# HELP! 9 month old Rescue Spoo is sick [emoji22]



## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

Poor Charlotte. I adopted her a month ago from a rescue and she has been sick since day one. She seemed healthy but stools were mushy. Took her in to my vet the day after I brought her home. She was not up to date on vaccines and living outdoors so vet immunized her, twice now, but no allergic reactions to the vaccines. She tested positive for Giardia so medicated her for that and re-test was mushy but OK. Also her tongue which was mildly ulcerated when we got her became significantly ulcerated, but that has improved. She was also diagnosed with bilateral ear infections and kennel cough. There were bouts of non stop vomiting and pea soup diarrhea. Rescue Agency sold me Northwest Naturals frozen raw diet. I had been trying to introduce it slowly. My other Spoo mix, 10 weeks older, eats it, and has not gotten sick. But all dogs are different. I supplemented Charlotte's diet with grain free quality dry kibble. Charlotte had never eaten a raw diet before. I accidentally bought a bag of American Journey with brown and mixed that with the grain free. This weekend the diarrhea and vomiting started up again after she started taking Theophylline for her continued coughing and rapid respiration at rest (over 40 breaths per minute). My daughter, a nurse, said that being on Doxycline for 2 prior weeks probably screwed up her intestines, so now I stopped the Theophylline, stopped the raw diet, stopped the grain, and I am giving her 2 envelopes of Forti-Flora twice a day and 2 1/2 cups of Nutrisca Grain-Free Chicken and Chickpea Recipe per day, which she is not eating. Monday I'll call the vet again... BTW Charlotte will be 9 months old in 2 days and weighs 51#. She is such a sweet girl and I just want her to be healthy. Any thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Here is her pic, taken yesterday. Thanks for listening to a worried "Mom".









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## marialydia (Nov 23, 2013)

Oh dear. First off, she's very pretty and at least not looking sick in the photo. Is she acting sick?

She's been on so many meds. She's a good weight it seems; in the very short term I'd be concerned more about dehydration.

That sounds like a lot of Forti Flora. I'd go with less, or even give some high-quality full fat yogurt instead (but not too much; Pericles still gets a heaping teaspoon every morning). What was she eating in the periods (if any) when she wasn't having diarrhea and vomiting? I suggest that in the very short term you go with whatever that was. Or, do some white rice, with a bit of drained cooked hamburger or turkey (see why below) mixed in. 

Many poodles, mine included, don't do well on chicken. If whatever she was eating in the times when her guts seemed OK, had chicken, I say still go with that. But if not, something based on beef or lamb might be better.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

when on Doxycycline the dog should be on a probiotic, otherwise Doxycycline does havoc on the system, makes the dog feel very unwell. Making her fast and drink only fluids until you see the vet will give her system a rest. 

But you shouldn't stop the Theophylline without consulting your vet as that can cause trouble for you as well, it's used to treat asthma in animals.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Oh dear, poor baby. She has been through a lot. I would try to rest her system a bit as far as food goes, rather than changing up what commercial foods you give her. She sounds like she is a good weight for her age so even if she loses a little she will be fine as that goes. I might give her just a mix of a bit of plain boiled boneless skinless chicken (protein), rice (carb calories) and some canned pumpkin (the miracle sad intestine fixer), a bit of plain yogurt is also a good source of probiotics. If she doesn't seem very interested then add some warm simple chicken broth (like just the liquid the meat was cooked in).


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## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

marialydia said:


> Oh dear. First off, she's very pretty and at least not looking sick in the photo. Is she acting sick?
> 
> She's been on so many meds. She's a good weight it seems; in the very short term I'd be concerned more about dehydration.
> 
> ...


I forgot to mention that it was very hot out that first day when we brought her to her forever home in Mequon, WI, and she seemed dehydrated cuz she drank lots of water that first day, but a blood test the next day was fine aside from slightly elevated cholesterol. Repeat blood tests this time with electrolytes included were repeated about a week later when she was coughing, had vomiting and diarrhea. They were OK too. Thank you so much for the advice. I can contact the Rescue and ask what she was eating, but since she was running free on 10 acres of land all day and only kenneled in the garage at night, with other dogs, I doubt they were aware of her mushy poos. I was told she was completely healthy. 

