[gaijingirl]

Just a basic overall: Snickers has been chronically sick on and off since April and we had him at UT last week for two days of diagnostic testing...he had a lot done to him! (He was a little stray and he’s had a lot of problems in the 6 months he’s been with us.They were even a little confused at some of his many symptoms. A lot didn't "fit" together).

Anyway, we just got all the test results back today and what they found was MVD and also an overgrowth ofclostridium perfringins, producing enterotoxin A.

His specialist at UT is Dr. Kirk, who called today and gave recommendations to my local vet. He is to be put on metronidazole for 10 days and then tylosin for a long-term period. She is also going to formulate a special diet for him.

This is what I need help with: Starting Friday, but especially last night, (before we found out the results) he had a fairly bad episode of vomiting and diarrhea...maybe one of the worst he has had yet. (Even though he does not have a fever this time as he normally does). He’s had more successive vomiting than in the past. He was still willing to take food and water and still had periods where he was interested in playing, although he became lethargic quite easily. The diarrhea he had was also worse than usual…a lot of mucous…he had about three accidents inside. Earlier today there was one time where it was completely solid red bloody mucous. I called Dr. Kirk immediately, as that has never happened before.


He was in to see his local vet earlier and was given fluids and his antibiotics.

After we got back from the vet today he seemed to be doing a little bit better. I gave small meals with extra water mixed in and he ate and was energized. He has not vomited again yet today. The last time I gave him food was around 9:00. He ate and then I told him it was time to go outside to go potty. He started trying to go upstairs (probably to see my husband, I thought) so I went to pick him up before he could get up there and felt he was shaking a lot. I carried him outside and he went potty, but did not want to get back up the one and only step he needed to climb to the house. I took him in and since he has been prone to fevers in the past, I took his temperature and it was normal (101). My husband noticed he had a lot of pain between his shoulder blades. We called the vet after hours and he told us he believed the pain was probably in that place from where he received the fluids. He thinks the shaking was probably from stomach cramps and pain and told me to give him 2cc of pepto bismol. I had also given him 1/2 Pepcid 5 hours earlier on recommendation of an on-call UT vet, which my local vet was aware of. He had had a really noisy stomach the last couple of days, up to this morning, but oddly, the past 14 hours or so, it has not been so bad. The pepto bismol did seem to lessen the shakes somewhat, but he does still have them and is seems very weak...or at least is in such pain to where he does not want to move at all.... even to lie down is effort. He did not want to raise his head...just sort of stares at the ground...just generally does not look good. He has been lying in the same spot for an hour and hasn’t moved at all.

Does anyone know what else I can do to make him more comfortable? Or...can you advise me to make me more comfortable? lol. I'm not sure how much I should be worrying (although according to my husband that is not going to do anything).
I'm just not sure what to do, since it is late at night, I've already consulted the vet...he's been to the vet earlier...he has eaten and drank recently. Could his blood sugar be low even after just eating? My husband didn't think it was a good idea to give him any Karo syrup or anything and overload him with sugar if he had food in him.

We had possibly wondered if the Hills i/d they had given us at UT would have upset his stomach at all...both my local vet and the intern I spoke with over the weekend at UT said that was pretty unlikely...anyone ever known this to happen. Initially they told me to mix the i/d with his regular food (which is just a home-cooked, bland diet) but when he started vomiting over the weekend, the girl at UT I spoke with told me to give only small amounts of the hills i/d. It didn't help. They also gave me some Purina e/n...would it be advisable to try this? Is this too many food changes? I thought it would be, but the info from the vets made it sound like changing to or adding these prescription foods should not be a problem...of course, this was a couple days before he started vomiting like crazy.

Any thoughts, ideas are appreciated. I will call again to UT in the morning. Also, is there anyone who has had any experience with a clostridium overgrowth?

I hope this post made some sense (especially as the chronological things happening are kind of confusing). There has just been so many things going on for so long that made this dogs diagnosis difficult. Lots of treatments with temporary results and I just need some support. It's so frustrating that he is getting sick again! Just as we finally think we are getting somewhere and I'm afraid it's gonna take too long for the antibiotics to help and he will lay around sick and I will be here worrying, not knowing if I need to rush him off to the vet after hours and twice in one day or not.

I told this dog on the way to the vet earlier that he was lucky that we were the ones who ended up with him, because a lot of other people wouldn’t deal with his craziness! My husband always says, “it’s a good thing you’re cute, Snickers”. Haha.