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need a vet's help! boxer puppies have serious problems

J

jackwhitter

Golden Member
hey atot,
i have 2 boxer puppies in my litter that have quite a few problems according to their bloodwork. the physical signs are as follows: they do not have much energy and usually just sleep. they do not walk well.. one of the puppies does not walk on just her pad.. she walk on her hole ankle on the front right paw. the other puppy doesn't walk well on her back legs.. she doesn't bend them when she walks.. it is very wierd.

they are 6 weeks old now, so when i took them in for shots, i had the vet look at them. he examined them for a long while, and had never seen anything like it before. he said the only thing he could think of was a genetic defect where they could not properly process food other than the mother's milk (they were fine until about the time we started weaning them). the vet then took some blood work, and the blood work showed the following issues:
1. elevated white cells count
2. anemic -- bone marrow is not responding
3. muscle enzymes elevated
4. kidney enzymes very low -- not producing enough
5. blood is bypassing the liver
6. high cholesterol

our vet gave some recommendations about surgeries available for this, but he wasn't very clear, and i got the impression, he didn't really know. any help would be greatly appreciated.

[update]
ok, our vet said the puppies might have a genetic defect where they are unable to process solid food properly, but he wasn't sure (thus i don't think he really knew.)
we got a 2nd opinion, and the other vet said that the symptoms could indicate an immuno deficiency, which is probably also genetic. so both vets said a probable genetic issue...
[/update]
 
You need to take your puppies to the clinic in Loveland. I live in Cheyenne and had a Dachshund operated on there, they are the best in the world (they are often featured on Animal Planet.) I forget the name of the clinic. They are on highway 287 north of Loveland about 66th street.

edit: They are expensive, but worth it if you are commited to your pets.
 
Aw man, that's really sad. Sorry to hear about this. Boxer puppies are the cutest. 🙂

Unless you've got big bucks...surgery isn't an option...even if you DO have the bucks, as they age, they'll never be normal. I won't tell you what has to be done....you already know. Sorry. 🙁
 
Well, I'm not a vet but I was a veterinary technician for years and I still do some wildlife rehabbing.

You should consider getting a second opinion... even if you just call another vet and ask him what he thinks over the phone.

In the meantime, since you suspect a connection between weaning and the pups failure to thrive, I would start playing around with their diet if I were you. Maybe rice, fresh mashed garlic, carrots, and chicken? They probably need more than that, but it would be a place to start anyway.

Boxers are such darling dogs... I sincerely hope you find a way to help them.
 
Sorry man, I love boxers. I got a dog that I thought was a boxer beagle mix and she ended up being a beagle boxer mix, she's cute but she's small. Prayers for your puppies
 
Originally posted by: jackwhitter
got an update from another vet
Click to expand...

Well? I really hope your puppies can make it thru this...sometimes I have more sympathy for animals than humans b/c animals are ignorant of "the process of life" they really don't understand....🙁
 
Originally posted by: jackwhitter
morning bump for some help...
Click to expand...

Nobody here is going to be able to help you, beyond giving you ideas.

Isla's is, by far, the best.

Perhaps they came into contact with some sort of toxic substance? The way you describe the walking thing almost sounds neurological....

 
Hate to say it - but more than likely you should consider (after a repeat bloodwork if you don't trust the first vet) putting those two down. 🙁

With as many problems as those pups sound like they have, best guess is unless they start showing improvement soon, it's only going to get worse.

One thing to consider, as cute and wonderful as boxers are, they are one of the breeds VERY prone to genetic disorders as well as a host of other common ailments. It's a shame, but a boxer's average lifespan is usually only 6 to 7 years anyway (because of all the "issues" that have been bred into the breed over the years - most commonly a heart defect).

I hope the best for your pups, really I do. I hope that you can get some good news soon.

-D
 
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