Update on Bailey, what vet said..
 

Okay So I explained to the doc my frustrations with this whole situation, and my bad situation for money and how I am struggling but i want to do everything I can for Bailey....and basically it comes down to this: He said that when most dogs that come in with diarrhea he prescribes them the metronidazole, the dogs take it and 95% get better w/no more problems....a few may return with continuing problems and he gives them a little more of the same meds, and 99% are taken care of.......BUT he said every year he'll have 2 or 3 dogs in particular that still have the diarrhea after the treatment that keeps recurring. So my options are: the best thing is to have a PCR-DNA test done, which is a really good diagnostic test, to find what is going on with her, and he went on to explain more than likely it would be one of the bacterias causing this. But the test itself is $160...(which i cannot afford right now for sure) I'm in the middle of a ton of stuff including moving states, graduation college, and trying to pay bills with parent's help. SO he offered one more treatment option that will last for about 30 days, it is called Tylan, it's a powder that i will sprinkle on her food and it will help the diarrhea.

He suggested changing her food incase it's a food allergy as well. so I bought her the yorkie eukanuba, which he reccommended.

Now, say we do end up having to do the PCR test in about a month and the results come back negative for everything, then ( AND I PRAY THIS WILL NOT BE THE CASE) he will do a biopsy and test her for IBD (Inflammable Bowel Disease) and then she will have to be on medicines life long :( Please pray this is not what this is.....


I am hoping the new meds and diet will somehow make all the difference and my little girl will live a healthy life!! Please pray the same....Thank you so much!!

This sounds right to me.

A blood panel and CBC really should be done along with the testing he recommended as a minimum for now. If there is a metabolic issue causing this (instead of a more idiopathic IBD), the bloodwork could help point the vet in the right direction.

I hope the Tylan works for your pup. It does for some. It did not work for mine and Metro did not work long term for mine. She is a life long IBD patient.

Not all dogs with IBD have to be on medication for life. My dog is not on medication for IBD. I would do at least a basic chemistry on your dog to rule out other metabolic causes of the diarrhea.

Kasey you and Bailey are in my Prayers.

i see...but my concern is what it would cost for bloodwork to be done. im going thru a loooot right now, on top of already spendin $300 the past 3 weeks on bailey with all these vet visits :(

i mean i dont think my vet would advise this route with the new powder meds if he knew it could be something serious enough to need further tests now...but im feeling like i should doubt that by the responses sofar to her update? :/

ughh...i dont know this is so stressful

Would it be possible for you to apply for Care Credit or borrow from your parents / sell something on ebay or what ever in order for you to come up with the cash for the tests?

My dog has IBD and metronidazole treatments were only helpful temporarily It was a frustrating cycle. Believe it or not, the best thing for her was a higher fiber diet. I don't know what to tell you on tests, other than it seems your vet gave a month but then he is going to want to do tests. Maybe that gives you a little time to come up with some money for the tests.

i like your response, thanks for understanding...from what he made it sound like, she'll be fine for the time being, but if it recurs one more time, its time to take a more serious approach...i mean does that sound reasonable? bc now these posts are freaking me out a bit. i can always go back up there monday and talk to him about my concerns, hes very nice and willing to talk\help...

I have a pup that we suspected might have IBD. We tried him on Hill's Ultra Z/D and he has done great! Sometimes a food change is all that is needed. I hope it works for you! :)

Sorry to you're going through this with your little one.
I'll keep the both of you in my prayers.
Please keep us posted.

It is extremely stressful and heart wrenching when your little one is sick and I know how overwhelming it can be.
It sounds like you like your vet and trust what he is telling you so I would stick with that and try not to stress about it.

I used to feed Nutro and I have since read reviews and it does not seem to be as good as it claims to be so maybe a food change will definitely help.

