# Digestive motility problem, or a defect in stomach?



## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

I have a 3 year old Golden Retriever. For last two years I have been trying to figure out what is wrong with him. After each feeding (3 times a day), he seems to be not feeling well. He paces, stands and makes noise with his mouth, swallowing constantly, he belches, gets gassy, and his stomach gets so noisy that I can hear him across a room. He also lost weight and has problem to gain it back. His stool starts normal, but ends soft. I tried different brands of over the counter enzymes and probiotics, but they didn't seem to be helping. His stomach was even noisier and the belching was also worse. The last thing he was put on was Pancreatic enzymes, which seemed to be making him burp up a liquid which then got into his air passages and he had reverse sneezing episodes. He had done x-rays of esophagus and stomach, abdominal ultrasound, fecal exam, stool culture, complete blood count, blood chemistry. Every test was negative. Only thing I remember the vet mentioned after the x-rays that my dog's stomach looked flacid. There is a suspicion that he has digestive motility problem or a defect in his stomach. The next suggested test is barium x-ray. I would prefer not to do the barium and I was wondering if anybody run across problem like my dog has. Otherwise my dog acts normal, he has good appetite, energy, he is playful, it is only after the feedings that he doesn't feel well. One more info, he was fed dry food his whole life, I am in the process of switching him to raw. Any advise would be appreciated.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Has he been doing this since switching to raw? Or have you decided to switch him to raw because of his problem?


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Did the vet mention megaesophagus?


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

I decided to switch him to raw because of it. He is not completely switched to raw yet.
As I mentioned, he had done x-rays and they did not show megaesophagus, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have it.


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## LincolnsMom (Sep 28, 2010)

Could it be that he has an allergy? Made to wheat?


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

I tried to switch between different brands of dry food and also different proteins and carbs and so far no result. If it was allergy the complete switch to raw should clear that, I think.


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

Since I'm in the middle of the same quest but with slightly different symptoms, I would recommend the barium x-ray. I was positive that Finn had megaesophagus; he had every single symptom, but the barium x-ray showed that the food is getting into his stomach, and fairly rapidly at that. So, we at least eliminated ME as the cause, leading us to different potential solutions. Has your vet ruled out IBD or IBS (Irritable Bowel Disease or Syndrome)? Good luck in your search....it is very frustrating!!!


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Yes, frustrating is the right word. Based on the tests he had done so far the IBS and IBD were ruled out. He was also taking Tylosin for 3 weeks, even though none of the tests indicated that he had bacterial overgrowth.


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## MILLIESMOM (Aug 13, 2006)

Is he a rapid eater? My Millie literally inhaled her food, she would vomit right after or shortly after eating. I got the Brakefast dish and it help out. You can try spreading his food out on a cookie sheet or putting the kibble in a muffin pan so he has to eat it slowly. Before I purchased the Brakefast dish I would put a coffee mug in her dish so she would have to eat around it.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

He is very fast eater. I tried different dishes and also put obstacles in the dishes. It slowed him down a little bit, but still didn't make a difference in his digestion. I don't know if it is obvious from my first post, but he doesn't vomit at all. Also, I feed him from a raised dish and I grind his food in a food processor.


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## BajaOklahoma (Sep 27, 2009)

I thought raised dishes were a no-no?

If he is a fast eater, he may be gulping too much air in with the food, which could cause distress after eating. It couldn't hurt to try to slow him down for meals and see what happens. We did a trial of an 1/8th cup every ten minutes for my son's dog. It really helped.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

With the raised dishes it is not clear if it is o.k. to use them or not. I read that some "experts" were suggesting that they might cause bloat, but supposedly that study is outdated and it is no more truth. I feed him 3x a day, but I didn't try more than that, I will give it a try. 
Thank you everybody for posting the info to my post, I really appreciate it.


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## vrmueller (Jun 14, 2008)

If everything else has been ruled out, have you considered allergery testing? Ruby had similiar symptoms along with a multitude of other issues and I finally had her tested last year. After, getting the results, I did switch to a limited ingrediant kibble for morning and then she gets raw in the evening. The problem with just switching to raw is your pup may have a protein allergy. Ruby had numerous food and environmental allergies and once I did switch her food, her digestive problems resolved. Good luck with everything. It is an extremely frustrating thing to have to deal with.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Contrary to popular belief, a raised dish is more likely to contribute to bloat, there are articles to support this.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Vicky, thank you for bringing the allergies to my attention. At some point there was a suspicion that it might be a food allergy, but then it was somehow dismissed. I should get back on it. What I omit to mention that Cody (my dog) also had red fur between his toes, around his lower lip and also a tear stain under his eye. That improved now a little bit, but it is not completely gone. I do not know much about testing for allergies, could you please tell me briefly what needs to be done?
Sally, here is an interesting article about bloat and raised dishes. Purdue Bloat Study | GREATDANELADY.COM
I read a lot about the raised dishes and bloat and if anything it is very confusing.


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## babbs (Feb 9, 2010)

I wouldn't fret about a barium scan. I sure hope they can get him more comfortable whatever it is. You may want to feed him out of one of those gadgets (can't think of the name) where they have to work to get the food out. Or else go to 4-6 smaller meals and see if less at a time is something he can more readily handle. Good luck.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I would have a barium scan done on him. Before going thru anymore food changes because if he has something internal going on doing all kinds of food changes isnt going to do anything to fix the problem. to me it does sound more like something going on internal then a food issue. And you might ask your vet for a referral to a vet college, they have alot more resources at their hands. 

As far as the raised food bowls, you can find just as many articles against the raised bowls as you can for the raised bowls. When speaking to my vet after my dog bloated and had to have surgery, he said he sees most dogs have bloat from stress and inhaling air into the stomach so it is the eating fast. Most of the great dane people I know feed their dogs from raised bowls and never have bloat issues. So I wouldnt worry about the bowl issue right now either.


