Speaking of dogs... I'm at my wit's end here.

[FlyingSquirrel]

I'm not really looking for advice I suppose, just venting a little.

Foster is a 3yo lab/rottweiler mix. He's had diarrhea for 2 months and lost 16 lbs, from 79 to 63. They checked twice for parasites - although none were found we tried worm medication anyway. Blood tests have all been negative so far, although they are now checking for pancreas problems and something else (I don't remember what). They've done a barium series, x-rays, ultrasound, and I don't even remember what all else. I've switched food several times and currently have him on a combination of Science Diet for Sensitive Stomach (dry) and Prescription i/d (wet) mixed with another SD wet food that he likes a bit more. Nothing seems to change, just more cow pies in the yard that look like pumpkin pudding (and apparently taste good enough to eat, which is something he never did before).

All this is a big wake-up call to those with large dogs: Get some pet health insurance. (Well, all pets really). If only I had done that before... I've spent over $1,800 so far and still have absolutely ZERO answers except that we know what ISN'T the problem.

:(

Fortunately we have access to some really good specialists in my area. I'm waiting on the blood tests, then they will probably do an endoscopy of his small intestine and possibly another ultrasound (those techs like to do it themselves).

Wish us luck......

P.S. Here's Foster before the weight loss (he's the good-lookin' one, not the one with the big nose).



Here he is now:

[VenusRising]

1. Aw, what a sweet puppy.

I hope that you find out what's wrong with your baby. He's lucky to have you.

I do hear you about the pet insurance, though. Our vet wanted over a thousand dollars to have a small lump removed from our cat. It just wasn't something that we could afford. The way we looked at it was we either spend the money, find out he had cancer, and have to put him to sleep putting us out $1000 OR we could just keep our eye on the lump and go in if there was any change. We chose the latter, and Sebastian is still with us ornery as ever! It worked out for us this time, but I would hate for something else to happen and us not be able to afford taking care of him. It's just an extra bill we cannot afford right now. :( As soon as we have the extra funds though.

:hug: for you and Foster.

[alstephenson]

2. He's adorable. Dramatic weight loss is not good.

I know you are doing your best to figure out the cause and treat it. My kitty, Domino, stopped eating, which is worse for cats because they get "fatty liver" in a matter of days. I went through the same thing you did, spending a lot of money on tests that told us what it WASN'T. I finally had to have a tube put in her tummy because she got fatty liver and needed the nutrition. We had to feed her through the tube five times a day, so I had to take her in to the vet every morning and pick her up at night after work so they could give her feedings during the day. They finally said she had irritable bowel disease, gave me steroids to give her for that (through the tube). Then she got an infection - the steroids suppress the immune system. So I had to give her antibiotics for that (through the tube). The poor thing - it was all just too much for her and she died at home while I was sleeping one night. I spent over $4,000 and still lost my precious Domino. I would have spent whatever it might have taken to get her well (that's what my American Express card is for), but I still question whether I really did what was best for her. It's been over a year now, but it still breaks my heart to think about the whole ordeal.

So, rant away. You're going through some very tough times. I hope it all works out for you and Foster and that he regains his good health. You might want to cross-post your post on the DU Pet Forum. I've gotten some great advice and certainly a lot of compassion from the pet lovers there.

Good luck.

[FlyingSquirrel]

5. Oh, ya, Irritable Bowel Syndrome has been mentioned - at least they're honest enough

to say that Irritable Bowel Syndrome is just another way of saying, "We have no idea what's wrong."

[flvegan]

3. Got any metronidazole?

We've had two bouts of what looked like giardia here at the rescue that didn't show up on a parasite test.

7 days of 500 mg cured it both times. Just a suggestion. Stick with what your vet says.

Good looking snoozer of a pup, that one.

[roguevalley]

4. awwww. what a cutie. how about boiling rice and hamburger

together and feeding it? it can help the thinness of the diarhea. HUGS

[Blue Diadem]

6. My son and Dil's Bernese Mtn. dog went through that.

After all the tests and several food changes they determined he's allergic to most foods. He's on a fish/sweet potato kibble now and is doing well. His treats also have to be made of fish/sweet potato.

Sending good vibes and a prayer for your Foster. I hope the vets can find out real soon what's going on.

[MsTryska]

7. try him on raw....

maybe some raw egg mixed with ground apple and rice to start. Just to stop the diarrhea. if he stabilizes you'll know it's a food allergy

if he's eating his poop he might be actually trying to get some nutrition.

[Critters2]

9. Not always a good idea. The beagle CAN NOT digest eggs.

Raw are the worst, but she shouldn't have any eggs. It's one reason she's vegan. She eats vegan kibble--no eggs or "egg product".

[FlyingSquirrel]

8. UPDATE

Thanks for the good thoughts... looks like he has Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency.

I was hoping that would not be the case - he'll need medication and a special diet that will really tax my resources.

*sigh*

Love him tho

[livetohike]

12. I'm glad you found out what is happening. Does he need

daily meds for this? If you post over in the pets forum, maybe some others have some ideas to help. :hug:

[FlyingSquirrel]

13. Yes, daily meds - they're supposed to be sending me

a prescription in the mail and an email or something. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Runcible Spoon]

15. in many cases, you can find out how the special diet is balanced and cook for him yourself.

it might be cheaper in the long run. There are lots of forums about this online...

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Awwww! What a beautiful dog!

I'm so sorry that you're both having to go through this, but you're doing the right thing, getting to the bottom of this. I sure can identify with your vet bills. I adopt older pets, from rescue, and I've had my share. But you do what you have to do for them; I even took my cat and two of my dogs for acupuncture. *sigh*

Hoping that they get to the bottom of this soon, since persistent diarrhea is nothing to fool with, causes dehydration and the weight loss is obvious, poor pup. My dogs both had colitis, think one picked it up from the other, and my vet had me cook a bland diet for them, chicken and rice. You're very fortunate to have good vets in your area and this lovely dog is so very fortunate to have you...:pals:

[1]

11. how much does he eat? how much does he drink? has it changed?

if dude is consuming the same amount and losing weight, then it is most definitely a gut problem.

isn't there a du'er here that is a vet? this is dog advise, not medical advise.

i have rescued many a starving animal. my approach has always been massive amounts of calories. what ever they will eat. a pound or two of raw hamburger. 20 servings of baby food (meat). whatever you can force down their throat. whatever they will eat.

don't rely on traditional food. think mcdonalds. it doesn't matter if it is healthy. the dog need calories.

and find another vet. yours obviously doesn't understand your dog's problem.

stuff that little buddy. and find a vet that can tell you why his consumption is being consumed by someone other than himself...

[undeterred]

14. This would be good to cross post in the Pets Group

just for reference. A lot of people go there looking for ideas as to what is wrong.

Your story reminds me of what happened to a biology professor friend of mine about 25 years ago. He had a mixed breed dog with chronic diarrhea. The onset was sudden. The dog wasn't losing weight and he wasn't particularly sick, but the owner was very concerned and he quickly gave up on regular vets and was going to veterinary gastroenerologists and ordering expensive textbooks for himself. Well after about 9 months of trying different diets and nothing working, the diarreah just stopped.

The professor didn't figure it out, but later on when my dog got cancer and I needed a referral, he was the most helpful person in my life. He knew everyone, he knew which vet schools were best, and he knew how to get in to see the best people. He was kind of eccentric, but its good to know someone like that- because sometimes you have to push really hard to get the very best care for your pet. His dog lived a long, happy, diarreah-free life after those difficult months.

My dog was cured of cancer at the UW vet school and survived 8 years post cancer.