Possibly IBD in my little guy

[patchesvincent]

This is my first post! I discovered Yorkie Talk in doing tons of research on my little Deano.

Last year he had an episode of chronic vomiting and anorexia and refusing to drink water. Took him to the emergency hospital and he spent on and off again 2 weeks time in the hospital for what they suspected was pancreatitis. He had an x-ray, ultrasound and bloodwork but nothing ever definitely came back with pancreatitis. But eventually he improved and was able to eat again. I have kept him on a low fat diet with Sojos dehydrated food (no meat) and adding boiled meat to it.

Fast forward to the end of June 2016 no sooner do we started moving boxes into our new house Deano starts the same symptoms as the year before, vomiting, anorexia, and not wanting to drink, dehydrating pretty quickly. He spent 4 days in the same emergency hospital (same doc even who remembered him well) and seemed to improve with just fluids and nausea meds and was interested in some food. So we take him home to our new place. He did ok for a couple days and then started vomiting again. We moved to a new area so we took him to a new emergency vet where he was prescribed cerenia, sub q fluids, and given a nurturecalm collar in hopes he might be able to settle down with the move and everything. After getting on the cerenia he perked up a little with food but nothing like his normal self (this dog lives for food, will eat veggies and fruits, even rinds if you accidentally drop one).

Once I ran out of cerenia he last a couple days before the vomiting started again and he became dehydrated. Took him in again to the emergency vet and they performed an x-ray to make sure he didn't have any blockages (nothing was seen on the x-ray), he was given more fluids and cerenia. This particular doctor thought that with how long this illness was lasting that it wasn't pancreatitis, as previously thought, and that he needed to see an internist, they have one on staff there that specializes in gastrointestinal disorders. He suspected IBD but of course couldn't diagnose it. He did run a blood panel on Deano that night and everything was normal except his neutrophils and lymphocytes were both high, not crazy high, but above normal. So he suggested we start him on some broad spectrum antibiotics as well. He was on that and the cerenia for about two days, still not eating when we decided to see the internist.

The internist performed a cortisol test (she thought maybe Addison's) which came back normal, an ultrasound which showed a swollen lymphnode (she said it wasn't out of the normal range as far as size but it was prominent) and a small liver but she didn't see anything obstructing it so she didn't think liver shunts, and a gastric blood panel which was sent to Texas A&M. The blood panel came back pretty normal except that he does have a B12 deficiency, his cobalamin was really low. She suggested an endoscopy biopsy, but unfortunately life happened and we were just in an auto accident the day before she called and balked at having it done just because of the cost and not knowing what was going to happen with our car (we are ok, except some whiplash, the car ended up being totaled though, that's another sad sob story, lol).

I should mention that Deano has been kept on cerenia this whole time, until he started eating and acting pretty normal last Wednesday when I decided to try and take him off of it. He was ok until Saturday.

So the internist has put him on a hydrolyzed diet (currently using Purina) and set up an appointment for a B12 injection. That was all scheduled last week. Over this past weekend, prior to the B12 injection, Deano throws up twice on Saturday morning and then a new symptom, diarrhea. So strange that it waits a month to start up! And he quit eating and drinking again so we started feeding him water via a syringe to keep him hydrated. We took him to his appointment on Tuesday, yesterday, for his B12 shot and update the vet on his new symptoms. We decided to go ahead with the biopsy since he just seems to be getting worse, he's dropped almost 5 pounds over the past month, was only 15 to begin with.

The vet takes him back to give him his injection and a once over while we get everything scheduled. So we waited and waited and no one came in for awhile, I can hear talking about a foreign body, etc. through the wall of the room but I'm thinking the vet is talking to another client cuz there is no way that my dog has swallowed -anything- recently. Finally she brings Deano back and tells us that his abdomen feels much different than it did last week, there is a definite hard lump so she ran the ultrasound wand over him and a pretty good sized foreign body is lodged in his intestines! I was in total shock, I actually just looked at her and told her that that was impossible. Deano won't eat, let alone swallow something else! She assures me that it's there and she was concerned that he probably wouldn't be able to pass it, he hadn't gone to the bathroom in two days at this point.

SO, now instead of getting an endoscopy we had to schedule same day surgery to get this foreign THING removed from his intestines! We got the call that the surgery went well, and that he had swallowed a squeaker to a toy. Now Deano has been pretty lethargic and hasn't played hardly at all in the past month this has been going on, and we haven't bought any new toys with a squeaker since before we moved for him to have swallowed this anytime recently. So this has been in his stomach for awhile. So my brain goes straight to, this is why he has been sick this whole time! But the vet assures me that this is not what has made him sick, because he is still B12 deficient and the squeaker was nowhere near the part of his gut that would be involved in the soaking up of nutrients. She is also concerned that he isn't absorbing water at this point either. So three full thickness biopsies of his intestines have been sent to Chicago (not sure where) and we are awaiting the results of that (3 to 5 days).

At this point I guess we are praying for IBD and not lymphoma! Although lymphoma seems unlikely.

Anyone have experience with this??

[Wylie's Mom]

Oh my gosh, your poor little one! And poor you too, for having to watch him go through all of this. But wow, you are *such* a great Momma to get him such wonderful care !

I am so happy to read they removed that squeaker from his gut. Reality it, there is no telling just what a foreign object in the body can do to screw multiple things up. So I do hope getting it out will prove to be 95% of the problem for him. And I hope you're looking at IBD, and nothing worse.

Please keep us posted on the biopsy results.

[patchesvincent]

Awwww thank you!! We sure love the little guy, such a great personality on him!