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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Was she tested for heart worm?


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## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

twyla said:


> Was she tested for heart worm?


Yes, the day I adopted Charlotte she was 8 months old. The next day my vet tested her and her heartworm blood test was negative. However, the vet said it takes time to show up in the blood, so down the road, my vet said she could test positive. She is on Heartgard now; I sure hope she was before.

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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I know it takes a while to show up in the blood, I ask because I had a feral cat that I had tamed eventually tested positive for having had Heart worm, had an antigen of it , a by product of the having heart worm was he had Asthma he took Theophylline for it, he had scary cough fits before he went on meds.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Was she alright after she stopped the Doxycycline?


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## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

The rescue sold me an Anibio tic-clip to ward off ticks and fleas. Not sure if I buy into that? "The ready to use tic clip is bio- energetically charged, has a special coating with high radiation potential and has a large storage capacity. A special oscillation field is created in the environment of tic clip and thus around the animal independent of its size or type of coat which protects dogs and cats from ticks and fleas." But the rescue also gave me a packet of Frontline after ticks were noticed on "some of the dogs." Sad to say, I don't know if Charlotte was one of them. 

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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I'm asking if she was okay after stopping the Doxycycline, because Potential side effects of Doxycycline are decrease in appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. 
You should contact your veterinarian if pet experiences severe vomiting or diarrhea. 

I had another feral cat who contracted Lyme's disease and got very sick on Doxycycline and was sick for a while after stopping it.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

oh and not to make anything easier, food intolerances can also cause vomiting and liquid diarrhea, Pia is intolerant of beef, chicken and lamb, lamb especially makes her projectile vomit and had wicked liquid diarrhea. I have feed her whitefish, salmon, bison or kangaroo

you really need to see your vet to sort this out, sorry your baby is unwell


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## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

im.speechliss said:


> The rescue sold me an Anibio tic-clip to ward off ticks and fleas. Not sure if I buy into that? "The ready to use tic clip is bio- energetically charged, has a special coating with high radiation potential and has a large storage capacity. A special oscillation field is created in the environment of tic clip and thus around the animal independent of its size or type of coat which protects dogs and cats from ticks and fleas." But the rescue also gave me a packet of Frontline after ticks were noticed on "some of the dogs." Sad to say, I don't know if Charlotte was one of them.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


Here's what my first month with Charlotte has looked like:

Sept 24: Gotcha Day! Charlotte is 8 mo old! She weighs in at 50#. Seems very thirsty. Hot out. Mushy poos. Dehydrated? Feeding her grain free 5 star kibble 1c 2x day + introduced frozen beef raw diet 1/4# 2x day. Eats well.

Sept 25: saw Vet. Blood test for Heartworm & Chemical panel (both are OK.) Behind on puppy shots. Stool sample positive for Giardia.

Sept 27: saw Vet. Lepto combo vaccine given. Started Panacur for Giardia.

Sept 28: saw Vet. Non stop vomiting (white and bubbly), green soup diarrhea, and coughing since 3 AM. Placed on Doxycline for Kennel cough and anti nausea injection. Placed on Science Diet I/D Formula by vet. Raw diet stopped. Panacur continued. Symptoms not indicative of reaction to vaccine per vet. More blood work with electrolytes included was OK. Tongue is slightly ulcerated.

Sept 30: Urgent care vet visit. Tongue is significantly more ulcerated. Cause unknown. Different vet prescribes rimadyl for inflammation and pain eating.

Oct 4: Saw third different vet in same clinic for recheck. Chest x-ray shows tracheal bronchitis, tongue still ulcerated, bilateral ear infections (yeast) treated. Result: continue Doxycline a second week. Eating Science Diet I/D well. Still on rimadyl with food.

Oct 6: woke up to brown vomit and Charlotte sleeping in pee in her crate. So sad. There appeared to be some shreded wood fibers in the vomit. Still on Science Diet I/D.

