I’ve gotten a total of 12 hours of sleep in a week because he keeps me up. He’s a beagle, so his screams are the loudest thing on the planet.
I love him so much. More than I love myself. But the lil dude is really infuriating me every night. He just wants me to hold him because he doesn’t feel good.
Last night he figured out how to open his crate from the inside, so I had to use a carabiner to make sure the door wouldn’t open.
I have to endure this for 3 more weeks because he’ll be on his antibiotic for that long.
Edit: y’all, I’m not actually mad at my dog. More frustrated at the situation and tired. Chill out
Your dog has to endure Lyme disease and a terrible stomach ache, and he probably doesn’t understand why, nor why you’re mad at him.
Dogs drive me nuts because of this kind of stuff but he views you as safety and comfort right now
right now
Forever
(except for animal abuse. Then maybe not)
Sounds like you should be sleeping on the sofa with the dog. He might like his crate most of the time, but right now he wants his people.
Try giving them some unflavored canned pumpkin pie filling: My old neighbor swore by this to help his dogs when they had an upset stomach. Just make sure it’s plain/unseasoned.
Hope your dog feels better soon!
Thank you very much!
Don’t get “pumpkin pie mix“ by accident. What you want should say “100% pure pumpkin” and ingredients list should only list pumpkin.
Edit: and don’t be surprised if their poop is orange, my beagle has had diarrhea for weeks because she was on antibiotics and while the pumpkin is helping her poop looks like canned pumpkin.
Hope it helps, good luck!
We did this for my girlfriend’s dog, and he had uncontrollable diarrhea for a couple days after we added a bit to his usual food.
I’m not saying it won’t work, but your mileage may vary in unexpected ways.
Gotta make sure it is unflavored or it will make them sick.
What does the vet say?? There are no other antibiotics or painkillers available?
Jesus just go hold and comfort your damn dog. Go sleep on the floor with him. You should hope that if you are ever in a situation where you’re in too much pain to sleep, literally screaming, and desperate for comfort from the one person your life depends on, that they don’t treat you like such a burden.
Your dog is only a part of your life, but you are your dog’s WHOLE life. You’re enduring a lack of sleep, but your dog is suffering and does not understand why the person he loves so much won’t help him feel better.
Instead you’re locking him in a cage and trying to drown out his cries. Be better.
I messaged my vet last night about this and I’m waiting to hear back.
I’m trying to keep his schedule and life as consistent as possible right now. Routine is very important. I cuddle him and comfort him for hours each night before bedtime.
I need to care for myself as well as him.
I need to care for myself as well as him.
This is important. Sort of a “put your own oxygen mask on before helping others put theirs on”
Exactly. If I’m not caring for myself, I won’t be able to care for my critters properly.
The thing that got me is the dog spent his whole life seeing that cage door as insurmountable, and now he’s suffering so much that he figured out how to open it.
I feel for both of you. You’re stuck in a tough place. There are different types of antibiotics if memory serves me well so it may be best to see if there is something else they can prescribe that might be less devastating or at the very least some probiotics that you can put him in that will help offset the gut issue. I am only speaking from what I’ve heard my wife talk about for herself. I was on antibiotics so much as a kid that my gut bacteria has never properly recovered. I have yet to find a probiotic that works for me. They all make me sick. Almost everything makes me gassy and in pain so I really feel for your pup. Not sure if they make a gasX product for pets but that may help too.
This helps my wife’s IBS a huge amount:
She was very skeptical about it, but the results won her over. If you haven’t tried it, and can afford it then I highly recommend it. (Around $60/60 capsules)
Fwiw, you’re probably getting most of the shit because of where you posted. As stressful as the situation is, the term infuriated has connotations beyond the literal meaning. Since you not only posted in a place with that in the name, but used it as a description of your emotional state, those connotations came into play.
Fury or rage, even on a mild scale, isn’t really the response that’s socially acceptable towards a sick dog.
Now, you probably didn’t mean you are actually mad at the dog. I assumed you were mad at the situation, not the dog. It seems that other responders assumed the anger was with the dog. And there is a difference between those things.
Maybe you are actually mad at the dog, I can’t say for sure either way. If that’s the case, it may help if you take some time to say out loud to yourself that it isn’t the dog, it’s the stress and lack of sleep that you’re mad at. Seriously, it will likely help.
When my little corgi love was in her last week, she was having trouble sleeping. She’d wake up and get scared if she was “alone”, which just meant in her bed right beside ours, rather than with one of us camping on the floor with her. So she’d cry and whine. None of us were sleeping well, obviously. And you do get mad when you’re not able to sleep right. But taking the time to remind yourself that that’s what you’re mad at, not the dog, it lets you keep your emotions channelled in a better way.
But, hey, you’re gonna get through it. Your pup is going to get through it. When you finally get to talk to the vet (I saw your comments saying you had already called), don’t be afraid to ask for something to help the little guy stay calm through his distress. No bullshit, we do it for humans already, and medication to keep the dog calm and resting will help him as much as it helps you. And it doesn’t even always take super strong stuff. some dogs respond well to antihistamines in that regard. There’s plenty of options available.
Believe me in this, the stress is worth it. Hold onto the knowledge that he’ll be back to normal in a few weeks. You’ll both get there :)
Yeah. I’m not actually mad at my boi. More frustrated and exhausted. I’m just trying to keep his life as normal as possible during this because change in routine messes with his anxiety. I’m going to see what my vet recommends for this. This is the hardest thing I’ve gone through with him, but he’s worth it. I just have to remind myself that this will pass.