We visited him last night and he is eating, which is great! He was actually upset when he was given a small amount of food (which he inhaled) and then brought another bowl that was only water. He's very unhappy with the cone of shame he has to wear as well, but they tried taking it off and he attempted to rip his sutures out. That sounds like my Deano!

They just called and told me that I can come pick him up anytime after 1:00 this afternoon. It's going to be fun trying to keep him calm with him home and wanting to be with his brother and sister.

Still awaiting biopsy results!

[ladyjane]

Goodness what a ride. So sorry you have been going through so much with your Deano.

It doesn't sound like lymphoma...hopefully it isn't! I will say a prayer for good results.

Welcome to YT! Please keep us posted on your boy. I bet he is happy to be back home!

[patchesvincent]

Just a little update, still haven't received the biopsy results but we also didn't have trips to the vet this weekend, hurray for my wallet!! haha

He is gobbling up the Royal Canin Hydrolyzed soft food no problems and producing pretty sizeable poo all weekend. We have had a few cases of some softer stool, but overall pretty good quality. He did start shaking last night and a little this morning but I'm thinking it might still be a little bit of pain from surgery because the pain meds seem to clear that up. All the bruising has cleared up except two spots right next to his "manly" area at the end of his stitches, not sure what's up with that.

He's getting more and more challenging to keep calm as he's feeling better, but that's a good problem to have!

[lillymae]

Lymphoma will show in any simple blood test UNLESS it's Intestinal Lymphoma. Intestinal Lymphoma will only show in blood work IF there is a tumor that has ruptured & the reason it does not show in blood work is that it is incased within the intestinal wall. Was the squeaker metal or plastic ? if a type of metal it is possible it was poisoning him & this may be the best case scenario as it's gone now . Also after any type of surgery in the digestive system it's a good idea to give ProBiotics & you can get that from your vet. I would not suggest going to Petco or any place like that for the ProBiotics as they sell mostly things like flavored tabs & you don't want anything with junk in it as you may irritate things further since at this point you don't know for sure the cause of his episodes. Also you can buy squeaky toys without those metal or plastic squeakers in them so be sure to look inside the hole for any inserted squeakers. I often buy my dogs toys in the childrens departments as they passed a law years ago that they can not put those deadly squeakers in childrens toys, don't know WHY they still put them in pet toys but they do. Praying your baby has a full & speedy recovery & that all tests come back neg for cancer & it was that mean'ol squeaker causing the whole problem.

[patchesvincent]

Thank you!

No cancer has come up in his bloodwork and while in surgery they got a good look around and at least didn't see anything prominent in his intestines (other than the squeaker). It was a plastic squeaker, completely intact. She doesn't seem to think the squeaker is what has caused his issues as his b12 is very low and it was plastic, but I guess the biopsy will tell! She is also optimistic that it's not lymphoma simply because he was ill last year with the same symptoms and lymphoma works much quicker than that. But the threat is always there I suppose.

He was on probiotics (Fortiflora from the vet) prior to surgery but at this point she hasn't put him back on them yet, I'm not sure why. I'll have to ask her at the next appointment.

Trust me! They will NEVER be getting a toy with a squeaker in it EVER again!! I still can't believe he swallowed it, it's just not like him.

[patchesvincent]

Finally got the call from the vet, the results are in on Deano's biopsy. She said that he had white blood cells mixed in the walls of his intestines and the villi were blunt and wider than they should be, both consistent with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He has an appointment next Tuesday for a B12 shot, which he will be receiving weekly for 4-6 weeks she said and then he will be evaluated to see how often he should get them potentially from here on out.

She is also going to evaluate his physical condition and weight on Tuesday and decide whether or not he should go on a round of immunosuppressants to help him out. I think we are both hoping against that as he's still healing from having that squeaker removed (could he pick any better timing for all of this? lol).

We also discussed some issues he's having as of late, some shaking at random times and what not and we think it might have to do with him wearing the e collar. So she wants me to try putting a baby shirt on him and covering the stitches when we are home and let him go without the collar for a bit. I'm nervous about it, not sure I'll be able to get it back on him right while we are gone during the day, it's one of those ones they tie on with gauze. But if it keeps his stress levels down I might have to try it. he's got another week before we get the stitches taken out. I've also noticed that when we cut the grass this weekend he seemed to have an allergic reaction to it, his eye got really gunked up for a day or two and then cleared up.

*sigh* He's a mess!

[ladyjane]

So happy to hear no lymphoma!! Hope he continues to do well.

[lillymae]

Great news, NO CANCER ! Yes I would deff be getting more ProBiotics for him. My Sparky, who has Lymphoma is on ProBiotics as well as the rest of the gang & have been for years. There is nothing wrong with daily ProBiotics for both animals & people. Sometimes those squeakers just come out in the dogs mouth depending on where & how the dog bites down on the toy & is why they should NOT put the dang things in toys period. Many pets have choked to death on those squeakers & I think they should have a warning on ALL toys with those types of squeakers in them.

[patchesvincent]

Took Deano in for his follow up yesterday, they were able to take his stitches out, the incision area looks good. No more cone of shame for him! They taught me how to give him his B12 injections, which he will be getting weekly for the next month with potentially needing it at least monthly for the rest of his existence.

Because of his low albumin before he had surgery they did draw some blood to see where his levels are at now and decide if he needs anything to supplement that.

Other than that he's back to his self. All he wants to do is play, the other dogs can't even seem to keep up with his energy at this point!

[ladyjane]

Thanks for the update! So happy to hear Deano is doing well!!