*Please help*: My dog has GI issues and his behavior is bizarre

[germanshepherdlover7]

My dog is a seven year-old male german shepherd who occasionally has diarrhea but is otherwise healthy. Boiled chicken and rice always take care of it. However, this time his diarrhea is accompanied by strange behavior. He suddenly cannot settle, won't sit, won't lie down, holds his body in a strange way, takes a few steps, stops and stares a long time, takes a few steps and does it again. Took him to the ER this morning, all tests for bloating, flipped stomach, organ failure, cancer, etc. were negative. They sent him home with medication for anti-diarrhea and pain. His behavior is still the same this evening and he has no interest in food. Has anyone experienced a similar issue? Any advice? I'm desperate.

Edited yesterday at 03:55 AM by germanshepherdlover7

[Mairead]

Exactly which tests did he have at the ER (should be listed on your bill/invoice) and how much did all that cost? Interested because you are listed as overseas.

[persephone]

4 hours ago, germanshepherdlover7 said:

He suddenly cannot settle, won't sit, won't lie down, holds his body in a strange way, takes a few steps, stops and stares a long time, takes a few steps and does it again.

Sounds very much as though he is in pain, poor boy.  

[tdierikx]

I'd be looking for a structural problem... I don't think the diarrhoea is his main problem here, and it may only be coincidental to the actual problem.

 

If his bloods are all normal, and they've ruled out GI/internal type issues, then what remains is structural... his bones. I'd be looking for full spinal xrays to see if he's slipped a disc or similar at some point. Neck, Thoracic, and Lumbar xrays at the very least. My guess would be neck based on your description of the symptoms, but only an xray is going to confirm or rule that out.

 

T.

[persephone]

3 hours ago, tdierikx said:

I'd be looking for full spinal xrays to see if he's slipped a disc or similar at some point. Neck, Thoracic, and Lumbar xrays at the very least

I second this. 

[_PL_]

If he was a fair bit older I'd suggest dementia setting in.

But 7 is not the usual age range.
It does actually sound like pain, which they may be treating with Meloxicam, an anti inflammatory that's usually step 1 in pain treatment - there's more specific ones available that target nerve pain. They don't always begin with NSAID if there's stomach issues.
Anti inflammatory or an analgesic should begin to work within hours so please report back to your vet asap. And keep a diary of his behaviour. 
I'm definitely no vet, this infographic might help if you have access to FB animal wellness