I'm probably just overreacting because my last dog had so many health problems.

Starbuck has an upset tummy and she is acting weird.

About 90 minutes ago she wanted to go outside to use the bathroom. She went pee and came back inside. 5 minutes later she wanted out again. I took her out and she went poop. We came back inside and she lay down on her side right away. Her ears were all the way down and it looked like she felt bad.

She pooped a small drop while she lay on her side. I took her outside and she had a loose stool with some sand (she eats dirt outside). She didn’t want any water and she wasn’t moving around too much.

After about 10 minutes she was up and moving around. She drank a lot of water and seemed to be doing much better. Then she started to itch like crazy. She was itching near her groin, itching her ears, itching her tail, etc. She keeps moving around, like she can’t get comfortable.

I called a local vet and they have no clue what is going on based on her symptoms.

I searched on the Internet and I didn’t find anything either.

My best guess is that she has a bad tummy ache and she is confusing that feeling with the need to scratch. Does anyone have another idea?

As far as I know she didn’t eat anything strange within the last couple hours. She did find a dead mouse in the yard at lunch time. She ran around with that for a couple minutes, but I think I recovered most of the mouse. I would expect a reaction much sooner than 11 hours if there was something wrong with the mouse (ie died from poison).

At this point she is lying down on her bed. Hopefully she will feel better in the morning.

I hope she is feeling better today too.
I'd check diet first of course. Eating dirt jumps out from your post. Dirt is just that, dirt and can contain so many things...lead paint (even from days yonder) styrofoam balls from annuals planted the year before, etc, etc...) Yuck, not good. Are you doing anything to curb this dirt eating habit she has gotten into?
The other thing that comes to mind is, I recall reading about your pup being vaccinated at a very young age. Is that correct? Both my vets confirmed what Ed writes, and that it's not a matter of if a dog will have a reaction to vacs, but when....hopefully, if that's it, symptoms can be treated accordingly and your pup will fight off any residual effects and won't suffer extremely. Update when you can.

She is acting 100% better. Back to biting and roughhousing.

My best guess now was an allergic reaction to something. I think she may have been stung by a bee. We have a bunch of them in the area right now.

She received her last vaccination 3 weeks ago.

I think the eating dirt is just a puppy exploring the yard. She digs in the horseshoe pits and bites at the weeds.

I uploaded some photos. One before last night. A couple at midnight. A couple at 4 AM and a couple just about 30 minutes ago.

Her nose was really swollen last night, poop pup.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa155/Nightmare_pics_999/Before.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa155/Nightmare_pics_999/During.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa155/Nightmare_pics_999/During2.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa155/Nightmare_pics_999/Morn.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa155/Nightmare_pics_999/Morn2.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa155/Nightmare_pics_999/Now.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa155/Nightmare_pics_999/Now2.jpg

Wow, poor baby! Her nose and muzzle were really swollen. You may be right about a bee sting, which I think may likely cause itching if her reaction to it was that severe as to swell up her nose like that.

Glad she's better and that it didn't take too long for the swelling to go down.

http://www.animalhealthcare.ca/contents/content.asp?id=230&cat=dogs

That kind of itchiness after an apparent sting would lead me to buy whatever antihistamine the vet recommends (a phone call is probably sufficient) and watch very carefully if the dog is ever stung (or has sting symptoms) again.

I'm so glad it's OK.

I just had that situation last Saturday, and ended up at the vet's for hours while monitoring the dog's racing heart and then his blood pressure after the injected antihistamine and steroid (which I did OK in this instance of severe swelling).

We never found a stinger or an obvious sting-site, even looking very carefully at his paw, but it was so bright red and swollen that it would be very easy to miss.

I thought he might've broken a bone at first because of the way he held up the paw, couldn't put weight on it, and the swelling.

But he also started gasping, and just "not acting right." It was almost 5 p.m. on Saturday, and I ended up calling the vet and asking them to stay open until we could get there.

Now I am going to be aware of his possible reaction to a sting. I have antihistamines on hand, but I know that a severe reaction will require a vet and probably an injection with monitoring.

Excellent info and warning. Thank you Connie for posting it.

 Quote: sandy moore

Excellent info and warning.

In my own situation, I would've been heading for the vet anyway (because I thought he might've broken a bone), but I can certainly see how I might've puzzled over the strange swelling with no apparent stinger, and maybe not gone right away.

As it was, I was so glad I did, because by the time we got there Leo was really gasping and trembling, with what looked like palsy in the swollen forepaw and leg. (Itching, I learned later, is another common symptom of bee sting reaction.)

The injection brought down the swelling and stopped the gasping and racing heartbeat in a few short minutes.

Of course, he had the x-rays anyway, since it was some time before he would put weight on the paw. It was a spendy afternoon. But it was one of those "whew" things, the ones that make you just grateful for the vet nearby, staying open for you.

We are unfortunate enough in AZ that something like 98% of all bees here are killer bees. It's scary cause if one bee stings, it's likely there are more coming quickly. They have attacked and killed dogs that are kept outside with no place to run to. It's horrible.

I never thought about a dog being allergic to bee stings, just never crossed my mind. So glad I've been given the heads up.

 Quote:

Now I am going to be aware of his possible reaction to a sting. I have antihistamines on hand, but I know that a severe reaction will require a vet and probably an injection with monitoring.

Thanks for the bee sting reminder. Last year my pooch chased a toy into some bushes and thrashed it, as he does. There was a ground wasp nest in there.

He yelped and ran straight to his mommy, rubbing and pawing his face. I couldn't tell what was wrong with him yet but then I noticed the wasps still digging into his coat

I pulled 7 out of his coat and I know he was stung by quite a few before he came running.

I had anithisthamines on me in my first aid kit (we were in the bush), and I gave him some right away. He blew up like a balloon, especially around the face, but his breathing remained good. Lots of limping and whinning for the first day after, then he seemed just fine. I don't think he is allergic, but it was nasty just the same. I guess allergies can crop up at any time so one must be careful.

It was reccommended to me that having some liquid antihistamines and a syringe (to squirt it in their mouth) is the way to go (absorbes faster) especially if you are worried about an allergic reaction and far from help.

I don't have any in my first aid kit now, so I am glad this came up to remind me.

Glad your pooch seems to be feeling better.

 Quote: Jennifer Coulter

liquid antihistamines and a syringe (to squirt it in their mouth) is the way to go (absorbes faster) especially if you are worried about an allergic reaction and far from help.

I didn't know about this!

I will look into that first thing tomorrow. THANKS!