Hendrix going to vet again... diarrhea... I'm scared...
About once a month since December, Hendrix will have diarrhea in the house. It's so strange, it's like every 30 days he just goes in the house. It happened today and I'm a mess. We've called the vet 4 times... 1. First call she recommend I changed his food, very gradually. We moved to Venison and Rice from Nature's Recipe. 2. Second call she recommend that we have the stool examined and nothing came up. 3. Third call she said we should try a dewormer, the stool is a little better, but still it's soupy at times and then today diarrhea in the house. 4. Fourth call was today and she wants to run blood tests. We called today because we came home to diarrhea. Mind you, I just paid $110 to have the carpets cleaned in my house on SATURDAY! Our appointment is Thursday. I cried while cleaning my carpets, not because they were just professionaly cleaned but because I am fearing the very worst... cancer or something terminal. Even typing this I'm welling up with tears. My husband told me not to get carried away and definitly not to turn to the internet for scrary worst case scenarios. I can't help it, I just feel like if I search online for some advice, input, etc maybe I can lead the vet down a certain direction. Hendrix has food allergies. Since moving to Nature's Recipe the rashes and constant itching has ended. Perhaps this is still Hendrix showing some sort of allergy? Does anyone have any advice? Input? Know of anything similar? My mind is racing and I can't get my mind on anything. |
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Don't think the worst, it's a bad tummy. Hendrix and you will both get through this. Your rugs, on the other hand... 
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Try not to worry! Lots of sheepies have bad tummies. I hope the blood tests reveal something treatable. Hugs to Hendrix.  |
| Please don't panic and assume the worst!!!
Diarrhea can be caused by SO many things, many of them minor! I have had one sheepie with allergies how would get loose stools from the TINIEST little thing he picked up off of the ground, or floor 
Maybe your vet could move your appt. up a bit? More because I'm worried about your stress than about Hendrix's need to get in quick. |
| I am so sorry that you are going through this. How old is Hendrix? Dixie has the same thing, a firmish stool first, then gradually they become moosh. SOmetimes I have to throw dirt on them to cover them up, because I can't pick it up. She has had all sorts of bloody diarrhea, giardia, etc.
She has severe allergies, we can't isolate them yet, but we are trying. She is getting better with the stool consistency since she has gotten older. She is on Dick Van Patten food, which helps too. I hope your vet finds something to help. Happy thoughts, Dixie sends hugs. |
Sending hugs to both of you, I know how frustrating it can be, you think YAY a firm one then before you know it a watery sloppy one. 
Sometimes with intermitent diarrhea it scours inside so red raw that you only need something small to happen and it sets it off again. Please don't think the worse with Hendrix, I have been through a similar thing when Kelsey was a youngster, giardia set it off and diarrhea for 8 months on and off after that. I got worried as it did not matter what I tried every so often the explosion there everywhere, just when I thought things were going well. Working with the vet, eventually she had the colonoscope done on her and it just showed the severe scouring she had and was taking a lot of time for the inflammation and healing to happen. We eventually got back to normal, had various changes of diet and in the end a long course of cortisone and metragyl tablets to settle down all inside and heal it up. It had nothing to do with food, the giardia set off all the inflammation there in the bowel and gut and just took a long time with careful management to get it right. She eats anything now and no problems at all, I can't remember the last time she had a loosie. 
Stay postivie with Hendrix, it will get better, even though at the moment you probably think it is a never ending story, I thought that at the time, but we got there in the end and nothing bad or nasty. Again Hugs, I feel your pain and frustration at the moment. |
| I don't have any advice, I just wanted to give hugs to you and Hendrix....
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| Oh it sounds so familiar. Laika would have a firm (not even that great either) one in the morning and then they would just progressively get to the point of liquid. Now she has great poos all day. Been doing this for a month and had one relapse in the whole time.... I COOK FOR HER! No meds. Home cooking.
I went to an holistic vet and he said I was pretty much on track, perhaps feeding too much protien. You are not alone; seems like a common aliment. |
| You just described Bingley to a "T" from the time he was a baby until he was 7 months old. We switched to a raw food diet and it cleared everything up. I believe he had grain allergies as he is still eating chicken, beef, lamb, and veggies without a problem. Hopefully yours is nothing serious but I understand your deep concern. I was so discouraged every time I couldn't pick up after him or when he'd start his bout of diarrhea. If your vet, again, can't find anything wrong with the stool, call around and see if you can find a vet in your area to talk you through a Hendrix-specific diet plan. To me it pointed to grains. Hopefully it is somthing just as simple for you. |
| Thank you all for your wisdom and input, I appreciate it more then you know. It's nice to know I'm not alone! I've written this all down to discuss with my vet.