Everyone on here will have different stories about their own dogs and everyone wants to help but it sounds like you have it under control and you are doing what is best for your baby!! :)

This is a wonderful forum and there are so many kind people who want to help but I know how overwhelming it can be to get so many different comments that are helpful but yet it makes your head spin because you are already stressed about your baby so just sit back and read the comments but don't look too much into them just do what you think is best!!
It sounds like you have a wonderful relationship with your baby and I know you will take good care of him!!

I really hope the new diet works for your little one and I will pray that all goes well for you. Keep us updated!

You're welcome! It does sound like she will be fine from what you and the vet have decided to do for now.

I also would go ahead and talk to him about managing IBD with food. As LadyJane said, the z/D diet is successful for some pups with IBD. I have a friend with a little Italian Greyhound who has IBD and he has been on the z/D diet very successfully for years avoiding medication most of the time. And I said earlier my Daisy has been managed also by a diet, but hers is home cooked.

Sounds to me like you are doing the most you can afford to do at the moment, and the vet is OK with this for now. That gives you some time to save up for testing, if you need it. I also would go ahead and speak with the vet about trying the z/D or another diet designed for IBD dogs. I would have to disagree with using Eukanuba if this problem continues (just my opinion).

I hope Bailey feels better soon! Hugs to you.

Thanks for posting the update. I hope that your baby is feeling better soon.

Is IBD the same as IBS?

no, IBS is just with the symptoms basically ...kinda ehat bailey is going through but,
IBD is actually diagnosed through a biopsy on the dog's intestine walls....and there's no cure for it only treatments to help lifelong

i asked my vet the same ? bc i was getting them confused...but yeah, IBD is more serious from what i understand

thank you

I see. Rosie has the IBS. She is on Hills Science Diet I/D. I have to be very careful what she eats. Hopefully the diet change will help and your baby will get to feeling better.

thank you so much! oh and i have a question , please dont think im stupid or whatev lol but i havent been on YT for that long and im not too familiar with all the abbreviations but what does I\D stand for in relation to their food?

im sorry, im just a little slow sometimes at thesethings, and im sure im guna be saying "duh" once i find out but had to ask :)

Here is a link to all the Hill's prescription diets: Hill's Science Diet, Prescription Diet Pet Food Products | Hillspet
They will explain what each one is for i/d is for Gastrointestinal health

great, thank you so much!

Oh no! Poor thing!

Hopefully the diet change will help. I've had Cairn's in the past that had tummy problems and Science diet I/D really helped Cammie who had acid reflux for dogs (I know! Like humans!)

I would, however, look into care credit or insurance. I think the insurance will help you in the future. We only pay about 20 a month for it and I think I have a 10% deductable.

Saying prayers for you and your baby. I'm a recent college grad, married, just bought a house and all that jazz as well and I know how stressful, money and emotional wise, it is.

Licks and cuddles from Gizmo!

I don't think anybody here wants to scare you. But still, GI issues in dogs can be very serious at times.

It has already been a month. The Metro helped, but obviously didn't clear the problem long-term. So have giardia and coccidea been ruled out? No fecal done at all? When was the last bloodwork done?

Trying Tylan is not wrong. Continuing to medicate without finding the source of the problem is not a good idea. If a diet change works, great. It very likely could. If Tylan work, great. It might. But underlying metabolic issues haven't been ruled out. Really, nothing has been ruled out.

I understand that there is no money right now and you need to do what you need to do for yourself financially. But that doesn't make testing any less necessary. Even the vet said testing right now would be the best way.

I hope that the Tylan works for you, but I'd be saving up the money to spend at the vet's office in a month because there is a good chance that things will continue. Perhaps it a protein or grain bothering her and the food change will help (I'd consider an rx diet). But the Metro helped and I wonder about some kind of bacterial or parasitic infection. JMO

yes, i mentioned earlier there has been 2 fecals done...3 as of yesterday. giarrdia and coccida (spelling off) have been ruled out.......i have changed her foods...the only thing was the tests that we didnt do, but he said still may not be necessary w food change and these new meds IF the diarrhea goes away, and does NOT return after meds are stopped.

heres some new possible good news: yesterday the vet told me it would prob take like 5 days to get her stool back solid, well surprise, today it is back to almost normal already! im assuming its mostly due to the new food, which she seemed to really enjoy yesterday and today :)

could this have been the prob the whole time?? the nutro food, like one of the people who responded to this thread earlier suggested! maybe so!

all i know, is this must be somewhat of a good sign, right?

