Brodie has a Stomach Bug??
 

Hello again everyone! It has been 3 months since Brodie's surgery and to date he has been doing great!!! His incisions are all healed and he has no difficulty voiding out of his new "slit".

That being said, Brodie appears to have fallen ill. After briefly scanning YT it seems a stomach bug is passing around? Brodie has vomited once on Sunday and then again today, several times in a row what appeared to be bile? I brought him to the vet first thing in the morning Monday after his first vomiting episode. She took his temperature, listened to his heart, lungs and looked into his ears. Everything was fine. She said he had a very mild cold and asked if he had been around other animals. He hasn't been and she couldn't understand where he had picked it up. She sent him home with .4ml clavamox twice a day to get rid of the congestion.

Brodie has had so many problems and surgeries that I know I am paranoid about him so thought I'd ask you guys... he still isn't eating other than a few cheerios or a tiny cube of cheddar cheese. He will not consider his doggie food at all. He is drinking plenty and urinating but hasn't pooed since Saturday evening. He is very tired and lethargic and just wants to snuggle against me. Often he will start to tremble. Having a inoperable liver shunt it is hard for me to get something nutritional into him that won't cause him more harm (I can't make him chicken and rice- rice yes, chicken no, and plain rice wouldn't be that great for him). What to do?! Think my vet is right and it is just a bug?

I am sorry Brodie isn't feeling well. I know every know and then one of mine will get a tummy upset for no apparent reason. Could the bile be from not eating much? I hope he feels better soon.

I had been wondering how little Brodie was doing and was glad to see your post although not to learn he has these symptoms.

It concerns me that Brodie is not really eating and that he is very lethargic. My Barney has had a couple of doggie colds including a couple of tough bouts of kennel cough but he has never been tired or lethargic or would not eat.

Did your vet run some basic bloodwork?

As for getting something nutritious into him - do you think he'd eat a little sweet potato? My dog Daisy has microscopic liver shunting (MVD) and her diet consists of sweet potatoes and chick peas and it is easily digestible. The sweet potato will at least give him some energy and some nutrients. Not sure if this food is on your approved list but our dog has done excellently on it.

How about just giving a quick call to Cornell? I'm sure they'd give some info on what to feed.

Please keep us posted, I'm concerned, he seems a little too low energy for not eating and a cold. Maybe I'd call my vet again too and relay this information.

Being a shunt dog nothing in Brodie's blood work is ever correct or consistent. My vet didn't run any tests. He has thrown up about 4 times this evening - each time several hours after eating?? This makes no sense to me... he eats and keeps the food down then 5 hours later it comes back up?
I'm at my wits end with Brodie! Every time we have things under control another thing pops up. Does this sound like a typical doggie flu? I'm not sure what else to do with the little guy. He has been drinking plenty. I am leaving the state on Thursday and he was suppose to come with me and now I'm very nervous because we will be very far away from the vet.

Hi Glad to see you here again... just wish Brodie was feeling better....

What does he normally eat when he's not sickly? Is he on a special liver diet?

Is he on Lactulose?

Yorkies will vomit yellow bile if they're tummies get empty for too long.

I would try him with a bit of Gerber's Stage 2 chicken baby food mixed with plain white rice. You could also offer him some cottage cheese. Be careful with any other cheeses, they can be too rich and may cause pancreatitis...

Is he taking Lactulose for his Liver Shunt? Also with LS dogs, occassionally they need to go on a course of antibiotics to help control the bacteria in their systems... along with Lactulose, which will also help him to have a BM. You can also control any LS symptoms from getting too much protein with the Lactulose.

Do you have Nutrical on hand? I'd try him with some of that or Karo or pancake syrup....

Also it can help to put an LS dog on probiotics and digestive enzymes to help them digest their food. (like Nature's Farmacy's Dogzymes)

I'm worried too something may have him blocked... is his tummy getting bloated?

I just reread your posts.... congestion in his lungs? Does he have any discharge from his nose? Can you take his temp?

Lethargy and not wanting to eat can be a sign of running a fever. If the congestion is in his lungs... this could develop into pneumonia. With him seeking to lay on you can indicate that he is cold and is trying to get warm from being on your lap.

If he doesn't improve in 24 hours on the Clavamox, he more than likely needs a stronger antibiotic.

Be sure to give him some Nutrical... maybe some chicken broth or chicken baby food on his regular food may entice him to eat.... maybe warming his food will help...

Has he not eaten substantially since Saturday?

Or the ER Vet may be your best option...

How is Brodie doing this morning?

Good morning...

