Expert: Kim Wingate - 10/7/2009

Question
QUESTION: My 11 yr old poodle, Joannie, started acting strange about 4 days ago. The first day she started acting like this, she wouldn't eat all day.  She just laid on the back of my chair, which is her favorite place to be.  That night, she started stiffening out & acting like she wasn't "in this world", for a lack of any other way to explain it.  Finally, after about 30 min. or so, she kinda came back at herself, but seems like she hurts really bad on her hip area.  She will hardly walk, will not eat anything at all, all these days & she lets me know when she's thirsty & I help her down & put her right by her water bowl & she'll drink & go to her spot to pee & want back up in her laying spot.  She sleeps most of the time.  Sometimes, her nose feels warm & dry & sometimes, cold & moist.  We do not have the money to take her to a vet, & we are very distressed.  Is there anything we can do at home?  What are we to expect to happen to her?  We would appreciate any info.

Thanks,
Kathy    Please don't want anyone to have my email address but you!

ANSWER: Hello Kathy,
It sounds like your dog has either had a stroke or a seizure.  There isn't really anything you can do but to make your dog as comfortable as possible and see if she gets better.  If she seems to have a seizure again, record what she does, how long it lasts, and any other observations that you see and call your Vet just to let him know what happened.  He might have some suggestions that he can give you.  

You can give her a baby asprin if you think she is in really bad pain.  

I wish I could help you further with this, but unless you take your dog to a Vet there isn't much you can do for her at home.  
If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Joannie is still alive, but basically lifeless.  She hasn't eaten a bite in 6 days & turns her head away when we try to give her anything.  She will drink her water & occasionally pee & finally pooed this morning, for the first time in 6 days, but just a tiny bit.  She is extremely weak & mostly has to be carried around like a baby.  When she wakes up from a nap, I always offer her a drink of water.  How much does she need a day %26 is there anything you can suggest about feeding her something.  I know she will soon die without food.  We've had her since she was 5 weeks old & has always been a house dog & my baby.  I appreciate anything you can tell me.  She doesn't seem to be in as much pain as she has been.  We have some Penicillin that we use for our goats.  would that be something we might could use in very small doses??  Thank You Very Much.  Kathy

Answer
Hello again,
I am sorry for your dogs condition.  I wish I could be of more help, but it sounds like your dog has suffered a major stroke and there is not alot you can do for her but make sure she is comfortable.  

As for feeding her, try this diet of mine that has Vitamins and Minerals that will be good for her body.  
1 lb Beef, Chicken, Lamb or Turkey meat (cooked and drain 1/2 of the fat off)
1 can Sardines in Olive Oil
1 cup Spinach blended with the oil of the sardines
1 egg scrambled
1 1/2 cup Special K or Total Cereal
1 Apple Blended (or you can use 1/2 cup of Applesauce)
1/8 tsp Garlic powder
1 grated carrot
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked using chicken or beef broth for better flavor
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
This recipe is for a large dog, but if you think this is more than you would use in a week, it freezes nicely
I would blend this up into a paste-like texture and if you have a large syringe you can feed her through that.  If not, see if you can spoon some into her mouth.  She will also need alot of liquid so that she doesn't get dehydrated and so that her kidneys won't shut down.  You can put Chicken broth in the diet mix above and give it to her a little watered down to see if she will drink more that way, or you can spoon feed her water.  

I don't think the penicillin that you have will help her, since she doesn't have any infection that you or I know of.  You might try taking her tempature to see if she is running a temp, which might indicate an infection, but I am pretty sure, judging by what you told me that she had a stroke.  A dogs normal temp is around 101.5 and you can take it rectally to get the best reading.  Hold the dogs tail up and insert the thermometer gently into her rectum.  Stop inserting when you feel resistance.  
If your dogs temp is up, you might go ahead and try a round of Penicillin.  

I hope this helps a little more and that your dog starts to come out of this.  Again, feel free to contact me if you have other questions.  

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim