Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
Our female German Shepherd dog is 5 years old and has had chronic liquid diarrhea for 5 months. Other symptoms are weight loss, sporadic inappetence and vomiting. Her energy is normal and bright. History of Pika, but no obvious ingestion of foreign objects during this interval. Three fecal studies mostly negative, two blood panels not conclusive (some levels low-normal). Two courses of Metronidazole (no effect), Three courses Amoxi/Clav (effective until finished), Panacur, probiotics, Cobalequin, special diets. Now on Hills GI Biome diet. Negative for EPI. Low B12. Vet has advised that this is antibiotic responsive diarrhea.
Went to an internal medicine specialist today upon referral. Ultrasound shows a tumour and intestinal thickening, lymph node activity. We are being steered toward open surgery to resect the intestine for possible, but unknown, malignancy and removal. Vet cannot explain why the diarrhea is antibiotic responsive, if malignant tumour. We are doing yet another expanded fecal study and Pancreatitis test to determine if coincident. We are already $3,800 into diagnostics with no real answers or help as to the root cause. Dog improves significantly with normal stools while on the Amoxi/Clav, but regresses immediately to liquid diarrhea when treatment stops.
Surgery recommended that may or may not be curative ($6,500). Of course, we hate to put our dog through this if futile, but understand that cancer cannot be diagnosed through imaging. Can anyone offer insights to either affirm our path or offer alternative ideas? Why the improved response to the antibiotics if a tumour is the cause? Thank you kindly.
So my cat was diagnosed with upper respiratory about 4 months ago. Well he has been sneezing ,sounds nasally and , boogers just in the nasal area and the culture came back with pseudomonas well he is still lethargic and now won’t eat or drink now. He has been on orbax, nose drops, intrafungal medicine. Also he has a constant fever of 104°F. I am taking him to the vet tomorrow but wonder if it could be polyps? Pancreatitis?
Hello,
I think that if your cat isn’t responding as expected that it’s time to go back to the vet. I also think that you should talk about al of the other possible causes to his current clinical signs. A polyp is on the list of possible causes.
Good luck.
What other possibilities could you think why he is not eating and drinking?
Rottweiler, female, 11 years old.
Vertically split nail; under vet care but I think we need to get more decisive.
The vet trimmed the nail half way with local (dog has bad reaction to sedation protocol, narcotics, etc). Still hurt and vet said it would cause undue pain. However, the nail continues on splitting.
How common of a procedure is cutting the nail off all the way to nail bed? How does that improve outcome? How much faster is the recovery?
By what percentage is anesthesia risk lower with such a short procedure? (Has to be anesthesia as explained above). Last time, after anesthetic procedure, she had heart rhythm problems and other problems; became critical and almost died. But was also full of drugs and had pancreatitis as complication of splenectomy. I’d assume the shorter the time under, the lower risk of complications?
I’m concerned about putting her under but I’m also concerned about dragging this out for weeks, taking valuable time from her, and having to do it that way anyway eventually.
I really don’t know what is the best thing to do for her. Hubby leaning toward waiting if it heals but I’m not seeing it healing any time soon if at all. (Photo of the present state of the nail attached.
I’m sad, depressed, concerned, and don’t know what I should decide for her.
Hello,
First I will admit that I have had cases like this and they are frustrating. So I remind my clients this.
Next we take it in small steps. I do start with trimming the nail as much as able and start toe/foot soaks to keep the area clean and place an ecollar to stop the patient from licking and further traumatizing the nail and seeding infection from the mouth . I ask them to give it a week or two to heal.
If it doesn’t or other nails start cracking we talk about oncodystrophy. And start talking about what to do if that is the case. The treatment options are not great so the decision to treat needs to be made with a great deal of thought or referral to dermatologist is recommended.
In one case I had a dog who was placed under general anesthesia and the nail was ground to the base to allow a new nail to grow back.
Risk of anesthesia is something discussed on a case by case basis and usually has little definitive concrete information to allow predictive measures or reasoning. That would be a conversation for an anesthesiologist.
Also I have had some cases with underlying nail bed infections so antibiotic’s, foot wrap and medication or culture and sensitivity testing might be helpful.
It’s already been three weeks now. It appears the nail was vertically cracked from the beginning with the first part in the middle (which is now the end)
How well did the grinding to the nail bed work and what was the recovery?
The other nails appear to be fine.
Grinding the nail was a last resort for a difficult chronic case. It worked but it was a last resort treatment.
Actually, it looked quite bad and hurt every time she brushed it on something. We had the nail entirely removed last Friday. Anesthesia was a risk, but I didn’t want her to spend whatever time she has left trying to get that damn nail healed–she already lost months with the first one.
The upside–48 hours of bandage, some pain meds, and all done. It looks good now and doesn’t bother her at all. She can now get on with her life and have fun.
I hated taking the risk but I”m glad I did.
