My dog's appetite is poor and she has a fever. Is it sepsis again?

There is a very high white blood cell count that is mostly neutrophils so there is definitely an underlying infection somewhere in the body. She is also very anemic and her chloride is very low. Unfortunately, her symptoms are non-specific. Anything disease process or illness can cause lack of appetite. You can not use feel to assess body temperature. They often feel warm to the touch but their body temperature will be normal, however, in this case, with the underlying infection I suspect she is feverish. You would need to take a rectal temperature to get a proper reading. The first thing that always comes to mind in a an unspayed dog is a uterine infection (pyometra) so I suggest you speak to the vet about that possibility. If it is not that you will just have to continue testing for things until you find something. The list of possibilities is very long from tick borne diseases to cancer and anything in between. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to diagnose her via the internet. I hope this clarifies a bit and I wish Stephanie a speedy recovery.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Glad to talk to a fellow colleague. I think in a case like this the first thing to consider is what is causing the clinical findings. In an older Golden retriever with such a high fever, I would be very concerned about underlying causes that can cause fevers such as for example an upper urinary tract infection such as pyelonephritis which can explain both the fever and the high renal values or possibly cancer. I think further diagnostics that can be pursued include abdominal ultrasound and urine culture and susceptibility. If there is any concern for lymphoma (due to for example the presence of peripheral lymphadenopathy), I would recommend checking an ionized calcium secondary to lymphoma for example as that could explain the increased renal values and potentially the fever. A CBC would also be helpful to try to see if there is an immature neutrophilia for example that could further support an infectious disease though this can also occur due to cancer to some extent. Thorough fluid therapy is important though again, diagnostics to try to pinpoint the cause of the fever would be crucial. If you are unable to proceed with diagnostics and physical examination does not point out any other possible causes, I would consider using broad-spectrum antibiotics such as enrofloxacin and Clavamox. Best of luck! Feel free to get back to use to further discuss this case.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor girl! General tests to consider include bloodwork (CBC and chemistry panel), urinalysis, thoracic radiographs and ideally abdominal ultrasound. This would be a good place to start to see if the cause can be found. An infection is possible though other things like inflammatory diseases or cancer can also cause a fever. This can be done stepwise which may be more cost effective. Good luck and best wishes for your girl!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Luana! I have seen viruses attack the oral mucosa and also hit the bone marrow causing low white and red blood cells. The ulcers could also be from electric chord chewing or licking something caustic. Other possibilities are cancer and immune mediated. If it is a virus her blood values should improve over several days. I would have her hospitalized on IV fluids and IV antibiotics, oral sucralfate for the ulcers and an oral chlorhexidine rinse. She should also be on pain medications. She should have CBC's to check the progression of her white count at least every other day. I wish you both the best!

My next step would be to send off blood for a test for plague (Yersinia pestis) and Tularemia, especially if your dog has access to areas where there are rodents, squirrels and rabbits. These would not be included in regular blood work. You may also want tod discuss a disease called malignant hyperthermia with your veterinarian. Other common causes of "fever of unknown origin" would be tumors, however your vet apparently ruled those out with blood tests, ultrasound, and xray and possibly blood parasites such as Ehrlichia spp, Babesia spp and similar. A heartworm test may also be advisable.

The problem here is to establish the underlying cause of thrombocytopenia (low platelets). Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia is one of the most common causes. This process usually occurs in the spleen although the liver also plays a role. Thrombocytopenia develops as platelet destruction exceeds compensatory production by the bone marrow. Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia can be classified as primary or secondary. Secondary processes can be caused by infective diseases or tumors very commonly. Usually to determine a diagnosis more tests needs to be performed like abdominal ultrasound and chest x rays. Infective diseases like Ehrlichia, Anaplasma spp for example should be ideally evaluated as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum (where you can post pics of the blood tests) or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

This sounds like a pretty complex situation, and I'd agree that an infection of some sort seems likely with a high WBC. I'd be worried about something viral, perhaps even meningitis, especially if it seems that she has neck pain, but that's basically a guess on my part. She should be tested for tick-borne diseases (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, ehrlichia, babesia, Lyme) if that hasn't been done. I'm not sure how far you are from a specialty hospital, but it sounds like she's still not out of the woods, and in the absence of a definitive diagnosis, I too would be worried. I would recommend taking Sky to a specialty hospital, where they might be more capable of diagnosing the problem and getting her the appropriate treatment.