Dog Gastro

[rubiton]

Just looking for advice.

Dog got gatro from a suspected bad can of food about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Two weeks ago she was passing basically liquid so was off to the vet and was put on amoxcil and rice & chicken diet. There was some improvement but liquid returned a week ago. So back to vet and this time she's had twice a day doses of peptosyl, amoxcil and flagyl. After losing a fiar bit of weight and now turning her nose up at the rice she was started on the hillls i/d food last night. Yesterday she was also fed a handful of normal dry food, a schmacko strip, a scooby snack, piece of bread and some banana (I was out of the house at the time). She has also lost a bit of weight being fed only a fraction of what she woud usually get through meals and treats. She wont be getting further snacks today only the hill diet i/d food

Today was her first bowel movement since starting the second lot of treatment and while the colour and basic form is much more normal its still a bit loose. Is this normal while recovering? Should it not have been loose at all? When can normal food (ie the snacks - shes got another week before normal dog food should be back) be reintroduced?

Thanks for any help

[Bow Wow]

Wow rubiton, I was just about to post a topic asking for help for Gastro.

Bindi has been gastric for two days now. Was going to take her to the vet this morning, when bow wow started doing gastric poos.

I thought it could be a bad batch of food also with bindi, as there was nothing else out of the ordinary, except I opened a new bag of food three days ago.

So yesterday I only gave her rice and mashed pumpkin, she was fine through the day, but last night she was going every 20 minutes. So I was going to take her to the vet today.

But then bow wow, who does not eat the same diet as started doing runny poos. Which is making me think that it might be a bug.

So today I will fast them completely and only give them water. Then tomorrow i will slowly introduce some rice and chicken.

I will pop into the vet this morning and let them know what is going on, and ask if a gastro bug is going around. I will get some electrolite of him as well.

Both dogs are acting normal, would eat if I let them. Just the bloody runs.

Sorry it is not an answer to your question, hope she gets better soon.

[~*Shell*~]

When Zero had gastro, we did chicken and rice for a week and then put him back onto his normal diet. You can kind of tell when they're ready to go back to normal food because they start to have more energy and their poo goes back to normal. If you're unsure then i would leave her on it for another couple of days. A few extra days on it can't hurt when they're getting over an intestinal problem!

[rubiton]

OK so I wont panic yet - no more snacks for a few more days until another one or two 'better samples' appear I think.

Bindi Boo - yes thats what happened to the dog after a few days turned to liquid and wanted to go outside about once an hour during the evening and then there was the drops of blood too. Had to starve her for 24 hours after vet visit as vet gave her antibiotic injection too then started on chicken adn rice 6 times a day and then 5 times a day and so on.

Of course dogs arent like us - they will eat regardless of what comes out!! We've had to restrict her water all week too as she drinks to much and it all comes back along with whatever is left in there - so to keep the medication in cut back on water. I think the rice makes them want more water as she hasn't been as desperate today as on the straight rice. Wasnt good waking up to whimpering dog (who was obviously so full she couldnt get up stairs to get us in the middle of the night) to go outside then 5 minutes later she threw up more water then more at some later stage (discovered by me getting a bucket from the laundry and I went flying on the 'wet' floor) that was when the water was cut back (was when she was fasting a week ago).

[cashew]

Wow rubiton, I was just about to post a topic asking for help for Gastro.

Bindi has been gastric for two days now. Was going to take her to the vet this morning, when bow wow started doing gastric poos.

I thought it could be a bad batch of food also with bindi, as there was nothing else out of the ordinary, except I opened a new bag of food three days ago.

So yesterday I only gave her rice and mashed pumpkin, she was fine through the day, but last night she was going every 20 minutes. So I was going to take her to the vet today.

But then bow wow, who does not eat the same diet as started doing runny poos. Which is making me think that it might be a bug.

So today I will fast them completely and only give them water. Then tomorrow i will slowly introduce some rice and chicken.

I will pop into the vet this morning and let them know what is going on, and ask if a gastro bug is going around. I will get some electrolite of him as well.

Both dogs are acting normal, would eat if I let them. Just the bloody runs.

Sorry it is not an answer to your question, hope she gets better soon.

