Runzbarrel Posted August 27, 2013 Report Share Posted August 27, 2013 Hello all. Been awhile since I've been on the boards. We have a 10yo GSD that today I noticed her breath smells like infection. At first I thought it was the wound she sustained in her mouth that we treated a few weeks back but all signs of that are gone and healed. I looked at all her teeth and gums and everything looked good. She has lost some weight these last couple of months and this is the second time it's happened in the last year. Just out of the blue drops weight and gets real skinny. We plan to get her to the vet next week fro blood work but just wanted to ask here first since Google wasn't really turning up any answers. She does have a lump on her chest but feels like a fatty tumor. About the size of a golf ball. I hope this isn't the beginning of the end for her. She's been such a great dog and we've owned her all 10 years. She's been a "mother" to my male BC and many other dogs that have come and gone. My gut is telling me this isn't good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted August 28, 2013 Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 I don't have any suggestions re: bad breath --- but I hope you can enjoy more time with your dog. Jovi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted August 28, 2013 Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 Can you get her to the vet earlier than next week? If this is a sudden change, I'd want to know soon. Hope it's nothing serious and that your girl has many more years with you. Ruth and Agent Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 28, 2013 Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 She could have an infection you can't see. I second the idea to get her the vet sooner rather than later. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runzbarrel Posted August 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 I would love to be able to get her seen this week but we live pay check to pay check and there isn't money in the budget this week for a vet visit and the vet won't do a payment arrangement. We've had 2 emergency vet bills between her and my BC in the last month. I'm going to call in the morning and see how much blood work is and go from there. I've just never experienced this before so didn't know if someone might know what would be causing it. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb777 Posted August 28, 2013 Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 I had to get this to pay for my recent emergencies. http://www.carecredit.com/ if your vet takes it, they offer some interest free specials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlwzgd Posted August 28, 2013 Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 Is it an infection smell or distinctly metallic and just general off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runzbarrel Posted August 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 Is it an infection smell or distinctly metallic and just general off? It's definitely an infection smell. That's why I thought it was her mouth again. In July she somehow stabbed herself with a stick that went thru the corner of her mouth and came out of the inside. We were treating the wound on the outside but didn't realize she had a wound in her mouth. One day I could smell it and looked in her mouth and saw the gaping hole filled with green infection. Yuck! Laser treatments and abx cleared it right up. To jb777- I tried to get care credit but didn't qualify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runzbarrel Posted August 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 To add, she's not really acting any different. Eating and drinking normal, activity level is normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvw Posted August 28, 2013 Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 Can you take her temp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runzbarrel Posted August 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 She has an appt this Friday morning to draw blood. They said because she was just seen in July I won't need to pay for another exam so that helps. It's $49 for a comprehensive panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Wow, $49? Amazing. I can barely get a Snap test for that. Let us know what the results are. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runzbarrel Posted August 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 So the blood work came back normal. She no longer has the smell to her breath either. Vet thinks because she eats horse and the other dogs poop that that was the culprit. She wanted me to bump up her food up and add some fat to her diet and we wormed her. We will see how she does over the next month. Vet mentioned a disease that GSD's get as they age that inhibits the absorption of nutrients. It has to do with their pancreas (EIA or EPA? can't remember now). The blood work to check for that is $130! So we are taking the wait and see approach for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted August 30, 2013 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 EPI. Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. What are her stools like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runzbarrel Posted August 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 EPI. Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. What are her stools like? Yeah that's it! Thank you Stools are normal. We talked about everything. She wants me to pay close attention to her stools etc. over the next couple weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 From what you say it doesn't sound like EPI but if it is don't worry. It's normally easily controlled by adding pancreatic powder to the food. I don't know if they've improved the smell of the powder lately. Massive, grey coloured, slimy stools are what I'd be looking for if it were EPI. A friend's little collie mix had it all her life and competed in agility until she was 12 and died at 16. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 My first Sheltie had EPI and his stools were yellow rather than grey, but yes huge amounts and very soft, sometimes like pudding. There is significant weight loss because the dog is unable to absorb nutrients and is literally starving even if eating like crazy. It is usually easily treated, though I am not sure what the enzymatic powder costs these days. I would wonder about parasites or small intestine bacterial overgrowth rather than EPI. I don't know if the change in stools is a must have symptom. Maybe in the early stages of the disease, it isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runzbarrel Posted September 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 Update: She's gained quite a bit of weight back. Guess it was a parasite overload after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.