Oct 8: Charlotte seems better and out of Science Diet I/D prescribed by vet so reintroduced frozen raw beef diet. 1/4# 
2x day.

Oct 11: I came down with a sore throat that became bronchitis! Did I catch it from Charlotte??

Oct 15: increased raw diet to 1/2# 2x day plus 1/2c brown rice kibble mixed with grain free kibble 2x day

Oct 17: Charlotte vomited 2 x this AM. Yellow vomit and a piece of food. I already had a scheduled visit with my vet for Lepto Combo Vaccine booster. Tongue much better! Ears are OK. However, her respration rate was still high at 40 per minute. Vet: no more doxycyline will help so Theophylline prescribed. Charlotte gained lost weight back: 47 to 51# so vet went ahead with the shot. No adverse reaction.

Oct 19: Theophylline started for high respiratory rate of 40.

Oct 21: Charlotte was restless and up all night barking/ whining. Raw diet was increased to 3/4# 2x day plus 1/2 c kibble with brown rice mixed with grain free. Charlotte has diarrhea. Evening dose of Theophylline not given due to restlessness and diarrhea during the day. Have to call vet back on Monday. Started one package of Forti-Flora.

Oct 22: Charlotte is up all night vomiting yellow, bubbly liquid and has runny diarrhea. Stopped raw diet, stopped Theophylline, stopped kibble with brown rice. Gave grain-free kibble (she's not eating) and small amount of canned Science Diet I/D mixed with one package of Forti-Flora, which she did eat! No more vomiting or diarrhea so far today. Phew!

Mom and Charlotte both need to get healthy again!






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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

Wow! There is a lot going on there! I would put her on a bland diet until her gut calms down a bit and everything else gets sorted out. Why was she on the doxycycline? I've used it when dogs tested positive for Lyme and it can put them off of food.


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

Wow. I just saw your last post. I would be looking for a different vet...not cool to give a sick puppy vaccines, especially lepto. There is so much going on, it is hard to sort out. 

And if things don't settle down quickly, I'd find a good internist vet to consult with. Not to freak you out, but a pup who lived outdoors in a field in Wisconsin brings blasto to mind. A friend's dog had it (lived in WI and did upland).


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## marialydia (Nov 23, 2013)

lily cd re said:


> Oh dear, poor baby. She has been through a lot. I would try to rest her system a bit as far as food goes, rather than changing up what commercial foods you give her. She sounds like she is a good weight for her age so even if she loses a little she will be fine as that goes. I might give her just a mix of a bit of plain boiled boneless skinless chicken (protein), rice (carb calories) and some canned pumpkin (the miracle sad intestine fixer), a bit of plain yogurt is also a good source of probiotics. If she doesn't seem very interested then add some warm simple chicken broth (like just the liquid the meat was cooked in).


Amen to this. I know I may get flamed for this, but I'm not convinced that raw is a good thing for an upset digestive tract. Sweet potato is also good and can substitute for pumpkin. I nuke them on the potato setting, sometimes add a half minute, let it cool and mix with food. Several days of this, although not a long-term balanced diet, could help settle things for young Charlotte.


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## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

Verve said:


> Wow. I just saw your last post. I would be looking for a different vet...not cool to give a sick puppy vaccines, especially lepto. There is so much going on, it is hard to sort out.
> 
> And if things don't settle down quickly, I'd find a good internist vet to consult with. Not to freak you out, but a pup who lived outdoors in a field in Wisconsin brings blasto to mind. A friend's dog had it (lived in WI and did upland).


What's blasto? She is still intact and I won't even consider spaying her until things improve a lot.

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## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

Verve said:


> Wow! There is a lot going on there! I would put her on a bland diet until her gut calms down a bit and everything else gets sorted out. Why was she on the doxycycline? I've used it when dogs tested positive for Lyme and it can put them off of food.


She was on the Doxycline for the kennel cough.

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## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

twyla said:


> I'm asking if she was okay after stopping the Doxycycline, because Potential side effects of Doxycycline are decrease in appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
> You should contact your veterinarian if pet experiences severe vomiting or diarrhea.
> 
> I had another feral cat who contracted Lyme's disease and got very sick on Doxycycline and was sick for a while after stopping it.