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## vrmueller (Jun 14, 2008)

Katarina,

I would have the barium study done before testing for the allergies. If the test comes back negative, then go ahead with the allergy testing. I had the food allergy done first. It is a simple blood test by the vet. I knew if anything came back positive on the food, I could control Ruby's diet. When I got those results back, I adjusted her diet and within days of doing that her gut normalized. I then had the environmental testing done because Ruby not only suffered from digestive, but the dog is biting, scratching and attacking herself. I won't give a blow by blow of what she is allergic to, but let's just say she should be in a bubble. A few months after I got all of these results and starting her on allergy shots, I had her thyroid tested and she tested positive for autoimmune thyroiditis If you do a search this disorder can be the cause of digestive problems alongwith, allergies and a slew of other problems. Please let us know how things go.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Vicky, thank you for the info. If we find out what is wrong with Cody I will for sure post it here. I want it to be helpful if someone runs in to same problem. So far it is a mystery for everybody.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

*Hi everybody, I thought I will give you an update. I had barium x-rays done on Cody and the test revealed that his stomach is not emptying properly and his intestines are not working properly either. The vet mentioned a specific part of the intestines, I think he said duodendum. In order to pinpoint what is wrong with Cody they would need to do either a biopsy of stomach and intestines or endoscopy. I have a lot of thinking and decision making to do. I am crushed :-(.*


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## mamabear (May 17, 2011)

Whew. I'm sorry. 

In May, my 12yo Kelly had the same thing happen. I noticed that she wasn't as excited about eating as she usually was and when she did eat, she'd cough and dry heave and drool her way through her meal. 

******** I just deleted Kelly's entire stomach story - too many details that probably wouldn't help you at all! LOL

In the end, she had stomach surgery to remove what we thought must have been a food wrapper or something (this was after the barium contrast study). What was in her stomach was a lot of gas and undigested food. Her stomach was cleaned out and she was put on Reglan (and then Rimadyl and then Zentonil :uhoh: ) and has been fine since. For the past three weeks, she hasn't had/needed the Reglan. We don't know what happened or what caused it. 

Hope your pup gets better soon.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

mamabear said:


> Whew. I'm sorry.
> 
> In May, my 12yo Kelly had the same thing happen. I noticed that she wasn't as excited about eating as she usually was and when she did eat, she'd cough and dry heave and drool her way through her meal.
> 
> ...


Hi Mamabear and thank you for your post. I am glad that you doggie is doing good, that is a good news. So did she had a food wrapper in her stomach or only undigested food and gas?


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

I'm so sorry to read this. Did the vet say there is anything you can feed him to make it easier for him to digest? What does he think it could be? and how could they fix it?


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Jax's Mom said:


> I'm so sorry to read this. Did the vet say there is anything you can feed him to make it easier for him to digest? What does he think it could be? and how could they fix it?


He said that it could be either genetic or it could be IBD somewhere in digestive tract, that's why the endoscopy or biopsy to find out where exactly the problem is. Cody is currently eating raw food, so I think it is as easy to digest as it gets, but I will talk to the vet about it. If it is IBD then there probably will be a way to fix it with diet and medications and if it is genetic then it really depends what they will find out.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Katarina, I'm glad you finally know what the problem is and I hope and pray the vets can do something to make things better for your pup. Did they mention any treatment or surgical procedures that might help? Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Oops we posted at the same time and I'll go read your post...


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## mamabear (May 17, 2011)

Katarina said:


> He said that it could be either genetic or it could be IBD somewhere in digestive tract, that's why the endoscopy or biopsy to find out where exactly the problem is.


When I took Kelly in, this was the reason for the contrast study, which seems a lot less invasive than what you've been told needs to be done! Yipes! The vet showed me all of the xrays during the study (I think there were 5) and it showed the barium moving through her stomach and intestines. It took a bit longer to move through the stomach (which was full of food and gas...no foreign object after all) but moved through the intesting quickly enough. This was how she knew to work on the stomach, I suppose.

I should add that Kelly was raw fed until this all happened. She had been thriving on grass-fed beef and free range chicken and then...I still don't know what happened. The food just stopped moving! I wondered if some of her food could have been contaminated or something, but the other dogs I know who eat the same food had no ill effects. 

I would opt for the barium study, but that's just me.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

LibertyME said:


> Did the vet mention megaesophagus?


 This is what came to my mind as well... or larnygeal paralysis.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

mamabear said:


> When I took Kelly in, this was the reason for the contrast study, which seems a lot less invasive than what you've been told needs to be done! Yipes! The vet showed me all of the xrays during the study (I think there were 5) and it showed the barium moving through her stomach and intestines. It took a bit longer to move through the stomach (which was full of food and gas...no foreign object after all) but moved through the intesting quickly enough. This was how she knew to work on the stomach, I suppose.
> 
> I should add that Kelly was raw fed until this all happened. She had been thriving on grass-fed beef and free range chicken and then...I still don't know what happened. The food just stopped moving! I wondered if some of her food could have been contaminated or something, but the other dogs I know who eat the same food had no ill effects.
> 
> I would opt for the barium study, but that's just me.


I think there might be a misunderstanding about what was done on Cody.
He had the barium x-rays done already and that showed that the food is not moving properly in his digestive tract. He had done 12 x-rays. As a further exam they suggest to do either the biopsy or endoscopy.


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## mamabear (May 17, 2011)

Oops! You're right, dear - I misunderstood! :doh: Whew! Sorry 'bout that!

Going to re-read your posts... Where did the food slow down?


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

mamabear said:


> Oops! You're right, dear - I misunderstood! :doh: Whew! Sorry 'bout that!
> 
> Going to re-read your posts... Where did the food slow down?


It stays in stomach longer than it should and then it doesn't move properly through the intestines either.


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## mamabear (May 17, 2011)

Any new news, Katarina? Has your pup started a promotility med yet? Any progress?


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

mamabear said:


> Any new news, Katarina? Has your pup started a promotility med yet? Any progress?


Thank you for asking. I do have some news and in this case a good news. His thyroid results came back normal and supposedly for a Golden retriever are actually excellent. 
I did not make a decision regarding the biopsy yet, I wanted to know the thyroid results first. 
I have a lot of thinking to do over the weekend. They did not put him on any medications yet. They don't want just to guess what might work for him. 
I fed him this morning ground beef chuck and mashed broccoli and cauliflower, I want to see if food without the bone will make a difference.


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## mamabear (May 17, 2011)

Great news on the thyroid! Keep us posted - thinking of you two!


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

O.k., here is an update. For now I decided to keep feeding beef and veggies without the bones. The things seems to be better, but I don't want to speak to soon. He also gets probiotic/enzyme supplement. Over the weekend I am going to add a supplement for his hips and in a week I am going to add all necessary supplements to balance the diet. I didn't say it, but it is probably obvious, that I am not going to have the biopsies done at the moment.


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

I'm glad things are looking a bit better. Hoping your dog's progress continues.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I hope the things you are doing will continue to work. Keep us posted on your progress.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

I have a new update. Yesterday I added carrots to Cody's food and they came out undigested this morning. Also, I noticed that last two days in the mornings Cody's stomach was making noises and he threw up yellow foam, this happened before he ate his breakfast.


