I think my dog is dying

Question
My dog Patrick is a 12 year old Australian Shepherd, whom I have owned
since he was 3 years old. I adopted him from a breeder in NV and he has had
a great time living here in NH ever since. The last couple of weeks I have
noticed that he has had a hard time getting around and would sometimes pee
on the floor without noticing it. This is unlike him. On Monday morning I had
minor surgery and Had to be to the hospital very early, when I arrived home
around 10 am he wasn't moving at all and had peed and pooped on the floor.
He refused food and water and could not get up. He tried but it appeared that
his hind legs were paralyzed. My dad, who was taking care of me, rushed him
to the vet and the vet told us to try a steroid. Its now Thursday morning and
Patrick is not improving, if anything he is getting worst. I gave him an adult
sized twin mattress that I have to change the sheet on every hour. He is
refusing food, can't move, is breathing and panting heavily, whining but is
very thirsty. I am refilling his water bowl every hour as well. Its a nightmare to
get him to take his medicine. Last night, he vomited, pooped and peed all at
the same time. He is too big for me to carry into the bathroom for a bath so I
have been sponge bathing him on the hardwood floor.
The vet said he would not make a decision until he has been on the steroid
for 7 days, meaning Monday. I was wondering, should I call another vet? My
other two dogs, who love Patrick won't go near him, Isn't that a bad sign? Is
he dying? I mean, he has had a long good life with us. What should I do?

Answer
Hi Holly,

Not knowing what surgery Patrick recently had, or why you've refused the steroid treatment your vet has suggested I can't say what's going on with your dog. It's obvious that he's quite ill, and needs treatment.
Whether you decide to stick with your current vet, or use a new one, you should not delay any further in getting Patrick the medical care he needs! This might mean he needs to be hospitalized at the vet's office.

If I've misunderstood, and you're giving your dog the recommended steroid treatment, then by all means contact your vet, and tell him you think your dog is actually getting worse. At that point, if your current vet doesn't think Patrick needs to be seen immediately, call another veterinarian and tell them it's an emergency, so you'll be promptly seen.

Though you can't detect if Patrick smells different, your other dogs may be able to smell a "medicine" smell that Patrick might have acquired from being at the vet's and having surgery. That could be why they aren't going near him.

I hope I've been a help, and that Patrick is back up on his feet soon.

Patti