Remember that the prednisone will make him need to urinate more often. My dog was put on that once and the vet did not tell me that and he urinated in the house which he never did. When I told the vet what happened, he said it was from the prednisone. I wish he had told me. I could have easily come home at lunch and get him out so he didn't have to wait a whole work day. Still makes me mad.

I hope Sammy is feeling better soon.

He did at least tell me that. He said it makes him want more water,which leads to more accidents.

I hope that the root cause is discovered by your boss' friend and that Sam feels a lot better soon. What a handsome boy he is!

Awe, poor guy. Our vet always asks about our dogs eating habits and activity levels especially when she’s loosing weight, so I can understand your concern. Finding a seasoned and knowledgable vet can be like looking for a needle in a haystack, I hope this new Vet has more insight. Her response of having you send everything over before she even asks you come in speaks volumes. Most of the time, they want to be paid for the time, not unreasonable, but not easy on the pocketbook either.

He's beautiful! So glad you called someone else. Please keep us posted on how he is doing.

Honestly I have had the best results with country vets. They go by experience and gut instincts. Not fancy machines and such. The one I take my pets too always seems to know just by an examination and doesn't charge much. If he doesn't know he'll tell you to take your pet to a specialist. A lot of vets today give antibiotics for everything and run unnecessary tests. I'm not saying all tests are unnecessary. Just make sure your vet has your pet's best interest in mind and not money to pay for his new equipment or student loans.

I'm happy to hear that your baby seemed a little happier and I hope that he gets better. It's so hard when our pets get sick cos they can't tell us what's wrong.

In my area the days of the vet doing any sort of treating diagnosing even the basic ailments are long long gone. A trip to a vet with an issue will cost a min of 300$ for exam and blood work, need x rays add another one to two hundred, add on medications, need reoccurring meds , not without a revisit exam. Specialist double this. My experience with my own dog was 400 bucks to diagnose and treat an upset stomach, exam, blood work and meds and I know it could have been worse at other clinics. A coworkers friend with a geriatric cat with a chronic heart
failure needed a refill on the medication which was keeping the cat
going. The vet refused to refill it, without re seeing the cat and re
running all the same blood work. One she was a student without the
money to do this, two this cat was in his last bit of life the meds were
only delaying the inevitable. three she was screwed if she didn't bow
to this vet and get the blood work etc she couldn't get the meds from
him, if she went to a new vet she would have to at least pay for an exam
and probably more just to get the same meds the cat was already on. There
was nothing the blood work or exam was going to change in the diagnosis
or treatment, so what is the point of it other then money. Vet clinics need to make money just like any other business but in cases where the diagnosis is obvious and yes I do mean obvious, in terminal outcomes where treatment is palliative, why they need to all the bells an whistles can only be what it is a cash grab. - frogged who worked many years in clinic and knows that blood work is at best a confirmation of illness, ie the vet already knows what wrong and how to treat it. And if they don't change vets or see a specialist who knows better.

opps so busy on my rant I forgot to say that I hope your boy recovers quickly and gets back to his old self. If they could just talk to us and say where it hurts .

Has he had any of these?

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/dog-bones-deadly-fda-warns-185549388.html

Also this thread on Dream Bones:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2512977/anyone-had-a-problem-with-dreambones-dog-snack?n=80

No sherry. I don't trust dog treats. You never know what his really in them.

He gets his medicine hidden in chunks of honey buns.

Good. Hope he feels better tomorrow. If not, try to see a different vet practice.

"He's fallen a couple of times".

Geez....this is scary.

He'a a beautiful boy! Has body language that says things aren't right....

Something you can do right away and it won't break the bank is change his food. It could very well be that something in it is making him sick. Did you know that manufacturers can change the recipe without printing new labels? They are allowed to use the supply of bags/boxes/bottles they have in stock. Even Blue Buffalo has been challenged by Purina of all companies! And found to be claiming things that are not true. Rachel Ray's dog food... no. Don't use it. Look at the ingredients label. How far down is there any meat listed? And what kind of meat? It's probably 4D if it's there. Pet food manufacturers are just like any other company. Money is the name of the game. Cut corners and make more profit.

http://truthaboutpetfood.com/category/pet-food-recalls/

I heard from the second vet. She said essentially what my vet said. The bloodwork didn't show anything alarming,and the xrays showed a touch of arthritis in his hips,which might cause the falling, since it only happened when he first woke up on colder mornings. She suspects a UTI is causing the peeing in the house problem, and thinks the dry air mixed with some allergy or sinus infection could cause the snorting. So nothing new,but i preferred her delivery to my first vet.She told me to continue the medication until it was gone, and then either take him back or bring him to her to get him started on something daily to help the arthritis. She also said the humidifier would help,and not to worry about the weight loss unless it continued after he starts whatever they put him on for arthritis. I feel somewhat better,but won't be satisfied until I see if the meds work. Fingers crossed.