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## mamabear (May 17, 2011)

This poor guy!!

FWIW, when I was feeding Kelly raw, her carrots came through undigested, as well. These were raw carrots, not cooked, that I gave her. Strange poop, for sure! And when I gave her brown rice, too??? :uhoh: 

Thinking of you guys still...

How often do you feed him? I wonder if it would be helpful to offer him smaller, frequent meals...?


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

Did the vet seem to think they could do more to help out Cody if you had the biopsy? I'm wondering why you're not interested in doing the biopsy (if it's a money issue I completely understand, I've had to forego tests for Flora b/c I can't afford it.) But if it's affordable then I would probably opt for the biopsy if Cody isn't making any progress. I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, it must be really frustrating. :/


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Sorry to hear this setback. As far as the carrots, Toby doesn't digest them either and they come out basically chewed in his stool. Seeing orange in it is an eye opener, but nothing like the polka dotted poop we scooped after he ate some corn.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

mamabear said:


> This poor guy!!
> 
> FWIW, when I was feeding Kelly raw, her carrots came through undigested, as well. These were raw carrots, not cooked, that I gave her. Strange poop, for sure! And when I gave her brown rice, too??? :uhoh:
> 
> ...


I feed him 3x a day. Reading that other dog's don't digest carrots makes me feel better. I just won't feed them to him.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

kdmarsh said:


> Did the vet seem to think they could do more to help out Cody if you had the biopsy? I'm wondering why you're not interested in doing the biopsy (if it's a money issue I completely understand, I've had to forego tests for Flora b/c I can't afford it.) But if it's affordable then I would probably opt for the biopsy if Cody isn't making any progress. I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, it must be really frustrating. :/


They could if the biopsies would find something, but it is a question if they would find something. It is not that I am not interested in doing the biopsy, I just want to exhaust all other options before I put my dog through another anesthesia and exploratory surgery. To put my dog under anesthesia and through an exploratory surgery is a big thing for me. 
Cody is in a good spirit, happy and playful otherwise.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Dallas Gold said:


> Sorry to hear this setback. As far as the carrots, Toby doesn't digest them either and they come out basically chewed in his stool. Seeing orange in it is an eye opener, but nothing like the polka dotted poop we scooped after he ate some corn.


I don't really consider it a setback yet. It is more of a fine tuning and finding what works for Cody. I am pretty confident that we will get there, it will just take a little time.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Katarina, this may not be exactly like what Cody is doing, but sometimes Toby throws up early in the mornings. Like you we feed him 3x per day, the last one being right before bed. His vet thinks it's bile due to an empty tummy--sometimes we just can't prevent it. Is his last feeding right before bedtime? 

I know how frustrating this is for you...and I'm really sorry.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Dallas Gold said:


> Katarina, this may not be exactly like what Cody is doing, but sometimes Toby throws up early in the mornings. Like you we feed him 3x per day, the last one being right before bed. His vet thinks it's bile due to an empty tummy--sometimes we just can't prevent it. Is his last feeding right before bedtime?
> 
> I know how frustrating this is for you...and I'm really sorry.


The last feeding is around 8:00 PM and he goes to bed around 10:00 PM.
Someone suggested to me just like you did now, that he might have empty stomach. It is a possibility, I cut down on his food a few days ago, because the amount I started to feed him looked like a lot by volume and he also gained some weight. I will put him on scale over the weekend and see how he is doing. Maybe I just need to feed him a little bit more.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Cody did not throw up since the last week, I am pleased with that. I removed the carrots from his food and I keep feeding him broccoli, cauliflower, yellow squash and zucchini. He seems to be o.k. with those. He is also on Probiotics Max and Phytoflex for his hips. I should be able to add some calcium and multivitamin by the end of this week. His poops look good too.
I gave him a bully stick to chew on over the weekend. He always swallows the last of it. This time he swallowed about 2" piece and it came out all in one piece .


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## mamabear (May 17, 2011)

Great news!! Hopefully he's turned the corner...

Curious - do you steam the broccoli and cauliflower before giving it to him? My Kelly _loves_ steamed broccoli! I think I'd read somewhere that raw cruciferous veggies weren't so good for dogs...  I may not be remembering right, though... :


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

mamabear said:


> Great news!! Hopefully he's turned the corner...
> 
> Curious - do you steam the broccoli and cauliflower before giving it to him? My Kelly _loves_ steamed broccoli! I think I'd read somewhere that raw cruciferous veggies weren't so good for dogs...  I may not be remembering right, though... :


I hope so too! 
I boil the veggies. I read somewhere that the raw veggies are more difficult to digest especially for a dog with digestive issues.


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## mamabear (May 17, 2011)

We must be reading the same stuff!


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Is there any harm in feeding a dog with IBD 4x a day? Also, Cody is on Prednisone and Metronidazol right now and home made food: sweet potato and turkey. He is loosing weight and even thought it looks like I feed him a lot by volume there is still not enough calories in it. I am going to increase the food amount. Any advice will be appreciated.


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## Hunter'sMom (Sep 5, 2011)

I don't have any medical expertise so maybe the vets on the board can chime in, but I fed my Hunter multiple times a day, which actually seemed to help his IBD (less to process at once). And I had to feed him a TON because he wasn't absorbing all the nutrients, so our vet had me feeding him 10 cups of food a day at one point. Hunter was also on pred and metronidazole. I hope you and Cody find something soon that will work for you! So sorry you are dealing with this!!!!


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Thank you for your reply Hunter's Mom. I forgot to mention that prior to the Prednisone and Metronidazol treatment and the new diet, Cody has a diarrhea. It lasted about 3 weeks, I changed the diet, I tried probiotics, he was put on Metronidazol and it just would not go away. So then I took him to his vet and he prescribed the medications and the turkey and sweet potato diet. After first day on Prednisone the diarrhea was gone, thought he still has somewhat noisy stomach and belches quite a bit.
When I took him to the vet, the vet told me that the barium x-rays showed thickened ileum (part of intestines just before the colon) and that is probably where the problem is. Also, his stool exam showed a lot of inflammatory cells. 



Hunter'sMom said:


> I don't have any medical expertise so maybe the vets on the board can chime in, but I fed my Hunter multiple times a day, which actually seemed to help his IBD (less to process at once). And I had to feed him a TON because he wasn't absorbing all the nutrients, so our vet had me feeding him 10 cups of food a day at one point. Hunter was also on pred and metronidazole. I hope you and Cody find something soon that will work for you! So sorry you are dealing with this!!!!


