GeorgiaBC Posted April 13, 2006 Report Share Posted April 13, 2006 My 6-year-old BC gets the runs (diareaha) regularly. And very severely. Then it goes away. For weeks, or even a month or two. Then it comes back. Severely. Our carpets are ruined. This week she began vomiting blood. We took her back to the vet. They kept her overnight, treated the symptoms, did some tests, and sent her home. No diagnosis yet. I guess it could be an intestinal blockage or a parasite or something, but it goes away and comes back, so I'm guessing it rules those things out. Has anybody had any similar experiences or are there any vets out there who may have some thoughts? We can't go on like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted April 13, 2006 Report Share Posted April 13, 2006 How aggressively has your vet tested? Have they done a complete blood panel? Tested for parasites? Recommended anything like ultrasound or X-rays? If your vet is nonchalant about the issue or only wants to treat symptoms and not really search for an answer, then maybe it's time for a second opinion. Maybe even a referral to the vet school for some more extensive diagnostic tests. Sorry that I don't have any direct experience with the symptoms you describe.... J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted April 13, 2006 Report Share Posted April 13, 2006 Please have her more thoroughly checked or be sent a specialist. There is a chance of GI cancer. My bc/mix had episodes for a long time before being diganosed. Who knows if all the vomiting and loose stool episodes contributed to it down the road but at the age of 4 she was put down for advanced GI Tract lymphoma. 4 months previously her tests for cancer was negative. It was a very aggressive form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLW Posted April 13, 2006 Report Share Posted April 13, 2006 Did the vet test for coccidia? giardia? I have a dog that had been having diarrhea every month or so for about a year. I tried changing her diet and kept a food journal but couldn't find any pattern to it. Fecals didn't show anything but I treated her for giardia and coccidia anyway and wormed her. I also changed her diet from raw to kibble. Knock on wood, but something cleared up whatever was going on and she's been fine for about 2 months now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted April 13, 2006 Report Share Posted April 13, 2006 There are some things which wax and wane in the parasite and blockage department. Giardia (and to a leeser degree, coccidia and even the big worms) can wax and wane. Sometimes it's worth treating for Giardia just in case, bearing in mind there are some resitant strains. I generally start with metronidazole, and if I still suspect giardia and haven't solved the problem, I consider Panacur - sort of a "Star Wars" wormer. A big gun. A sliding intussusecption would also potentially produce the wax/wane effect, as would an entrapping mesenteric tear. Occasionally a GI mass or other intra-abdominal mass (either benign or malignant) can do the same. Your dog is on the young side for malignancies, but they do happen sometimes in younger dogs. As a BTW, has your vet tested for Addison's disease? That's another wax/wane disease, and IMO is very underdiagnosed. In school they tell you you might see one or two in a practice career but I've seen nearly one a year since I graduated. Maybe I'm a big Addisonian magnet, or maybe I've just looked for it more, but I've already seen about 5 to 10x more than they predicted I would when I was a senior vet student, including two extremely atypical ones. As a BTW, if electrolytes have been run but the ratio is normal, they can STILL be Addisonian, because the atypical ones can have normal ratios. An ACTH stim is needed to detect them. (Your vet will know what all that means.) Other things to consider would be a full GI series (barium swallow) +/- fluroscopy, or an exploratory +/- biopsy, depending on what tests have already been run. (I'm kind of assuming that the basics have been done and not produced a diagnosis yet? Basics means CBC, chemistry panel, urinalysis, fecal tests, and abdominal "scout" films.) You might also consider a specialist. Without knowing what tests have been run, or what the results are, there's not much more I can add at the moment. Good luck with this; I'm sure it's very frustrating and worrisome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missing lacy's impish son Posted April 14, 2006 Report Share Posted April 14, 2006 AK Dog Doc: could this also be symptomatic of Pancreatic Enzyme difficiencies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PennyT Posted April 15, 2006 Report Share Posted April 15, 2006 "I generally start with metronidazole, and if I still suspect giardia and haven't solved the problem, I consider Panacur - sort of a "Star Wars" wormer. A big gun." That's interesting. What is the treatment protocol with Panacur? I would think it would have to be given more often than one would for a worming dose. My large animal vet, who is also my dog vet for routine issues, said that Valbazen will treat giardia and is safer than metronidazole. Do you agree? I'm interested in the answer because Valbazen is something I tend to have around and in date should the need arise unlike Flagyl. Penny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgiaBC Posted April 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2006 Well, I've switched food and my vet put her on metronidazole. She seems to be feeling better. It will be very interesting to see if it comes back. Just a question, but we have lots of rabbits in the yard. If she were to eat rabbit droppings, could that cause vomiting and diarreha? