How to Identify Common Pet Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced pet care professionals :
Changes in the color of the affected leg – typically to a blue or purple shade. A warm feeling of the skin on the affected limb. Leg tenderness or pain. Tired or restless leg that doesn`t appear to go away.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Blood that is dark or black in the stool can indicate a problem with the upper intestines such as the stomach or small intestine. This is usually considered more serious than bright red stool, however any blood seen is cause for concern. If the blood is seen more than once or twice, making a vet appointment is a must.
If your dog is not eating and is having blood in either her stool or vomit, making an appointment with your local vet is best. Illness, digestive upset or problems with internal organs can all cause these symptoms. In the mean time, a bland diet of plain boiled chicken and plain white rice may help to soothe minor digestive upset until you can get into the vet.
There are a few bladder abnormalities that can contribute to UTIs, including urachal diverticulum (a little pouch or out-cropping of the bladder) and ectopic ureters (the ureters do not enter the bladder at the appropriate spot). On the outside, she could have a redundant vulvar fold, which is predisposing her to trapping fecal matter at her vulva, and the bacteria is ascending up to her bladder and causing recurrent UTIs.
The other possibility of that she got a UTI initially and it was never treated appropriately, i.e. The appropriate antibiotic wasn’t used and it never really resolved, but it seems like it’s coming back. I think this is less likely, as it’s really uncommon to begin with to see UTI’s in dogs this young. I also once saw a 4 month old dog with bladder cancer, but that’s incredibly rare and I think highly unlikely in your dog.
Your question got cut off at the end but it sounded like you were about to say that she may have kidney problems. If that’s right clearly this is becoming a serious problem for her.
Your dog needs a competent vet to work up this problem. It’s likely that she’s going to need some advanced imaging, including possibly an x-ray procedure called a cystogram and possibly an ultrasound. You might consider taking her to a veterinary internal medicine specialist at this point, if one is available in your area.
If your dog has been through rigorous diagnostics like x-rays and blood work and no cause has been found, I think (unfortunately) it’s time to see a specialist. I’m really suspicious of a spinal problem, as they can be really difficult to find with routine examination and x-rays. A veterinary neurologist can perform a full neuro exam to look for deficits, and then if findings point to a possible spinal issue suggest imaging, possibly an MRI. In a dog as young as yours if nothing obvious has been found I suspect it’s in the spinal area. GSDs are predisposed to lumbosacral stenosis, so that’s where I’d start looking. Good luck.