My dog is sick and the vets won't listen

DH & I have a beautiful 4 year old black lab. He's wonderful, and usually the most excitable, happy little guy. Today he's different though - he ate his breakfast fine, went out for a drink like normal - the only odd thing was that he seemed to stay at the water bucket a long time.

Now he is really really lethargic. There seems to be something wrong at the base of his tail, there's swelling either side, it just hangs down and he can't sit because he can't get it out of the way - he goes straight to lying down.

I took him out again to see if he needed to poop, but he just drank a lot more then lay down under a bush near his bucket. At the moment he's on our bed. His breathing seems ok, but I'm worried he may have been bitten by something in that bush and it's paralyzing his tail or something. If he was bitten it'd have to have happened yesterday, he's been inside all night.

I've tried calling all the vets around here, but no one seems to think it's serious - they just say call back at 9. So now I'm thinking I'll have to go get some work to do from home and stay with him til I can get an appointment :( Poor little guy, I hate seeing him like this and don't want to leave him.

Does anyone have any ideas what it may be?

Can you do a quick search for a paralysis tick? TBH alarm bells ring ANYTIME a labrador gets lethargic. I would recommend going straight to your regular vet and waiting for an appointment. They will fit you in if they see him in this state. Is he able to wag his tail? If not, this is something that needs seeing this morning. :hug: I don't want to scare you but I don't feel this should be ignored.

I've worked as a vet nurse for over 10 years, and for the last 8 months I've been working in emergency at a Vet Specialist Centre.

A bee sting? Our dog swelled and was not herself when she got stung but i'm not sure it explains being lethargic, although i guess they do inject a 'poison' which may affect dogs differently.

Could it be a tick? They paralyse..

Is there an after hours vet? I wouldn't ring i would just go in and say i'm here check out my dog..

Take him outside in the bright light and check all over for paralysis ticks first off! They start with numbness in the hind quaters. If you can't find any, I'd be taking him to the vet straight away - not waiting for an appointment, just show up there and they will have to see you.

Thanks for your replies. I was worried about ticks too, but I can't find one. He's licking around the base of his tail a bit which makes me think it may be a bit localised. He can wag it a bit, but he can't pick it up very far. I would take him straight down to the vet but DH went past there on his way to work and knocked on the door - there's no one there :( I've now been told to call back at 8, and someone should be there. So I reckon I'll just be rocking up to make them see us

i really hope you can find out whats the matter, its horrible when they aren't well and they can't tell you whats wrong. hope your beautiful lab is ok xox

I hope your doggy is ok :(

I would head to vet and be there when they open or go to emerg vet. I hope doggy ok.

hope alls ok.

Thank you so much everyone for your replies and thoughts for our little guy. I started getting nervous as he was still really sluggish, just not at all himself - until we got to the veets that is! He absolutely loves it there, he perked right up. Managed a few tiny wags and tried sitting for a treat lol. The vet said it is swollen, and it's not sitting right, but she palpated the entire tail and around it and he didn't yelp. Did a tick check and that's fine. She said he may have bashed it on something and it's bruised, or there may be an abcyss coming through. He's got anti-inflammatory pain killers for the next three days, and if it gets worse he's going straight back for an x-ray.

Thanks again everyone :)

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Thanks for your replies. I was worried about ticks too, but I can't find one. He's licking around the base of his tail a bit which makes me think it may be a bit localised. He can wag it a bit, but he can't pick it up very far. I would take him straight down to the vet but DH went past there on his way to work and knocked on the door - there's no one there :( I've now been told to call back at 8, and someone should be there. So I reckon I'll just be rocking up to make them see us

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Definitely see your vet, insist that she be seen. My old doggie had a similar problem once before, turns out she had injured her tail (it's a set of bones that continues like an extension of the backbone) and she got quite lethargic and sick. Apparently when they are developing an infection it can affect the way their hearts beat (??)... I don't quite understand how it affected her that way but she needed a shot of ABs and some high-powered anti-inflammatories to sort it out.

ETA - just saw your last post - sounds like a similar thing - injury to the tail area.

Could she have compacted Anal glands? They sit at the base of the tail on either side.....sometimes you have to squeeze them? I'm surprised the vet didn't try that one. Usually they get released when the doggy does poo....and it lets of a god awful smell....

Hope your pooch is OK xx

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Could she have compacted Anal glands? They sit at the base of the tail on either side.....sometimes you have to squeeze them? I'm surprised the vet didn't try that one. Usually they get released when the doggy does poo....and it lets of a god awful smell....

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Yeah I had thought it may be that too, my old foxxy had that problem a couple of times. She checked around that area and didn't find anything, but maybe she didn't check right? We'll be keeping a close eye on him, making sure he poops. Thanks :hug:

Sometimes they can get infected too.... i think, so antibiotics will help.

He seems a bit better tonight, the pain meds must have kicked in :) We were thinking though, we bathed him yesterday and he shakes himself dry pretty violently, it really throws his tail around weird. Thinking now it may be that and he's kind bruised it a bit. Hopefully that's what it is anyway!

Got home from work to find him sprawled out on the couch on a blanket (he's never allowed on the couch) and DH squished in the corner lol. He sure is milking it!!

How is he KTee?

He's great now thanks Kazbah - personality wise he's back to his normal self :D He can lift his tail half way up now and he seems so happy just to be able to do that! It's wagging everywhere lol. Should be another week or so and the swelling will go down completely and he'll be completely fixed. Turns out it was a pulled muscle, poor guy

awww that's great. I know my lab would be devastated if she couldn't wag her tail - it's so much "her"!