What will the vets do about a dog being sick?

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April

Member
Whats the normal routine? My dogs been sick for the last couple of days. Not all day, once maybe twice a day. When they open tomorrow im hoping to get her booked in the same day but im not sure what they will give her or do? This is the first animal I have owned so illness's and vets are knew to me.

What can they actually do for dog sickness and how do they find out the cause?
oh and by the way shes still eating, drinking etc. She doesn't seem unwell. She stills plays. Seems all over healthy. Just sick... That's why im a little confused on what the vets will do. Shes 1 years old.
Thanks Katie. I am 100% taking her in. I just hear horror stories of vets doing x rays and everything else to get a lot of money out of you. Plus I didn't know what they could do for sickness.
 
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greygarious

New member
You have been remiss if you have not had the dog to a vet yet. This should be automatic whenever a new pet is acquired. No matter how healthy it appears to be, you take it to a vet along with a stool sample and any medical history records came along with it. If you have not been to a vet, your dog is not on heartworm preventative and that is dangerous to omit.

I get furious whenever people gripe that vets are greedy and purposely do unnecessary tests or procedures. If they wanted to be rich, they would have gone to medical school instead. Educational costs are the same but vet schools are harder to get into and graduates earn less than physicians do. Since their patients can't say where it hurts, and most owners are spectacularly blind to signs that their pets are unwell until there is a serious problem, animals may at times need more bloodwork and Xrays than a human patient would to arrive at the same diagnosis.
 
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©@$h

New member
My dog had cancer and i put it down. spending that much money on a dog is disgusting, it's only a dog. PEOPLE WANT TO LOOK AT HOW HUMANS ARE BEING TREATED. animals are getting treated better than HUMANS. the RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE IS LOW. (The wars for example) that money to help things better could go to a place that really need it like Africa.
 
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dorothys

New member
Vets usually suggest that you withhold food when a dog is either vomiting or has diarrhoea.
You should never tempt a dog who is vomiting or has diarrhoea to eat. You should let her fast for twenty four hours and allow her to drink as much water as possible, never give her milk.

After twenty four hours introduce her to a light diet and feed her about five small meals a day.
The following is what vets consider to be a light diet.
Boil fish or chicken, remove the skin and bones, mince or chop this and mix with soggy rice. (soggy rice is overcooked rice using extra water) Or scramble eggs in water, never use milk or butter. Even a healthy dog has problems digesting cow’s milk. Vets often suggest that a dog’s digestive system is rested before visiting them, however if after fasting for twenty four hours, your dog is still vomiting or has diarrhoea you should visit the vet. If your dog displays any other symptoms do not wait for twenty four hours.
Having said all of the above, one of my dogs woke me up during the night. She was vomiting and had pooed on the bedroom carpet. I knew that this was an emergency and she died at the vets two hours later. The vet said that she had been poisoned, because she had been very active that day, I concluded that someone had thrown poison over the wall when I took her out for her last pee.

If your dog has been sick for the last couple of days, it is not an emergency. Dogs often get grotty tummies.
 
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ladystang

Member
treat her
they examine and do test if they don't know from what you tell them and what they see

know vet, i have never been charged for anything if they said i needed and i said i didn't

if dog is just sick, mine will examine and if nothing wrong just charge me for office visit
if something wrong will charge for treatment and drop office visit
 
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Lizzie

Member
A vet does for a dog the same as a doctor would do for you, if you went to see one, not feeling well but not sure what was wrong. Sometimes more tests, x-rays, etc, are necessary, and sometimes NOT. Most vets won't do unnecessary tests as they are pretty much swamped for time. BUT the rules for veterinary care have changed. Some of the things vets used to just do, now require them to do blood work first (test the blood). This can prevent a serious, life-threatening reaction.

If you don't want to pay for modern medicine, find an older vet who hasn't kept up with the times.
 
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PamperedPetProsecom

New member
If all your dogs seem ill I would question what they may have eaten. Not normal for all of them to be sick at the same time.

Bring a stool sample with you and meanwhile try to think if there is anything they could have gotten into. Maybe they ate a plant in yard, or something in garage.

The fact that they are still eating and drinking are a good sign. Keep an eye on them and get them into the vets asap.

Good luck!
 
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Amy

Active member
My vet has recommended pepto bismol for my dog when she has an upset stomach. It's pretty mild and helps them feel better. It's easiest to give it to your dog with a syringe. I have a syringe that's made to give liquid medicine to children and it works perfect for my dogs.

Also, sometimes dogs aren't smart enough to stop eating when they feel sick so you've got to take the food away. It's important that the dog get enough water so leave that down for him to drink whenever he wants.

Some things that you can feed a dog that are easy on it's stomach are chicken, rice and eggs. I usually soft boil an egg, cook up a bit of instant rice and mix it with a bit of cooked chicken if I have some in the fridge. Give your dog a little of that 2-3 hrs after the pepto bismol and see if he can keep it down. If he does, give him a bit more but wait a day before giving him regular food again.
 
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ElaineM

Member
Take in a poop sample too, so they can check it for worms.

They'll do an exam. If they find anything they'll talk to you about what else they need to do to narrow down the reason. A vet doesn't want to drain you of money, they have a reason for every test they do. It's YOUR responsibility to ask what the test will tell them and if it's necessary.
 
