ear infection

Aug. 3rd, 2014

Yesterday, we took Big Steve for a Pug Meetup at the dog park nearby. They do a pug meetup every first Saturday of the month. There will be 30 or more pugs at its peak! It’s just so therapeutic for pug owners. 🙂

There was a cute pug coming to me and scratching her ear so badly. I suspected that she may have an ear infection when I saw that. The reason is because Big Steve had an ear infection and he did the same thing. So I checked her ear and found black discharge in her ear. That’s it. That’s ear infection. (We told her owner about it, so don’t worry!)

*Click here to check the image of ear infection.

The ear infection Big Steve had looked like black discharge and it smelled bad.

Big Steve had this for a long time. He scratched his ear, and after he would scratch his ear, he even smelled his paw and acted like “ewwww!” Because it smells bad. However, we didn’t know that was an ear infection and vet never told us about it, so I was just cleaning his ear with cotton bud every day.

Anyway, the vet gave us otomax, liquid ointment for ear infection, that I can apply in both ears. In less than 10 days,  his ear infection was gone.

I don’t use otomax now, and I check his ear everyday. However, I don’t see any black discharge in his ear since then.

The photo below, left one is Big Steve and the right one is Arnold. I think Arnold likes Big Steve. He always comes to Big Steve. 🙂

 

 

Heat rash?

June 12th, 2014

He’s been doing okay except that he’s been gassy. Yesterday and today, I found some rumps and bumps under his armpit and around his hind leg (inner thighs). I gave him Allergy pill and it went away. I am wondering what are these? When I touch the part, it feels sweaty and sticky a  bit. I called the vet to seek some advice. The nurse told me that I could try “Neosporin or Triple Antibiotics,” but I didn’t want to cause more trouble on him, so I just wipe the part with wet towel and keep the area clean. Nurse told me that if this keeps continuing, she could talk to Dr. and see what he wants to do. I hope this is nothing serious.

throw up and diarrhea

2014, June 2 ~ Now

After the bug bite, he threw up his food. The next day, I called the vet to see if this is an emergency situation I should take him to vet. Nurse just asked if I want to bring him to vet. I didn’t see anything that stands out, but I didn’t know what to do, so I said yes. My husband and I took him to the vet that day, but doctor couldn’t see anything that stands out just like I thought. He didn’t eat much that night.

The next day early in the morning, like 4:00am,  he threw up yellow bile and white form. He also had diarrhea. I called the vet 2nd time, and this time, Dr. told me to bring him to emergency center because Dr. though he may have pancreatitis again. This is the emergency center Big Steve had been seen before. They did ultra sound and found pancreatitis at that time. Anyway, I thought they could give him antibiotics or something for this kind of condition, but they didn’t want to do that.

Anyway, I had no choice but to call the emergency center. I explained the situation and my opinion. The nurse talked to the Dr. about it and that emergency Dr. called Big Steve’s primary Dr. to talk about Big Steve. At the end, the nurse from the emergency told me that Big Steve’s primary Dr. will take Big Steve’s blood to check his condition. I took Big Steve to his primary vet that day and they took his blood sample. They also gave him an injection for anti-nausea. Big Steve seemed like doing better after that.

On June 5th, the result of his blood came out normal. But since Big Steve still have his soft stool, Dr. decided to give him “Metronidazole 250 mg tablet,”  1/2 tablet twice a day for 10 days. Metronidazole is an antibacterial drug. I’m still quit not sure why they couldn’t give him antibiotics from the first. Is Metronidazole some special drag? Did I miss any explanations?

It’s been a week, and it looks like he’s been doing fine. Except he’s been gassy. So I don’t know and I can’t say that he is fine now.

 

 

 

 

blister around his penis?

June 7, 2014

We took Big Steve to the Dog Park today! It was a pug meetup day! We weren’t sure if we should take Big Steve to the Park since he had health problem. But we though he need social time. It went great. We all enjoyed seeing other pugs! 🙂

When Big Steve finds other dogs he likes, he starts humping. He won’t do that to any dogs. He follows after one particulate dog and humping.

My friend was at the park today, and Big Steve loved her dog so much. It’s a male pug and his name is “Fidel Castro.” Yes, Fidel Castro. There was a dog called “Newton” also. I guess it was also a celebrity meetup. 🙂

Anyway Big Steve loves “Fidel Castro,” and Steve was humping him so much. My fried didn’t care, so we just let him do what he had to do.