I am agonizing over the hardest decision we have as pet parents…euthanasia. Our 12 1/2 year standard schnauzer has been having various behaviors and symptoms the past 6 -8 weeks. Excessive panting, fatigue, decreased appetite. We brought him in and he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He finished all his meds and we brought him back in for follow up X-ray and labs. He really wasn’t much better. X-ray confirmed pneumonia had cleared but lab work, which had been normal 2 weeks prior, now showed probable pancreatitis. He has declined rapidly the past 3 days. We are trying to get him to take meds, Pepcid, Cerenia, Carafate but we literally have to force them down his throat. He will not eat and I have tried everything , rice, scrambled eggs, bread, even doughnuts He is isolating, going upstairs instead of being with us. He still has labored breathing, his legs give out, he is restless. He has a strange odor. I have had dogs my whole life and all this points to end of life. I know this in my heart. When do you know when is the right time? I really was hoping he would pass naturally. Thank you for listening
First off: I’m so very sorry. I know how much this hurts. I know how much it sucks. My biggest regret was not letting my cat go earlier. I couldn’t be with him when he crashed, and it absolutely destroyed me.
It’s always, ALWAYS better to let them go too early than to make them suffer for our need to keep them with us. We owe them that for all the love they’ve given us.
Self isolation is a big sign. So is the refusal to eat, the general restlessness. It sounds like he’s miserable. I would give him the best day you can, and let him go gently.
I’m so sorry to hear this , I myself was and still am angry about putting down my kitty who was very young due to a UTI going south and after much attempts to solve the issue , I am angry for this being the 2nd time , and I’m angry that no one seems to prevent this food from being sold that slowly kills male cats and that no matter what efforts I took to upgrade the food, give him supplements, take him to the vet or whatever , nothing helped ! It only managed to give him another 8-9 months to live .::: but … for me that’s not good enough…. Why can’t we stop this from happening before it happens to male cats !? I don’t get this fail system government and greedy people that only look to get paid rather then save a life. So, with that being said, I am so sorry you lost your pal woof woof ???? I know how u feel , and that it’s better to let them go in peace then suffer this dreadful painful bs life .
My dog got spayed on August 1st, she is a 13 year old poodle mix. She also had a mastectomy along with her spay so she has a very big incision. She is on her 4th week and the lower half of her incision does not look like the top half. The surgeon said it may take a while to heal because of the placement but I noticed a bump at the base of her incision at day 4 that has not gone away. She keeps licking at it and the surgeon suggested we must let her heal and later investigate. Also, at day 10 I noticed a white tiny pimple sized thing trying to come through under her skin. I really checked it out today since it has not gone away and it feels like something sharp poking under her skin, she has two of these that feel the same. I am scared she might have torn her internal stitches but the surgeon did not seem too worried. I notice when she eats she seems to look like she feels uncomfortable. She threw up yesterday but I took it as maybe her pancreatitis acting up. I am freaking out and don’t know if I am making a big fuss over nothing. She did not run during her recovery but she would stand up on her hind legs no matter how much I attempted to keep her calm. She did slip 3 times and land on her tummy, twice at day 8 because I had her on a short leash and she would try to run, the third slip was at day 13 and for the same reason of the short leash and attempting to run. I feel so sad and don’t have peace of mind. I feel guilty she slipped on me those three times but then again don’t know what to make of that lump at day 4. After the two slips at day 8 and after on day 10 she started having severe diarrhea. I contacted the surgeons team and they suggested boiled chicken and boiled rice, but at day 12 the diarrhea was a soft serve ice cream consistency and then she thew up so I took her into emergency immediately. At emergency they checked her vitals and incision and could not figure out what may have caused the stomach upset since from her pancreatitis history did not have the swollen tummy and her incision looked fine. They attributed the upset to possible pain med side effect and prescribed a probiotic and to stop the gabapentin. It’s has been a tough healing process for her. I will attach pictures of of what the incision looked like at day 7, 10, and now. I hope it’s not what I am fearing but it’s better to know if I should advocate for her and have them check again. Thanks guys, sorry for the long story but this is my little girl who is my first owned dog and who has been by my side for 13 years. I love her so much and it pains me to see her uncomfortable. Fyi her appetite is always good no matter what and her bowels are back to normal since the 18th of august and they were fine before the 10th of august as well.
Hiya, my dog has pancreatitis and I have tried different food, medications and probiotics. Nothing seems to work for long and hasn’t went for longer the 3 weeks without a bad spell. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to help him as he is only just 3 and I am fed up of him not being able to be a young dog.
Have you tried low fat prescription food for this? I know Hill’s, RC, and Pro Plan all have a gastroenteric diet option.
Morning-
I’m sure you have already discussed this with your vet, but maybe keeping a diary would help narrow things down and help you and your vet come up with a plan that lasts a little longer? Best of luck????
He is kept consistent with food and only gets vegan treats as they don’t upset him. But with everything else he’s kept the exact same.
I know you tried diets, but I wanted to add one maybe you hadn’t tried. Royal Canin makes amazing foods for sensitive stomachs. Have you had a full work up at the vet to rule out everything? I’ve seen nervous dogs who have constant pancreatitis. There was a medicine for nervous dogs that didn’t sedate them, cant remember the name of it right off but I could figure it out.
Well he is currently on royal canin. But it doesn’t work, he’s still consistently having bad spells. We have had Lots of tests done but hes not nervous or anything. He is a very confident dog.
