Cocker Spaniel with Abdominal Discomfort

Hi everyone, I have a 9 year old female (spayed) cocker spaniel. She has been having abdominal discomfort for around a month. I have been to our vet 4 times, and he cannot figure out what is wrong. He has done blood work, urinalysis, X-rays, and a fecal. She did have tapeworms and has been given 1 of 2 doses of Drontal 5 days ago. She will take the next dose 14 days after the first. I just find it hard to believe that a tapeworm could be the cause of what is going on (maybe I’m wrong). I made a post earlier in the “Ask A Vet Direct” FB group with some videos to show exactly what I am seeing with her. I’m sorry I cannot post them here. Maybe you could go to the group and search my name to see them (Kaydon Nicholson)? In the first video, you can see her abdomen kind of contracts as she breathes. It’s near her flank area. It is not normal for her and has had me so worried. Again, this has been happening for 1 month. She also grunts/sounds uncomfortable when she is laying down and has to adjust herself. The other video from the post is of when she seems extra uncomfortable. It’s just her laying there kind of whimpering. At this point my vet has pretty much given up, but to me it still seems like something is wrong. She is eating and drinking regularly (Fromm small breed), and she is pooping like normal. She has not vomited at all. It does seem like she gets more uncomfortable after she eats. I just don’t know what could be causing the discomfort at this point with all the clean tests. If a dog has a partial blockage, do you think it could still poop for a whole month? That was my next thought, but it seems like it could be a reach. I guess I’m just hoping for some new perspectives and thoughts on what could be going on, and if more testing is needed, some suggestions on what you would do next. Thank you for your time.     If you were in this situation, what tests would you have done next? I absolutely am not asking for a diagnosis. I just don’t know what else to do at this point. I do have the blood work results and X-rays if needed. Thank you all for reading.

Hello - I think I have answered this question before.  Did you speak to your vet and have they completely ruled out pancreatitis as a cause?

We do not offer second opinions - our role is to help clients to get the best out of their vets, not to offer superior opinions.  Indeed, we are in no position to do so because they have done the tests and the imaging and are in a much better position to give an opinion than we are.  The logical second opinion would be an internal surgeon or medic (specialist).   Questions I would be asking include, 'What were your possible differentials?   What have you managed to rule out?  What differentials remain?   What are the different available options at this stage to a) make my dog feel better and b) to find the cause.    You should then have a reasonable understanding of what is going on, and the best way to take the case forward.

My apologies - perhaps I haven't answered this question before so I will start from the beginning.  Usually, when a complex case presents, it can become very confusing to understand what is going on.  Your vet essentially has two jobs - 1) to keep the patient comfortable / hydrated / alive / stop any deterioration as much as a possible with treatment.    The second job 2) - is to get to the bottom of what is going on / causing the illness.  Very often, from an owners perspective, you see lots of tubes and fluids, and lots of tests, and the vet doesn't say a diagnosis, and the pet looks sick, and it feels very frustrating.     I think this is the stage at which you are now.  However, I have never, in my career, heard a vet say that they have 'given up on a case.'  Maybe that they have done tests and ruled out everything that they can treat and regregretably euthanasia is the only option - I have said that, of course.  But never 'we've done lots of tests and we've no idea.'  I don't buy that - from what you have said, it sounds as though your vets may have been working very hard, but that the communication has not been clear to you.

We cannot give second opinions over the internet, but what I would encourage you to do, is to ask your vet to talk you through the symptoms, then the diseases (or sometimes, combinations of several diseases) that would usually cause those symptoms, and then the tests that they have done.  You need to understand which body systems they are worried about, what has been ruled out and what it could still be.  What would they like to do next?   You can also ask them for a prognosis - liklehood that they can help and to what extent.   If they feel that this is low, there are choices to be made - perhaps referral to a specialist, perhaps euthanasia, perhaps more tests, or perhaps altering the treatment plan to see if it will help.    I have found a good question for owners to ask is, 'If this was your dog, what decision would you be making now?'   I hope that something here helps.

Hello Liz, Thank you for the feedback. I was told pancreatitis was ruled out based on the original bloodwork. My pup has always been healthy and has never required treatment for anything beyond a UTI, so this is all new to me. I did not know there were veterinarians that specialized in certain areas, so gaining that knowledge alone is a win. Thank you for also laying out some excellent questions to bring to the doctor.