# Sick every few days...for months



## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

You may want to look into testing for IBD sooner rather than later, although I don't have a dog affected by it I had two cats that had it.

https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/inflammatory-bowel-disease-ibd-dogs#1


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

No experience with symptoms of this kind, but I have great empathy for your dog and for you as you try to find answers. Hugs from Houston!


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

I thought ultrasound was one standard test for IBD, and I don't know why that would need to be tied to a spay. She shouldn't need to be sedated for that. 

If your vet isn't an internist, my next move might be a consult with one. They specialize in puzzles like this.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I'm so sorry you and your poor dog are going through this. Please keep us posted on her condition. Sending best wishes.


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

Two more thoughts...you might try a 3-5 day course of Panacur (fenbendazole). It is a gentle and effective wormer (safe enough that many breeders use it for several weeks in a pregnant bitch, to catch encysted worms as they are waking up and migrating to the uterine and mammary tissue). 

Have you discussed using metronidazole (Flagyl) with your vet when your girl has one of these episodes? I'm not as sanguine about using metro as I am about panacur, but it can be very effective at calming down the gut.


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

Hi Jcramp. I'm hardly an expert on doggie health, but have been reading a great deal in anticipation of my new puppy. You might want to explore for some of these things your dog may be getting into: 

~Does someone sew or have new clothes? Check fo small threads or string on the floor/rug
~Do you have a garage or driveway? Check for antifreeze and oil spills
~Got a lawn and use pesticides? Watch for eating grass
~Have a birdbath, where maybe mosquitos lay their eggs? Might be drinking old water
~Do you cook a lot? I read that onions make a dog sick, and some dogs will get into the kitchen trash for a tasy morsel when you're back is turned.
~Are there any small crumbling sofa or pillow stuffing she/he might be licking? ~My cat would climb under the sofa into a pocket and was doing this for months before I figured out where his tummy aches were coming from.
!Is there a smoker in the home? Ashes or matchsticks from ashtrays
~Do you have an older teen or young adult in the home who might think it's funny to share beer or alcohol with the dog? 
~Do you have a next door neighborhood who hates your dog OR that you don't quite trust for some inexplicable reason. People can be mean, keep an eye out if you let your dog alone in the backyard to see if he's 'feeding' him.

There's a long list of people foods that are toxic to dogs here:
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets

And has the vet checked for Campylobacteriosis bacterial infection?
https://www.wikihow.com/Treat-Campylobacteriosis-in-Dogs

I was intrigued that it said, "Use probiotics. Some evidence has shown that probiotics can help with diarrhea in dogs." Well heck, that's in yogurt! And I suppose it's sold in pill form for dogs, check w/ the vet on that. 

Good luck!


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## jcramp (Oct 10, 2017)

Thanks for all the responses!

Hi Verve,

Re: metronidazole - yes we've done this in two separate stages (one was for 1.5 months). She didn't really show signs of this helping. We've had better luck with Tylasin. 

Re: IBD - the only definitive test is a biopsy. The ultrasound may show sign but definitely not confirm it. There's also a blood test that can show a possibility of it, but again not definitive. 

Thanks for the suggestion of Panacur. I will check with the vet on this. My fear with using another dewormer at this point is that it may irritate her already fragile go system. Although it may be a small price to pay if this is the ultimate issue. The dolpac she took last month is apparently good for a year but I didn't see any progress after her taking it so maybe it isn't a parasite issue. Or maybe that dewormer wasn't effective.


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## jcramp (Oct 10, 2017)

Hi Vita - wow thanks for your detailed reply! I've commented in CAPS on your points below:

~Does someone sew or have new clothes? Check fo small threads or string on the floor/rug. I IMAGINE SOMETHING LIKE A THREAD WOUND AROUND INTESTINES WOULD HAVE BEEN VISIBLE ON ULTRASOUND - ASSUMING THIS IS THE ISSUE TO BE WORRIED ABOUT
~Do you have a garage or driveway? Check for antifreeze and oil spills NO GARAGE OR ACCESS TO ANTIFREEZE 
~Got a lawn and use pesticides? Watch for eating grass NO PESTICIDES USED HERE
~Have a birdbath, where maybe mosquitos lay their eggs? Might be drinking old water NO BIRD BATHES/OLD WATER AROUND THE YARD
~Do you cook a lot? I read that onions make a dog sick, and some dogs will get into the kitchen trash for a tasy morsel when you're back is turned. I'M PRETTY VIGILANT ABOUT KEEPING FOOD OFF THE FLOOR. ESPECIALLY SINCE WE STARTED MONITORING HER FOOD. POOR THING HAS'NT HAD A REAL TREAT IN MONTHS 
~Are there any small crumbling sofa or pillow stuffing she/he might be licking? ~My cat would climb under the sofa into a pocket and was doing this for months before I figured out where his tummy aches were coming from. DON'T BELIEVE SO
!Is there a smoker in the home? Ashes or matchsticks from ashtrays NO SMOKERS
~Do you have an older teen or young adult in the home who might think it's funny to share beer or alcohol with the dog? NOPE
~Do you have a next door neighborhood who hates your dog OR that you don't quite trust for some inexplicable reason. People can be mean, keep an eye out if you let your dog alone in the backyard to see if he's 'feeding' him. I DOUBT IT BUT BOY, YOU NEVER KNOW DO YOU?!