I don't think I would change the dog food, not now anyway, unless I suspected something was off with a recent bag. Changes to a dog's diet should be done by introducing new food gradually over a period of time to prevent stomach upset.

Great! I also would not change his food until you talk to the new vet that called you. I feel for you. Our vet retired and even though the other vets were in the same practice, they just don't have the same manner. I can't talk to them like our old vet.

I have 5 dogs,all pit bulls or pit mixes and they all get the same food. Every other dog is good,so I don't think its the food. But i know every dog is different,what affects one won't necessarily affect the others.

Amy did this new Vet say anything about the drastic weight loss?

Mama she told me that since I don't really monitor his food intake, there was no way to tell. And since his bloodwork was good, she suspects that he's not eating as much since he doesn't feel well. She essentially said not to worry about it right now,and to wait and see if he loses anymore after we get him situated on some arthritis treatment. She said that at the moment he is at a healthy weight, so the goal shouldn't be a gain,but to prevent any more loss. I am really trying to put my faith in the trained professionals,but it still bothers me. She has 20 plus years experience, so I'm trying,trying,trying.......

Hopefully the weight loss is due to lack of appetite as a result of not feeling well. The new healthy weight will be less stress on his arthritic bones, and could be a good thing if all else is okay.

Checking in for an update.

amylou321, your vets sound like my new vets, but I got from her a lengthy dissertation from the International Society for Feline Medicine, University of Edinburgh, UK, which seems to cover it. Feline Cognitive Dysfunction, in other words, dementia.

I hope he starts to feel better soon. It's such a worry when pets are sick especially since they can't tell us how they feel or where it hurts.

He has definitely perked up. He seems to be back to his old hyper,active (slightly obnoxious:) ) self. I know that it's the steroids,but it's still good to see. Hope it lasts after they are no longer a factor. Have a week and a half of meds to go.

Cosequin has always worked wonders for my dogs as far as arthritis goes. I also will cook chicken for them when they're ailing... I always want to make sure they eat some thing, esp if they're taking meds.

Glad he's perked up and hope he continues to feel better!

It's always heartwarming to see our fur baby go from lethargic to their active old self. I hope it continues after the meds. Thanks for the update.

Well,I thought my baby was getting better,but last night, he started seizing. He had 8 seizures. 2 at home,3 on the way to the emergency vet,and 3 more at the emergency vet. The vet on duty was very concerned at the events of the last 2 weeks,and looked horrified when I mentioned his weight loss(he lost another 5 pounds). She gave him some anti seiuzure meds,and gave me a bottle of them to start him on,as well as some medazoline to drop in his nose if he seizes again,and some anti nausea meds to stop his vomiting and give him an appetite. She also told me to up his dose of the prednisone,and to take him to a regular vet to get him some more if I want to attempt to prolong his life in comfort. He.had another seizure this morning,but not another since i gave him another dose of the anti seizure meds. He seems back to normal,but I know better.

She says that given his age and the fact that hes never seized before,her fear is that it's a brain tumor,but cant be sure unless i take him to MS State to get an MRI. She says the prednisone probably helped with the brain swelling,which is why he perked up while he was on a higher dose.I am so heartbroken. I will take him to another vet this week sometime,but SO says he does not want me to take Sammy or any of our dogs back to our regular vet again. So the search for a new one starts.

This year officially SUCKS!!!!!!! I lost my favorite aunt, my beloved boss, i lost my sweet dog baby Katie in january,and it appears that I will lose my sweet sammy before too much longer. I'm ready to give this year two big fat middle fingers in the rear view mirror and move on. My heart is hurting. Sammy is my first pet. SO gave him to me as a puppy when we first started dating.

I am so very sorry to hear that.

I am so sorry to hear about the seizures. Big hugs and my heartfelt empathy.

Thank you for posting a follow up. This is awful.....I'm so sorry he's not better.

