Waffle Suddenly a Sad Sack-- Help?

So, last night we noticed Waffle was feeling very down. He only sort of wanted to play, he wasn't very excited to see my boyfriend, he wasn't interested in continuing play. I thought it was because I was unable to walk him for the past few days. I thought I would wake up early and take him for a walk this morning before my longest day of class. He didn't get up out of his bed until I opened the door and called him, which is very unusual. Normally he's up and running around with me. We went outside and he pooped several times, also unusual. His poop was thin and orangeish colored-- not unusually colored for him. Also not terribly unusual that it was thin. It was solid. I didn't take him for a walk because he seemed uncomfortable.

The last time he ate was a big raw meal Sunday. He had a duck wing, some kidney, some liver, a chicken foot, and a small like of brisket. Normally he doesn't eat the chicken foot because everything else is pretty filling, but he ate it Sunday. I guess he was hungry. After that, he kind of laid down and looked full and happy. He didn't eat yesterday even though I tried to feed him; also not unusual, he is picky when I don't feed him raw. He also got to lick the queso dip off my plate at our Superbowl "party".

Is there something that could be causing him to be lethargic besides an upset tummy? How serious do you think it is? Should I feed him pumpkin or something else to calm his tummy? Can I palpitate his abdomen for a bone shard or something stabbing into his gut? :| I'm really worried, and I would have stayed home today to watch him but I have a test and 2 labs. :|

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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on February 8, 2011 at 9:12pm

Yeah, he's drinking water. I washed and refilled his water bowl after I cleaned his vomit up and he drank a normal amount.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on February 8, 2011 at 9:29pm

That's a good sign!

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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on February 9, 2011 at 8:12am

Going to the vet. He has a fever. :[

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on February 9, 2011 at 9:26am

Sending good thoughts, keep us posted!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on February 9, 2011 at 10:41am

Hope he's ok! Keep us posted.

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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on February 9, 2011 at 11:26am

Thanks for all your good thoughts, everyone. They think it might be pancreatitis or some tick-borne disease. They also found a very sore spot along his back, which may or may not be related to his fever and lethargy. They're running a full set of diagnostic tests an keeping him there until they can be sure of what it is. I'm so lonely without my boy. :{ I'm crying more than when my favorite cat went missing...

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on February 9, 2011 at 11:32am

If it is a mild case, it can be manage by a low fat diet. I fostered a cardi with pancreatitis a month ago and she is all better now. Here's more info.

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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on February 10, 2011 at 12:58am

I'm so sorry, I know how lonely it is when they aren't at home. I hope you get to bring him home really soon!

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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on February 9, 2011 at 11:59am

Vet just called.

His organs are functioning good. Some of his chemistry is a little low (cholides? sodium?) but she said it's not a big deal. It's basically normal. The pancreas didn't show any apparent problems but they said that doesn't rule out pancreatitis. So, it's still an option but low on the list. They did a heartworm/tick disease test and they all came back negative. His red blood count is normal but one type of his white blood cells is elevated to 17,000 from a normal of 9,000. So, he;s inflamed or infected somewhere. They also did a full set of neurological tests to check with his spine. They said he could have some spinal infection, so I gave them the go-ahead to do a radiograph. They added that dogs with that problem typically refuse to walk, but it's still a possibility. I figure if he's having pain there, it's good to get it checked out.

Edit: They're also doing a fecal screen and culture.