Breathing issues and larthergy

[jvkoppen]

Hi everyone,

I'm new and very desperate for advice. I have a beautiful Louis, he's a 4 year old fawn and truly the best friend I've ever had. I took him to the vet for the first time in a year last week for his checkup and I'm concerned because he always has diarrhea or soft stool and he just seems so lazy lately.

We had a few tests run and my vet told me he needs new food, so we switched from Merrick beef/sweet potato to a Rx food called Royal Canin. He loves the food but his digestive problems are so much worse and he won't even go for a walk. He was also on Prednisone and Metronidazole but we stopped giving it to him a couple of days ago because he was just getting sicker.

He also started having spasms on the right and left side of his face down lower toward the sides of his neck. He's had similar issues before and they always pass but this has been going on for 24 hours.

I'm scared and I don't feel like I can trust my vet right now (they don't even have an emergency #).

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thank you so much,
Jessica

 

[Rusty’s Owner]

Hi everyone,

I'm new and very desperate for advice. I have a beautiful Louis, he's a 4 year old fawn and truly the best friend I've ever had. I took him to the vet for the first time in a year last week for his checkup and I'm concerned because he always has diarrhea or soft stool and he just seems so lazy lately.

We had a few tests run and my vet told me he needs new food, so we switched from Merrick beef/sweet potato to a Rx food called Royal Canin. He loves the food but his digestive problems are so much worse and he won't even go for a walk. He was also on Prednisone and Metronidazole but we stopped giving it to him a couple of days ago because he was just getting sicker.

He also started having spasms on the right and left side of his face down lower toward the sides of his neck. He's had similar issues before and they always pass but this has been going on for 24 hours.

I'm scared and I don't feel like I can trust my vet right now (they don't even have an emergency #).

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thank you so much,
Jessica

Welcome!

Sorry to hear about all the issues he is having.

First thing I would do is get him off the vet food, it’s all fillers and causes so many other health issues and makes problems worse. What treats do you give??
Vets make money off those foods, that’s why they push those formulas, a long time ago my other dog was on the same food and made him SO much sicker.
Give him a better food and he should feel much better. I mentioned some good foods for helping with digestion issues and for overall good health and prevent other health issues. I actually just started my Frenchie on Raised Right food a week ago and he has much better digestion and less inflammation and hardly no allergy symptoms.

I highly recommend home cooked food, or commercial gently cooked food options, that has helped my Frenchie lots.
Any food allergies???

If you know he does good with beef, or Turkey you should get a gently cooked food, grain free it also soothes their gut too.
The brands I recommend are:
-Raised Right human grade lightly cooked pet food(available in US and Canada-you can only order from their website if your in US) they have beef, pork, Turkey and chicken options and are grain free and low carb and high in moisture keep them hydrated.
-Open Farm Gently cooked(comes in beef and salmon, chicken, beef, and Turkey)- available in US and Canada but if you order off the website they deliver to US only.

Both these options are completely balanced.

Give him probiotics too.

Other good things to give him are bone broth(I use Open farm beef bone broth for immune boost for my Frenchie Rusty).

So he is also having breathing difficulties???

Does he choke/coughing or gagging????
Snore loud?? Loud breathing??
Exercise intolerant, but any of the above in addition to this??

It could be elongated soft palate if he is showing these signs.

Keep us updated!
I’m happy to help!

Hopefully he starts feeling better soon. Get him on one of these options so he starts improving!

 

[Rusty’s Owner]

also those 2 medications can make him very sick as a side effect so unless they are making a difference for the other problems I would get him off it, and try to keep him off it cause it’s a side effect from the medications.

Why was those meds given to him by vet???? For the breathing issues?????

Rusty was on it and literally made him SO sick and I just stopped them cause they were not working for the health issue anyway. Problem was solved with diet!

 

[Cbrugs]

RC is not a high quality food. Some Frenchies also don’t do well with beef. I’d switch to a different brand of food and a different protein. Also, those medications will wreak havoc on the digestive system.

Are the spasms in his neck? When Jax was 4, he started having neck spasms and it got worse and worse. He was diagnosed with IVDD and had a herniated disc in his neck which required surgery.

