I will try to condense this as much as possible. I've been off this board for a long time so I'll provide a little background info:
Jake is an 8-year-old Brittany/GSD mix. He is 70 pounds of pure sillyness prone to bouncing off the walls and whining for hours on end if you merely *look* at the back door. He loves nothing more than tearing around the back yard except for maybe barking at the front window.
Jake had a fall a week ago Monday (8 days ago). He didn't make it over a hole in the back yard and landed on his abdomen at the opposite side of the hole. He seemed fine except for a sore "wrist" which we nursed for the day with ice packs and restricted activity.
Thursday night we arrived home to find him not feeling quite himself. He does have a sensitive tummy so we just kept an eye on him as usual. However, he quickly declined. He had a very unhappy expression and could not seem to get comfortable. He would take a few steps and sit down. If he laid down, he would get back up and just sit there looking very unhappy.
My mind quickly turned to bloat and we raced to the emergency vet (60 miles away).
After blood work, urine tests and an x-ray (and $300), we went home with a diagnosis of a bladder infection and some cephalexin. He also got a shot for pain, Metacan.
Friday he seemed better, even ran around a little outside, although he did spend most of the day sleeping. Saturday morning he was still okay, but not quite as perky. By Sunday morning he was looking unhappy again, though not nearly as bad as Thursday.
Sunday I called the EVet and she said that bladder infections are painful and it is normal for him to be uncomfortable for a few days, especially since his shot had worn off. I told her that I thought he might be stiff because he'd been sleeping on the floor and it had been chilly (he normally sleeps in the bed with us) she agreed that some aspirin might help him. I gave him one in the morning and one at night and took him with me all day long. He moved slowly but seemed better. He might have just been happy to be out of the house.
Monday morning he woke with a wagging tail and was barking at the window bright and early. He slept on the couches instead of the floor, presumably because he felt good enough to climb up.
Today, however, he's back down again. Moving slowly and not interested in barking or going outside. But he's not making that "sick dog" face. When he lifts his head, his ears are up... but he won't GET up.
Thursday night, his urine was completely dark with blood. Since then it has been a good stream of yellow followed by quite a bit of blood at the end. Not much improvement there. He doesn't seem in pain when he urinates.
Diet-wise, he has not eaten a bowl of food since Friday. I am told that might be from the cephalexin. However, he is a thin dog to begin with and I can already see the difference in him. I've been trying to sneak some calories in him any way I can. I wrap his pills in a slice of cheese and he takes it happily, he is still interested in food. Monday, when he was feeling good, he ate some ground beef and beef jerky. I have also been giving him Gatorade, broth, JuicyJuice and Ensure. The vet says to keep going everything but the Ensure (I don't understand why) and that it would be okay to give him chicken livers.
It seems like 4 whole days into the meds he should be feeling considerably better. I am starting to think that we are not dealing with a bladder infection, but rather some kind of injury to his bladder or penis.
Any input would be greatly appreciated. I apologize for the length of this post.
And yes, we do have an appointment at our regular vet in the morning, I'd just like to go in armed with information.