My dog’s tick fever is not improving. What should my next steps be?

Original Question: My dog Bruno, who is an English Cocker Spaniel is 5 years old and has been suffering from a fever and his gums were light pink. He is undergoing treatment for tick fever but he is showing no improvement. His stool is black in colour which he passes twice a day and he is unable to digest anything no matter what he eats and he pukes. The vomit and black stools just don’t stop. He tested negative for blood protozoa but he has a normal temperature and there is nothing reflected in the blood test. I really want to know what actually may be the disease he is suffering from. His current medication is: Doxycil 100 mg once a day, Sucral 2 ml once a day, injections that were given twice for three days and over-the-counter 2.5 ml of Polybion and 1.5ml of Revici. - Saloni

Oct 15, 2018

Hi Saloni,

I’m sorry to hear about Bruno’s troubles. It is difficult to speculate without a full medical history as to what may be really going on. It’s possible that your veterinarian has made a correct diagnosis but because of side effects from the medications, Bruno is not recovering as quickly as we would all like. Alternatively, there may be other diseases that could be considered including autoimmune hemolytic anemia, inflammatory bowel disease, and some types of cancer. You are welcome to seek a second opinion if you do not feel Bruno is getting better.