After we came back to home, I found something looks like a  blister around Big Steve’s penis. I’m not sure when did he have that. But I suspect he got it by humping other dogs. He doesn’t look like bothered by it, so I’m gonna just keep an eye on him.

2 big dogs and Big Steve and Fidel Castro.

Bug Bite

June 2nd 2014

Big Steve woke me up this morning at around 6:00 am. He was scratching himself and his body was shaking by itself. I palpated the part he was scratching and found three little bumps. It goes from his chest area, his side belly, and back. I could imagine some kind of bug must have bitten him. Anyway, I googled if there is anything I could do to make him feel better, but I couldn’t find much.

Last time when he had itchy problem with rash, vet told me to give him diphenhydramine. So I gave him an allergy pill that contains diphenhydramine. I hold him in my arm and measured his weigh on the scale. He weighs little less than 25lb, so I gave him 25 mg, whole pill. (I learned I can give 1 mg per lb.)

Pretty much, it worked pretty soon. The bump – bug bites are almost gone, and he is not itching anymore.

We took him to a dog park yesterday, and he got pretty dirty rolling around on the sand playing with Rocky who is 4 months old bulldog . So after the park, we took him to the Pet Food Express to wash him. I also vacuum the house almost everyday. However, bug can come from nowhere~!!! I curse at them~!!! …Well, I know all the life have role in the world…. sigh. Poor Big Steve. I don’t know what kind of bug bit him. It could be a spider, or something else…

Well, rather than that, he enjoy eating steamed sweet potatoes, and he had a great time at a dog park yesterday! 🙂

Running with Dexter!

 

Playing with Rocky!

Now,  I can clearly see the bite hole on his chest. He sometimes scratch a bit, so I’m gonna give him another pill later.

 

Big Steve lost his weight?

May 27th 2014

Big Steve has been eating GI low fat canned food since this April. I can see he lost his weight. When I touch around his berry, I can stretch his belly skin. Whenever I go to the kitchen, he comes with me expecting he could get some food.

Since he got some rash (because of food?), I didn’t want to risk anything to cause any health problem on him. So I only give him what his vet told me that I can give him.

Today, I called the vet to ask if I can give him steamed sweet potatoes and carrots. They said that I can give him both of them. So, I started to give him seamed sweet potatoes!

Dog Park

May 24th 2014

Big Steve is not scratching since I stop giving SO. I don’t know if he has allergy or not, but I don’t want him to suffer anymore. At this point, he’s been eating and peeing well, and his pee color is fine, and we make sure to take him outside to pee.

My recent concern is that I sometimes find him drooling while he is walking outside to pee. It looks like brownish a bit. I think it’s the canned food. I wonder if this is because of the heat? or is this because we put water in his food? Is it too much water for him? However, since we can’t treat him with SO, we need to make sure that he is drinking enough and pees a lot to prevent forming crystal. We keep a close eye on him. We hope he is okay.

Well other than my concern, he seems pretty healthy, easy going, and happy boy as usual.:) The photos are from French Bulldog meet up!

My dog is scratching again.

May 22nd 2014

Yesterday. the May 21st, Big Steve started to scratch himself again. It’s not that bad, and we couldn’t find any rash on his body. However, this morning Big Steve was scratching himself again and there was red spot under his arm and small rash around his inner hind leg. I wander what the vet would think and do about this, so I called the vet and explained his condition.

They told me to stop giving him SO again and said that they will call me sometime next week.

 

Start adding SO to his food again.

May 16th 2014

Today, I went to the Vet to get his GI low fat canned food. Big Steve’s primary vet told me that I should start to give him SO again. I was a bit surprised to be told to do so since Big Steve had rash that was unsure of an exact cause. I asked them if there are other urinary healthy type of canned food. They told me that there are some brand, but they all are kind of high fat content.

I had no choice but to start to add few SO to his GI low fat canned food again.

having fun at a dog park

May 10th. 2014

Big Steve is doing great everyday. He is enjoying cool breath and sunlight.

If he is doing fine, we take him to the dog park every Saturday. Since he is doing great, we took him to the dog park. All he needs is something to eat and drink and pee & poo and fun social time! 🙂