RobinM

yes, his B12 was within range early January. We did a subq of B12 just in case it wasn't normal when the results were pending and it made no difference in appeitite

20mg bid as of last Friday. I know it's early and I know my vet thinks I am rushing things, but the truth is I want to make sure we are on the right course while it's early on rather than wait 3 months and start. I truly believe what my vet has said and to back her up, the vet who does acupunture for Teddy and Beau (Beau skipped last night) told DH verbatim what my vet is saying. This is a very, very, very slow process. The fact that his poop was formed already is greyt according them both. Means the pred is starting to do it's job. I just looked over at him and the look of love in his eyes for me.. seriously makes me melt...

He is very, very underweight. He is getting a decent amount of protein, calories and omega 3s BUT he is not absorbing which is par for the course. On the yahoo IBD boards there is a greyhound who should weigh 71. He weighs 56 and gets 8 cups a food a day. Can you imagine? IBD is a nasty nasty disease. One that I wish to G-D, my poor Beau Bead did not have. NO ONE should have to have it.

No, he will not eat any carbs. i made barly with fish broth instead of water. He won't touch it. He won't touch sweet potato and on Monday he ate 3/4 cups of kibble. That's it. He refuses it. My vet is not concerned, but I can't not do anything and wait it out as she suggests. She and everyone else says that it could take 3months before he starts gaining weight. I just don't understand why we are going backwards. Meaning, we are 7 days post op. I understand that the IBD is SEVERE and according to a lot of people, he is doing well, but I know my boy. This is not right. He's only 4.

We are 7 days post surgery and Beau is thinner than ever before. I've attached a picture which doens't look so bad. Trust me on this, he looks totally emaciated. He's tiny and so narrow. Polli is so much heavier than her, it's so depressing. The only thing he is eating consistantly is tilapia. On a good day he will put away close to 3.5 FULL fish which does have decent calories, but he is apparently not absorbing. I have decided to take him into see a board certified internal medicine vet who specializes in gastro issues. Here are her credentials. http://www.vetspecialist.com/index.php?sub...edicine+Doctors My regular vet's credentials are not too shabby (UPenn) but I feel I need to exhust every possibility to make sure we are doing everything we can. We prob are and I fully expect this vet to say we are, but in the event, there is a nutrient, probiotic, something to help him, well then we have nothing to lose. We have an appointment Friday morning. I felt like I was cheating on my vet when I asked them to fax over all his records! It's not personal at all. I don't know what I would have done without my vet. ETA- As much as I appreciate everyone offering food advice, please keep in mind that the only foods /additives/etc that Beau can have is 1) Wellness whitefish & sweet potato kibble and wet (which he has pretty much refused) fresh Tilapia (which I poach for him) and real sweet potato which he won't touch. That is the only thing he is allowed to have. I can not sprinkle food with anything or offer supplements like ensure. That's the beast of IBD. One food and one food only.

Best wishes for sweet Monty.

Thanks. I haven't been on much, because I was so overwhelmed. Beau is a skelteon. He weighed 60 prior to his surgery and I know he's lost several pounds since then. That is the hardest part watching them fade away. The good news is that: 1) yesterday he ate in 4 small meals a total of 3/4 cup of kibble for the 1st time and 1/2 talapia fish 2) today for breakfast he had a full talapia fish. At 3pm he had 1/4 cup of kibble with 1/2 talapia fish. I still hope to get some more food into him. More good news is that Beau, for the first time in MONTHS, had fully formed poops!!! That's the pred working reducing the inflammation. And I think we have a food that he is tolerating. I gave a small party in the middle of the street at 7:30 this morning when I saw that!!!!! From what I understand, it is going to take a very, very long time to get him to gain weight and this is long road of a struggle, but I will never,ever give up on my Beau Beau. Thanks for asking and thinking about us. All we need at this point is lots of prayers. ETA- state of mind is now cautiously optimistic.