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Hi Katarina, I'd definitely ask your vet about the 4x day feeding. On first blush I don't see an issue (layman's opinion), especially if you are practicing portion control. We feed Toby 3x per day and he tolerates it much better this way. The only hesitation is perhaps digesting 4 times per day may add more stress to the digestive system having to do all the processes more often? I don't know, so that's why I'd run it by the vet to make sure.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

That is my thinking too. I e-mailed the vet but he did not reply to that part of my e-mail. I guess I have to try again.
From talking to people with IBD I know that for them works better when they eat more frequently and smaller portions, but I realize that dogs' GI tract is different.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Katarina said:


> That is my thinking too. I e-mailed the vet but he did not reply to that part of my e-mail. I guess I have to try again.
> From talking to people with IBD I know that for them works better when they eat more frequently and smaller portions, but I realize that dogs' GI tract is different.


It really helped Toby to go to 3x per day. He was regurgitating his morning meal before we started it, now we don't get that. 

BTW, I know you've had Cody tested for EPI and cobalamin/folate deficiency and it was normal, but I still wonder if doing a cobalamin injection might help some anyway. We finally got our Toby's level normalized and it's helped the soft stool issue so much. It also has helped him add 2 lbs to his frame and his energy level.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Cody is going to have done a new blood panel soon. He was started on Prednisone and Metronidazol after 3 weeks of diarrhea. Understandably the vet did not want to do the blood test at that time because the values would have been all messed up anyway. I am sure that the cobalamin/folate will be part of the test. 



Dallas Gold said:


> It really helped Toby to go to 3x per day. He was regurgitating his morning meal before we started it, now we don't get that.
> 
> BTW, I know you've had Cody tested for EPI and cobalamin/folate deficiency and it was normal, but I still wonder if doing a cobalamin injection might help some anyway. We finally got our Toby's level normalized and it's helped the soft stool issue so much. It also has helped him add 2 lbs to his frame and his energy level.


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## goldencontriever3 (Nov 7, 2008)

I am just seeing this. I am so sorry you are going through this. I have a male that is 6 yo. He was diagnosed with IBD and an ulcer about 18 months ago. We did have the biopsy done. He did through up bile in the morning and we had trouble maintaining his weight. This is what works for him. We feed Mickey twice a day. An hour before we feed him we give him carafate mixed with water to coat his digestive system. We feed him science diet z/d. Not what I wanted but it works for him. We have stabilized his weight and his stools are much less. He gets a prilosec with his dinner. He also gets probiotics, fish oil and a joint supplement. He gets no other food or treats. For treats we just use the kibble. We have been able to treat him without prednisone so far but our vet said he will most likely need it some time in the future. It was a lot of trial and error and we don't know how long this will work. I know how frustrating this is. We went to a few different specialists before we found one that we were comfortable with. Hang in there. I hope Cody is feeling better.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Thank you for your input. I appreciate any help and advice. Was the diet and all the supplements recommended by the vet? My vet wanted to put Cody on a prescription kibble too, but I refused. He was fed home made food since August and I could not imagine to put him back on kibble at the present situation. The homemade worked until the end of November. He put on weight and he was almost perfect. Then something triggered diarrhea and here we are.
I have never heard about carafate, I have to look it up.



goldencontriever3 said:


> I am just seeing this. I am so sorry you are going through this. I have a male that is 6 yo. He was diagnosed with IBD and an ulcer about 18 months ago. We did have the biopsy done. He did through up bile in the morning and we had trouble maintaining his weight. This is what works for him. We feed Mickey twice a day. An hour before we feed him we give him carafate mixed with water to coat his digestive system. We feed him science diet z/d. Not what I wanted but it works for him. We have stabilized his weight and his stools are much less. He gets a prilosec with his dinner. He also gets probiotics, fish oil and a joint supplement. He gets no other food or treats. For treats we just use the kibble. We have been able to treat him without prednisone so far but our vet said he will most likely need it some time in the future. It was a lot of trial and error and we don't know how long this will work. I know how frustrating this is. We went to a few different specialists before we found one that we were comfortable with. Hang in there. I hope Cody is feeling better.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

I was seriously thinking yesterday, that I am very close to giving up. It seems like everything works for a short while and then it stops. I was thinking, so we are roasting turkey breasts and boiling sweet potatoes for my dog, food fit for a Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner and it is not good enough. Is this ridiculous or what? I think I reached the point of incredible frustration.
This morning I see my doggie fetching a ball and playing with me, he is acting like a healthiest dog in the world. So I said to myself: "He is obviously not giving up, so there is no way that you possibly could throw in towel and give up on him. You are all he has." Long story short, no, I won't give up. I hope all of you who go through a similar ordeal with your dogs understand my frustration and I thank you for that.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

How many calories a day should a 60 lbs. dog consume?


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Katarina said:


> I was seriously thinking yesterday, that I am very close to giving up. It seems like everything works for a short while and then it stops. I was thinking, so we are roasting turkey breasts and boiling sweet potatoes for my dog, food fit for a Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner and it is not good enough. Is this ridiculous or what? I think I reached the point of incredible frustration.
> This morning I see my doggie fetching a ball and playing with me, he is acting like a healthiest dog in the world. So I said to myself: "He is obviously not giving up, so there is no way that you possibly could throw in towel and give up on him. You are all he has." Long story short, no, I won't give up. I hope all of you who go through a similar ordeal with your dogs understand my frustration and I thank you for that.


I certainly understand your frustration and sentiments. It's so hard to see them face these types of issues. I hope you can find something that works. 

We are about to start a special prescription diet as well. I've been all over the board about it, but his vet really believes we'll see major improvements with a single source novel protein, so I'm willing to give it a short try to see. If it doesn't help that much I'll probably go back to what we are doing right now. 

As far as how many calories for a 60 lb dog--it's going to depend on how active your dog is. Toby was highly energetic/active before his cataract surgery.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Does 3000 kcal sound right for a 60 lbs. moderate active dog?


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Katarina said:


> Does 3000 kcal sound right for a 60 lbs. moderate active dog?


I don't know, perhaps someone else can help you. This article might help:
How Much to Feed a Dog to Meet His Energy Needs


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

According to the chart he should it 1700 kcal a day. That sounds more reasonable to me than 3000 kcal.