Brodie got sick 4 times last night before we went to bed. He emptied his little belly of everything he had eaten 5 hours prior. I think the clavamox is upsetting his already upset belly. I thought for sure he was going to keep the food down. This morning he got out of bed and made the largest poop I've ever seen come out of him. Sorry for these details - it started out blackish and hard then got increasingly softer and light brown. It was probably 6" long!! He continues to drink and will take small treats but is not interested in his dog food still.
Brodie's temperature is 99.7F. This is within the normal range for him. He does not take Lactulose as his symptoms are mostly under control and the vets at Cornell decided to try to not add chemicals to his body unless we need to. I just make sure he drinks plenty and trick him into drinking more by further watering down his food. He is still drinking tons of water so I am not concerned about dehydration. His gums are light pink and his nose is wet. He is still making a whistling whining sound through his nose as he is congested pretty bad - it is a clear mucous that you can see inside his nostril.
I'm going to call the vet again today to see what I can do.

Oh my goodness! Sounds like he was a bit constipated then? Hopefully his appetite will increase/return now that there's space for more food to go. Sometimes I give mine green beans or canned pumpkin to help keep them more 'regular'.

Just keep a very close eye on that mucous... if it turns white or cloudy it means pneumonia may have set in and he would need special treatment, like nebulization with antibiotics to get the meds directly into the lungs, and a change in the oral antibiotics. If there's a lot of mucous... this can make them not eat... bc they cannot smell their food... sometimes heating it up can help.... I'd also keep the Nutrical on hand until he's eating more normally. It really shouldn't hurt to give him a small amount of chicken occassionally, especially if it helps him to eat more.

There is a lot of mucus. I think that is part of why he is vomiting too... I know dogs don't like to swallow that. Brodie is a bit of a brat and always has his food warmed, he won't eat it any other way! I hope he starts feeling better today :(

If they have a problem with any antibiotic they will usually vomit within a half hour of taking the meds. I think he vomited from being constipated...JMHO. You can try him with some egg whites.. no yolks for LS dogs, and Chicken and rice... as sometimes eating the wrong things is better than eating nothing at all. Something bland may be beneficial at this time.

If you haven't seen improvement since he started the Clavamox, I would insist that your vet treat this very aggressively asap, and change the antibiotic. When they're on the right AB, you will see drastic improvement in less than 24 hours... and he'll start eating again.

My dog was at death's door, when he got the right AB, he was up and eating the next day, and there was a marked decrease in the mucous. Pneumonia can be and is frequently deadly in dogs... I would not postpone more aggressive treatment any longer, esp considering Brodie's history ... he'll need all the help he can get.

PS: You won't have time to wait for a culture on the mucous to be done...

Not all dogs with liver shunts do well on chicken, including my dog.
If he is that congested, the vet may do a bronchotracheal wash to see what is going on....I don't like tubes down the trach, but sometimes it is needed.

I'm hoping for the best for Brodie and that things will look up, we all know he is a little fighter!

Poor little guy. Hope he is feeling better really soon.

Have just been reading through this thread, Im sorry I cant give you any advice as I have no experience with a LS dog. But it seems you have some good advice here from other members.
All I would say is that if you feel he isn't doing better, I would get a second opinion from another vet just to put your mind at ease that this is only a cold.
Hoping Brodie gets better soon.

Saying prayers for Brodie. Hopefully you can get him back to the vet and find out what is going on. Please keep us updated.

Just adding my well wishes for little Brodie. Looks like Cathy and Kathy have given you plenty to consider/discuss with the vet for now. Sometimes a cold really is just a cold and has to run its course. I know it is natural to worry more over Brodie with his history and problems but I hope it is just a normal cold. Still, I know the challenge is to keep adequate nutrition going in. I think the constipation could have been the biggest factor in loss of appetite. No one wants to put more in when they are full up. ;) Hopefully, he will now take some tidbits. I would cater more during the cold -- definately consider green beans, pumpkin and bits of sweet potatoe. Not only do many dogs think of them as treats, they can help with the constipation. If there is a treat that Brodie likes and tolerates well, I would give it. You want calories right now and can worry about balanced nutrition once he is eating.

Just read this post (and am familiar with Brodie's LS in last posts), and want to send well wishes for the little guy. From everything I've read, you are doing a really great job with him and he is a very lucky little pup to have you as a mom! :) Hang in there - sending prayers your way.

No Advice here just lots of good thoughts going your way, a big hug and lots of prayer.

Please keep us posted when you can.