Yes, a food that does not agree with a pup can completely throw the intestines off. And Nutro is a major issue for a lot of dogs.

see and now im hearing this, someone had me really convinced when i bought the nutro that it was excellent,etc....but thats such a difficult issue, bc everyone has something to say about all the foods out there that my head was spinning when i was trying to decide. :(

so who knows if this will be the change that is needed, but all i know is im praying it is! :) i just want my bailey to live a long,healthy, wonderful life!! :)

If the food prevents your baby from have the runs 24/7 then it's not a bad food. Alot of "good foods" aren't good for some dogs. I love Orijen's ingrediants, but it made Gizmo poop everywhere. So, it depends on the dog and their body.

My old Vet actually recommended Nutro to me and she told me she fed it to all of her dogs so don't feel bad there is no way to know how she would react until you give it to her.
There have been several recalls on Nutro too but I didn't know that until I found YT and someone on here told me about it (so I researched it) and I changed foods.
It is very hard to make a decision when there is so much information; I went through the same thing when I found out about Nutro - I have two dogs and I was feeding them both a type of Nutro and I had to find a different food for both. It's a tough decision.

:congrats: on the "almost normal" poop!!

The things we do for our babies...I watch every poop my Lucy has (just to keep and eye on it and make sure there is no change) and today I wanted to look at it a little more because I thought I saw something...well....I could find no stick so I picked it up with my fingers and broke it apart to look at it and there was nothing but I had to make sure....:eek: :lol tears

I hope you continue to see improvement and I hope Bailey keeps feeling better and better everyday!!! :)

lol you sound like me with the poop checking every tim, i do the same thing, espicially here lately! thanks for the good wishes!!

Copied my post from your other thread:

I'm sorry you're having these issues with your baby...I do have some suggestions:

Why didn't the vet put her on a bland diet? Chicken and rice or I/D? When the intestines are irritated, by parasites, bacteria, or a virus, a bland diet is the only way to go to give them a chance to heal. Usually 1-2 weeks, then the regular food is introduced slowly and gradually back in with the bland diet until the bland diet is weened out of the mix, and she's eating her regular diet.

If you can't do the I/D, chicken and rice will work too. If you can't cook, you can buy precooked chicken (like to put in salads) but get it as plain as possible, and rinse off any seasonings (even the plain has some seasoning) and a steam-in-the-bag bag of plain, white rice (nuke it in the microwave) or Uncle Ben's Minute Rice. The ratio is 1:1, or equal amounts of each. You can use Gerber's Stage 2 chicken Baby food, it is also bland, to mix with the white rice. Don't get the 'Dinners' Gerber makes for babies... these are not bland enough.

Pre-op bloodwork ($60) would check her liver enzymes and basic chemistries, and would provide enough info to determine her immediate state of health.

The Tylan powder is an antibiotic, so if she has a bacterial infection, it may work and no further testing would be needed.

Canned I/D is really lacking in moisture, it's more like a damp, clay-like consistency. I really don't think it would make any diarrhea worse.

And this is JMHO: I wouldn't feed Nutro, Solid Gold, Eukanuba or anything that is over 25% protein. The pumpkin would work, as it stops diarrhea from the increased fiber, but whatever is causing the diarrhea may need to be expelled and the pumpkin may slow down this process.

And probiotics can help, if your vet recommends them for her. Doesn't hurt to ask...

It must be frustrating for you!

I am hoping that it is food allergies and perhaps with alittle more meds and change of diet bailey will be fine!

Mickey used to vomit and have bad dirrhea when he was a pup. after series of tests later, it turns out he had food allergies. we put him on Precsription HIll's ID and he's fine :) He's been on it his whole life :)