My puppy has shaking legs, foul urine, low platelets. What tests?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Nine days is a bit long to be related to the vaccines. The stool in the picture looks normal to me. I’m not sure what HB is -perhaps posting a picture of the bloodwork could help us. The platelets are a little low. Drinking and urinating a lot could be a sign of infection but is often completely normal for puppies. Long story short, if the fever is persisting this long, something else may be going on. Perhaps there is a tick borne- or other disease which can cause fever and also low platelet count. I recommend seeing your vet for re-evaluation to help see what is going on. Best wishes to you and Billu!

Maxi certainly sounds quite sick, but I am glad to hear that she is eating and drinking normally. As I'm sure your vet discussed, tick borne diseases are one of the more common causes of a fever of unknown origin (FUO). However, FUOs can also be caused by other infectious diseases (toxoplasmosis, Bartonella, Brucella, mycoplasma, fungal diseases, etc.) as well as immune-mediated or cancerous causes. To answer your question, yes, you will need to do some more diagnostics to get to the bottom of this issue. Different causes of the FUO will require different treatments. Maxi's vet will be able to guide you as to their next tier of diagnostic testing based upon their clinical suspicions. I hope that all goes well!

It looks like you shared urinalysis results. Was bloodwork run as well? If this is a urine test there appears to be a large amount of bilirubin in the urine which is very abnormal. If bloodwork has not been done it needs to be right away. There are several causes for the abnormalities on your kids urinalysis and for weight loss. Bloodwork helps rule in/out many problems. The next step will then likely be some imaging (xrays, ultrasound). Your kid is young, it is important to run more tests to get to the bottom of the weight loss/poor appetite. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Unfortunately I would ask for a blood test that checks the albumin level as if that is low it can cause edema in the legs. He also should have his urine tested and be tested for tick borne disease. He has a mild increase in a liver enzyme that is likely from the phenobarbital. I’m not worried about anything else. But they have not found out WHY he has a swollen leg. I’d request the above. I wish you the best

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!

You are describing pancytopenia which is a low red blood cell, white blood cell and platelet count. We see this disease process secondary to infectious diseases carried by ticks, toxins such as hormones or even secondary to some medications such as anti-inflammatories, primary diseases of the bone marrow and cancer. Unfortunately, it is a problem because if left untreated his platelet count will continue to drop resulting in bleeding and his low white blood cell count predisposes him to infection. He needs to be tested for tick borne disease and possibly have a bone marrow aspirate. In the meantime, your veterinarian may recommend treating him with doxycycline and prednisone.

Hello. What an adorable picture of Beretta! Based on the description of her symptoms & that she is a dachshund, I would definitely want to eliminate any possibility that she may have some intervertebral disc disease. This is just so common in this breed. There are also some diseases/conditions that may not be apparent with routine bloodwork & additional testing may be necessary. Was your vet able to obtain a urine sample? A urinary tract infection can make a pet pretty miserable. I would want to see how she does on some pain medication, but x-rays may be helpful as possibly a change in antibiotics. If Beretta is not feeling better by tomorrow, please contact your vet for further investigation. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.