 

[2bullymama]

I agreed with what has been stated… RC is not a good food, as Rusty’s owner listed A few questions to ask to see if his palate is an issue and Citty has a lot of experience with IVDD and can help with those questions

 

[jvkoppen]

Thanks so much everyone. It's been a very rough few days. We saw his previous vet who we love but it's an hour commute since we moved so it's tough on him in the Jeep. I love my vet, she took xrays and we saw one of his disks in the middle of his back is bulging. She did a neuro exam and found his back right foot wouldn't move when she did her tests so she thinks that might be the problem. He was prescribed an Rx pain reliever, a muscle relaxer and a steroid. He seems so much better. He was walking around slowly and after the muscle relaxer his neck isn't pulsing as much and he's finally sleeping soundly. We'll see how things go - I'm so tired but I have to keep two eyes on my little man at all times. Thanks again, I'm so happy I found you all . We're not out of the woods yet, IVDD and meningitis were both mentioned.

 

[Rusty’s Owner]

Thanks so much everyone. It's been a very rough few days. We saw his previous vet who we love but it's an hour commute since we moved so it's tough on him in the Jeep. I love my vet, she took xrays and we saw one of his disks in the middle of his back is bulging. She did a neuro exam and found his back right foot wouldn't move when she did her tests so she thinks that might be the problem. He was prescribed an Rx pain reliever, a muscle relaxer and a steroid. He seems so much better. He was walking around slowly and after the muscle relaxer his neck isn't pulsing as much and he's finally sleeping soundly. We'll see how things go - I'm so tired but I have to keep two eyes on my little man at all times. Thanks again, I'm so happy I found you all . We're not out of the woods yet, IVDD and meningitis were both mentioned.

Glad he is feeling better.

For the breathing issue,
Does he show any of the following signs I mentioned in my last response to you??
Choking/gagging, coughing,
Loud breathing, exercise intolerance, snoring????
It could be Elongated Soft palate too as it’s considered ‘rare’ by 3 different Frenchie vets I have been to, for a Frenchie to NOT need this surgery.

I still recommend probiotics if he is on antibiotics and a better food because he is on the RC vet food which is not a good food and the digestion is worse.

Give him Green Lipped mussels freeze dried powder for dogs and maybe CBD oil for pain, especially since it could be IVDD.

 

[jvkoppen]

Hi again,

I'm sorry to report that Louis is not feeling well again. The neck spasms are back and I'm really scared he has IVDD. Our amazing vet put him on a muscle relaxer, pain reliever, and a steroid and he was doing so much better for about a week - no symptoms. Out of the blue his neck started to spasm last night and he looks miserable, truly miserable. We head back to the vet for his check up on Wednesday but I'm going to try to get him in on Monday.

Update on everything else:

Louis doesn't have trouble breathing and his not snorting any more than normal. The occasional dream snort happens

He is on a probiotic and we switched his food back to Merrick beef/sweet potato. His stool is much better than it was since the switch. We may start to boil chicken and rice if it gets bad again.

He is really having trouble walking and he can't even walk up or down one stair, we carry him everywhere.

If you have any advice or experience with this please let me know.
Thanks again.

 

[Rusty’s Owner]

Hi again,

I'm sorry to report that Louis is not feeling well again. The neck spasms are back and I'm really scared he has IVDD. Our amazing vet put him on a muscle relaxer, pain reliever, and a steroid and he was doing so much better for about a week - no symptoms. Out of the blue his neck started to spasm last night and he looks miserable, truly miserable. We head back to the vet for his check up on Wednesday but I'm going to try to get him in on Monday.

Update on everything else:

Louis doesn't have trouble breathing and his not snorting any more than normal. The occasional dream snort happens

He is on a probiotic and we switched his food back to Merrick beef/sweet potato. His stool is much better than it was since the switch. We may start to boil chicken and rice if it gets bad again.

He is really having trouble walking and he can't even walk up or down one stair, we carry him everywhere.

If you have any advice or experience with this please let me know.
Thanks again.

Sorry to hear he isn’t getting better.

Glad his breathing is back to normal.
Glad he is off the RC vet food and onto a better food.

Keep us posted on what it is!

I recommend a couple supplements that I know are great for IVDD and neurological issues and nerves:

-omega 3 or CBD oil for inflammation

-Green lipped mussels-great for maintenance

Highly recommend:
-Lions mane mushrooms(four leaf rover brand)-helps with nerves and cells and back issues such as IVDD(maintenance and prevention)-this one I HIGHLY recommended!


I attached a screenshot of the information on the lions mane product page under ‘calming effect on nerves’:

 

[Cbrugs]

There is no cure for IVDD. If it were me, I’d see a neurologist ASAP. Jax has had 4 surgeries. 3 cervical and 1 lumbar. A neurologist is the best to diagnose it. Until you can get to the vet, do strict crate rest and only out to potty, eat and drink. Carry up and down the stairs. Time can be of the essence with IVDD. Dogs can become paralyzed very quickly.