My dog has an infection...

Question
Well long story short, my boxer, Gotti-12months old on saturday, wasn't himself on Sunday. (Not eating, playing, just sleeping...had a very sad look in his face) I took him to the vet on Monday, and they did x-rays, and bloodwork. He has had a fever of 104 since Sunday and still today. Bloodwork showed that he has an infection somewhere. Not kidneys because that came back ok, but she did mention that it looked like he had large kidneys. (?) So he's on a 10-day twice a day antibiotics. I took back to the vet yesterday because he made no improvement...all they said is that they were "stumped" by him. And that if the antibiotics don't work then their next guess is meningitis. He has had 5 pills so far...tonight will be his 6th. He still has a fever, still very sad, but he is eating a little bit and drinking water. He has had normal bowel movements this whole time. Today I noticed he has a runny nose. Should I be worried??? I'm going nuts because he's not improving as fast as we like him to & because the vet is not sure where this infection is...

Thanks...any advice is much appreciated.  
Nelly

Answer
Blood work can consist of a lot of tests- and your vet probably only ran a few and not the whole gambit.

How many pills were in the bottle?

Sometimes antibiotics have to be taken entirely to see any improvement- but a dog's normal temperature is around 101-102 so at 104- that isn't too high but shows there is an infection.

Did they check urine and feces?

Ears and throat?

You should give him children's Pediolyte (can buy store brand generic- cheaper) no-flavored.

This will help keeping from dehydrating due to fever and lack of appetite.

Did the vet give you medicines for his fever?

If he doesn't stop the fever and show a 100% improvement by the time the meds are taken- get him to a different vet or call your vet back- demand a proper diagnose and if it means tests- then run the tests.

Personally, I'd get his medical records from your vet's office and take the pup to another vet- one that is more Boxer-savvy.

A whole bunch of things can cause fever and the not feeling well due to a fever--

No one can diagnose without tests- and more tests need to be run- more blood work.

If it's bacterial, it should show up in blood work up- or viral.

Was his lungs checked? Heart worm tested? Parvo tested?

Get the vet to continue and get a diagnose.

Also, give him whole plain, unflavored yogurt. This helps with good bacteria and helps keep him hydrated and nourished. Also, unsweetened Koolaid does too.