If you are able to, take your dog to an internal med specialist. Here is a link to find one in your area: http://vetspecialists.com/.  Try to check them out as much as possible before choosing one. I wouldn't waste any more time with a regular vet. Hope you are able to get some answers soon. Too many times, vets just throw meds at the problem and hope something helps.

I'm sorry Amylou.

I'm sorry to hear this. The symptoms suggest your pet may need to be seen by a veterinary neurologist, I hope that's something you can arrange. You should discuss it with your (apparently GP) vet as a referral may be required. Short of seeing a qualified specialist, another GP would only be guessing as apparently have the others.

Oh gosh, AmyLou, I’m so sorry. I’ll keep sweet Sammy in my thoughts and prayers. (((Hugs)))

amylou - I have been thinking of you and Sam. I am so sorry this is happening. From my own personal experience, I do know there is still hope.

Oh AmyLou... I have a lump in my throat:(.... I'm so sorry... But please don't give up yet..... I will be thinking of you and Sammy❤️

So sorry your special baby is not feeling well.

That is a shame. Very sorry to see this update. I hope you are able to get some answers from the next vet.

So sorry to hear this. I hope maybe the new vet will have a positive diagnosis.

Your last Vet suspects brain tumor, but needs an MRI to either rule out or confirm a it. Given the symptoms, I'd say this Vet is on the right track. There's no doubt about it, immediate action is required.

So sorry AmyLou.

Amylou I'm so sorry, for you and for Sam.

To me, the first thought would be pneumonia. Why? you ask. Because one of our regular pups at the dog park had these same symptoms and he was treated for pneumonia and is fine now. He was even wobbling around. I saw him because he was the park and we all were worried so she took him to the vet immediately. He was doing that cough, reverse sneeze as they call it which is a weird snort and they can't catch their breath. As far as the new symptoms of the seizure, I don't know other that perhaps a medication he's on? As far as something neurological such as a brain tumor...well, would medication make him appear well? I don't think so...if he had a brain tumor, prednisone and antibiotics would not have made him seem well...I don't think anyway. I'm not a vet (of course) but I wanted to put that out there about the pneumonia because what you described sounded identical to the dog park dog's symptoms. There is also a dog flu that's going around...worth mentioning. It's new so vets may not know what to look for.

Thinking of other possibilities, is there anything new in the house around the time he began to get sick? Carpet cleaning or even new carpet, any new chemicals coming into the house like laundry detergent for his sleeping stuff? You mentioned they eat the same food but is this a new food, perhaps he is the only one sensitive to some new ingredient? Any fertilizers or pesticides on the lawn? New candles or aroma therapy stuff? Just anything that could make him sick? When our dog was eating a food that didn't agree with her system, she began having those honking attacks.

This is a sad situation. AmyLou, I hope you can find a vet that can get to the bottom of this. Please give an update when you can.

I'm sorry to say, but two of our Westies died within weeks after they started this kind of 'snorting' and confusion. They were 15 and 16, but terriers generally live longer than many larger breeds. One never peed in the house, but the other had become so confused that he did. It became clear that he had just 'lost it'., mentally.

No, Arkansas girl there is nothing new that he could react with. The emergency vet said that the prednisone he was on would have help with the swelling in the brain caused by the tumor she THINKS he has,and that by weaning him off of it as prescribed it lost its effectiveness. He had 2 more seizures today that woke me up. Unlike the first ones,he seems to snap right out of it now. Going to another vet. Thanks for your insight.

Will keep positive thoughts for you and Sammy.

Went to another vet today. He also noticed,as I had,that one of Sammys eyes was slightly bulging and that side of his face was slightly swollen. He also said that he fears it's a tumor or a mass,but he did NOT recommend that he be put down. He gave me more prednisone, as it has anti inflammatory and anti cancer properties,and gave me more of the anti seizure meds that the emergency vet gave me. He said that as long as Sammy has a good quality of life,and doesn't have any sort of severe personality changes,he will be fine,although if it is a tumor, he won't be cured. He will have to be on the meds for the rest of his life, however long that may be. I feel cautiously optimistic. I will be taking him back in a couple weeks for a recheck and probably once a month after that. I do feel a little better. I was so worried that no one would help him.

Oh Amylou❤️ You are such a good dog Mom.... I'm so glad you found a good vet you feel comfortable with ...., someone you can trust their advice to you and know that it's helping you make the right choices for your sweet Sammy....Give a cuddle to that baby from my Annie and Bugsy❤️ Robin

That’s great that you found a vet that is helping Sammy, I hope he stays stable.