So sorry to hear of Bindi's upset GI tract. I recalled that when my dog was recovering from his parvovirus with a totally wrecked GI tract, he was having the runs for weeks. I loaded up on probiotics and consulted a natural therapist who suggested slippery elm. Steamed pumpkin also went well but I stayed off rice. I didnt fast my dog because he had and wanted food so going by that I fed him small meals. I actually gave him manuka honey as well. I do that with all my foster dogs with bad runs. I made a broth from liver/chicken for them to drink as well. Keeps hydration levels up.

[poodlefan]

Probiotics would be a really good idea to add to a diet after a bout of gastro. I'd not be feeding any dried, cured or highly processed treats for while. With such sensitive tummies, unless you know everything that's in it, don't feed it.

Darcy was given "piglet mix" (really!) to help sort his tummy out after a really bad bout of haemorraghic gastro. He had that for a few days, a diet of cooked chicken and rice for a while and then he went to my home made dog stew before returning to his raw diet. I also gave him probiotics.

A lot of old timers swear by rasberry cordial (must be at least 20% juice) to help with gastro. It's be proven to kill a lot of bad stomach bugs.

Edited May 11, 2008 by poodlefan

[CavsRcute]

I found that the chicken and rice didn't help my dog at all. Gave her fish and potato and all was good

[InspectorRex]

did the Vet actually do a faecal analysis( take in poo sample) to rule out things like Giardia etc? That would be the first thing our Vet would do with poos like you explain. If not already done perhaps suggest to the Vet.

Definitely NO snacks like Schmacko's etc- they are stacked with preservatives and other undesireable stuff.

bland steamed chicken breast fillets( diced and skin off) and steamed rice and feed 3-4 small meals a day.

also I agree with the Slippery Elm bark powder- for a dog say 20kg you need to give 1 tablespoon per day sprinkled on the food.Also a good human grade probioitc capsule, again open up and sprinkle on food.

if this was my dog I would be demanding more investigations from Vet as 2 1/2 weeks is far too long for this to be going on( I know as i had dog like this and she turned out to have, after endoscopes etc done, inflammatory bowel disease)

[rubiton]

At this stage she is up to two meals a day and as she is starting to refuse the rice (I would too after two weeks) we've moved to the hill i/d diet which was the alternative suggested by the vet to feed her - this she hoovers down. That's all she will be eating - no more treats.

I'll monitor to see what comes out over the next few days - obviously if she go backwards again it will be back to the vet again but wasn't sure if it was normal for it to be right colour and size but just a bit loose or if she should have gone straight back to normal first up (nothing has come out of the dog since last Monday).

[InspectorRex]

Rubiton- has your dog not had a poo for a week? I would definitely be talking to the Vet about this. She may have had a gastric issue or she could have an obstruction

Best to err on the side of caution as animals cannot tell you what is wrong

[rubiton]

Sunday was the first one since whatever came out last Monday.

I asked the vet in the first week and he said it wasn't unusual for nothing to pass for a few days as all the dog was getting was rice and chicken (and not that much) so most was going into the dog - and with little to eat for two days at the start of the medication (both weeks) the idea was to rest the system so it could heal.

Well since we stepped up the amount of food and moved to teh hills science diet i/d (and those treats on Sat) obviously enough was going in to have something come out the other. Todays sample was lesser amount but looked relatively normal. She will stay on the restricted diet for another week and in a few days start introducing her back to normal food as long as things keep going well. Any backwards step and I'll be calling the vet.

Edited May 12, 2008 by rubiton

[Tara and Sam]

Adelaide here also

and you have described my girl's problem

you said "suspected " can of dog food ,

may I ask what brand it was

my little girl also had watery poos

then formed but very soft ones , with blood also

bland diet of chicken , rice , potatoe etc

no other treats or similar

after a week of good poo's , slowly introduced her can food back ,

next day again sloppy poo's

back to vet and onto Ensal liquid and Hills prescription ID can of food for 3 days , all was fine

then tonight introduced small amount of can again with chicken, rice , and since tea she has thrown up twice and not her usual self

she also has had this for just over 3 weeks

she even had a total blood work done and all was fine

my other dog is fine though

( so far )

you dont visit the Marion vets by chance ?

[Bow Wow]

I honestly think this is just a stomach flu going around.

Both my dogs are still doing runny poos, no blood though. Have been on bland diet of boiled chicken, no rice cause that caused a reaction.