I have a 12 year old cat who vomits almost every day since I adopted her 5 months ago. She has been to the vet several times and a sonogram revealed she has chronic pancreatitis. They didn’t see any other issues. She was eating canned Fancy Feast with water, but now I have her on NomNomNow because I thought fresh food would help her. But she is still vomiting. It’s usually food at first but then she moves spots and vomits bile or saliva/foam. Once or twice the saliva looked bloody (took her to the vet right after). The vet had her on vitamin E, pepcid, and a round of antibiotics. Nothing helped. She has never been very playful but she is behaving relatively normally, eats, grooms, poops, etc. I don’t know what else to do! Thanks for any advice!
Hi-
I’m so sorry you’re having such a time trying to help this cat. Has your vet ruled out everything else as far as a diagnosis? Perhaps there is something else that is worsening her initial issue? Have you tried feeding more meals throughout the day, but smaller portions? (A little at a time)
Hello,
I would suggest you talk about a few things with your vet like a sensitive stomach diet like i/d or even try a stomach protectant like sulcralfate or even maripotent or metoclopramide. I often try medications with a diet change. Ideally a wet food diet fed in small amounts with increased frequency. Or ask about an ultrasound or even upper gi endoscopy. My point is that there are lots of options to discuss and try. I would first start with a fecal exam for intestinal parasites. Hope this helps. Let us know what happens.
My 9 year old Cocker Spaniel has had quite a few issues. Pancreas probems to name one. This past few days she has not been herself at all. Limping slightly and having great difficulty in getting up on to the chair, also difficulty in moving along the settee or the bed, more or less shuffling along and wimpering looking at me as if to say “mum I`m hurting” any ideas please.
Hi sorry to hear about your Cocker Spaniel…I too have the same breed. Cockers are prone to spinal problems, IVDD (premature ageing of the spine). It sounds like your dog could have a problem with one of his discs. He needs to see a Vet urgently. If this condition is left he could be paralysed, so please don’t leave him, Vet now. Don’t let him attempt to jump on sofas, go up stairs ect…keep him on the same level. Hope all goes well, please let us know.
Hi Julie, Took Holly to vet last night and he thinks it is arthritis and is doing tests. She had been on steroids for some time and was weaned off them lately so probably they were keeping the pain at bay. had a jag last night and I have tablets to try so here`s hoping. She seems a bit brighter this morning and had a good nights sleep. Thank you for taking the time to respond.
I need a 2nd opinion for my cat. He’s an 8y/o orange boy who is under vet care for vomiting and loosing wt. He eats, digest then later vomits bile. vet though he had pancreatitis last time gave antiemetic. blood came back elevated WBC
his bloodworm came back elevated 2300 wbc, and increase folic i believe. Liver enzymes and pancreatic levels normal, as well as kidneys. she sent him home with flagyl and amoxicillin, let me tell you thats not a joy to give him. He is miserable with the meds. and looks a little withdrawn. She wanted to do an exploratory lap prior to returning the blood-work. But decided to give meds to see how he does. we haven’t done a catscan yet. I just don’t want to get raked over the coals with vet bills.. But i want to help my poor little man. What would be the best course of action with the info i gave so far. Please let me know. Lexis8135@gmail.com
She was sick about three weeks ago with a fever and slightly elevated numbers in her pancreas. After several days on antibiotics she started eating again. Then she sprained her toe 11 days ago while running in the park, and is now walking without a limp. Now this purple lump on her stomach just popped up out of nowhere. It doesn’t look like a bite. It’s in between nipples, so it doesn’t have to do with that. She was fixed at three months old, so it shouldn’t have anything to do with mammary glands. Does this look familiar to anyone? I’ve shelled out about $350 in vet bills over the past three weeks and I’d like to avoid another trip if this is something that could just go away on it’s own.
Thank you for so much for your help.
UPDATE: It’s only been a few hours since my post, but the thing ruptured. It’s gone from the dark purple to a clear ring with slight red around it. I’m guessing it was just a large pimple or blister of some kind. I’ve cleaned and disinfected it. I’ll keep an eye on it, but I’m guessing she’s going to be just fine.
Keep it clean probably and infected pimple like bump. I use peroxide on my dogs.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your dog. What a crazy journey and diagnosis.
I want to say that medically it sounds like you did everything right. I do not want to interfere with the work up or advice that you have gotten. I do feel that if you are at a specialists office you are at the right place.
The only things that you might be able to inquire about would be fecal transfer or tylan powder. In some cases especially with GSD I also try a hydrolyzed diet. But based on your work up biopsy or exploratory surgery is on the list.
There is no easy or right answer. Try to find a vet you trust and very best of luck. It sounds like you absolutely did absolutely everything you could do.
Dr Magnifico
We now have confirmation from the surgical biopsy of GI Lymphoma, possibly quite diffuse. Our dog’s quality of life is poor with nearly incontinent watery diarrhea, vomiting, inappetence and weight loss. We have decided to forego steroids and chemotherapy for humane euthanasia. We are devastated to say the least. We wish that we could understand why this happened to our beautiful young dog.