Please help, pancreatits again or HGE
 

I have an 8 yr old Yorkie that I cannot seem to keep well no matter how careful I am. She has had what they think is pancreatitis several times and bleeding gastroenteritis a couple of times. In addition she has severe skin allergies for which she takes daily medication and even with that still has outbreaks of hives every few months. I am lucky in that I live 14 minutes from my vet who is also an emergency vet hospital. It is a big practice and I like some of the vets better than others. The thing that really frustrates me is that they all seem to give different advice and Idont know where to turn.
So this month alone, my baby had pancreatitis then a milder reoccurence of this about 3 weeks later, then an episode of hives 3 days ago and tonight diarrhea with blood in it.
I noticed that when I came home from work. It was just a small amount but I know enough about this to be concerned. Went right to the vet who said she thinks it is chronic colitis (irritable bowel)and not necessarily pancreatitis. She didnt mention HGE at all. So for the second time in 3 weeks I was given antibiotics, stomach meds, fluids and sent home. However, tonight she has had another episode with again just a small amount of blood but I called the vet anyways. I wanted to know when I should worry. Other times when she had the same symtoms and presentation, they insisted she be admitted and stay for 3 days at least. I understand this is typical treatment as you want to rest the system. this time they didnt even tell me to withhold food. I am so confused and worried about her. Why do you get admitted at times and not others? Why dont vets all know the same information? For example, a year ago, she developed severe ulcers that they said were from steroids they used for her allergies. She was in the hospital 6 days and very sick from this. They said she shouldnt have steroids again.
Then when I went in 3 weeks ago for the diarrhea and vomiting, one of the vets said steroids are one of the treatments for chronic pancreatits and gave her a shot of steroids. Then this week they gave her another shot of steriods for the hives. I again questioned her about this mentioning what they had said before about steriods and this particular vet said she doubts it was the steroids that caused the problem.
The thing I know though is that she was just getting back to normal after the initial episode 3 weeks ago, and then had the shot on Tuesday. She was so agitated from it, she peed on my bed twice, was nauseous, panting and obviously uncomfortable, didnt sleep all night that night. Then today, she develops the bloody diarrhea. Hard for me to not see the connection, though I dont really know.
Sorry for making this so long but what Im asking is 1. Is a little bit of blood in poop something to worry about or if it doesnt get worse, should I just wait it out? I can return to the vet at any time but they said these things usually resolve in 24 hrs so not to worry if she still has some problems. Thats fine but how do they know its not HGE?
2. For the chronic issues...could the skin allergies be related to the stomach problems or does this sound like chronic pancreatitis or something else?
I just dont know who to believe or what to do. I have a bad feeling we will be back at the ER vet tonight or tomorrow which I dread for her and me. Ive spent everything I managed to save over the last year on her health problems and really dont know how much more I can do. Ive spend over $600 this month alone. Id give anything to help but I do have limited resources unfortunately.

This may sound like too simple a solution, but my lil Yorkie girl (5.5 lbs) went through an episode of what was termed acute gastroentritis this last winter which started with diarrhea, then turned to bloody diarrhea followed by a trip to the vet and a nite at the ER vet accompanied by a lot of scans and blood tests. She's always been sensitive to anything too high in fats, as if her pancreas is over reactive so I'm now careful not to allow her table scraps and to stick to her Hills Prescription Diet. But recently, the last couple of times she began having diarrhea out of the blue again, I did what my vet once suggested I do when she seemed to be having tummy troubles and gave her 1/4 of a regular Pepcid AC twice a day for a couple of days. That did the trick both times and ended the episodes as soon as they started. She immediately went back to normal digestion, and it wasn't ever necessary to make a trip to the vet. You might try this as long as the diarrhea hasn't progressed to an extreme point. I think the trick is to catch it early at the first sign of trouble.

Thanks for the suggestion but I was already aware of this from the incident she had with the ulcers. You can also give Immodium for the diarrhea. I do both when these things start and she almost always has to get stronger meds from the vet. She did have to be admitted today as she started vomiting and was in pain last night. It looks like from the lab work her lipase is high which probably indicates Pancreatitis again. I just pray she gets better. Long term we have to find a solution because I can't stand seeing her suffer and I am at the end of my rope financially. If I ever have any extra money I would like to get a second opinion. I miss my poor baby so much and hope she can come home tomorrow. She is on an I've with potassium and pain meds and stomach meds.

What does she eat? Im sure they told you she needed a no fat diet. My Charlie has pancreatitis he has had many of the symptoms that your baby has. He was dx almost 3 yrs ago they did something called a "snap test" in the office He was changed to a boiled chicken and rice diet and 1/2 a pepcid AC daily. I know that there are dog foods that are made for pancreatic issues but Charlie being the spoiled boy that he is wouldn't eat them. I had to take away allot of his treats due to fat content.

2 months ago he was also dx with a MVD, now this means NO protein LOL so what does he eat... we have changed him to Royal Canine hepatic its an all veggie diet he likes it thank goodness but it also meant new meds and they changed him to prilosec 5mg daily (good thing I work in a GI office :D)

I know that dairy should be avoided as well. Im sure you know all this but I wanted to throw it out there just in case. wishing you well.

She ate mostly chicken and rice for years due to her allergies and GI issues. Then I found out that that was not a balanced diet and switched to Blue. For the last month though she has been back to chicken and rice because this is the second bout of pancreatitis in a month. All of her treats are low fat. The only people treat I feed her is low fat mozzarella. I really am so careful. Now though the vet is saying maybe her Gi problems are related to allergies and wants to do a novel protein. The trouble is she is so picky and I know she won't touch fish, venison or duck. Im not sure what I'll do .

