Emily
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Feb 2004
Location: West Kill, NY
Posts: 2047 |
health issue, need advice
my otherwise very robust healthy redbone bear dog, seven years old, has come down with a very hard-to-diagnose acute gastroenteritits. He began vomiting 3 weeks ago. Can't keep any food down. He went to my vet 3X and is now in for tests at Cornell's veterinary hospital.
Any thoughts or suggestions as to what we can look into would be appreciated. He is scheduled for the equivalent of a colonnoscopy and the same (camera through mouth) from the other end tomorrow, with biopsies. We have already ruled out obstruction (x-rays and ultrasound); parasites (fecal float test), Addison's disease, gall bladder issues. All blood work looks normal.
History; Clamour is seven years old, was in robust good health, and an athletic competitor--very fast in field trials.
One day he broke out in hives on the top of his head, then began vomiting that night quite violently. A piece of a sponge rubber dog toy came up with the first round of vomit. However, this was not unusual. He often steals dog toys from other dogs at the dog run and chews them up and swallows. He usually regurgitates them with no ill effects. That night he vomited repeatedly.
The next day, we fed him some rice and steamed chicken, which he ate, and ate again for his next several meals. His bowel movements were normal, but scant. Two days later, he vomited up everything he had eaten for the last two days. He continued to drink and pass water normally, but would no longer eat chicken and rice. The vet suggeted pepto bismol, which we administered. That seemed to help and he ate barley and chicken the next day, then rejected food. Two days after the meal, he vomited that up almost undigested.
He then went to the vet who put him on amoxicillin and flagyl and encouraged us to continue the pepto bismol. Two days later, after a meal of turkey and sweet potatoes on thanksgiving, he had a full day of very bloody diarrhea, very liquid. By that time he had lost a good 10-12 lbs starting out at around 75, The next day he went to the vet again and was put on famotidine (pepcid), sucralfate, and one other--an antispasmodic. By Saturday he was neither eating, vomiting nor having diarhea. He was still drinking and passing water adequately.
We went to Cornell for further diagnosis Monday). He is going to starve to death if we can't diagnose him. The vets are suggesting possible cancer, and possible irritable bowel syndrome, which is not really a diagnosis, but rather a catch-all.
Anyone with thoughts or experience like this?
Emily
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11-29-2011 11:07 PM