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Glen Posted April 16, 2006 Report Share Posted April 16, 2006 Ak dog doc would know better than me but in additon to a ton of other things, doesn't it also sound like IBD? I have a GSD that has it. She had campylobactor (sp?) as a baby and I suspect it may have done damage to her GI tract. She'll get the periodic diarrhea and lots of blood. We also have a pup that we have battled more than one parasite, (round worms, coccidia and more round worms). He is now parasite free but it's been difficult to sooth his GI tract. We decided to try a high fiber food before we move on to blood work. We must be on the right track because he's had normal stools almost from the instant he went on the food. He was on Wellness that was 3% fiber to a special fiber food that has 16% fiber. We're hoping to be able to switch back in a few months. BUT since I was a vet tech, I would have to encourage Georgia BC to do more tests. Blood work for starters. The vomiting is a little worrisome. Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Glen Posted April 16, 2006 Report Share Posted April 16, 2006 I sympathise with your carpets! My GSD is in the middle of a flare up right now and I stepped in it last night. Literaly! A horrible mess. Metronidazole always shapes her right back up. Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karrie Posted April 19, 2006 Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 GeorgiaBC~ Tuck would eat some of our rabbit's pellets( both the food pellets and the poop pellets) no runs for him. Sam too has gotten a few poop pellets and no runs. However, Sam can't eat even a small amount of cat food without getting a real good case of the runs. Now as for the carpets, the steam cleaner folks gave me a bottle of some stuff that has saved my worn out carpets from the kids and Sam's runs. It is called Home Pro Spotter put out by Absolute Carpet Cleaning. www.homeproclean.com I don't see a sales area~ it says contact # on your bottle so here is the toll free one off mine 1-866-363-8803. Hope that helps ya. Hope she feels better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted April 19, 2006 Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 Originally posted by Jennifer Glen:Ak dog doc would know better than me but in additon to a ton of other things, doesn't it also sound like IBD? I have a GSD that has it. She had campylobactor (sp?) as a baby and I suspect it may have done damage to her GI tract. She'll get the periodic diarrhea and lots of blood. We also have a pup that we have battled more than one parasite, (round worms, coccidia and more round worms). He is now parasite free but it's been difficult to sooth his GI tract. We decided to try a high fiber food before we move on to blood work. We must be on the right track because he's had normal stools almost from the instant he went on the food. He was on Wellness that was 3% fiber to a special fiber food that has 16% fiber. We're hoping to be able to switch back in a few months. Jenny Have you tried Slippery Elm Bark on your dogs? It is excellent for keeping the intestinal tract healthy with IBD and other intestinal tract problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted April 19, 2006 Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 Northof49, Is slippery elm safe for cats. I have a cat with IBD who is going on 10 or so. She doesn't have as many flare ups as she once did, and I'm not medicating her at all, but would be interested in using something other than prednisone if it's safe for her. (I'd ask my holistic vet, but she's in Germany at the moment--the nerve! ) J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted April 19, 2006 Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 Originally posted by juliepoudrier:Northof49, Is slippery elm safe for cats. I have a cat with IBD who is going on 10 or so. She doesn't have as many flare ups as she once did, and I'm not medicating her at all, but would be interested in using something other than prednisone if it's safe for her. (I'd ask my holistic vet, but she's in Germany at the moment--the nerve! ) J. I really couldn't tell you, but I haven't seen anything about not being able to give it to cats. Touch wood, I have never had a sick cat except when they hit about 18 and turn diabetic. I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karrider Posted April 20, 2006 Report Share Posted April 20, 2006 Slippery elm is perfectly safe for cats, I used to give it to my siamese and orientals when they or the kittens had upset tummies Karin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted April 20, 2006 Report Share Posted April 20, 2006 Thanks Northof49 and Karin! J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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