Have encorporated, probiotics and slippery elm.

Have now resorted to imodium.

Did not have any night time poos last night.

Poo this morning was soft, but not squirting out like before.

They are both still acting normal, not lethargic or anything. Are very hungry, and not appreciating the very small amounts of boiled chicken they get and no treats. They can both afford to lose a little weight anyway. ;)

Will start to introduce more to their diet tomorrow, and see what happens.

[skipper2]

Just looking for advice.

Dog got gatro from a suspected bad can of food about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Two weeks ago she was passing basically liquid so was off to the vet and was put on amoxcil and rice & chicken diet. There was some improvement but liquid returned a week ago. So back to vet and this time she's had twice a day doses of peptosyl, amoxcil and flagyl. After losing a fiar bit of weight and now turning her nose up at the rice she was started on the hillls i/d food last night. Yesterday she was also fed a handful of normal dry food, a schmacko strip, a scooby snack, piece of bread and some banana (I was out of the house at the time). She has also lost a bit of weight being fed only a fraction of what she woud usually get through meals and treats. She wont be getting further snacks today only the hill diet i/d food

Today was her first bowel movement since starting the second lot of treatment and while the colour and basic form is much more normal its still a bit loose. Is this normal while recovering? Should it not have been loose at all? When can normal food (ie the snacks - shes got another week before normal dog food should be back) be reintroduced?

Thanks for any help

[rubiton]

Have sent you a pm tara & sam.

As long as she keeps going ok with the hills food will start to reintroduce the dry food late in the week/weekend. Todays effort better than Sunday but not quiet as normal as yesterday.

Of course all this has put an end to going to teh million paws walk day neither her or I am fit enough to do the 2.5km walk let alone the 5km.

[Tara and Sam]

Thanks Rubiton , will check in a few

well Tara was back at vet again today ( 5th visit in 4 weeks )

she had only 2 days earlier finished the Ensal liquid and Prescription ID food , for her runs she had

then last night she threw up twice and looked terrible and didnt look any better this morning

he beleives she doesnt have a gastro , no temperature

apparently she "may" have a intollerance to something

so now we back on the Hills Prescription ID food ( 4 small meals a day ) for 3 days with Metomide injection and tabs

then some Hills sensitive tummy dry food

,

and then we start the ellimination process of what food is causeing this

so far so good today after her small meals , no runs or vomiting up , but will see what happens after she finished the medication again

I do hope the other dogs also start to feel better soon

[Bow Wow]

We have SOLID poos

Started both girls on 4paws chicken and rice, seeing as it is all natural. Kept my fingers crossed that we didn't go backwards. Gave them imodium in the morning. Then went and purchased Diarea from produce shop. I would prefer to use something that is especially for dogs. So gave them that yesterday arvo and last night and this morning. It says twice daily. Both dogs did solid poos and they looked good and healthy.

They are still not 100%, but at least I am getting some sleep now. Will keep their diet very bland and only stick to the 4 paws and only twice a day and only small quantities. Still giving them probiotics. But stoped the slippery elm, as bindi vomited up straight after having this and it was just watery slippery elm.

So fingers crossed, that they stay on the road to recovery.

Hope all other sick puppies are feeling better soon.

[rubiton]

WEll today its starting to get loose again so again thats it no more bread and no more tiny pieces of mortadella (which Im assuming is a processed meat). Hills id food only both can and dry that she now has. Hopefully its just a reaction to the human food being fed too early.

[InspectorRex]

mortadella is a highly processed smallgood, full of preservatives etc so definitely do not feed it

Still would be asking the Vet to do a faecal analysis and float as this has been going on for too long

[rubiton]

Thanks thought that was the case with that meat.

Well since being on the ID food both canned and dry (the dry is wonderful she can have food balls instead of other treats and also feel like she's eaten tea when she gets both canned and dry) whats come out looks normal except its the similar colour as the dry food rather than darker brown.

Next couple of days might try and add some of her normal dry food to her night time feed and if that goes well try introducing her treats slowly over the next week or two.

Now have to start building her topline back up again - her back is so bony but we haven't been going on proper walks at all for the last month or so (I got hurt then she got sick). So will have to go back to basics for both of us and start off on the short walks and build up again.