Fleetwood's GI problems- What is this?

Tazwell

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#1
As some of you are probably aware, Fleetwood has a long history of seemingly related health issues. The vet suspects autoimmune disease. The worst is his GI episodes. He has these seemingly random episodes where (usually in the morning) he gets very Ill, he's in pain, abdomen makes awful noises, and he throws up a whole lot. Very liquidy stool also happens. If his episodes are bad/long enough, his vomit and stool are bloody. He will not / can not eat during this time.

They seem to be random, maybe diet or stress are contributors. He's on a strict diet of TOTW salmon and plain salmon treats. It doesn't seem to matter what he's eating, though. The episodes are happening almost every other day, maybe every three. It varies, but he never goes more than 5 days without. They last anywhere from 8 hours to days at a time.

He's been on metronidazole (flagyl) for close to 30 days now. No improvement. Last time, he improved within two weeks, but not this time. He was on ondansetron, and even pepcid AC and tagamet. None of them make a difference, because if he's sick, he's sick.

I've never had a dog with IBD, but I have a cat with it. It's nothing like that. I don't really understand what's going on in there. What is his GI tract doing thats making all that noise? Inflammation? Can anybody help me out? I took this video of Fleet wood's tummy this morning, you can clearly hear the noises that woke me up. They're that loud :(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2opEef8uhI&feature=youtube_gdata_player
 
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Saeleofu

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I lose track of all the things you've had done vet-wise with Fleetwood. Have you had a fecal PCR run on him? It's a bit of a long shot, but I suppose it could be a chronic bacterial infection in the GI tract. When Logan had clostridium it was just diarrhea, not vomiting and all the other nasties that Fleetwood has. He cleared up on Tylan. Flagyl didn't do a thing for him, but the Tylan was amazing. Another thing that may be worth trying is Vitamin B12. We have started using B12 injections for a LOT of strange chronic diarrhea issues at work, and even when it's not something that's linked to low B12, it seems to work wonders, in dogs and cats alike. I give Logan sublingual B12 every other day just to be sure, and I keep Tylan on hand in case he has a bout of diarrhea. Fortunately I haven't had to use the Tylan in a very long time. Several months (ever since I switched to TOTW Wetlands, and then to Victor salmon).

I have heard some peopel who have used slippery elm with good results, boiled up as a tea (a thick, meaty-smelling tea that dogs seem to like) but I didn;t notice a huge improvement with Logan when I used it. I do give the dogs a bit whenever they have an upset stomach just for good measure. There is also another vitamin that is supposed to help heal the GI tract, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is at the moment.

Poor guy, the sounds in that video are awful :( {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} to you both.
 
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#4
Jinj's gut will make a lot of noise when he's "off", but that is REALLY loud, it sounds like a whole lotta gas brewing to me, does he get gassy? I really don't have any idea, I've been through a lot with doggie digestive issues, but I'm thinking you might need to try and find the best GI specialist out there. Are you still using any of the EPI supplements?
 

Tazwell

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No, no gas. The epi supplements made him REALLY sick. He's on weekly B12 injections. He's had so many tests done, I can't even remember what's what! He's had a lot of fecals, including one for bacterial overgrowth which wasn't the case.

I will have to ask about Tylan, He's never been on that. But would it do anything to prevent the problems? Or jus treat them when they happen?

Another symptom he has is ITCHY. When he was a puppy, he developed pustules on his back along his spine, and that happened for almost a year. Skin scrapings revealed nothing. Even 'special' skin scrapings (sorry, I don't remember what). Now the pustules are all gone, but he is itchy all the time. Yesterday morning before I took that video, he was scratching all over NON STOP. There's nothing on the skin, but his skin and coat are dry and coarse despite salmon oil every day. He's just so itchy all the time, everywhere. And that started suddenly one day about 6 months ago.
 

Mach1girl

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My Daizy had an episode like this. Lasted 2 years. The vets had no idea and it cost me thousands. I have a friend in a local rescue business who had gone thru the same ordeal. And after her spending thousands and putting her poor baby thru so many surgeries for no reason.....she did her own research and found that Pepcid cured her dog.

Upon her advice, I started the Pepcid and low and behold, Daizy has not had an episode in almost a year.

Fotomodol (sp?) is widely over looked as a medication for animals, because vets usually do not relate dogs having indigestion and heartburn often enough.

Since I found this out I have heard it is being used alot more now. I give her one Pepcid in the a.m. When I started the regimine she got one in the morning and one in the evening. Now we are down to one in the a.m.

It starts with simple symptoms, then the vomiting began. And the diarrea. Not treated properly, ulcers can form, and lacerations in the esophagus hence the blood. And GI tract.

I am not saying this is what is wrong with your dog. But it cannot hurt to try this. It is a harmless medication. I would have never guessed judging by the symptoms it was all related to being cured with an indigestion pill!!

Good luck!
 

Tazwell

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Thank you, Mach1girl. He was already on Pepcid AC twice a day, but it didn't prevent his problem and when it happens, he throws up anything I give him, including medication... It may have been you that told me to try it in the first place! Good idea, but I guess it doesn't address his problem :(
 

Saeleofu

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Tylan may help to prevent symptoms if it helps get rid of them. Some dogs are on Tylan all their life, usually every other day or every 3rd day. But of course if whatever he has isn't responsive to the Tylan, then it won't help. It is available in an injectable form, so if it does help then it's one medication that doesn't have to be given orally when his GI tract is acting up.
 
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#9
Another thing to try would be to deworm him for everything under the sun. Intestinal parasites don't always show up on fecal samples, they can certainly be the cause of intermittent GI signs, and I have occasionally seen intestinal parasites cause itchy skin in dogs.

His intestinal bacteria are probably just ravaged at this point, regardless of what the root cause of everything is. Sometimes I've had better luck combining amoxicillin with metronidazole, but also using a probiotic. Or, as has already been suggested, daily Tylan instead of metronidazole.
 

Tazwell

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He takes a plant-based enzyme and probiotic powder with his food, but I'm very open to more suggestions as far as probiotics go! He's had so many fecals, sassafras, really comprehensive ones-- I don't think it's possible! I would be hesitant to put more medication into him that he doesn't need, but I'll consider it.

All of these suggestions are great! but they are mostly addressing the diarrhea. What happens that is making him vomit? The veterinarians he's seen throw the word inflammation around a lot. Will chronic inflammation cause all of these symptoms?

Whenever he isn't having an episode, he is just a completely normal, healthy eating/digesting/pooping dog!
 

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