Charlotte started the Doxycline on Sept. 28th and stopped on Oct. 2nd and yes, she has been sick since. Theophylline can also cause vomiting and diarrhea as well as restlessness so that's why I stopped giving it to her last night until I can talk to my vet. 

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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

Poor girl! What a terrible run of ailments. I don’t have much to offer, but agree with others that you should maybe try to change her food less. My boy has a sensitive tummy (it’s much better now than when he was a puppy though) and sudden food changes are definitely a no-go. I would try at least three days of something bland like chicken and rice cooked in lots of water, and then if she improves, gradually introduce a single new food in over at least a week, slowly reducing the chicken and rice as you go. 
If you aren’t sure how she is with normal yoghurt you could try a goat or sheep yoghurt with probiotics too - Rory can’t have cow yoghurt but loves his spoon of goat/sheep with his breakfast.


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## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

marialydia said:


> Oh dear. First off, she's very pretty and at least not looking sick in the photo. Is she acting sick?
> 
> She's been on so many meds. She's a good weight it seems; in the very short term I'd be concerned more about dehydration.
> 
> ...


Despite all she has been through, Charlotte has not been acting very sick, but animals are good at hiding their symptoms for fear of falling "prey" to a stronger predator. I have another pup, a Spoo mix 10 weeks older, and they have been playing together and romping around despite Charlotte's illnesses. Daisy did have to take Panacur for 5 days as Giardia is highly contagious.

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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

I am just now reading about Charlotte. How horrible to be going through all this. Bland diet for sure till her tummy settles down. I have you in my thoughts and prayers that she will be better soon.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Just hugs to both of you after all of this!!! So many issues, medicines, a vaccine, and food changes too. Try to settle her stomach and digestive tract with chicken, broth and rice. Feed small meals to gauge tolerance and not risk huge explosions from both ends. You can add dabs of pumpkin, yogurt or sweet potatoes later. I hope her digestion settles down so she can absorb and improve with those medicines.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Poor Charlotte! There seems to be soooo much going on that perhaps you should find a specialist...........is there a University close to you or perhaps you can get a referral to a Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist. 
For now, a bland diet and pumpkin to help the diarreah and of course a check to make certain the Giardia is gone!


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## blueroan (Dec 28, 2015)

Sounds like she is still showing symptoms of Giardia, because that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Giardia greatly upsets the gastrointestinal system, so I'd do a recheck of that, as I didn't see that one your diary (when she was considered Giardia free). Plus get another vet. I was very shocked to see that your vet actually went and gave her vaccines when she was positive. 

Vaccines lower the immune system for a short time, and if it is already lowered (which it was) that just makes things worse. Poor girl!

Her system definitely needs a rest. I would not give her anything to eat at all for a few days with obviously unlimited water. Watch to make sure she isn't drinking a ton of water though. And see how that goes. Then start her back on ONE thing (not kibble, like one kind of meat) and build back up from there and see what agrees with her.


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## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

blueroan said:


> Sounds like she is still showing symptoms of Giardia, because that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Giardia greatly upsets the gastrointestinal system, so I'd do a recheck of that, as I didn't see that one your diary (when she was considered Giardia free). Plus get another vet. I was very shocked to see that your vet actually went and gave her vaccines when she was positive.
> 
> Vaccines lower the immune system for a short time, and if it is already lowered (which it was) that just makes things worse. Poor girl!
> 
> Her system definitely needs a rest. I would not give her anything to eat at all for a few days with obviously unlimited water. Watch to make sure she isn't drinking a ton of water though. And see how that goes. Then start her back on ONE thing (not kibble, like one kind of meat) and build back up from there and see what agrees with her.


Charlotte was rechecked for Giardia on Oct 17. We brought in a mushy sample. No one called on Oct 18 to say it was positive, which means negative, but I am going to ask about that as well today. Thank you for reminding me.