Hendrix had panacur last month and that resulted in his stool getting a little better, but still the second stool is mush and the monthly diahrria in the houe. Another thing the vet commented about last month was how boney Hendrix's hips are. She said it's a sign that he's putting stress on his back end when he passes a stool, anyone else heard that? Thank you all again! |
| Almost forgot, Hendrix is 2 years and 3 months old. |
| I'm so sorry that you are going through this with Hendrix. As you know, Oscar has IBD, which can certainly cause diarrhea. When Oscar was having his worst problems, my vet put him on Flagyl non-stop, as it helps to regulate the flora in his digestive system. He still takes a low dose of it every day, along with steroids twice a week to quell the inflammation in his small intestine. We see a holistic vet in Skokie as well, and she has put Oscar on a digestive supplement. Our goal is to get Oscar off the steroids, but we haven't been able to do that yet. Oscar is still a work in progress!
I'm glad that he has responded well to the new food as far as his skin goes. At least that is something. Please feel free to PM me if you need any further info. Belly rubs for Hendrix! Laurie and Oscar |
Quote: Unfortunatly Panacur was the dewormer that our vet had prescribed last month. The first part of his stool on the walk has gotten better, but second stool is mush. If the wormer helped some, is there any chance he's been reinfected? Maybe from eating something outdoors? They've got a nose for the dead and stinky! I was reading some of your previous posts... did this all start when Zappa first came into the home or were there bouts of diarrhea prior to his arrival? I guess I wonder if Zappa could have this "thing" and simply not show any signs. Probably a stupid question  but my pack passed the diarrhea-thing round-robin for months. We had to treat the entire pack at the same time with Panacur in order to be finished with it this wretched diarrhea once and for all. Quote: I'm also concerned because my vet says she has a concern with Hendrix's hips being so boney. She said it's a sign he's putting a lot of effort into passing stool, heard anything like that? I've never heard that before. Some of mine have what I would consider bony hips so I don't know what she's feeling/seeing on Hendrix. If he's got loose poops it seems from a layman's point of view that it would be just the opposite... like it would take much less effort to go. However, they do strain when they have diarrhea especially if nothing "happens" (sorry to be gross... remember I live with 6 dogs wink: ) But I have not yet heard that bony hips were a "sign" of straining. Just an idea- You indicate that Hendrix has done well on this new food. Quote: Since moving to Nature's Recipe the rashes and constant itching has ended. Perhaps this is still Hendrix showing some sort of allergy?
Does Hendrix get any dog biscuits/treats or human foods? If he does, maybe try a no-treats approach for 1 1/2 months since you say it recurs every 30 days. But everyone has GOT to be on the same page and not feed Hendrix any extras unless it's the dry kibble he's being fed. Note: Be sure he doesn't drink too much water after eating so the food can have some time to digest... I always worry about the bloat-factor. Just some things to consider and possibly discuss with your vet if you feel any of it may help. I've been where you are and I understand your frustration. Remember, I was cleaning 5 poopy bottoms at the time and had 22 feet I had to make sure were clean  ... that includes my two... (feet that is ). |
| Still think it might be irritable bowel disease, as I mentioned to you regarding the bloodwork in your previous posts. |
| If they can't find a medical explanation I would ask the vet to treat for coccidia and giardia anyway, it often does not show up in tests.
I would also very strongly recommend trying pro biotics. Really.... It can do wonders to balance the gut flora. http://www.usprobiotics.org/ Try not to worry too much..... it might be a simple fix that sets everything back to normal and you can breathe a big sigh of relief  |
| We got Zappa in January and Hendrix did have this problem prior to Zappa's arrival. Zappa did have giardia and they tested Hendrix too, but nothing in Hendrix showed up. To be on the safe side, the vet treated both of them with Flagyl. It fixed Zappa!
I hate to say it, but I do give Hendrix milkbone and other treats (never table scraps) . My vet was under the impression that one or two treats a day shouldn't hurt him because of his size. Starting today I will go cold turkey and remove the treats from his diet. I think it will hurt me more then him.
Hendrix isn't a big sniffer/outdoor eater of foreign stuff, however, I don't watch him all the time outside, who knows if he got something from the ground. Hendrix's stool tests have always shown up free of any problems. |
| Even if you cut out all commercially made treats you may still be able to feed homemade ones....to help ease your motherly guilt
I am sure others may know more about this, but if you feed treats such as cooked sweet potato slices they probably won't affect his potential allergies. |
Hendrix's Mom wrote: I hate to say it, but I do give Hendrix milkbone and other treats (never table scraps) . My vet was under the impression that one or two treats a day shouldn't hurt him because of his size. Starting today I will go cold turkey and remove the treats from his diet. I think it will hurt me more then him.