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## goldencontriever3 (Nov 7, 2008)

Katarina I understand your frustration! Before we found our current vet all the others kept saying it just reflux, nothing serious etc., yet Mickey was getting sick almost every day. He would lose weight then it would be better for a month. Our vet talked us into trying the prescription diet. I did not want to but like you said we were so frustrated. It's the only thing that worked so far. He still has bouts of getting sick or soft stools but he has maintained his weight and he has energy. The only thing is we don't give him anything else besides the prescription food and supplements. So far we have not had to use the prednisone long term. As I understand, this will work for a limited time ad then we will have to try something else. Hang in there. I hope you can find something that works for Cody. 

If you have any questions about our experiences please let me know.


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## vrmueller (Jun 14, 2008)

Hi Katarina,

I responded about a year ago with your first post. I do know the frustration of trying to find the CURE for what is going on with Ruby. She is 4 years old and have been dealing with all of it since the day we brought her home. Like you said, whatever you try might last for a couple of weeks and then go back to being pretty bad. Right now Ruby is completely on raw and a baked sweet potatoe daily. I feed her a raw patty in the morning and evening and for lunch she gets the sweet potatoe. This diet has healed her digestive system and I don't deal with the runs, vomit, gas or aliens in her gut. She has severe allergies and trying to keep her comfortable is a daily chore. There are many times I have wanted to give up, but I just keep going. I know you are doing the same. 

2 raw patties from Nature's Variety are recommended for a 60 lb dog. Ruby is 55 lbs and I supplement her with a small sweet potatoe.

My son suffered from severe reflux and gastro problems most of his life. A few years back he was on Carafate and Reglan. I am wondering if there is a similiar motility drug for dogs that would get the digestion moving.

My thoughts are with you. Keep us posted.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Please let us know what is the prescription diet and how and if it is working for your dog.



Dallas Gold said:


> We are about to start a special prescription diet as well. I've been all over the board about it, but his vet really believes we'll see major improvements with a single source novel protein, so I'm willing to give it a short try to see. If it doesn't help that much I'll probably go back to what we are doing right now.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

What is the prescription diet you are feeding?
As of right now I feed Cody only the sweet potatoes and the turkey, no supplements. His treats are turkey jerky - home made. Just dried meat nothing added to it. That is as simple as it gets. I am a little bit nervous that the diet is not complete and balanced, but the vet said that he wants to see first if the Prednisone works before introducing anything new to the diet.



goldencontriever3 said:


> Katarina I understand your frustration! Before we found our current vet all the others kept saying it just reflux, nothing serious etc., yet Mickey was getting sick almost every day. He would lose weight then it would be better for a month. Our vet talked us into trying the prescription diet. I did not want to but like you said we were so frustrated. It's the only thing that worked so far. He still has bouts of getting sick or soft stools but he has maintained his weight and he has energy. The only thing is we don't give him anything else besides the prescription food and supplements. So far we have not had to use the prednisone long term. As I understand, this will work for a limited time ad then we will have to try something else. Hang in there. I hope you can find something that works for Cody.
> 
> If you have any questions about our experiences please let me know.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

If you go few posts back, there is a post made by "goldencontriever3". She is using carafate for her dog. I have not heard about it before, but I will ask the vet about it. Some people use Phytomucil Animals' Apawthecary Phytomucil Dog & Cat Herbal for coating the digestive tract. I don't have an experience with that either.
Do you work with a nutritionist or did you figure out the diet yourself?



vrmueller said:


> Hi Katarina,
> 
> I responded about a year ago with your first post. I do know the frustration of trying to find the CURE for what is going on with Ruby. She is 4 years old and have been dealing with all of it since the day we brought her home. Like you said, whatever you try might last for a couple of weeks and then go back to being pretty bad. Right now Ruby is completely on raw and a baked sweet potatoe daily. I feed her a raw patty in the morning and evening and for lunch she gets the sweet potatoe. This diet has healed her digestive system and I don't deal with the runs, vomit, gas or aliens in her gut. She has severe allergies and trying to keep her comfortable is a daily chore. There are many times I have wanted to give up, but I just keep going. I know you are doing the same.
> 
> ...


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## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

Prednisone will keep your doggy from itching - at least that's what it does for Max and while he's on it, he does get unitchy and better. But you can't keep them on it forever which is a problem. I hope you figure out what is up with your doggy. Still working on what it is in the late fall/early winter that does my boy in since it is the second year it has happened. I didn't read enough of yours to see if your boy also suffers from itchiness, but if he does, have you tried Micro Tek Shampoo? That helps too.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Cody is not itching at all. He is taking Prednisone for IBD.



momtoMax said:


> Prednisone will keep your doggy from itching - at least that's what it does for Max and while he's on it, he does get unitchy and better. But you can't keep them on it forever which is a problem. I hope you figure out what is up with your doggy. Still working on what it is in the late fall/early winter that does my boy in since it is the second year it has happened. I didn't read enough of yours to see if your boy also suffers from itchiness, but if he does, have you tried Micro Tek Shampoo? That helps too.


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## goldencontriever3 (Nov 7, 2008)

We feed Mickey science diet z/d. Like I said but were doubtful about starting the prescription diet but our vet said to just try it. It is the only thing that has worked long term for Mickey. Hoping you can find what works best for Cody.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Katarina said:


> Please let us know what is the prescription diet and how and if it is working for your dog.


Will do, but probably won't start the transition for a couple more weeks. We're trying to get him through some surgical recovery for his cataract surgery and I just don't want to stress him more with a dietary change.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

OK, I wasn't familiar with carafate but just looked it up--it's also known as Sucralfate, which I am very familiar with--it's a miracle drug in my book! It's helped our Toby through eating indiscretions and a bout of acid reflux brought on by Rimadyl given to him as an anti-inflammatory for his cataract surgery. I'd definitely discuss this med with your dog's vet. We have a stock here at home and my instructions are to email the vet to let her know when we start him on it and what the circumstances are so she can note it on his records. It really works!
Sucralfate - PubMed Health


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## vrmueller (Jun 14, 2008)

Katarina said:


> Do you work with a nutritionist or did you figure out the diet yourself?


I do not have a nutritionist working with me. After receiving the food allergy test results, the vet gave me a list of dry food that didn't have any of the allergens. I switched to the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Sweet Potatoe and Venison and the raw patties. I played around with the amount for about a week or two and then took Ruby in for a weight check. No weight loss so it was the right calorie count.