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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

blueroan said:


> Sounds like she is still showing symptoms of Giardia, because that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Giardia greatly upsets the gastrointestinal system, so I'd do a recheck of that, as I didn't see that one your diary (when she was considered Giardia free). Plus get another vet. I was very shocked to see that your vet actually went and gave her vaccines when she was positive.
> 
> Vaccines lower the immune system for a short time, and if it is already lowered (which it was) that just makes things worse. Poor girl!
> 
> Her system definitely needs a rest. I would not give her anything to eat at all for a few days with obviously unlimited water. Watch to make sure she isn't drinking a ton of water though. And see how that goes. Then start her back on ONE thing (not kibble, like one kind of meat) and build back up from there and see what agrees with her.


I agree with the giardia retest. I went through a 3 month battle with this with a previous pup. Finally changed vets who treated again for giardia plus we rested her tummy for 24 hours, water only, then did ground chicken with rice cooked in broth and added a bit of baked sweet potato, she would not eat pumpkin.

We did not do any vaccinations while she was battling this and did not do lepto until the next year. The lepto vaccination should always be given separately from other vaccines, never in a combo. With my current girl I spread out each vaccine by at least 2 weeks between each one. 

Giardia is a really tough thing to deal with. I hope you get this sorted out soon so your pup is feeling well again.


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

Sorry to hear about your struggles with Charlotte! Don't really have anything additional to add, but support a fast followed by feeding a bland diet (chicken breast, rice, pumpkin, sweet potato, yogurt if any/all are tolerable) until her system settles down. Charlotte has been through a lot of different stressors, so important to get her system calmed down before introducing more variables (different foods, treatments, etc).

I'm rather shocked too that a vet would proceed with vaccines despite known illnesses. But what is done is done; if she has any more vaccines that need to be done wait until she is fully recovered and stable.

Hope you both get feeling better soon!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I would certainly go over to a bland diet for a few weeks. Having read up on blastomycosis (not common here in the UK, thank heavens), it does sound like something that should be ruled out. Hope you get it sorted soon - it sounds utterly miserable for both of you!


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

Blastomycosis - Generalized Conditions - Merck Veterinary Manual


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## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

Charlotte had again thrown up in her crate this morning twice, but she slept quietly throughout the night so everyone finally got some rest. One vomit was brown with particles in it (both of my dogs eat stuff outside altho I try to stop them) and the other was yellow vomit. No solid food was regurgitated. My vet returned my call. All blood work was normal and Giardia recheck was normal. No more swollen lymph nodes last visit, tongue is healed, no more coughing, rate of respiration seems much better. So, the plan is exactly as you all recommended: BLAND DIET, adding in Forti Flora, no more Theophylline, no raw diet, in fact no changes in her diet at all for weeks, maybe a couple of months. Since Hill's Prescription I/D diet worked well for the 5 or so days she was on it, we are going back to that. If that doesn't work, my vet is referring Charlotte to an Internal Veterinary Specialist. I wish I could be home to cook for my Charlotte but I work FT as a Special Ed teacher and hubby is retired and he has his own "projects" at home to do. Daisy will eat the raw diet I purchased. She likes it and it doesn't make her sick, although to me she looks thinner lately? Daisy always has been slender.

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## LizzysMom (Sep 27, 2016)

No advice to give, just sympathy for your plight, and hope for a rapid recovery now that you have a plan in place.


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## im.speechliss (Jul 4, 2017)

Charlotte put herself on a fast yesterday and did give her system a chance to rest for a day. I think the Forti Flora is helping because her poo looked normal late this afternoon. First time since I adopted her. She is on a BLAND DIET now for the foreseeable future with a packet of Forti Flora every day. You all offered such great advice. I have my fingers and toes crossed and I'll keep you updated if anything changes. It's so comforting to be connected to such caring individuals through PF. I was feeling at wit's end with worry. [emoji178] Lana & Charlotte

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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

I'm glad things are calming down! As I'm sure we've all experienced first-hand, guts are cyclical, so they have to calm down to calm down...

A friend recently found two nice alternatives to I/D that are probably higher quality and lower priced, both available from Chewy.com. One is made by Dave's and the other by Grandma Lucy.


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