You don't have to stop using treats, but you may have to look into grain free treats or just use his kibble as treats. My dogs rarely get treats....I just use their kibble for treats. In the past Merlin has had problems with dog 'cookies' so its just better for me to use their kibble. |
| I make pumpking and blueberry cookies cookies. Pumpkin is good for digestion. |
| ice cubes are the world's best treats |
| Hi Hendrixs mom.
I'm having the same problem with Marley at the moment .He has been bad for 5 months now on and off.Everytime i take him out i'm praying for normal poops and if i hear his stomach start to rumble on a night i'm thinking the worst and yes i have cried whilst cleaning the carpet. Marley has been fed on kibble all his life(he is now 1 year 3 month) but at present he can't eat it if he does he has runny poops within 2 hours.When he got bad he could only eat home cooked chicken breast and rice and his poops were perfect then we put him back on the kibble his first poop was ok then the rest runny so he went back on the chicken and rice and we changed his kibble to a different brand .We tried him on it and within 2 days runny poops plus blood. He is now on nature diet which is chicken,tripe and fish and brown rice plus veg .It's not in a kibble it's in a packet and when you open it you can actually make out the veg,rice and meat.So far he has been on it for 3 weeks and poops are perfect.He has had 1 flare up when we tried him on a little doggy treat . For some unknown reason Marleys stomach can't diggest the kibble .He has had loads of tests done at the vets and all have come back negative. He has also got boney hips . Hope you find a reason for the runny poops soon but for the moment i would definitely take him off the treats and maybe try him on a bland homecooked diet of some sort. |
| What is "Nature Diet?" |
| http://www.naturediet.net/naturediet/index.html
It's British but you might have something the same in America. If you think it's his food causing the problem try to put him on chicken and boiled rice (cook the chicken without the skin) for a few days and see if his poops firm up a bit. |
Poor Hendrix  Poor Mom . I've been through the giardia with my four, panacur didn't work. What did work was a vaccine called giardiavax. It's been probably six years without any reoccurence. If the vaccine is done as it was before, they get one shot, then another two weeks later. Back then I think it was $16.00 per dog, way cheap compared to panacur.
As for grain free treats you could try dried liver or chicken. You can also use grain-free flour and make your own, I did that for Beau because he had cancer and I limited his carbs. Dried veggies are good, sweet potato, pumpkin, etc. Good luck, I know how scary it is when your sheepie is sick. Holly |
| What about liver sausage, is that an exceptable treat? I think I'll comb the web for some grain free treats or veggies that dogs can eat.
I'll cook the chicken for Hendrix tonight for Hendrix and brown rice. Should I serve it as is or put it through a food processor? |
| When Marley has a flare up i roast or steam a chicken ,without the skin,and cook some long grain white rice and keep the water.I then give him a meal consisting of chicken breast, rice(50 g dry weight) and water 3 times a day .It's up to you how much breast he gets but Marley had 1 1/2 breasts a day ,but i started him of on smaller quantities first . I don't feed him the legs or any fatty bits as the vet said they may be a bit harsh on his sensitive tum .
When he was really bad he lived on chicken and rice for a month.I was fed up of eating the chicken legs 
Hope it works  |
| Really boil the rice; my vet said it is different that us. I even zap it with the blender. You will notice when it isn't digesting
They say the blander and low fat the better when their tummy's are upset. The diet I am feed Laika is going so well. I hate to say it but her poos almost seem to hard HA! what a difference. Knock on wood!!! believe me this dog was chronic a month ago forever! |
| It's so hard to tell if it's a food issue, parasite issue or simply dog issue.
Quote: Hendrix had panacur last month and that resulted in his stool getting a little better, but still the second stool is mush and the monthly diahrria in the houe.
I just received an email from Linda... she provided a link to an article on rescues and Giardia. It talks about giving the first 3 doses of Panacur over the first 3 days... waiting 12 days... then dividing the second round of Panacur into 10 smaller doses instead of the 3 full doses (like we both did). Might be of interest... http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/g ... -loss..htm http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/f ... repair.htm I guess I wonder if you would you have seen some improvement with Panacur if Hendrix didn't have "something"? You might ask your vet. |
| Stella has the same problem. I am thinking it's all the food changes that we have been going through, due to the food recalls, but I also think that happens when they have to hold it too long.
Hendrix may need to go out more than he is now. Especially if he has accidents occasionally. Try taking him out more often and see if that helps. |
cinemarco wrote: Stella has the same problem. I am thinking it's all the food changes that we have been going through, due to the food recalls, but I also think that happens when they have to hold it too long.
