Puppy in distress...seeking second opinion

We have a 10-week-old black lab pup. Got him from a reputable breeder
at 8 weeks of age, and for the first two weeks, his behavior and
attitude were excellent. He has been well socialized with other people/
animals, seems agreeable to learning basic obedience, and (until now)
has no problems staying in his crate overnight or alone for short
periods of time during the day. He gets plenty of exercise and is
eating the high-end feed the breeder recommended.

Last Friday (72 hours ago) he began incessant whining and trembling
for no reason that we could discern. We took him outside repeatedly
and watched closely in case he had a mild case of upset stomach or
other discomfort. His stools were a bit soft, but nothing way out of
whack. He continued this whining/yowling for nearly 20 hours straight,
then exhausted himself and fell asleep. The next morning it continued,
right on through the weekend. We tried to keep him on as close to his
routine as possible, and tried not to coddle him in an effort not to
reinforce the whining in case he was just going through that sudden
"fear" stage.

After 60 hours of this, we took him to our trusted vet first thing
Monday morning. She X-rayed him, detected a buildup of abdominal gas,
and gave him oral barium before X-raying again several hours later.
There were no obstructions or blockages, and his urine and feces also
tested fine. She sent him home with an antibiotic and orders to give
him a half dose of Pepto Bismol until his stools returned to normal.
She said to feed him bland rice/chicken, and his appetite is excellent--
eating remains one of the few things he relishes.

Although he seemed perked up at the vet's, now that he has been home
for a few hours, he is once again constantly whining and appears in
distress. The odd thing is, he only appears distressed when he is
riding in the car or lying down at home--he just can't get comfortable.
When we take him outside to walk around, he is a lot closer to
"normal" and he does engage more. But as soon as we go back inside, he
heads straight for his bed or a cool floor surface and begins to
whine.

The only other noticeable thing is that he is now repeatedly crouching
to urinate, even after he passes a regular amount (so on a given walk
in the woods, he goes his normal amount, then strains to pee another 8
or 10 times). But the vet said this is not a primary concern, because
his urine was remarkably clear. She said to wait it out, and check
back in the morning. In the meantime, any suggestions or help from you
would be greatly appreciated--thank you!

wrote in message


> The only other noticeable thing is that he is now repeatedly crouching
> to urinate, even after he passes a regular amount (so on a given walk
> in the woods, he goes his normal amount, then strains to pee another 8
> or 10 times). But the vet said this is not a primary concern, because
> his urine was remarkably clear. She said to wait it out, and check
> back in the morning. In the meantime, any suggestions or help from you
> would be greatly appreciated--thank you!


I'd get a second opinion - the puppy sounds like it may have a UTI. And I
know personally that they are very uncomfortable, especially when you are
still