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10-04-2007, 09:20 AM | #1 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: virginia
Posts: 46
| Long Post - opinions wanted Hi Everyone, I really wanted to put my recent story about what is going on with my little guy over the last few weeks and possibly get some opinions. I am constantly worried about my little guy and most of my friends have big dogs and don't quite get my continuous worries over my little one. My baby is a 2.2 pound 2 year old male. He is the most active, energetic guy... He loves to fetch most of his days and sprint on the beach with my husband at night. He has never been sickly before so am hoping for some insights from anyone who has ideas. About three and a half weeks ago, my baby started getting diarrhea. I thought it was just a fluke and didn't do anything and it progressively became worse... It started on a Tuesday a couple of times of diarrhea and his normal poops too... and he was still eating and drinking fine and on Friday I switched him to the bland diet of lean beef/rice and thought if it hasn't cleared up by the weekend, I will take him to the vet on Monday morning. Starting Saturday morning, he threw up his food (about three vomits in a row that were clearly undigested food) but still ate/drank a little so we just let him rest (he still had diarrhea). On Sunday, he was playing a little and mostly sleeping. Drinking still and ate just a tiny bit of food. When I say that he had diarrhea, his stools were the dark/black/brown watery consistency and gassy (no real mucus to note). My husband and I decided to wait until the morning (which was Monday morning) to call and go to the vet because they had baseline bloodwork and we had never been to an emergency vet before (in hindsight we should have taken him on in). When we took him to the vet (the first appointment was mid afternoon), my vet said he was dehydrated and had the low blood sugar. They closed at 8 pm and wanted him admitted for re hydration so they suggested we take him to the emergency hospital so they could monitor him and his catheter. So, he was on his way. Suddenly, the next day the vet is on the phone telling me that the manual blood counts they did in their office and the emergency vet have performed showed low blood platelets counts which is completely abnormal and appeared to be dropping. They could only draw so much blood because of his size, so they were going to continue to monitor that number, and were waiting for the pathologist to review the results as well (there was a backup) and they needed to test for autoimmune disease and a tick disease ehrlichiosis since those are the key symptoms of low blood platelet count. They were talking about possible blood transfusions as well - talk about me being freaked out. He went in for minor vomiting and major diarrhea and now they are saying bruising could make him bleed internally and die. So, he needed to stay in the hospital be monitored and treated. Well, the next day the pathologist reports came back and everything was normal. They decided that he had platelet clotting for the manual slide counts (which is typically common in cats) but he could come home. He was fine for now! He finished his medicine dosage for upset tummy / diarrhea and I started to incorporate his normal food (Dry Innova) back into the his diet right after he finished the meds and after two days, the diarrhea started to return. I only let him have one ore two times before i had the vet on the phone. She wanted me to keep him on the diarrhea meds and bland diet for 7 days. That brings us to this past Tuesday (two days ago). So, I stopped the diarrhea meds again at that seven day mark. My dog had been nothing but great with the meds (metronidazole) and now, as I am weaning him off and he is still on bland food (prescription diet food with boiled chicken) and what do you know, the diarrhea is coming back AGAIN? My vet now wants to check stools (finally, were they ever going to ask). I feel like I took him into the hospital and they got a little sidetracked (better to be safe than sorry) and here I am feeding him food I don't agree with (I'd much rather have healthy ingredients I agree with). He seems great with the meds and the food doesn't seem to matter.... thought she wants me to keep him still on the bland which he is now picking the chicken right off the top (he probably knows the ingredients are good for him either). He has been acting great - playing, fetching, his normal relentless playful self. As the matter of fact, I think he is playing more now than before the hospital incident. I guess I wanted to feedback on any that have had persistent diarrhea and what has worked/not worked? My vet is ready to send my dog off for an ultrasound to get a diagnosis (she thinks IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome) without even really so much as a second thought (which I have been hounding her to find a cause and I guess that would do it)... but at this point, I don't know it isn't something she is missing. One more thing, for now, his diarrhea as it was in the beginning before isn't constant. He had a single instance and I am just waiting until he has a normal movement or another diarrhea movement... I just thought I'd put the story out there and see if anyone had a history or thoughts on this.... |
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10-04-2007, 09:24 AM | #2 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: NYC
Posts: 1,859
| Im sorry I dont have any advice but I just wanted to say i hope your baby feels better soon. Im sure someone here will have words of wisdom for you :-)
__________________ Its SummerTime! |
10-04-2007, 09:29 AM | #3 |
Piper & Sebastian Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: florida
Posts: 14,495
| I think maybe I'd try a different vet altogether as he doesn't seem to be getting better. You can get all the vet records from your normal vet, so they don't have to do all the tests again. In cases like this I always think a second opinion is in order
__________________ Susan, Piper ,Harley & Suiki |
10-04-2007, 09:36 AM | #4 |
Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator | Boy do I have experience w/ ibs and stools! First, did they check the stool for giardia, just to be sure? Second, had you previoulsy given beef and/or the chicken? Bc chicken can be highly allergenic and can wreak havoc in already poo-compromised dogs (if they're sensitive to it). Marcel had poo issues for 5 months until we got him OFF the chicken - and onto whitefish/potato/green bean diet (hypoallergenic) and *voila* the poos became firm. I don't know what to tell you - other than, if it were me, I'd wait on the ultrasound, start a white fish diet - and give it a week or so. Unless of course his diarrhea continues to worsen - then, I'd get back to the vet. Is there mucous in the stool now?
