Hi all, Since I got my labrador, Lucius, he has always had issues and has recently been taken to a specialist who is 80% certain he has PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) He is completely night blind now (the vet confirmed this by switching off a light and trying to get a menace response which is where they test to see if he blinks when they put their hands near his eye as if to close his eye so we dont poke the eye and just the eyelid. He didnt even see her hand and jumped when she touched him.) and we have to take him again to see how his day vision is doing. This seems to be deteriorating as he sometimes loses toys on walks when we play fetch in a large enclosed field with a ball launcher, he also has growled at family members if they change their appearance during the day ( as if he doesnt recognise them) and has since stopped lunging at cats on walks (he walked past a cat that was sat on a low wall, didnt even see it, typically he'd be jumping up at the wall to see the cat). Recently we've noticed some issues that have me a little worried. A few days ago he seemed not himself, pacing and drooling exessivley, not wanting to play on the field that morning and drinking a lot. However when my parents had come home he was back to his normal self. We figured it was because my grandmother, who lives with us, had to go into hospital the night before and didnt come home till 5am the next morning, he was worried about her and paced all night - I stayed up with him for a while but he was not happy. Today he has acted very similarly except when I came down to him this morning he had been sick everywhere, and his bowl was almost empty (I had filled this up before going to bed) and he was drooling again. Today we've had work done on the house, and he's been outside out of the way of the workmen who he barks at, but he's been drooling all day and I've filled the bowl up multiple times during the day. This isnt normal for him, and I am worried. Is he stressed or sick? We will be taking him to the vet if he doesnt feel any better though.
Drooling and pacing are a sure sign of him feeling nauseous. Could he have eaten something he shouldn't? Have the workmen left anything toxic lying around? Perhaps he's picked up a stomach bug. I don't think he'd be drooling if it were stress. Personally I think I'd be playing safe with a visit to the vet.
Hi my pup was similar a few weeks ago, pacing and restless and was also sick. I took her to the vet, she was tested and had Giardia,a common bacteria for pups I was told. A course of antibiotics put her right. So I would say don't leave it take your boy to the vet to be on the safe side
He's been outside for most of yesterday not all day just while the work men were here. He's not typically the dog to eat off the floor although he is going to the vet today to see what's up. As of today he's managed to fizzle down a bowl and a half of water this morning.
Yes we will be taking him to the vet this afternoon. He's not pacing as much today but he is quite hot and still not happy.
Hi all! Just thought I'd update you all on Lucius. I took him to the vet today who examined him and tested a urine sample for a possible infection or diabetes. The vet said he was young together diabetes but given his history of I'll health we couldn't rule it out. He examined him and tested his urine and said everything looked fine and said he seemed healthy. He told us he could very well be stressed but if he still drinks excessively after the builders have gone and everything has calmed down then he will have a blood test but the vet seems to think he'll be fine. He also said that as the builders had to put plaster on the walls it might make his throat feel dry and he would drink a lot then.