She was doing extremely well on this combination until Natural Balance decided to switch an ingredient to pea protein. Ruby is allergic to peas. I researched every other brand out there and there was not one that I could give her. I went to two raw patties a day, plus the sweet potatoe. Her treats include apple, cucumber, watermelon and banana. Again, her digestive system handled the elimination of the dry food. 

How are Cody's stools with his current diet? I know that the cruciferous vegetables cause gas. Does he have gas with the broccoli and cauliflower? You also mentioned you give him jerky as a treat. I don't think that stuff digests too well. I stopped giving the processed treats to Ruby a few years back. Natural Balance has a limited ingredient biscuit that is grain free.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Cody, did not have gas while on broccoli and cauliflower. He has a little bit of gas now when on sweet potatoes, but nothing horrible.
Thank you for the tip about the grain free biscuits, but right now the vet doesn't want me to add anything new to the diet. Since the jerky is homemade -just cut up turkey breast and dried in the oven - I think that that should not be too bad for him.
Today I saw some undigested potato coming out of him.................., don't know what to thing of it.



vrmueller said:


> I do not have a nutritionist working with me. After receiving the food allergy test results, the vet gave me a list of dry food that didn't have any of the allergens. I switched to the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Sweet Potatoe and Venison and the raw patties. I played around with the amount for about a week or two and then took Ruby in for a weight check. No weight loss so it was the right calorie count.
> 
> She was doing extremely well on this combination until Natural Balance decided to switch an ingredient to pea protein. Ruby is allergic to peas. I researched every other brand out there and there was not one that I could give her. I went to two raw patties a day, plus the sweet potatoe. Her treats include apple, cucumber, watermelon and banana. Again, her digestive system handled the elimination of the dry food.
> 
> How are Cody's stools with his current diet? I know that the cruciferous vegetables cause gas. Does he have gas with the broccoli and cauliflower? You also mentioned you give him jerky as a treat. I don't think that stuff digests too well. I stopped giving the processed treats to Ruby a few years back. Natural Balance has a limited ingredient biscuit that is grain free.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Yesterday I went to buy more turkey breast for Cody and I "finally", after feeding it to him for about a month, realized that the turkey I was buying was basted. I was so mad at myself







. Maybe it would not make any difference if I fed him basted or not basted turkey, but I won't know until I try and now I feel like I wasted the whole month.
The turkey I was buying didn't have anything mentioned about the basting on the plastic wrapper on the front, only when I looked better on the reverse side under the nutrition facts label was written with tiny letters "solution mix" (turkey broth, sodium, sugar, flavors, sodium phosphate).
I feel really bad. :doh:


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Katarina said:


> Yesterday I went to buy more turkey breast for Cody and I "finally", after feeding it to him for about a month, realized that the turkey I was buying was basted. I was so mad at myself
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have a feeling the baste was a culprit, simply because my digestive system reacts to sodium, sugar and "flavors". Were you able to find any non-basted turkey? I also have that problem looking for chicken breasts! We eliminated the sodium, sugar and added oils from Toby's peanut butter and saw improvements with his stools soon after.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

I was, but I got lucky. I found at Albertson's cut up turkey breasts marked for fast sale and it supposedly does not have any additives in it. So I bought as much as I could and when I got home I was figuring out what I will do next.
As I found out this morning all frozen whole turkeys are basted. Stater Bros sells fresh whole turkey from Zacky Farms and that one is not basted. At this point it looks like that the Zacky Farms whole turkey is my only option. 



Dallas Gold said:


> I have a feeling the baste was a culprit, simply because my digestive system reacts to sodium, sugar and "flavors". Were you able to find any non-basted turkey? I also have that problem looking for chicken breasts! We eliminated the sodium, sugar and added oils from Toby's peanut butter and saw improvements with his stools soon after.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Please post if you see improvement after eliminating the turkey baste.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

It has been a week since the switch to NOT basted turkey and also since I increased the Prednisone to 1/2 pill in AM and PM. I think Cody improved a little bit, but I did not see a huge improvement. His stomach is still somewhat noisy and he also belches, but not as much as he used too. His poop is well formed, but kind of soft and the very last of it has a consistency of brown-orange colored mashed potato, but it is formed. I don't really know if it is normal or not since half of his food are sweet potatoes. If anybody has any experience please let me know. Also, the vet doesn't want me to add any supplements yet. I am a little bit worried because the food Cody is getting now is not balanced, I hope that it won't create any harm.
I was wondering if anybody has a suggestion what to give to Cody to chew on. I run out of options, raw hide is no good, bones are no good (he does not digest them) and now I can not give him the bully sticks anymore either. What can I give him?
One more thing, he stopped loosing weight and is slowly gaining, like 1/2 pound a week .


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Our vet recommended we eliminate all non-kibble treats with Toby when we were having issues--perhaps the sweet potato is causing the issue? 

Also, did your vet say you could use something like Pepcid or Sucralfate to keep the belching at bay? That seemed to help Toby when he was placed on a NSAID (not the same as a steroid, but perhaps they affect the upper GI the same way?)? 

What about a nylabone since you can't give him the other chews? 

That's good about the weight gain!


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

I guess for now I don't have to worry about what to give Cody to chew.
Saturday was the second day without Metronidazol and the diarrhea started all over again. First only mucus and then mucus and blood.
Is this what is to be expected happening over and over again with a dog with IBD? When I see blood in stool in freaks me out completely. I took him to ER, they put him back on Metronidazol







. Things are getting slowly better.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I'm sorry this happened. I don't have an answer because Toby isn't diagnosed IBD. I hope someone else with an IBD dog can chime in here.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Cody is back to his normal after being put back on Metronidazol. We went to see his vet today because while waiting in ER on Sunday I discovered a lump on his back. First they thought that it was lipoma but then they poked it with needle and it was filled with blood. They said it is probably a hematoma, they drew the blood out of it, but on Tuesday I felt it there again. Today the vet drew blood out if it and looked at it under a microscope and said that he does not see anything unusual only blood. If it does not disappear in a week it should be taken out :-(.
The vet also prescribed Budesonide in addition to Prednisone and Metronidazol. Cody should be slowly weaned off the Prednisone and Budesonide should replace it. I almost got an heart attack when I found out how much it costs. I wish I had smt. better to report, but I don't.


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## Belle's Mom (Jan 24, 2007)

I saw your visitor msg and responded and then looked at your threads. I am so sorry I am just seeing this. My Belle has IBD which was diagnosed about 4 years ago. Please feel free to ask me anything. I am happy to use our experience to help with any questions you may have for me.


