Good vet for suggesting this!! I would absolutley agree seeking an internist or GI specialist is your next best step!! Keep us posted!
an update; saw the GI internal medicine specialist today. They are going to run 2 different blood tests and will have results later. 1 was for cordisol levels and the other for pancreatic functions. Did u/s today and all normal. Also did a barium swallow focusing on the throat which also turned up fine. When the vet asked me if the dog was vomiting, regurgitating or (can’t forget the other but is like acid reflux I think) I was stumped. My homework is to video her hurling and email to vet for anaylasis. Gotta love the guy eh? Also I keep the dog on the horrific HA foods (Purina kibble and Science Diet canned) for total 4-6 weeks to rule out food allergies unless something else turns up. Keep giving the Metaclipomide (sp?) as an anti vomiting meds. Depending on the results from the blood tests I’ll have to go back for a scope. His best guess so far is IBS. but need a scope to determine that. IBS treatment sounds like big dose of steroids tapering off to smaller dose possibly for life (sounds really terrible to me) and special diet…
Loong day in the car for us. It’s almost as time consuming as hauling a horse to the local big wig clinic for a mystery lameness evaluation… not quite as exhausting. But my brian definatly scrambled at the end of the day.
if it is IBS I wonder if I can wean her off the metocloprimide, HA foods and steroids and feed her some sort of holistic natural diet? Like go raw?
I have a CAT who was diagnosed IBS, who spent several years on Z/D from Hills. She looked pretty poor through the whole time, but she didn’t puke all the time and kept her weight up.
She is now doing FABULOUS on Before Grain 96% Chicken. I’m really not sure if her issues are true IBS or just a set of allergies–she does go back to puking if I try to switch protein sources, or if I try a food that has a lot of weird ingredients. A single protein source food (chicken, and she’s doing fine on the tuna variety) with nothing weird or extra seems to work just peachy for her.
I’m sorry you’ve had such a trial with your dog, and I hope the end is near. I think there is hope of getting her on to a “good” food once you’ve got her stabilized, although there might be some trial and error to see what really works. I’d look for a single protein source, and, if there are any other ingredients, a single grain or starch source. Before the P&G purchase, I really liked California Natural for allergy or protein sensitive critters–I have some reservations about the brand now, but it DOES look like they’ve actually added some grain-free, varying protein kibbles, which might be just what you’ll need: http://www.rotatewithconfidence.com/ Natural Balance also makes limited ingredient kibbles.
If you’d like to try raw, my kitty does very well on Nature’s Menu. I struggled to find something that didn’t have a bunch of weird fruits and vegetables on the label (I’m looking at you, Nature’s Variety and Primal.)
Good luck! I hope it gets better soon.
made apt for scope. Next weds the earliest they can get me in. Dog puked 2x today. so far lunch and dinner staying down. I’m not around when it happens so I still don’t know if she is vomiting or regurgitating. So. Not. Fun.
Well at least you have things ruled out!! Scope and biopsies should give you answers. If they assume IBD then it really is going to be a game of “what the animal tolerates” - what works for some, doesnt for other. Steroids will help, and can likely be weaned down to near nothing once the right combo of food/drugs can be attained. Its a slow process, but please justchange ONE thing at a time. Dont keep switching up foods, new drugs etc. Try reg food + meds for a week, then if no good, try another food for a week.
I had an IBD cat (which unfortunatley turned into lymphoma), and tried SO many diets (including home cooked - i dont like raw)…there was one GI food that worked great, it was medical gastro…none of the other gastro type foods, home cooked,or grain free worked. However, I know its not a majic food, it just worked for him.
Good luck!
scoped today, tummy and intestine looked " a little red" (my notes) the intestines looked “irregular” (vets words) we’ll know more when the biopsy comes back in 2-3 days.
NRB- update? How is your girl doing? Hoping for good news!
Kind of you to ask. I’ll be specific in case anyoen else finds the info helpful.
On Nov 23 Wednesday Leesburg Dr calls with the results from the scope. Nothing is black and white but based on the dogs symptoms and behavior he Decides to treat for Helicobacter with Metronidazole, Amoxicillin and Omneprazole. Also add pepto bismol (per local vets recomendation) For 3-4 weeks. Due to vomiting history with the Met I decide to wait until after holidays to start treatment.
Soon after starting treatment she gets significantly worse so we take her off the Met. She seems to have developed a vomiting response to the Met. And add in Zofram (an anti vomiting med commonly used by chemo patients) It takes a while to get the med dosage right, side effect include pooping in her sleep…
After meds run out stop treatment in Dec 18th. Last vomiting episode was Dec 19th. In January I started switch her over to a normal kibble. All this time since Oct 24th she’s been on Purina HA Kibble and Hills Z/D b/c they think she could have possibly had a food allergy… So I introduced salmon to her diet for 2 weeks and then added sweet potato for a 3rd week. All went well so I am now adding in Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Salmon kibble.
Yesterday she got into my valentines candy stash for school and ate the heads off of 7 lollipops. I gave her HP to induce vomiting and she tossed the sweets shortly after and Knock Wood Loudly she hasn’t vomited since. I felt super guilty after giving the HP, on the one hand I was worried about schnauzer overloaded on high fructose corn syrup and on the other I was worried I’d wreck her GI system. So after I had already acted I called the local vet who then recommended I give her a dose of the Zofram. Which I did. Fingers crossed. What would you have done? Not worried about the candy and not induced vomiting??
Sorry for the book.
