|
Am I being a worry-wart? Help? Roxie is not feeling well again. Same symptoms as the last two times: Diarrhea, shaking, not eating, pacing back and forth. No vomiting this time (yet). The last two times this happened (April and July) the vet gave us medication, and the diagnosis that it was just bacteria in the intestines. Well, I am not happy with this diagnosis. Why does it keep happening? I think I am calling a new vet's office today, because I really don't think this is normal, and the vet who is handling our hamster is really good (our regular vet's office didn't have a small animal person on-hand, so hammy goes to a different vet's office than Roxie). Am I being a worry-wart...should I be concerned? I feel so bad for my little poo, but I also don't want to run her to the vet for every little thing. :( |
I would be concerned if this keeps happening. Yorkies are prone to things like pancreatitis, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, irritable bowel. All of these are very painful, exhibit the same symptoms you are describing, and require a certain treatment and long-term diet. I think it is soon time to try another vet if this one is not starting to see a pattern. Do an x-ray and some blood tests. |
I do not think you are a worry wart - you are being a great furbaby mom! There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting a second opinion or going to another vet. If you do not feel that your current vet is thinking outside of the box to help your baby then that may not be the right vet for you. I would go ahead and take her to the vet - no need to wait for the vomiting if you have seen the symptoms before and know where it is going. Your new vet may be able to ask you some questions to help narrow down the possible cause - such as is she drinking water outside of the house, switching to filtered water, changing dog food or getting rid of all of the old food and getting new supply. Sometimes the simplest solution may be the one you need. I hope you are able to get this issue resolved quickly. Poop little Roxie. |
No, you aren't being a worrier. She needs medical attention today. Somebody needs to get the bottom of what is going on. This is not normal. What tests has the vet done? What is your girl eating and chewing on? What bacteria does your vet think is present? Has a dietary change been tried? Has all bloodwork been normal? |
No, your concerns are valid. One time maybe I could take that diagnosis, but if it keeps happening, you really need to get to the bottom of this. Poor thing. |
I agree with the others, these are serious signs. What are you feeding by the way? |
I know they've done blood work and tested her stool for worms. Other than that, I don't think any other tests have been conducted. She's been on the same food for well over a year now. She had some drastic weight gain when we switched her to Innova EVO small bites, so we now have her on the weight control formula. It's grain-free. She doesn't eat people food, other than the occasional fruit or veggie piece. She does have rawhide chews that she totes around for days and sometimes weeks at a time (maybe they are harboring bacteria?). |
Quote:
|
I doubt any of that is causing an issue, but to err on the side of caution, I'd pull the chews in case they are getting soggy and germy. Rawhide is not safe anyway. Evo weight loss should be lower fat, but I'd personally move to something with a lower protein count too. The vet could help you with that. but because this comes and goes, it is likely unrelated. If everything is clean and the (new) vet isn't concerned, then I'd move toward a more bland diet for awhile and see what you get. But if bloods are normal, she may have intestinal disease. Not uncommon, but it doe sneed to be managed, sometimes with meds and sometimes with diet. Also, with too many recurrences and if the intestines are suspected, a biopsy may be done. If the drugs are helping (I assume Metro) and because it's intermittent, I wouldn't be too surprised if she did pick up a bacterial infection.. |
Quote:
|
Ok, I have an appt. with the new vet at 2:50 this afternoon. Is there anything else I should ask about, specifically? I will update when we get back. |
Please do update. |
Your doing the right thing keep us posted |
Ok, so the new vet was pretty good. She seems very determined to figure out what is bothering Roxie. Fecal test was negative for any worms or anything, and she said her bacteria levels are actually pretty low. She listened to and felt her belly and sides pretty extensively, and didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. They took blood, and are testing her CBC, liver, kidney, glucose, pancreatic values, and thyroid levels. She said we should hear results by Monday. For now, she gave us Panacur to put in her food once a day for 6 days, and prescription GI food (Hill's i/d) for two weeks. We can stop giving the Metro. She said it could be any number of things, and is hoping the blood test narrows it down for us. I hope so too. |
Quote:
|
Thanks for the update and let us know when the tests come back. Hope the week end is restful for both of you. |
May I suggest that a change of diet to a one protein, one carb diet may make a world of difference. Ralphie keep having diarrhea issues, and I could not figure it out. Turns out he has a very sensitive stomach. Can not eat any veggies or allot of normal dog foods. Got him on simple solutions..and he has been great. I keep a script for metronitdizol ,and he has been fine for 5 years. Never could get him to gain weight..etc. No more problems now. Katy |
Vet called to say that blood tests and the second fecal came back clear. She said it may be a food sensitivity or allergy, so we should keep Roxie on the prescription food for two weeks and see how she does. She may need to be on prescription food from now on. I hope that's not the case. She also said to finish the course of Panecur (which is 3 more days). Roxie threw up twice on Saturday, and she's only had 2 bowel movements since Friday morning (one early yesterday and one tonight). I told the vet this and she said it may take some time for her to get back to normal. I feel a bit frustrated. I hate not knowing what is making her ill. :( |
Quote:
|
I just spent some time reading online reviews and stories about the Hill's prescription food, and I REALLY don't want to be feeding it to Roxie at all. I will do the 2 weeks that the vet recommended, but I don't want to keep her on it. |
I don't know what you have been reading about Hill's Science Diet RX Foods; but I can tell you that I have used them for different pups over many, many years and they have saved some of their lives. I have one right now, Rookie, who gets sick on anything I give him except for Hill's Z/D |
I had a little dog that went through something very like that. I finally found an answer and hope you do, too. It is so awful to watch your baby suffering and the vets aren't able to help much. I am so hoping she can get help very soon. |
Quote:
We all do what we need to do. I felt the same way because of everything I had read. I think sometimes they forget to mention that some dogs need to have the RX diet to have a normal life. But with that said, if I want to keep my baby healthy it is what is best for her. Regardless of how others feel, it is what has worked for Rosie. I tried many other high quality foods only to have Rosie's problems flare up. Therefore, Hills I/D is the best choice for her right now. |
Quote:
What is Z/D? Roxie is on i/d. A lot of the stuff I have seen online rates the food as low quality because of some of the ingredients. I have also seen people posting horror stories saying their cats and dogs got sick after eating the food. I know you have to take some of those with a grain of salt, but I actually haven't seen one positive review anywhere (yet). |
Quote:
|
Quote:
The stories you hear are just that...stories. It is very sad that more people are not singing praises of Hill's RX foods. I am happy to say that some are posting positive experiences recently here on YT. Those foods DO save lives! |
Here is a recent thread that has some great information: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ellie-may.html |
Well, it makes me feel a bit better to see that YTers have had some good experiences with the Hill's. :) I guess we'll see where the next 2 weeks take us. |
Quote:
I hope it works for your baby. It has done wonders for Rosie. :) BTW, been there done that just like you are. I thought it was awful and Ladyjane clarified a few things for me too. I feel much better feeding it knowing my baby is not having the vomiting and diarrhea problems. |
So sorry to hear you are still having trouble figuring out what is wrong with your little baby. Sounds like you are doing everything right. Hopefully the tests will give you some answers. Will check back for updates - so let your vet know you have a whole community eagerly waiting for the results :) |
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 09:25 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2003 - 2018 YorkieTalk.com
Privacy Policy - Terms of Use