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## vrmueller (Jun 14, 2008)

Hi Katarina,

So sorry! I hope Cody is feeling better today. I so know what it feels like to have a dog with medical issues. Hoping the best for you.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

Copper had a large mass appear on his chest in October/November 2009. I had it aspirated and it was a mass of blood and pus. He had been to his regular vet at least four times before I insisted we get sent to a specialist. 

He was put on oral antibiotics (cephalexin) and I had to wash him in a medicated shampoo. the shampoo was duoxo which is pricey, but others have used a shanpoo named Microtek. I never used it becuse I couldn't find it locally.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Did the mass disappear?



coppers-mom said:


> Copper had a large mass appear on his chest in October/November 2009. I had it aspirated and it was a mass of blood and pus. He had been to his regular vet at least four times before I insisted we get sent to a specialist.
> 
> He was put on oral antibiotics (cephalexin) and I had to wash him in a medicated shampoo. the shampoo was duoxo which is pricey, but others have used a shanpoo named Microtek. I never used it becuse I couldn't find it locally.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

I talked to the vet today. He told me to put warm compress on the lump for a week twice a day for 5 minutes.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

the mass did disappear, but it took a couple of months, lots of medicated shampooing and antibiotics.

copper was a senior and had had his spleen removed so hopefully Cody will respond sooner, but I really think he should be on an oral antibiotic at the very least.

I tried to find the post with Copper's mass so you could see it, but I haven't been able to find it yet.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Cody had the lump removed a week ago. The biopsy came back yeasterday. It was a benign tumor - hemangioma .


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

That's wonderful news! 

How are the digestive issues doing now?


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

His digestive issues are, let's say, under control. He is still on Prednisone and Metronidazol. The vet wants to replace the Prednisone with Budesonide. We should be starting with that any day now. I sure wish we could take him off all drugs.



Dallas Gold said:


> That's wonderful news!
> 
> How are the digestive issues doing now?


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

I thought that it would be a good thing to make an update here. Cody is currently on Prednisone, Metronidazol and Budesonide. He is being weaned off the Prednisone. He should be taking 1/2 tab twice a week for next two weeks and then stop the Prednisone completely. Keeping my fingers crossed that he won't get diarrhea back.
He is still on turkey and sweet potato diet, but we started to work with a nutritionist, so the diet might change and supplements will be added to balance it. Also, good news is that since Cody started to take the Budesonide he gained weight. He is now back to 62.5 lbs, which seems to be the right weight for him, so we don't need to gain anymore. Yaay!


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I hope all goes well when you wean him off the prednisone! Thanks for the good update!


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

Hooray for good updates!
I hope Cody just keeps getting better and better.


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## vrmueller (Jun 14, 2008)

This is really great news! I hope things continue to get even better for Cody. Keeping fingers crossed no more runs after coming off the pred. Keep us posted.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Hi everybody! Tomorrow should be the last 1/2 Tab of Prednisone for Cody, so far so good. We are still on turkey and sweet potato diet, but adding supplements to balance the diet. Also, we had to cut down calories because the boy is up to 64 lbs and starting to look chubby . His stool improved quite a bit since we started to add the supplements, so I hope it will continue that way. I noticed one thing, which I think has to do with the medications he is on. His paw pads turned pink on the edges and also on his nose a pink color showed up which has never been there before. If anybody knows anything regarding this please let me know. I hope it will go away once he is off the meds.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I'm glad he's doing well and hope it continues after discontinuation of the prednisone. I don't have any clue on the issue about the pink colors on his paws and nose. I hope your vet can give you an idea of why.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Dallas Gold said:


> I certainly understand your frustration and sentiments. It's so hard to see them face these types of issues. I hope you can find something that works.
> 
> We are about to start a special prescription diet as well. I've been all over the board about it, but his vet really believes we'll see major improvements with a single source novel protein, so I'm willing to give it a short try to see. If it doesn't help that much I'll probably go back to what we are doing right now.
> 
> As far as how many calories for a 60 lb dog--it's going to depend on how active your dog is. Toby was highly energetic/active before his cataract surgery.


Hi Dallas Gold,
I just read through my old thread and was wondering how did or is your doggie doing on the prescription diet. Please let us know.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Hi, thanks for asking. We went cold turkey and I saw positive results the very next day! My boy gained a few pounds, lots of energy and he's back to his crazy happy self. Sometimes it's best to go with a brand of food many people shun but is recommended by the dog's veterinarian. I'm glad I did because it works for my dog. We are now in our 3rd bag and I'm still very very happy every time I see him so happy and every time I scoop a firm poop!

How is your pup doing?


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Dallas Gold said:


> Hi, thanks for asking. We went cold turkey and I saw positive results the very next day! My boy gained a few pounds, lots of energy and he's back to his crazy happy self. Sometimes it's best to go with a brand of food many people shun but is recommended by the dog's veterinarian. I'm glad I did because it works for my dog. We are now in our 3rd bag and I'm still very very happy every time I see him so happy and every time I scoop a firm poop!
> 
> How is your pup doing?


Wow, that is great news, I am happy for you and your dog. What exactly are you feeding? Can he eat treats besides the diet or only the diet? My vet is suggesting to feed a prescription diet too.
What issues does your dog have? If you have a thread about it just point me to it.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Dallas Gold said:


> Hi, thanks for asking. We went cold turkey and I saw positive results the very next day! My boy gained a few pounds, lots of energy and he's back to his crazy happy self. Sometimes it's best to go with a brand of food many people shun but is recommended by the dog's veterinarian. I'm glad I did because it works for my dog. We are now in our 3rd bag and I'm still very very happy every time I see him so happy and every time I scoop a firm poop!
> 
> How is your pup doing?


