Problems with diarrhea? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Chalupamom · 11-18-2006, 06:56 PM

Hi,

I have a nearly 7-year-old 4-pound female yorkie, Chalupa, who is our little princess. She just started having some recurrent health problems this year.

Before June, she had never had diarrhea in her life. She has had several sick spells since then, sometimes with vomiting, at first on a every few months basis and more recently three times over two-week intervals during the past month.

In August, her doctor switched her from Eukanaba, which she had eaten for several years and really didn't like, to Prescription Diet ZD, which she loves.

The doctor believes she has irritable bowel, but we are monitoring it and may do more testing if it continues. The diarrhea also usually contains mucous and small drops of blood.

I just wondered if any of you have had a recurring problem such as this with your yorkie and how you resolved it? It's the weirdest thing; she only gets sick in the middle of the night into the early morning and it usually goes away within hours. The rest of the time she's normal and her playful, vibrant self.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Jen

bentley2004 · 11-26-2006, 10:02 PM

Your post concerned me and I want to share my experience with recurrent diarrhea. Bentley was 2 1/2 years old and always suffered bouts of diarrhea. From time to time they would be mucousy and eventually very watery. I would always bring him to the vet complaining of this, as well as his finicky eating habits. He was always struggling to keep on weight. The vet changed his food to Prescription ID and for the most part he was fine. When I would go on vacation, my mom would babysit and when I'd pick him up, I was always relieved to see him a little bit fuller. I would never feed him anything other than his food, because there was always a pattern. If I deviated in any way, he would have a bout of diarrhea. Late October his diarrhea got real bad and on his last visit to the vet he was given a prescription for Centrine. This time though, it didn't go away and one night he woke me up from a deep sleep. I knew he wasn't feeling well so I immediately took him to an Emergency Center. He was stable and had had a bout of diarrhea while there, but no one seemed alarmed. The night vet suggested that since I'd had problems with this in the past, it might be a good idea to have him tested further. Since it was 2am on Friday morning, she suggested that I bring him to my own vet on Monday to get some additional tests done. That following day Bentley was back to his normal self and I was relieved. I scheduled to bring him to the vet on Monday morning. Late that Saturday night Bentley was very lethargic and had a distended belly. I was very concerned and again, took him to the Emergency Center where he was immediately given a blood test and it was discovered that his protein levels were very low. He was admitted and his preliminary diagnosis was Irritable Bowel Disease. After four heartwrenching days and a series of tests...Bentley passed away.

Bentley was eventually diagnosed was Lymphangiectasia, one of many diseases realated to the small intestines. A biopsy would have eventually confired the diagnosis, but he was not well enough to undergo the procedure. IBD and many related illnesses (Protein losing enteropathy, Lympangiestacia, etc) are not curable, but manageable. With the right medication and food therapy, yorkies can live very long lives. The trick is to get the proper diagnosis. In my case, a simple blood test and subsequent biopsy could have pointed them in the right direction. At this late stage, Bentley's illness was very severe and had been diagnosed too late for successful treatment. He had probably been living with this disease for some time and it had never been properly diagnosed.

I took my vet's word that he was fine - and I never questioned his treatment. I only wish now that I had been better educated about this group of diseases, and challenged his decision. I don't want to scare you, but it surprises me how few people know about this disease. I have beat myself up over and over at how I never insisted he be further tested and am furious that no one brought it to my attention sooner. I relied on his expertise and feel very let down.

Please do monitor Chalupa closely and I encourage further testing if you have to. I would have done anything I could have to save Bentley, and am sorry I wasn't given that opportunity earlier. Hopefully Chalupa can get the treatment she requires and live a very long and healthy life.