Hendrix may need to go out more than he is now. Especially if he has accidents occasionally. Try taking him out more often and see if that helps. That's a good point.... if the first stool is firm, and the second is not, I was also thinking maybe he is eating too much? |
| Dixie was put on grain - free kibble and her symtoms didn't go away completely. Then I started to supply my neighbor with veggie cookies to give her (instaed of the milk bones they had ) and she cleared up. Even just one bad treat can do it.
We got veggie cookies from Petcetera and they are wheat-free. You can also sue veggies or cut up pieces of fruit as treats.. Bosley often has a soft runny stool right after a firm one....Usually at the dog park when he is excited....I am not too concerned about it. I just attibute it to an anxiety response. |
| Alright, so the blood tests and urine were collected last night at the vet. She said I should have results late this afternoon. She said if all looks well, they'll take another group of tests that will be sent to a lab in Texas. With the Texas tests, Hendrix will need to fast for 12 hours and then samples are drawn. The Texas tests will be able to go as precise as Hendrix needing B12 in his diet or check an other deficiencies.
I just started mixing Hendrix's food with the Dick VanPatten's Nature's Choice Rabbit and Potato. She said I should feed him strictly that for 6 weeks. If I don't see results I can move to cooking for him, seeing as so many of you on the website have had good results. She does suggest that if I feed him I give him a multi-vitamin since he may not acquire the necessary vitamins and minerals that come in kibble. I'll let you know the news I get this afternoon! |
| HUGS for Hendric (& you too)! |
| Am I thinking of someone else, but did Hendrix already go through a giant barrage of tests like this last year? For the same reason? I really hope you guys get some answers or at least find a combination of things that work for him.
I don't cook for her, but Lucy has had a lifetime of loose stool on and off. She always needs things with a little more fiber in them if possible. I also saw about a 90% improvement when I switched her to Merrick canned food. Some of the varieties have whole chicken parts and raw bones which seems to agree really well with her. It's also about as close to cooking raw as I can get without cooking. Maybe Hendrix would like it too. Just thought I'd share! |
| Nope, Hendrix didn't have any of these tests last year. A lot of last year was spend fixing his skin allergies. I'm happy to say that his skin problems and the itching are a thing of the past. It seems as soon we got that fixed, this all started! I'm not sure which is worse... |
| This is the first I've returned to the computer since Friday.
All blood tests were fine with the vet, nothing abnormal. The vet said her biggest concern was Hendrix's protein levels and their fine. She said on paper he is as healthy as can be, no signs at all of cancer. THANK GOD! She wants me to stick to the Nature's Choice Rabbit and Potato for 2 weeks and see how he does. If there is no improvement we will do the next round of lab tests which are overnighted to Texas for examination. She said the Texas test will examine more of his Pancreas, the other part of the body she thinks may be causing the problem. After running the tests to Texas I will change a diet that the vet wants me to cook for him. If the Texas tests still show no sign, then Hendrix will have a colonoscopy to examine all other colon problems. Interestingly, when they ran the urine and blood tests on Thursday they discovered that Hendrix has a urinary tract infection... how odd is that?! She said he was close to peeing blood as his PH level was at 10. We saw no signs for that one. My poor little Hendrix, when it rains it certainly does pour! |
| Poor Hendrix... |
| Awww! Poor Hendrix! You are amazing to see him through all these tests, special diets, etc. Hope he feels better soon. |
| Poor Hendrix...at least the tests didn't come up with anything bad. |
| Just wondering if you've had a blood panel done by Dr. Dobbs in Calif?
HEMOPET CONTACT Dr. Jean Dodds: Home Office: (Mon/Tues/Fri) Phone 310/ 828-4804 --Pacific Time Fax: 310/ 828-8251 938 Stanford St. Santa Monica, CA 90403 USA Hemopet Office: (Wed/Thurs) Phone: 714-891-2022 -- PST Fax: 714-891-2123 11330 Markon Dr Garden Grove, CA 92841 USA EMAIL: Hemopet@hotmail.com She has done a lot of work with OES, granted with thyroid, but maybe she can see something in the blood work........ |
| Aw, that poor kid . Feel better soon. |
| Just throwing this out there because my first OES had bouts with colitis on a semi-regular basis. It would usually hit around first very warm weather and responded usually to a change in diet (chicken and rice--home cooked) and if that didn't take care of it in a day or so, sulfa-based antibiotics took care of it. Characteristic was very mucousy bowel movements if they weren't just liquid. |
| I hope Hendrix is feeling better soon. All those tests should start showing something soon. At least no bad news, so that at least is good! |
| Poor Hendrix. |
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