I missed the question how is my pup doing. Well, he is doing o.k., but not as good as I wish he would do. He is still on medications Metronidazole and back on Prednisone. He is being weaned off the Prednisone right now. It looks like when he gets of the Prednisone his noisy stomach and acid reflux come back, although he has some of it even when on Prednisone. 
The vet suggested a prescription diet Purina HA or Royal Canine HP. Also, change the drugs to Imuran or have a biopsy done. I am not crazy about either one, but I will have to do something. The drugs he is currently on have visible side effects (besides the non-visible), every morning he has a lot of discharge in his eyes and he developed some kind of rash on his chest - bunch of little red spots looking like pimples. He had it spread all the way to his ears, but after a topical treatment the ears cleared, but he still has it on the chest. It was treated topically on his chest too, but when I stopped the tropical treatment it came back. On top of it he is just not himself, he is not as alert and playful as he used to be and I think it is because of the drugs. I am looking into a holistic treatment, I am talking to two holistic vets in our area, I need to decide which one I will go with.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

I forgot to mention another side effect of the drugs. Cody had a surgery on his shoulder, he had a hemangioma growing there and it was taken out. The surgery was in January this year, but the fur barely started to grow and so far I see only the coarse fur, none of the undercoat yet. I am sure that the fur not growing has to do with the drugs he is on.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Katarina said:


> I missed the question how is my pup doing. Well, he is doing o.k., but not as good as I wish he would do. He is still on medications Metronidazole and back on Prednisone. He is being weaned off the Prednisone right now. It looks like when he gets of the Prednisone his noisy stomach and acid reflux come back, although he has some of it even when on Prednisone.
> The vet suggested a prescription diet Purina HA or Royal Canine HP. Also, change the drugs to Imuran or have a biopsy done. I am not crazy about either one, but I will have to do something. The drugs he is currently on have visible side effects (besides the non-visible), every morning he has a lot of discharge in his eyes and he developed some kind of rash on his chest - bunch of little red spots looking like pimples. He had it spread all the way to his ears, but after a topical treatment the ears cleared, but he still has it on the chest. It was treated topically on his chest too, but when I stopped the tropical treatment it came back. On top of it he is just not himself, he is not as alert and playful as he used to be and I think it is because of the drugs. I am looking into a holistic treatment, I am talking to two holistic vets in our area, I need to decide which one I will go with.


Wow, sorry to hear about those side effects and I'm sorry he's just not himself. I hope the holistic vets can help out. 

Toby's vet wanted to start him on a novel protein diet, but Hills recently came out with a reformulated Prescription diet for dogs with digestive issues and IBD--called a GI restore or something, with low residue. I resisted until Toby started having bouts of soft stool, his fur started thinning, his weight dropped and his energy decreased. We bought 3 bags with different lot numbers of his Wellness food thinking it was a problem with the food, but it wasn't and the Wellness rep I spoke with actually suggested he might have an intolerance to an additive in the food. At that point I started canned ID to give his tummy a break and saw immediate improvement. After discussing with his vet we went ahead and gave him the the new dry formula cold turkey and things started improving almost overnight. I'm amazed at the difference--he looks good, feels much better and his energy is back. It's working for him. If it stops working, we are looking at the novel protein diets next (according to his vet). Oh, and the residue on this diet is just as advertised--low. I cannot believe how easy it is now to scoop, and it's only once, sometimes twice a day now.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Just got Cody's blood tests back. Everything is normal except Folate. He has Folate deficiency, I have to go to look up what that means. If someone knows please let me know. Thank you.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Katarina said:


> Just got Cody's blood tests back. Everything is normal except Folate. He has Folate deficiency, I have to go to look up what that means. If someone knows please let me know. Thank you.


A Folate deficiency is easy to treat! Toby's is also deficient and we just supplement with a 40 mcg folic acid tablet each morning. Your vet should be able to calculate the amount needed and tell you which dosage to buy (human OTC med). We retested every 4 months, but just got the go ahead to go to a 6 month schedule.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I also wanted to point out that the decreased folate level in Cody may be due to the other medications he is on. We ended up discontinuing the Pepcid for Toby because one of his blood tests showed a drop in cobalamin and in folate levels-- anti-acid meds can do this. We upped his cobalamin dosage by .25 ml and kept he folic acid amount the same.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Dallas Gold said:


> I also wanted to point out that the decreased folate level in Cody may be due to the other medications he is on. We ended up discontinuing the Pepcid for Toby because one of his blood tests showed a drop in cobalamin and in folate levels-- anti-acid meds can do this. We upped his cobalamin dosage by .25 ml and kept he folic acid amount the same.


Thank you for both replies. It sounds as an easy thing to do to correct the folate level. You may be right that the medications are distorting the test results somewhat. Cody's vet said that the low folate indicates that his IBD might be located not only in Ileum, as we thought based on the bariums x-rays, but in entire GI tract. That sounds like a bad news to me.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

We went to a holistic vet, so I think I should make an update here.
I think it went well. The doc was very nice. He did western examination and then he did holistic examination. He read through Cody's records and asked additional questions in between.
He said that Cody is a mess. From Chinese Medicine point of view Cody has a lot of signs of "damp heat". Also, supposedly his tongue looks very unhealthy - purple color and doesn't have much tone. As for the damp heat - he has "slippery pulse" and also his breathing sounds "wet". For now he recommended to change Cody's diet to white fish diet which is supposed to have cooling effect. Because of the cost of fresh white fish he recommended Honest Kitchen ZEAL diet. It is a dehydrated food and it is a complete diet. It is not cheap, but it is cheaper than if we did it from scratch. He also prescribed chinese herbs, which are supposed to remove the "damp heat" from the body and improve the blood circulation. He also prescribed digestive enzymes and probiotics. 
One big suspicion is that coccidia might be a culprit of all of his issues. He had it repeatedly when he was a puppy and he also had it couple months ago. It is unusual for an adult dog to test positive for coccidia, their system should be able to deal with it on its own. He said even dogs who go to dog parks and are a lot around other dogs should not get infected with the coccidia. The regular vet said the same thing. So suspicion is that Cody maybe never got rid of the coccidia. They did fecal test, so we will see. We are going there again in 3 weeks.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Wow, that is very interesting. Please update the test results. Do you mind posting the herbs he prescribed? I hope the new diet will work for him.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Katarina*

Katarina

Is your regular vet aware that you switched Cody to raw food?
Perhaps this is making things worse.


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Dallas Gold said:


> Wow, that is very interesting. Please update the test results. Do you mind posting the herbs he prescribed? I hope the new diet will work for him.


The test results came back negative. The herbs are called Four Marvels.
As for the new diet, I am not quite sure if it will work. His stool increased in volume, he goes 3-4 times a day and he is not even completely switched yet. I also see some undigested stuff in his stool .


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## Katarina (Jan 19, 2011)

Karen519 said:


> Katarina
> 
> Is your regular vet aware that you switched Cody to raw food?
> Perhaps this is making things worse.


I did not switch Cody to raw food. Cody was on raw food loooooooong time ago and then he was on home made food since september 2011 until now. Now we switched to the dehydrated food, which is not a raw food.


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