Another Brodie update...
After his large bowel movement this morning Brodie was great all day, he ate some brown rice and drank a bunch of water. He even ate a couple noodles. His nose is wet and cold again and he is not nearly as congested. He didn't get sick at all during the day. Then about 30minutes ago Brodie started trembling and was sick 3 times in a row. This was over 6 hours after having eaten last. He's now curled up in a ball sleeping, every once in a while trembling like he is cold (mind you it is very warm in the house). I'm going to call the vet again in the morning to ask about the vomiting.

I forgot to mention that I also offered Brodie some canned pumpkin throughout the day. If it wasn't for the trembling I wouldn't be as concerned, but I really do not like that he is trembling. My vet told me to be patient as when she saw him he was perfectly healthy looking and quite solid. She believes he has a bug. He isn't acting as lethargic anymore. His ears are up and he is coherent. He still is snuggling, as I turned the heat WAY up, I think it is mostly for comfort. He only does it after he has been sick and once the trembling starts. The rest of the day he was happily lounging.
I meant to ask - If he is still constipated is there anything I can give him to help move the bowels along? Mineral oil? I wasn't sure...

Pumpkin and/or green beans are the most natural way to help his bowels. Mineral oil can be given, but I would ask your vet first bc of his other problems. Pumpkin can correct diarrhea and constipation so I always have it in the house. Lactulose is also given as a laxative and may be safer for him to take than mineral oil.

Glad he's doing better... I would def inform the vet of his large BM yesterday, with him still vomiting he may still have a partial blockage, and she may want to get an xray or something to rule out a blockage as a cause for his vomiting.

Is he vomiting solids or liquids or both? Maybe crush/cut his food up in tiny sizes and add water to make a mush to see if he can digest it better. Definitely something weird going on for the food to stay in his system that long.... Your vet may want to do a more thorough workup on him... or refer you to an internal medicine specialty...

I hope they can find out what it is... poor little guy has been through so much already in his young life... and you too! Keeping you both in my prayers....

Hi Brody's Mom.

I will have to go back and read about Brody, but from what I am gathering he is a Liver Shunt dog? I am not sure why you would be feeding chicken? Chicken is high in Purines, and when digested since the liver is damaged and there's a shunt, that becomes toxins in his body.

What are you feeding him? Royal Canin Hepatic LS 14 is really tolerated by LS and MVD dogs. Adding distilled water helps too.

Or, I use Dr. W from Cornell, he is a Vet-Nutritionist. He can create a diet that is balanced for Brody.

Part of the reason he doesn't want to eat, is bc it seems the toxins make him feel sick, which is associated with food. I notice you said you give him Cheese Cubes, again, it may be too high in proteins for him...Cottage Cheese and goat cheese are pretty low, but then again, he needs more carbs verses protein.

Have you tried Vanilla Pedi Sure for children yet? This is good for them when they feel sick and do not want to eat. Try a little in a syringe. We pour it into little ice cube trays and freeze them (bc the bottle says to use right way after opening).

I know you are in Westbury. But my Vet is Dr. Duffy with the Eastport Animal Hospital, and he is super!

Also, if you need to chat, send me a PM and I will give you my phone number. I work in Melville (but live out east).

Have you joined the Yahoo Group yet?
DogLiverDisease : Dog Liver Disease

ok, just caught up on the "Brady Story" - it was a thriller for sure! So glad Cornell worked out for you.

Back to now, Brody needs food and if he isn't eating his l/d - please try the Vanilla Pedi Sure (w/fiber). He has the nutrients he needs :(

And seriously, if you want my phone # - please send me a PM ;)

Brodie is doing MUCH better... in fact the only reason I had yet to reply was I had the flu! (UGH!). The vets at cornell actually told me to give him cheddar cheese cubes as a treat - one or two a day they said would be fine. I have never and will never feed Brodie chicken!!! He is fed Hills L/D diet. I have brought Brodie to Cornell several times and he has a diet made by them.
Thanks so much for the vet recommendation! I have a new vet now but for some reason I can't seem to find a good one.
Brodie is back to eating and drinking and almost back to his normal self! I am glad this was just a passing cold... or constipation and not something more serious!!! :) Thanks so much for everyone's help! As usual, you guys are the best!!! :)

:thumbup: Glad to hear Brodie is much improved. I hope he continues to feel good and you too!

I am so glad to hear that he is doing well but sorry to hear that you are sick. I hope that you feel better soon.

I was told by my vet that brown rice is not good to feed a dog as it is very difficult to digest... and to use Uncle Ben's white rice or similar product when a bland diet is called for...