Puppy Update

Hi! So if you have been following me since August, you'd know that we got a rescue pup from the Humane Society. She recently celebrated what is believed to be her 5 month birthday and she is a true gem. We knew that she had nystagmus and didn't care, then we noticed she didn't seem to be able to see very well and was possibly nearsighted, the vet said they thought she was blind or partially blind, but that didn't phase us at all. We love her spirit, her sweetness and her kindness. 

So since we got her in August she has had this milky white, green and yellow discharge after urination. It wasn't a big deal, or so we thought, until one day she was extremely lethargic and only wanted to lay there and be a bump on a log (for about 3 days). After taking her to the Humane Society vet and her vet they all agreed she had "puppy vaginitis" which occurs when you spay a dog before they have their first heat. No one did any actual tests, no one sampled the discharge and no one did any cultures. They did say that it is best to not have a puppy on antibiotics and that puppy vaginitis would "resolve" on its own.

So we are now at the end of October and she is acting fine, stool is good, appetite is great and her activity level is good. But she still has this discharge, that occasionally becomes very viscous and snot-like dangling from her vulva area. I was concerned, how long is this supposed to last? I asked one of my close friends, who is an emergency veterinarian, what she would recommend - she said she would put her on antibiotics. In turn I told her vet and then was told not to. Again, no one has seen the pup. Long story short I get my hands on the antibiotics, I wait a day to see if anyone calls or if anything starts to clear and it is the same. So I start giving them to her. 

Overall her energy is great, appetite is awesome and spirit is fine:
Day 1 she is a-ok
Day 2 her stool is starting to loosen
Day 3 we notice her vulva area shrank down 50% from what it was
We didn't know it was so swollen as we didn't know what it was supposed to look like, but it was somewhat miraculous, her vaginal area was so huge and swollen and there was definitely some sort of infection but we didn't know how bad it was. 
Day 4 stool is more loose
Day 5 stool is firmer
Day 6 stool is very loose

She finishes this round on Saturday and I am very optimistic this will help her. My friend said the discharge should go away starting Thursday and I am hopeful that the recovery from the antibiotics is fast, as I know this can "mess up" her system but she is resilient and strong.

Ultimately, I was disappointed in her official vet that we chose for her. I am a doer and I want action and if there is a problem I want something done about it. Were all resources utilized to help solve the problem? No. Did anyone do any actual tests on her? No. We were told to just wait. No how long am I supposed to wait? August, September, October... that seems like a long time for a dog to be sick. Long story short, I am going to take her to another vet, because I don't think the care was sufficient. I appreciate all the niceties and courteousness in person and over the phone, but if you don't act and don't find relevant solutions to my problem or answer my questions I am not pleased with the care. i still never heard from them and there was no follow-up.

I will keep you posted on her health as it progresses and thank you everyone for sharing your love with us and our family.

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