Cipro problems?

Dr. Marie replied:

Wow, it sounds like Coco has really been through a lot.

I'm concerned that there may be something really serious going on with him. I can understand that the french fries may have caused some diarrhea. However, they wouldn't cause a kidney infection.

A kidney infection is actually not very common at all. I'm concerned that he may be progressing from a kidney infection to kidney failure. This is definitely a serious problem if this is what is happening.

The symptoms you are describing are not likely to be caused by the ciprofloxacin.

You may want to ask your vet about the possibility of a disease called leptospirosis. Lepto is a condition that is caused by drinking water that has been urinated in by an infected skunk, raccoon or a few other types of wildlife. It causes a very serious infection in the kidneys and sometimes liver as well. Although the cipro would likely get rid of lepto, if there was significant damage to the kidneys then this would need to be addressed separately.

Another possibility is that Coco has pancreatitis. While this would cause most dogs to vomit, in some dogs we just see lack of appetite and extreme lethargy. This is a serious problem as well.

Another possibility is if he has a condition called Addison's disease. This condition is not very common. The symptoms are usually vague - lack of appetite, lethargy, and weakness. Again, this is a serious problem.

From what you have described I think that you should have Coco seen again as soon as possible. He will likely need to have some blood tests repeated to see if he is in kidney failure or if there is another condition going on. If he does have serious kidney disease then the treatment is to keep him in the hospital on intravenous fluids.

Hopefully you can have him seen sooner than Friday. I really hope he is ok!

Dr. Marie.

---

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.