Who was well-behaved at the vet today? This guy!
Which is rare, though I was grateful. I was already stressed enough! We’ve been cooking for him for months now and have his formula down to a science (I’ve gotten requests for those deets, so I’ll share that in another post). He hasn’t yet put any of the weight back on from his bouts of sickness, so he’s still almost 20% underweight. But his “business” has been stellar, something that wasn’t true for the first nearly four years of his life. We were thrilled. Thrilled enough we actually debated if it would be weird to snap a cell phone pic of his good poops. (We decided it would be.)
Then, it started up again (skip to the next paragraph if this stuff grosses you out): bloody, mucus poop. Plus, he was straining a ton just trying to go. And having accidents in the house again because he just couldn’t hold it for more than a couple hours.
We were still feeding him the same recipe that worked so well, so this felt like a major setback. I got him into the vet today, and she suspects inflammatory bowel disease in addition to his food allergies and intolerances. We’re starting him on a course of Metronidazole to settle his gut. And, turns out, there’s been a major outbreak of girardia at one of the doggy daycares in town – not the one he goes to, but the dogs who go to that one probably walk in the same park and such. So, they’re running a test for that but suggested we start treating anyway.
So, the real issue: Inflammatory bowel disease in dogs is common, from what I understand. Or, at least, it’s not uncommon. She thinks this treatment will get his business back on track by Friday and to continue with his regular diet at that point. (Until then, we’re just feeding him boiled potatoes and a bit of quinoa.) It sounds like this is perhaps a “flare up” of the IBD, so if the treatment works and if this ever happens again, we’ll have a go-to solution.
Lastly, once all this is cleared up, we’re going to look into getting him on a probiotic. He can NOT eat yogurt, and I guess dogs need a different type of culture anyway. There seems to be imbalance in his microbiome, so the probiotics may help get his gut working again. {{Would LOVE any suggestions for brands/types that have worked for your dogs!!}}
I will say that it was wise of me to wait to write this post until after his appointment. Whooo, boy. I was a nervous wreck last night and all morning. I had convinced myself via googling (I know, I know) of all kinds of horrible scenarios. This, if the medicine works, is actually a relief. If I had written last night or this morning, this would’ve been a tear-soaked panic attack. So. You’re welcome for that. 😉
Have any of you experienced an IBD diagnosis? I’d love to hear what’s worked/not worked! And bonus points if anyone has suggestions for a probiotic!
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We are glad to hear you have gotten to the bottom of his problem, and that it was not any of the scenarios found on the internut….my mom scares herself about stuffs all the time.
stella rose
I hope this is the solution and I hope little Coop is feeling better quickly.
Our vet advised any type of people probiotics that you purchase at a pharmacy would be suitable but said there was some evidence they were digested faster in dogs than humans. She suggested 1 capsule 3 times a day but recommended we started with one twice a day to see how that went. This was based on Winkys size – he weighs around 32kgs. She said anything like Inner Health Plus (we are in Australia so I’m not sure what brands are available to you) will be fine. Due to ongoing issues around epilepsy meds, I have not started out guy on them yet tho.
I hope you get it worked out soon!
Hershey’s stomach is generally cast iron. The things she’s eaten to absolutely no ill effects…..(shudder.)
The three instances of gastric distress have been:
1) either a squirrel or a romp a mucky bog right before she ate the squirrel.
2) something that disagreed with her on a trip to the coast.
3) A full can of old cooking grease that I forgot to put away. By the time the “clunk, clunk, clunk” of her licking the can woke me up she had eaten it down to the bottom.
Each of these escapades earned her a trip to the vet, a course of antibiotics, and probiotics mixed into her food. She hasn’t had any culinary adventures lately, for which my wallet has been grateful.
We did the probiotics thing once. I have no idea what it was, but it came in a long syringe that you had to squeeze out the dog licks the stuff. Daisy couldn’t decide if she liked it or not and it was a huge mess. (Especially since we had to stay in a hotel while she was on it!) When it comes to delivery options, that is not the one you want.
What’s it like to have a dog that behaves at the vet? Mine insists on jumping all thirty pounds of herself into my lap and burying her face in my neck. “Don’t like it here, Mama.” Glad Coop is on the mend!
Metronidazole is one of Dash and my favorite courses of action. I always have it on hand. Dash doesn’t have it as tough as sweet Cooper (what a face!) but when his tummy flares up and he needs to run outside every 90 minutes or so and its 4 AM.. and I have finally woken up enough to realize how frequently he is going…. we all praise the Gods that created Metronidazole.
Oh no, I’m so sorry you ended up back at the vet, when things had been going so well. But I’m glad you felt better afterwards, and I hope the meds work. I usually find when I’m most worried about something, I can’t write about it. Often worry saps my ability to write at all.
Do you know Jen at My Brown Newfies? I believe one of her dogs has IBD, and she’s written quite a bit about it.
Is all dairy off limits for Cooper or just yogurt? Kefir is ridiculously high in probiotics, but it’s made from fermented milk. I hope you can pack some pounds onto that little guy soon!
I have used FortiFlora, a probiotic powder that you sprinkle on their food. My girl is quite picky so anything foreign on her food she notices so I usually get her food wet and then sprinkle it on so it’s not so noticeable. I have also used Micro Flora Plus capsules, which contains both pre and probiotics. Both have worked well when Pixie has tummy troubles. Hope this helps. Feel better Cooper!
Jack got diagnosed with it over a year ago now. He was on a course of prednisone for several months along with a big diet change – single – novel protein. He’s come a long way – off the prednisone – thanks god -totally wires him up, and still on restricted diet, and B-12 shots, but he’s doing pretty well. We don’t have him on probiotic…so sorry, no suggestions.
I’m glad you at least know what you are working with, but it sucks too. I have Delilah on a probiotic but I don’t know if it’s for dogs or not. (Perhaps I better check, LOL) I hope you find a good one and then maybe share it with us. 🙂
I’m sorry Cooper had another setback. Jaxie (my 7yr old staffie) has major tummy issues too. After two scary/horrible bouts of pancreatitis the specialists all agreed that he definitely needs probiotics. They gave us some that vets all seem to carry but it’s outrageously priced (50$ for 1 month). After a lot of research I have Jaxie on Probiotic Miracle Dog Probiotics for Dogs (you can get it here on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002RGU0AA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2TKWP7ZYFAT23&coliid=I3NILCH45V3Y2X)
It has the 2 billion CFU which is the recommended dose per serving. It is tasteless, which is great, so I just sprinkle it on his kibble and he gulps it right up. That is HUGE being that he is SO very picky.
I have seen a difference. No more tummy aches, no more build up of gas in his tummy (which shows up on his ultrasounds) and for the first time ever, great firm poo each time! yay! I highly recommend this brand. It’s very affordable, for Jax’s weight, this lasts us 6mos! Good luck