OMG, much too young. I am so sorry. She is beautiful. Run free beautiful girl.

Sending prayers for your boy.

Polli has had 3 in 14 months, Beau, once every 18 months or so and Chloe and Teddy have been 2++ years. It all depends on the dog and it's genes. Make sure you brush everynight. For a treat, give real raw bones or CET chew..

Good news and I love good news!!!! Acupunture has been wonderful for Beau & Teddy.

When do I panic? How much of a skeleton should he be before something ( and I don't know what) gets done? Can anything get done? becasue he is taking a few bits of fish, my vet seems to think that's OK. What am I missing here?

Yes, he likes it... I made him some barley with fish broth. I bought a slow cooker and make the broth from the talpia. I then gave him some barley and talapia which he ate a little bit of in 2 small meals. Hopefully, every day, a little bit more. Baby steps.

Riding along with you and thinking about you and Monty. You know you are always in my thoughts and prayers.

Oh do you have that right. Lately, Beau will just come up and stare at me. I run and get food and he runs away. Wishful thinking on my part.

I am so sorry for both you and especially Monty. It's just neverending. Continued prayers for you both.

Please, please. please don't tell me he can lose his appetite from this. I will go and shoot myself today, for sure. His dosage is 20mg BID. Yes, he is getting prilosec as soon as we open our eyes in the morning.

Morning update- none. He ate equililent to almost a whole talapia fish last night over the course of the evening. No canned. No kibble. I tried making him cookies made from the kibble and canned. Not interested. I gave the gavones AKA Teddy and Chloe a small taste of 1) kibble 2) wet and 3) cookie and they gobbbled it up. So, it's not a horrible tasting kibbble and wet food. He won't take anything this morning. It's the skelton look that gets me when he won't eat. He is on day 2 of pred. G-D willing, it will kick in and he will start to feel better.

the food he is on is his sacrificial food. We've learned that it's common for the food they transition on to wind up being a food that although they start out tolerating, they begin to have an intolerance. The big trick is to change the food before they have a set back. Timing as they say, is everything. We are just getting started so I would imagine we will be on this food for a while.

Good point about the kibble. We offered him the wet of the same and he turned his nose up at it. He did eat a little bit more of the fish a few minutes ago. High in protein, low in calories, but it's a start. We will try again later. We have to stay up to at least 11:30 to get his 2nd pred in him. We gave his 1st one at 1:30 so I need to space them. Tomorrow we will go a little earlier, earlier still on Sunday and Monday when we leave for work, he should be on a good schedule. I can not believe that of my hounds, Beau, the most senstive one, the pickiest eater, the one who has been through the most trauma, has been diagnosed with this horrible, very difficult to manage disease. I know, it could be worse. a lot worse. When I poached it, I wrapped it in foil and put it on a cookie sheet in the oven. How do you cook it on top? Also, because I don't use the stove a lot, I completely forgot to turn on the fan. Duh. I think the smell is coming from the slow cooker. DH made him a fish broth, gravy for his kibble. Went out and bought 8 pounds of talapia. All for Beau Beau!

Why don't you PM Heather. I don't know if she plans on posting that. The best way would be to ask her. Sorry to hear about your whippet.

Exactly, right down to the "we love you Darcy"!

Definitely sending many prayers for you and your boy. Keep the faith.

I sent you an email this afternoon. OK, well he does like poached talapia but only had maybe 1/2 cup and did not eat the kibble. The one thing that got him up was when it was time to take the others for a after dinner walkie. So, DH took Beau on a short walk around the block and his tail was wagging. When he got back, he expected his small piece of dried chicken tender ( when any of them go out, they get a small piece of cookie when the come back in) and just stood there staring at me. I gave him a piece of fish. He ate it. I will try again later. Hopefully, the pred will kick in tomorrow and he will want to eat his kibble. My whole house, fingers - everything smell like fish.

So very beautiful and so very sorry for your loss.