rachelsyorkie · 11-26-2006, 10:26 PM

You need albon & you will be better off to order it on your own because the vet bill will be just as expensive & they will not give you enough. Coccidiosis has been bad the pat few years & any other pet that comes into contact w/the stool could get it.
This is a good price for it & it tastes good http://entirelypets.stores.yahoo.net/alli516oz.html
This is a good website but dont get the 12% its stronger but tastes so horrible they wont take it & will run away, the 5% tastes good
http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/beag...occidiosis.htm
Cats can get it to. They get it from live stock is your pet on a farm? All pets have this parasite but a overgrowth can accur during times of stress or if the pet was scared badly. Remeber anything happening before he got sick. Has your vet did a stool test. Take in a sample. Get a second opinion. Good luck. If you have any questions you can ask me. I use to rescue from a pound & they always had it-all of them. Some would get it back after adopted, one did when scared by a trash truck. She was fine got frightened had diareah on the spot & had it from then on, got very ill - finally the girl called me & asked me if I knew anything & I told her, she had been to the vet several times & they never tested/found it. But there will be some mucus at the end of the stool then some blood. Med is expensive treat for 20days-the vet will say 10, that wont do it.

periwinkle · 11-27-2006, 04:03 PM

I just came back from the vet. My 2 1/2 old male Yorkie has been having recurrent bouts of dirrahea. He would have it for six days or so and then it would go away. I thought he just had a sensitive stomach. Finally I had enough today and took him in with a stool sample. Round worms!

He eats doog poop and rabbit poop in the back yard ( I pick it up regularly). Vet said most likely it was the rabbit poop. Anyhow, I have him on revolution heart worm and flea prevention, thinking that this would protect him against all worms. Not! I feel really bad because he has probably had this problem for quite a while. To make a long story short the vet said he should go on Centinal and this will protect him from heartworm and round worms, etc.

Lacy's Mom · 11-28-2006, 12:46 AM

Your vet already did a fecal check and found nothing? Coccidia usually shows up, giardia on the other hand is harder to diagnose. Did you do a complete blood check? If something is seriously wrong usually something will be off to give the vet a direction on where to start looking. When you say she gets sick at night do you mean she is vomiting a yellow frothy vomiting or actually vomiting digested food or having diarrhea?

If it is just the frothy yellow vomit then most likely it is due to having unabsorbed acid in the stomach and can usually be fixed by feeding a late night snack and early breakfast. They vomit the acid to get it out of their stomach, but it is harmful if done a lot because it can erode the lining of the stomach and esophagus. She may even need to be put on Pepcid if the change in feeding schedule doesn't help.

Benebac (beneficial bacteria sold in a tube for about $6.00 - more concentrated than yogurt and no risk of lactose causing diarrhea) can be of a lot of help with any digestive system disorder.

Some things are just hard to get to the bottom of since dogs can't talk, but some vets are so busy they just don't have the time to listen to find out what is wrong - if you feel this is the case than time to get a new vet. If it's a diagnosis without any real "traditional" help, start researching and looking into herbal remedy preparations.

rachelsyorkie · 11-28-2006, 05:04 AM

Roundworms are much easier to take care of then coccidiosis. You can always take a stool sample in when it looks funny usually w/o a appointment or office cost. Its about $8-$10 for stool test. I love revolution for fleas & heartworms, I would stick to that & pick up a bottle og nemex2 from your local pet/feedstore. It's $12 & will last you along time verses sentinel tabs every month about $12 each. $$ Just carefully figure the dosage for nemex2

My dogs use to pick up stuff from rabbit & deer poo in the yard all the time. We put up a chainlink fence-problem solved. Well I'm glad to hear it was just pesky ol common roundworms. You can use nemex2 as needed. I used it if I saw worms or diareah & now every few months for prevention. They can get round worms & give them by justtouching noses w/ another pet-thats what my vet told be anyways. Then I wised up & instead of giving the vet $35 a month, I pay $12 every 2 years. Sorry if the coccidiosis thing scared you, it just sounded like it & I wanted you to know about it cause it has become a big problem. take care.

periwinkle · 11-28-2006, 08:03 AM

Yes my yard is fenced in but the darn rabbits dig under the chain link. I'm constantly on patrol filling holes with clay, but they dig new holes overnight. Thanks for your advise, I'm going to look into it.