There's a long list of people foods that are toxic to dogs here:
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets

And has the vet checked for Campylobacteriosis bacterial infection?
https://www.wikihow.com/Treat-Campylobacteriosis-in-Dogs THANJS FOR THIS. SHE'S BEEN ON ANTIBIOTICS ON AND OFF THIS WHOLE TIME. WE HAVE HAD HER ON PROBIOTICS PRIOR TO THIS NEW DIET.

I was intrigued that it said, "Use probiotics. Some evidence has shown that probiotics can help with diarrhea in dogs." Well heck, that's in yogurt! And I suppose it's sold in pill form for dogs, check w/ the vet on that.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

My dog has been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis - blood and mucous in her stool and she would throw up bile, sometimes with blood in it . She would get sick in the witching hours around 4-4:30 am.

When I got her from the breeder, like many dogs, she had Coprophagia- which I quickly took care of with a "leave it" command and she no longer has any interest beyond a short sniff. Because of this we had several stool samples tested and she underwent Panacur three times early on to be certain parasites were not the cause.

In our case I have figured out she has food allergies or intolerances to peas/lentils, chia/flax seed and fish (salmon, cod etc.) I also suspect several additives to pet food such as glycerin. But another factor was the food she was fed at the breeders (Fromm with some raw chicken/bones) was too high in fat and protein and not enough fiber for her. She needs a more moderate level. I've been cooking her meals for a long time now and when she eats only her home cooked diet with cooked turkey/chicken or very low fat hamburger for training treats she does well, no need for medication. However every time I've tried some new or someone else gave her a forbidden treat, we've had to treat with metronidazole. For awhile I had her partly on home cooked food and partly hydrolyzed food kibble from the vet - and she did not tolerate the vet's prescription food - so we stick to home made - it's works for us. Have you tried a low fat, high fibre, moderate protein diet that is home cooked?


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

Jcramp, I hope you didn't find the variety of possibilities I listed in any way offensive; these were general things I thought of and had read about, and wasn't meant for others to feel compelled to answer here. 

For anyone, here's another possibility for gastro problems. I've been puppy-proofing my own place as much as possible, and read that some dogs love to feast in the cat litter box. I forgot to mention that. I read that the clumping litter in particular can cause serious digestive problems, so I'll have to switch the type of litter I use. 

Well, hope your poodle gets well.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

jcramp said:


> Thanks for all the responses!
> 
> Hi Verve,
> 
> ...


I am with Verve on trying the Panacur. I had a pup who came to me with giardia. It took a while and some false negative tests for the vets to figure this out. The vets treated her for 3 months with metronidazole with no results. They told me it was the only thing to use. I finally got fed up and changed vets. He rolled his eyes and sighed a lot when I told him what poor little Iris had been through so far. He did 5 days of Panacur and she was over it. 

Last year my cousin in Arkansas had a kitten she adopted who had lots of parsites. They were at their wits end trying to get rid of them and worried about their other cat getting them. They have one vet in town so few options there...he just kept using the same meds with no results. Kitty was getting too thin and dehydrated. I suggested she go to Tractor Supply and get Panacur, Safeguard, Goat wormer and gave her the doseage we found on line. With her vet approval she dosed her kitties, both, for 3 days and voila!, no more worms.

Many people who have several dogs or breeders with kennels full of dogs and puppies use Panacur as it is safe and effective, and the liquid is inexpensive when treating lots of dogs.

A friend who has 3 dogs shared the cost of a bottle with me and we both treat our dogs once a year with it. We have a lot of wildlife in our neighborhood who can spread parasites and I take Poppy to the dog park so she is exposed there too.

You can either go to Petsmart and get Safeguard granuals which come in packets. One box has 3 pkts and you use one pkt for each of 3 consecutive days. I mashed it into a little liverwurst for my picky kid. Your other option would be to get Safeguard liquid Goat wormer at someplace like Tractor Supply. Look up the dose on line and use a syringe, without a needle to give it to your kid.

Check with your vet for his approval.

I do know how very frustrating and worrying this can be. I wish you the very best. Cathy


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## marialydia (Nov 23, 2013)

The cyclical nature of this problem reminds me of malaria (which I've had several times) which keeps coming back every 48 hours or so as the blood parasites go through their life cycle.

This would support the parasite theory...there could be parasites at different times of their life cycle, and a medication would need to be given long enough to get all of them when they reach the vulnerable part of the cycle.

Or, maybe your vet or a specialist could think of something that has a long-ish life cycle?


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## jcramp (Oct 10, 2017)

Vita said:


> Jcramp, I hope you didn't find the variety of possibilities I listed in any way offensive; these were general things I thought of and had read about, and wasn't meant for others to feel compelled to answer here.
> 
> For anyone, here's another possibility for gastro problems. I've been puppy-proofing my own place as much as possible, and read that some dogs love to feast in the cat litter box. I forgot to mention that. I read that the clumping litter in particular can cause serious digestive problems, so I'll have to switch the type of litter I use.
> 
> Well, hope your poodle gets well.


 Oh no, I definitely didn't find your post offensive in any way! Sometime all caps come across that way I suppose! Thank you so much!!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

What you are describing as your dogs symptoms and how he is responding favorably to the hydrolyzed diet, sounds like food sensitivities and the best way to find out is to do a NutriScan testing. Do 'Google' Dr Jean Dodds on the subject. She is a leader in the subject of allergies and has developed the testing. Quite a few of our members have resolved similar problems after doing testing. Good Luck!

NutriScan Food Sensitivity and Intolerance Test for Cats and Dogs - Dr. Dodds


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