Trust me, HGE is so awful....there is no way you would be left to wonder. The bleeding is profuse...not just a little bit of blood in stools.

If you can, I suggest taking her to a board certified internist. Maybe they can get to the bottom of all of this. You can find one at: www.acvim.org It might cost a bit up front, but would more than likely stop all of these frequent visits! In the end, my guess is that you would spend less money!

I had a similar problem with my little male. I'm certainly not saying that it is the same problem - I am not a vet! We had several episodes of the vomiting and bloody stools...all about a month apart. My vet thought it might be IBD, Pancreatitis or HGE, also. My local vet tried several different things that didn't work. I finally took him to Texas A&M Veterinary School to an internist who ran every test imaginable. Nothing came back conclusive. They told me I may never know what was causing the problem, but we could treat the symptoms. I agreed. They put him on a prescrition diet of Royal Canin HP kibble (which he loves) and Tylan capsules, 2 times per day. I get these from my vet. He is allowed no treats - not even pill pockets...nothing. It has been over 2 years and we have not had 1 bloody stool since. I like the food so much that I have put my 3 lb Yorkie female on it, too! It seems to me that we may never know what the exact problem was, but common sense tells me it was severe food allergies and a imbalance of bacteria in his gut and that is why they give him the Tylan capsules. The tylan is a poweder and you can sprinkle it on their food, but it is very bitter and the only way my little guy will take it is in capsules. He will take these and stay on the prescription diet for life. You may want to try this for a couple of weeks just to see. There is no harm in trying the diet, and the tylan powder is harmless. Good luck - this has worked for me and I was at my wits end. The key is you can't give him anything else to eat at all! The Royal Canin HP is prescription food for severe food allergies. You can get it from your vet or get a prescription from your vet and get it at PetSmart. They have small breed kibble. Good luck!

Thats good to know there is a prescription food for allergies. I see alot of dogs struggling with allergies and wonder why more vets arent suggesting this food

It has been amazing for my little guy.

:thumbup::thumbup:

ME TOO!!!!!!!! Saved my Taycie!!!

Charlie is doing wery well on the RC hepatic

My baby Max (9 months old) is having similar difficulties. He has been at the vet's for 3 days, 2 nights. He began with vomiting and bloody stools. They did blood tests, xrays and barium scans. They have determined it is not pancreatitis, there is no obstruction and that he has ulcers in his stomach. We have seen 3 different vets and all have different diagnoses. He has been on IV fluids for about 36 hours. Today's vet told me she thinks something is going on in his intestines ... so she wants to do exporitory surgery! To see what is going on. I almost had a heart attack. Has anyone heard of a vet suggesting exporitory surgery???? I'm frantic with worry .... someone help!

I can't help you because I've never had a little one with ulcers. Poor little guy - I suggest you start a new thread
with your own title...you may get more answers. Good luck!

Have you ever heard of a Vet suggesting exporitory surgery?

maybe get a second opinion

I've heard of this, but I would NEVER, ever do that without getting a 2nd opinion from a specialist. I would take him to see an internist, perhaps at a teaching hospital. I would do that as soon as possible. You can get a referral from your vet for an internist. Sending prayers to you and your baby!

Pancreatis - what worked for me
 

Hi there,

My Yorkie Whiskey who died at 15 was diagnosed with Pancreatitis at 8 years old. His little body was just not processing the fat, there was a layer of it in his blood when they did a blood pull. It looked really grim. He was overweight and frankly fat (almost 12 lbs!). I switched him from regular, high quality kibble to raw food. I took him to the vet a month later for a check up and he was down to 8.5 lbs. His bloodwork came back crystal clear, and his vet (who was awesome) almost fainted. She was just delighted.

He was energetic like never before, and a happier healthier dog for the rest of his years. He lived til 15 and died from cancer of the spleen. Poor little guy.

Anyway - I highly recommend raw food. Now, for my other yorkies - I get raw food from the pet store. In the 90's it was Steve's Raw Food from Whole Foods. Im not sure that exists anymore. Good luck with your baby. Ill keep him in my good thoughts. And seriously - try raw food.

My 3 lb yorkie had hge last winter (twice within a month) ten I had about four months of constant nightly vomiting. I switched her food four times and finally I have her on canine caviar which the fat and protein content scare me a little. I've heard they recommend giving low fat and protein food to dogs with stomach issues. The protein is mostly meat though so it makes me feel a little better. I got her off of grains and she's on a single meat source which helped. I took her off all meds in June and she was fine. But now she gets horrible upset stomacs if she eat her bowel movements. She's so tiny that she can't hold it long enough until I get home and will go on her puppy pad but then eat it. I'm going to start putting her back on Pepcid. I would like to give it twice a day since it usually doesn't seem to last too long and cerenia seems to help. Im going to keep a couple boxes of that in the house. I've heard it can be used as an anti inflammatory as well as anti vomiting and pain medication. When all this started she stayed over night in the er, had exploratory surgery, multiple X-rays and tests and never found anything. I think food change and probiotics and digestive enzymes have really helped. Now if I can get her to stop eating poop!

my firlfriends dog who has pancreatitis has eaten solid gold low fat food holistique blend for years 6% fat but it is fish based, hope he is better soon

The Vet switched Max to a Vegetarian dog food. He loves it! and hasn't had any issues since.