Firstly, you need to speak with your vet. Antibiotics kill bad and good bacteria in the gut and it’s very common to give them a suitable probiotic to help them during a course of antibiotics.
It also sounds like your pupper needs comfort. If you’re crate training them, I’d try having them in your bedroom overnight, raised up so they can see you, as that may help them settle a little more at night.
Personally, I’d be sleeping on the floor (as I don’t crate my pup) with a camping rollmat and comfort the pup. They’re stressed, anxious, and possibly in pain. If your presence and warmth can stop the howling, it’ll probably be better for both of you and you’ll get a better night’s sleep because of it.
Edit: fixed some word soup in the second paragraph
I messaged my vet last night. I’m probably just going to sleep in my living room with both dogs tonight. Hopefully the puppy doesn’t try to get into stuff while I’m asleep lol.
My vet gives a probiotic any time she prescribes an antibiotic now, it’s called Fortiflora and it’s a packet you sprinkle over their food. Maybe ask about something like that?
My dog taking chemo also has a standing prescription for an anti-nausea drug. If it’s this constant for your dog, you should ask your vet about options for the next couple of week.
I’ve been giving him fortiflora and it doesn’t seem to be doing anything for him.
Then yeah, the waiting on the vet sucks but is the best plan. He may need an anti-nausea med. Call them if the email hasn’t been answered by a reasonable time (say after 4-6 hours of their posted opening time today.) Emails are less time sensitive than a phone call.
Food can be swapped or supplemented with plain baked or boiled chicken, rice, and puréed pumpkin (NOT pie filling!) if they’ll take it.
I’m thinking his issue is nausea. I plan on calling this afternoon if they don’t get back to me.
My boi loves chicken and rice. I’ve been giving some to him with probiotic powder mixed in (the probiotic is only with his breakfast)
I don’t know if you are in a place where you can get CBD, but it really seems to help my dog when he has an upset stomach. It’s often the difference between sleeping through the night and getting up every hour so he can go eat grass outside. A lot of pet stores sell it.
I totally have the ability to get CBD dog treats. I think my vet even sells them lol.
Yo! I’ve used FortiFlora on kittens food I’ve been fostering so many times I can’t even count, That shit really works
Give your dog probiotics.
I have been. Doesn’t seem to be working.
I think you bit off more than you can chew. Your puppy is causing you a lot of stress and having to deal with a sick dog on top of that is just a lot for a single person. Dogs require a lot of time and attention and your current living situation just doesn’t allow for that.
I would highly recommend you look for someone to take care of at least one of your dogs for a while. And you should even strongly consider giving up your 4 month old golden retriever while there is still enough time to properly train it. Rehoming it now is probably the best for it.
Wow that’s pretty extreme. I am perfectly capable of caring for my dogs. I’m going through a rough patch right now, but my dogs and I will make it through this. I have lots of support. My mom is actually going to babysit my dogs on Sunday so I can get some things handled.
You keep him in a box?
Lost every ounce of a potential respect when you said you put your dog in a jail cell. People who use crates should be put in one themselves, and every excuse you have to tell yourself why it’s okay and you’re not a bad person? Fucking save it, shove it far up your ass.
You people sicken me. Every one of you is full of shit. Fucking hate this planet. It’s like you guys don’t even understand they’re mentally children and you’ve just given them Stockholm syndrome. Anyone can “love” a cage if that’s all they’ve been raised to know, but zero creatures on Earth choose to be prisoners of their own accord, you fucking actual psychopaths.
You have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.
Tons of dogs love their crates, they make them feel safe like alternative dens.
If your dog hates their crate, the owner fucked up and used it as a punishment. Not crate training your dog is cruelty and irresponsible.
What does someone do when pet sitting your dog? Or when it’s sick and needs to be contained? Or when it’s at the vet for an extended period of time? Or if it escapes and is captured by animal control?
If you don’t prepare a dog to be comfortable in its own space then it’s going to freak the FUCK out which isn’t fare for the dog.
Holy fuck you guys are psychotic. Which for profit prisons are you invested in? JFC the mental gymnastics.
Get some help
For not abusing my dogs? No thanks, I’m good.
No, for doom spiralling with strangers on the internet over pet advice.
You guys proudly admit to locking animals in cages that do not understand why you’re doing it to them and then you convince yourselves that you’re good people when they develop a form of Stockholm syndrome to whatever abuse you put them through. I think it’s a great reason to pop off on you people.
You’re full of shit, even vets recommend crates when an animal is sick
Wow thanks for showing me you don’t understand crate training. My dog loved his crate until this current fiasco started.
Just for context: I think crate training is a very US thing to do. I’ve never heard of it before i saw it on social media. I didn’t crate train my dog and i don’t know anybody that did this. When i first heard of it, it seemed cruel to me, but again i think it’s just a cultural thing.
I get that. It is a very US thing to do. I’ve never had dogs that haven’t like crates until now. I think my guy is just having issues now because of his antibiotic. He and my puppy were crate trained almost instantly because I made the crates into basically bedrooms for them. Comfy beds, toys, and bones are all in there for them. They honestly don’t sleep super well unless they’re in their crates. They nap outside of the crates, but it doesn’t seem to be actually super restful sleep.
