Sick Border Collie Puppy

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Alex
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:59 am

Sick Border Collie Puppy

Post by Alex »

Hi guys,

I have a male border collie puppy just over 5 months. Since I got him he's been getting gradually weaker and injuring himself on things that really shouldn't. After a sprained ankle that wouldn't get better I took him to the vet where an x-ray revealed his spine and his bones were very transparent and very weak.

I'll be receiving a test result in a few days about whether or not this was a defect at birth or a nutritional defect but in the mean time I've changed his diet and been prescribed pain killers. After reading some other threads I am wondering whether or not steroids might be helpful for him. I'm also frustrated because I realize the vet only x-rayed his spine and not his hind legs, but that was due to the fact that she couldn't feel any breaks or fractures on his legs. A blood test revealed his organs were in good health.

He's still somewhat playful and has a hearty appetite for a dog that can't walk which is the big issue here - he can't poop on his own. Before the last few days where he became this weak he would poop like clockwork. He will still urinate on his own when I carry him to his bathroom spot outside in the grass while lying down. I have read some of the tips of how to express a puppy but none of the tutorials I can find are for a dog while he is lying down ( he is not strong enough to balance on his front paws and I cannot squat him in my lap as he can't put weight on his back legs without a lot of pain). Does anybody have any tips or experience with getting a puppy to poo while he is lying down?
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CarolC
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Re: Sick Border Collie Puppy

Post by CarolC »

Yes, you can stimulate the dog to poo while he is lying down. I did that with my golden retriever. All of the techniques that work standing up will work lying down. Here is a link listing various techniques. I would recommend either the Q-tip method or the ice cube method. Wherever your puppy is lying, just slip a puppytraining pad under his hindquarters and apply the stimulus to his anus and see if you get any response. If you drop some Kleenex over it right away, it helps with any odors.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18586

I hope it turns out to be a dietary issue. There is a condition called osteogenesis imperfecta, and a few people have posted about it here over the years. You can read their posts by using the search button if that is something the vet mentioned.

:group:
Alex
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:59 am

Re: Sick Border Collie Puppy

Post by Alex »

Thanks for the support. I'd tried the Q-tip trick twice without any success which is why I posted. I don't have easy access to ice but could try that if needed. Luckily he pooped all by himself earlier today when I carried him to his bathroom spot outside. He was able to go a bit at a time lying down as long as he was relaxed :D

I've been feeding him a ~15% protein diet up until now without realizing he might need more (normal puppy food is about 28%). I really do hope that this was the issue as well and there's still enough time for him to recover, but it's strange that the lack of 10% protein in his diet would account for such a severe case of this (the vet said she had never seen anything like this in 7 years :( )
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critters
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Re: Sick Border Collie Puppy

Post by critters »

:whale: I'm NO expert, but supposedly any normal commercial food is balanced. I, too, wonder about OI or the like; I've known several humans with it.
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