__________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° |
10-04-2007, 09:46 AM | #5 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: virginia
Posts: 46
| Reply about questions 1 - They are just now going to test his stools as soon as I can get one and get it to their office (I am surprised they are just asking for the sample). 2 - He has definitely had rice/beef before which have done fine. I put boiled chicken in (he has never had) since the second he started the meds to keep his interest in the food (he loves it so much he only eats it if there is a little chicken in every bite). He didn't have chicken prior (with the first round of medication or weening him back to dry food when the diarrhea continued). At this point, he hates the normal food so much the chicken is all that is keeping his interest in eating (just because of his size he doesn't consume mass amounts of food and he'll kind of pick unless he likes it). Perhaps the innova dry has chicken of some sort in it, I think they put a few different meats in the food.... What brand of food do you use with the fish/potato blend? 3 - At 3 AM my husband couldn't tell even with the flashlight so I don't know if there is currently mucus but I am keeping my eye out for the next poop or try to poop to see.. |
10-04-2007, 09:51 AM | #6 |
Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator | I home cook for my guys, no kibble. I use tilapia or cod/sole/whiting, mashed white potatoes, and steamed/pureed green beans. Marcel is 2 lbs. 11 oz. - so I know "volume" is a tough one, we have the same issue. This diet was given to me by an animal nutritionist I started consulting w/ - specifically bc of Marcel's ongoing mushy/mucousy stools - so I do think it's a great diet. It's worked miracles for us! I'm so taken aback, like you, that they hadn't tested the stool yet!
__________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° |
10-04-2007, 10:32 AM | #7 |
Slave to My Rug-Rats Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Long Island
Posts: 7,247
| How long has he been on the Innova? I too tried this brand on Roxy and TJ and I just felt it was too rich for their systems. TJ also has IBD - but with his poops, he had this monstrous noise that echoed from his little body and then his poops were pure mucus with such a distinct smell - yuck, I could just puke thinking about that smell. TJ blood work was normal, except his Folate Levels were sky high, they told me that could mean that TJ has an overgrowth of bacteria somewhere in his intestines, but wouldn't know for sure without a biopsy. I decided to treat with a special diet and this medication called Tylan. It worked for TJ but I know it doesn't work for them all. I am wondering if the diarrhea is returning b/c they kept him on the antib's??? I am thinking maybe he needs some Probiotics |
10-04-2007, 10:37 AM | #8 |
and Hopeys Mom Too Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Louisiana
Posts: 4,109
| I did go through this same thing a few months ago, with all 5 of mine... We ended up having to keep them on the meds metronidazole, for 3 rounds... they went on Hills Presciption z/d(YES I know alot of people dont like it) and after 3 rounds of meds with the new food, all 5 are all better now.... I have heard it just takes longer with certain bacteria... and yes, we had every test know on all 5 of them... j Good Luck, I hope your baby gets better! d
__________________ Donna's little herd.... Tooties Dogster http://www.dogster.com/?271687 Hopeys Dogster http://www.dogster.com/?448723 and Tinker, TBone(RIP) Laci .. OH, and Me-Kitty(RIP) |
10-04-2007, 11:28 AM | #9 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: virginia
Posts: 46
| He has been on the Innova for over a year and no issues until now... I just went out with him and he pooped mucus. I am taking to the vet in an hour for an analysis. |
10-04-2007, 11:31 AM | #10 |
Slave to My Rug-Rats Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Long Island
Posts: 7,247
| Oh I hate that mucus poop |
10-04-2007, 11:34 AM | #11 | |
Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator | Quote:
Might want to give some yogurt, canned pumpkin, and rice.
__________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° | |
10-04-2007, 11:36 AM | #12 |
No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: California
Posts: 5,368
| I would try the Probiotics. Ask your vet about it. I'm thinking it is colitis,has he been stressed ,anything different in your rountine? |
10-04-2007, 01:00 PM | #13 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: virginia
Posts: 46
| Nothing different in the routine. I work from home so I am with him about 24/7 unless I run errands or something. We are about as consistent as clockwork... no traveling or anything... No crate except for an hour or so here and there. He has it really, really good in terms of continuity... |
10-05-2007, 10:01 AM | #14 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 166
| Sounds like what my Ziggy had during the summer and his vet thought it was giardia. I remember him trying to poop on the front lawn and passing gas with lots of noise and looking over his shoulder with a "What the hell was that ???!!" expression. He was treated with antibiotics and has come through with no lasting problems. I would think a stool test would be one of the first things a vet would check because its cheap, easy to get and non-invasive. Charlene |
10-06-2007, 04:43 PM | #15 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: canada
Posts: 39
| I was thinking giardia as well. I wouldn't give any more chicken even though it's yummy. All my dogs, Bernese and Yorkies are on California Natural lamb. They get runny poops on chicken. Good luck with the stool tests. By the way your vet should have asked for a stool sample FIRST. Really how dumb of the vet. |
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