11-18-2006, 06:56 PM	#1
Chalupamom YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 1	Problems with diarrhea? Hi, I have a nearly 7-year-old 4-pound female yorkie, Chalupa, who is our little princess. She just started having some recurrent health problems this year. Before June, she had never had diarrhea in her life. She has had several sick spells since then, sometimes with vomiting, at first on a every few months basis and more recently three times over two-week intervals during the past month. In August, her doctor switched her from Eukanaba, which she had eaten for several years and really didn't like, to Prescription Diet ZD, which she loves. The doctor believes she has irritable bowel, but we are monitoring it and may do more testing if it continues. The diarrhea also usually contains mucous and small drops of blood. I just wondered if any of you have had a recurring problem such as this with your yorkie and how you resolved it? It's the weirdest thing; she only gets sick in the middle of the night into the early morning and it usually goes away within hours. The rest of the time she's normal and her playful, vibrant self. Thanks for any help you can give. Jen

11-26-2006, 10:02 PM	#2
bentley2004 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Calfiornia Posts: 28	Your post concerned me and I want to share my experience with recurrent diarrhea. Bentley was 2 1/2 years old and always suffered bouts of diarrhea. From time to time they would be mucousy and eventually very watery. I would always bring him to the vet complaining of this, as well as his finicky eating habits. He was always struggling to keep on weight. The vet changed his food to Prescription ID and for the most part he was fine. When I would go on vacation, my mom would babysit and when I'd pick him up, I was always relieved to see him a little bit fuller. I would never feed him anything other than his food, because there was always a pattern. If I deviated in any way, he would have a bout of diarrhea. Late October his diarrhea got real bad and on his last visit to the vet he was given a prescription for Centrine. This time though, it didn't go away and one night he woke me up from a deep sleep. I knew he wasn't feeling well so I immediately took him to an Emergency Center. He was stable and had had a bout of diarrhea while there, but no one seemed alarmed. The night vet suggested that since I'd had problems with this in the past, it might be a good idea to have him tested further. Since it was 2am on Friday morning, she suggested that I bring him to my own vet on Monday to get some additional tests done. That following day Bentley was back to his normal self and I was relieved. I scheduled to bring him to the vet on Monday morning. Late that Saturday night Bentley was very lethargic and had a distended belly. I was very concerned and again, took him to the Emergency Center where he was immediately given a blood test and it was discovered that his protein levels were very low. He was admitted and his preliminary diagnosis was Irritable Bowel Disease. After four heartwrenching days and a series of tests...Bentley passed away. Bentley was eventually diagnosed was Lymphangiectasia, one of many diseases realated to the small intestines. A biopsy would have eventually confired the diagnosis, but he was not well enough to undergo the procedure. IBD and many related illnesses (Protein losing enteropathy, Lympangiestacia, etc) are not curable, but manageable. With the right medication and food therapy, yorkies can live very long lives. The trick is to get the proper diagnosis. In my case, a simple blood test and subsequent biopsy could have pointed them in the right direction. At this late stage, Bentley's illness was very severe and had been diagnosed too late for successful treatment. He had probably been living with this disease for some time and it had never been properly diagnosed. I took my vet's word that he was fine - and I never questioned his treatment. I only wish now that I had been better educated about this group of diseases, and challenged his decision. I don't want to scare you, but it surprises me how few people know about this disease. I have beat myself up over and over at how I never insisted he be further tested and am furious that no one brought it to my attention sooner. I relied on his expertise and feel very let down. Please do monitor Chalupa closely and I encourage further testing if you have to. I would have done anything I could have to save Bentley, and am sorry I wasn't given that opportunity earlier. Hopefully Chalupa can get the treatment she requires and live a very long and healthy life. Last edited by bentley2004; 11-26-2006 at 10:06 PM.

