months) and I've always heard as long as they start prevention by 6 months old they never have to be tested. Do you think she could have been infected then? Gosh, I certainly hope not. That would just be absolutely horrible. I will definitely keep a close eye on it and if the cough doesn't go away I may have her bloodwork done just to check. We haven't changed anything else lately and no house paintings or cleaner changes, so I don't think it's anything like that.
And the discharge, she has had it since she was a puppy, but it's only ever been after urinating, not on it's own. It does seem to have stopped now though. The vet said she might have to have surgery to fix her vulva (I guess it is an "outie," Lyla's my first ever female dog so I'm not sure how it's supposed to look if her's is wrong, lol). The extra folds of skin, he said, trap bacteria which leads to the discharge. I'll just keep a close eye and see how things go!!
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If she is on year-round it's unlikely one missed dose would be a problem. My understanding is most of the medications kill the worms at several stages (egg, larvae, etc) and so even if you missed one month altogether, the next month's would take care of any burgeoning infestation. Conceivably if you did not treat in winter (and not everyone does) and you missed the last dose or so in the fall, then that could be a problem. So it's very unlikely. Still, if the cough persists it might be worth doing some bloodwork and a chest x-ray just to rule out anything serious before assuming it's allergies. I guess I would go by my vet's advice in that case.
As for the discharge, I'm not really that well versed in doggie vulvas! LOL If she gets trapped bacteria, that would make sense but I'd be concerned about it migrating upwards and giving her an infection if her symptoms are worse than usual. And I don't really know what they are meant to look like either; Madison's seems to be pretty much covered in hair. It just wouldn't do to go to the dog park and ask people if you can look at their dogs' vajayjays to compare them to Lyla's! :-0
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OK Beth...I'm still laughing ! Thanks I needed a good laugh!
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No, that certainly wouldn't do, lol. Although I must admit, I'm very curious now as what normal girl doggy parts look like if her's are wrong. Hehe.
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Another question to ponder with the coughing: have you done any painting or staining in the house recently?
A few years ago we moved into our home, which had just been built. It was fall and already cool so we couldn't really leave windows open. Everything had of course been newly painted, stained, or polyurethaned. My cat started wheezing a few times a day and we could not recall if it started before or after the move. The vet did chest x-rays and found nothing and said it was likely feline asthma.
When summer came and windows were opened, I noticed that I hadn't heard the cat wheeze in some time, and now three years later she has not wheezed in years. I'm almost certain she was irritated by the fumes from the paint and/or stain, even though they were not really noticeable to us.
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Has her coughing gotten any better today? I was just hoping! Hang in there!
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I actually haven't noticed it as much today. Keep your fingers crossed that it really is just allergies. I've been doubling her antioxidant supplement to help her fight off any allergies or minor infections. Hopefully it's helping!
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We're crossing fingers and paws!!!!
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