Shiloh is 14 years old. He is panting heavily at night, he begins this in and out of the house to the backyard in a manic kind of way. The smell is getting really bad. I have chlorophyll drops for that, but it doesn't always work. He is taking DOC pellets for his hip dysplasia but he walks with his backend down and to the side, tail down between the legs, not always. He always jumps up on my bed but is experiencing problems in doing that unless I help him up. He still hears and sees, so I am really fortunate. He acts scared if I leave the room, until he finds me. We are attached at the hip. This is making me really nervous. Anyone else going thru this? I got him when he was 4 weeks old at Christmas time. Same season is coming around. Thanks for reading, any words of wisdom? Bless you. Diane
Help, Shiloh is doing his end of the night in and out of the door. Drinking water then out again. His walk seems better tonight. What is that smell that is becoming really overpowering?
Hi, this is Shiloh. He will be 14 this Christmas. He has a really bad odor? I am trying chlorophyll drops and medicine for his displaysia. He cannot jump up on the be as easily. He doesn't seem to be in pain, but he is chewing on his tail really bad and acting man icky. Any ideas?
Hi Diane and welcome to the forum When you say that Shiloh smells bad, do you mean his fur, or his teeth, or something else? Fur (i.e. his body) smelling bad can be a chronic yeast infection, or some other kind of skin infection. Teeth/mouth/breath smelling bad can be from a decaying or infected tooth, or very bad gum disease. Have you been able to see a vet about what might be causing him to smell bad? If it seems to be his mouth I would definitely be seeing the vet about it as mouth/teeth issues can be very painful. He may be panting due to pain he is experiencing (panting is a very common response to pain) or because he is hot or because he is short of breath. Again, this is something a vet can help you to narrow down. I'm sure that you and your boy love each other very much after 14 years together! he must be a grand old man at that age
Diane, I have merged three of your threads/posts into this one thread as they all concerned the same issue
Get his teeth checked skin checked, are you sure he's not in pain speak to your vet about better pain relief too. They pant heavily when they are in pain, also he could have a thing called laryngeal paralysis. Its a common old Lab problem which affects their breathing too. Its common in older labs and dogs who are also suffering with spine back and hip problems as its to do with the deteriation of the nerves. My old deaf lab Doug who is also 14 has had it for ages and he roars like a train when he breaths and snores like a bull. He is on tramadol and onsior for pain and he used to pant in pain until we got his meds right He also has weekly hydrotheraphy which helps maintain his muscles the best we can.
Hi Diane and welcome to the forum. I would definitely get a vet check. He sounds a bit unhappy really? Are you worried his time has come? You sound pretty concerned about him. A vet check will at least help clarify things for you and maybe put your mind at rest. jac
Hi Diane and welcome. I had two old brothers prior to my lab that I have now (Poppy). When Billy, the chocolate, was around 14 he started smelling really bad, and didnt seem himself. My vet hadn't really picked up any issues, but I went to a new vet, and she found that he had several rotten teeth, as well as infected anal glands (which smelt really bad). The vet sorted out his anal glands, and his rotten teeth were removed. Although he was an old dog to be having such an operation, he recovered very well and was a happy, pain-free old boy until his death at almost 16 years old. Best thing you can do is get your old friend down to the vet, fast. Karen
Hi Diane and welcome. It sounds as if a trip to the vet would be a good idea to try and find out what's going on with your boy.
I want to thank all of you for welcoming me. I am definitely going to take Shiloh to the vet and have the teeth looked at. As well as the other too. Shiloh and I actually have a language that is too weird. I know exactly when he is hungry, thirsty, wants to sleep etc. I call him my interim husband. I was single for two years and he was such an active puppy he kept me from being so lonely. When he is troubled his head goes up to a point. When he is fine it is smooth and flat. I think we have more time. Especially with a trip to the vet. The medicine I got for him is really working, I have to hide the pellets in his food and crush a dog bone to get hi to eat it all. Sometimes I pour meat juice on it if he is being stubborn. I wish I could post a photo from my IPad. Have a great day. Diane
Hi,Diane ,let us know how you get on at your vet appointment.....you can't post a photo in directly ,you need to join a photo hosting site like Flickr or photobucket...I struggle with Flickr on my iPad but photobucket word really well and it's easy to sign up to .....give it a try ,we'd love to see Shiloh. My yellow boy is 3'hes our first dog Best wishes Angela x
Good to hear your update Diane. Please let us know how you get on at the vets. Glad to to hear that the medication is working and that he is more comfortable.