11-26-2006, 10:26 PM	#3
rachelsyorkie Rachel & Tilula Belle Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Southern Ohio Posts: 1,162	That is coccidiosis. You need albon & you will be better off to order it on your own because the vet bill will be just as expensive & they will not give you enough. Coccidiosis has been bad the pat few years & any other pet that comes into contact w/the stool could get it. This is a good price for it & it tastes good http://entirelypets.stores.yahoo.net/alli516oz.html This is a good website but dont get the 12% its stronger but tastes so horrible they wont take it & will run away, the 5% tastes good http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/beag...occidiosis.htm Cats can get it to. They get it from live stock is your pet on a farm? All pets have this parasite but a overgrowth can accur during times of stress or if the pet was scared badly. Remeber anything happening before he got sick. Has your vet did a stool test. Take in a sample. Get a second opinion. Good luck. If you have any questions you can ask me. I use to rescue from a pound & they always had it-all of them. Some would get it back after adopted, one did when scared by a trash truck. She was fine got frightened had diareah on the spot & had it from then on, got very ill - finally the girl called me & asked me if I knew anything & I told her, she had been to the vet several times & they never tested/found it. But there will be some mucus at the end of the stool then some blood. Med is expensive treat for 20days-the vet will say 10, that wont do it.

11-27-2006, 04:03 PM	#4
periwinkle Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Southgate, MI USA Posts: 238	dirrahea I just came back from the vet. My 2 1/2 old male Yorkie has been having recurrent bouts of dirrahea. He would have it for six days or so and then it would go away. I thought he just had a sensitive stomach. Finally I had enough today and took him in with a stool sample. Round worms! He eats doog poop and rabbit poop in the back yard ( I pick it up regularly). Vet said most likely it was the rabbit poop. Anyhow, I have him on revolution heart worm and flea prevention, thinking that this would protect him against all worms. Not! I feel really bad because he has probably had this problem for quite a while. To make a long story short the vet said he should go on Centinal and this will protect him from heartworm and round worms, etc.

11-28-2006, 05:04 AM	#6
rachelsyorkie Rachel & Tilula Belle Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Southern Ohio Posts: 1,162	Glad they found the problem Roundworms are much easier to take care of then coccidiosis. You can always take a stool sample in when it looks funny usually w/o a appointment or office cost. Its about $8-$10 for stool test. I love revolution for fleas & heartworms, I would stick to that & pick up a bottle og nemex2 from your local pet/feedstore. It's $12 & will last you along time verses sentinel tabs every month about $12 each. $$ Just carefully figure the dosage for nemex2 My dogs use to pick up stuff from rabbit & deer poo in the yard all the time. We put up a chainlink fence-problem solved. Well I'm glad to hear it was just pesky ol common roundworms. You can use nemex2 as needed. I used it if I saw worms or diareah & now every few months for prevention. They can get round worms & give them by justtouching noses w/ another pet-thats what my vet told be anyways. Then I wised up & instead of giving the vet $35 a month, I pay $12 every 2 years. Sorry if the coccidiosis thing scared you, it just sounded like it & I wanted you to know about it cause it has become a big problem. take care.

11-28-2006, 12:46 AM	#5
Lacy's Mom YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: El Paso, Texas Posts: 3,065	Your vet already did a fecal check and found nothing? Coccidia usually shows up, giardia on the other hand is harder to diagnose. Did you do a complete blood check? If something is seriously wrong usually something will be off to give the vet a direction on where to start looking. When you say she gets sick at night do you mean she is vomiting a yellow frothy vomiting or actually vomiting digested food or having diarrhea? If it is just the frothy yellow vomit then most likely it is due to having unabsorbed acid in the stomach and can usually be fixed by feeding a late night snack and early breakfast. They vomit the acid to get it out of their stomach, but it is harmful if done a lot because it can erode the lining of the stomach and esophagus. She may even need to be put on Pepcid if the change in feeding schedule doesn't help. Benebac (beneficial bacteria sold in a tube for about $6.00 - more concentrated than yogurt and no risk of lactose causing diarrhea) can be of a lot of help with any digestive system disorder. Some things are just hard to get to the bottom of since dogs can't talk, but some vets are so busy they just don't have the time to listen to find out what is wrong - if you feel this is the case than time to get a new vet. If it's a diagnosis without any real "traditional" help, start researching and looking into herbal remedy preparations.

11-28-2006, 08:03 AM	#7
periwinkle Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Southgate, MI USA Posts: 238	diarrhea Yes my yard is fenced in but the darn rabbits dig under the chain link. I'm constantly on patrol filling holes with clay, but they dig new holes overnight. Thanks for your advise, I'm going to look into it.