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Shana

Member
You will tell the vet the symptoms. then the doctor will give her a checkup (just like a doctor would give you if you were sick). no big deal, but go to a vet you know and trust( since you arent familiar with vets, ask a neighbor, friend ect. who owns a pet.) because alot of vets with over price and diagnos your dog for something he doesnt have. i went to the vet because my german shepherd was breathing funny. the vet played me for thousands of dollars and faulsly diagnossed it that my dog had gotten into rat poison. I went to a smaller (mom and pop) type of vet and now my dog is fine.
Hope that helps your little girl(:
 
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Maxi

New member
They will ask you when and what the sick looks/colour etc like which then tells then likely causes, when and what you feed which will tell then if it is likely the food ( if you feed kibble have you checked there are no changes in ingredients or quantities of certain ingredients as this is often the case as dogs do not tolerate the rubbish they put in kibble very well) and don't let the vet fob you off with their 'vet prescribed ' kibble, it is rubbish, vets are not animals nutrionists, they are just telling you what the rep tells them ( I used to be a vet sales rep) they will do a general check temperature, heart rate, teeth etc and feel around the neck, tummy to see if there is any tenderness, they will ask things like could your dog have gotten into the bin and eaten something do you feed rawhide chews ( which should be banned as it causes blockages).......depends on the findings of those, depends on the treatment..........if it is yellow bile then I would starve for 24 hours only water and then feed plain boiled rice the day after, the rice/cooked chicken the next as it is likely to be an upset stomach and it is the stomach acid that is making them sick but I never give rawhide and if I did I know it is likely to be that and that needs a vet...........................
 
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ThelMegalHarrybo

New member
when my dog was sick i took it to the vets and they offered to do an x ray to find out what was wrong, i said yes because my dog was ill, he wasn't eating or anything, but anyway i have pet insurance so it was covered, they gave my dog some antibiotics and he stopped being sick, they will probably not do much if your dog is still eating and stuff.
 
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CanineTruth

New member
Not all vets are greedy scumbags.

Chances are they'll just do a routine physical and talk to you about her behavior. When she gets sick, what KIND of sick, if it's the same times each day, what food you're feeding her, if she could have gotten into anything, about her bowel habits, etc etc. They'll make sure she's been vaccinated, ask if she's been around other dogs, and so on.

They may do blood work, they may want a stool sample to check for parasites. They might have you fast her for a day, before introducing a bland diet. They may suggest changing her food. They may suggest giving her Pepto or something to calm her stomach.

If nothing seems to help, they may want to do more tests to rule out serious conditions. But i don't really see them suggesting anything extensive/expensive like an x-ray or whatever UNLESS you answer something in a manner that raises concerns.

Remember - if, at any point, they want to do something extensive/expensive then don't hesitate to ASK THEM what they are looking for and why it's needed. And if you think they're pricey, look at other vets in the area and find one with more reasonable pricing.
 
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STBERNARDMAMA

New member
Your question is exactly why pet owners MUST take the initiative to educate themselves as much as possible regarding health issues in dogs and possible procedures, tests etc. The uninformed owner has no clue what is going on once they set foot in the vet's exam room and also have no idea what procedures are necessary/unnecessary and what tests will just pad their bill...especially if you have a vet that cares solely about financing his next swimming pool.

You have a computer. Use it to become an informed pet owner. It is time well spent.
 
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timetravler1

Member
The vet will take the dogs temp. They will listen to its heart. They will look into the mouth and ears, then feel for any lumps. They will ask you questions about your dog, like what do you mean by being sick. You can in turn ask questions, like how much will this cost and does he need more tests. Vets are amazing on figuring what is wrong with your dog.
 
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Katie

Active member
This happened to my dog too - turned out he had indigestion!! They might do some tests or ask you some questions about her eating habits do try and work out why she is being sick. They may also give her some tablets or medicine to settle her stomach and advise you on what to feed her until it dies down. It's always worth taking her just in case it's something serious, imagine how guilty you would feel if you did nothing and she got too ill to get better? It's always better to be safe than sorry! Good luck, I hope she's okay (: x
 
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WyrDachsie

New member
it will depend on what kind of sick she is. If she's having trouble keeping food down, urinating to much or just seems lethargic, having diareah then the vet will probably run a full blood panel. So the cost of your visit will be the fee for the check up, then any bloodwork, xrays are extra.

Just like people, after they get the results of the bloodwork, they will then decide on what the treatment will be.
 
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Rosalie

Member
Forget the stupid stories about vets being in it for the money - your dog needs a vet, especially in view of you lack of experience. DOn't ever let that sort of rumor keep you form getting your dog proper care, please.

Your vet will start out by taking some basic information - is she eating, has she been 'herself', when did this start, her weight, her temperature - the sort of thing your own doctor asks you, save for the part about what she might be eating out in the yard...

You should take your dog to the vet at lest once a year, so they know what she looks like when she's well - and so they might avoid crises later on by detecting things that may be about to happen. This should be a simple visit - and the very fact that you don't know what might cause this, or what they might do about it means all the more that you need a vet. It's what they train many years for.

By the way - don't be surprised if your vet does do an x-ray of his abdomen. One of the possibilities is that your dog has eaten something that has then gotten stuck in his GI tract. If they are doing things 'by the book', an x-ray is in fact called for to rule that out. To see why, look here-
http://media.animalnetwork.com/channelmedia/vpn/2010XrayWinners2.pdf
 
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