greyhead

I hope it's just Bartonella and not cancer too. We've gotten sam-e at Costco cheaper than other places, but it's still expensive. Sometimes they have sales on it. Hugs to you and scritches to Buddy!

When one of our dogs was getting us up four times a night to go out, it turned out to be an intestinal infection, a bacterial overgrowth. We wasted a lot of time on beet pulp, pumpkin, and sweet potato before finding that out. And if it is an infection, you don't want to use a med to slow down the elimination. How long has this been happening?

I'm inferring that the pathology evaluation was done by cytology, where they put a fecal smear on a slide and see if there are any bacteria there that shouldn't be there. The problem, as you may know, is that even bacteria that are supposed to be represented in the intestine, like Spencer's Clostridium, can overgrow beyond being a normal population. When they do, they secrete a toxin. That toxin causes problems. Strictly speaking, the orthodox approach is to send a sample to Texas A&M, where the animal GI lab tests for the toxin. It's expensive and unnecessary. A competent lab can count how many bacteria grow in a culture and see if that number is within normal limits or not. That's what we did and it worked fine, perhaps because Spencer's level was "way, way, way beyond what's expected," according to the lab. By the way, it costs somewhere between one and two hundred dollars, and you can just tell the vet that you want it done. You don't need permission, really, although obviously you need their cooperation. I had to endure some eye-rolling by my vet's staff, but by then my dog was so sick I didn't care. Turns out that one particular strain of Clostridium can result in gangrene and death, so I don't know why they treat this so casually. I will say that when the results came back, I was accorded the highest level of respect from the vet and her staff. Not that that is what's important, but it was interesting and not unwelcome. One-third of Spencer's diet is raw. But if you keep changing foods and this episode leads to IBD, as it did for Spencer because it took too many months to get the SIBO under control, your dog may develop an inflammatory response to so many proteins that it will become a challenge to find things to feed him. In our house it's no chicken, no beef, no bison, no buffalo, no rabbit, no salmon, and no pork. So please know that I do not mean to tell you what to do. I just want to help you understand the possible implications of the various choices. And let me add that neither Spencer nor I would have gotten through it without the support we got on Greytalk!

Thanks for the good update! We're keeping you in our prayers.

She really was beautiful, and a very well-loved girl. I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry! It's fortunate that you were able to do the necropsy and know what happened. Thanks for sharing the results with us.

Has there been an MRI done of his spine? Could he have a disk that's herniating? You have all my sympathies. A rehab vet recently said that you need to be careful with muscle relaxers because if there *is* any disk bulging, the relaxing of the muscles around it may allow it to go ahead and blow out. (I'll spare you the backstory there.) I don't know if pain killers might have the same effect as muscle relaxers along these lines, but it's conceivable, so I thought I'd mention it.

Excellent news!

I'm so sorry Rock couldn't stay longer.

Now that I reread your post, I see the reference to a "fecal pathology." That's probably what I know as C&S. I just hope they test for enough bugs to find the right one. Our lab only tests for three at a time, usually E. coli, salmonella, and another one I forget. I requested they include the Clostridium because I read an article by a vet on the net with a decription that really sounded like what we were experiencing. (Unfortunately, it isn't out there anymore, so I can't cite it for you.) But I hope the pathology finds the problem. I will just add that L-glutamine is helpful in healing and, therefore, firming. Apparently, it messes with the bacteria's cell membrane in a way that discourages their reproduction. It's just an aid and won't replace antibiotics, of course! But we found it worthwhile so I thought I'd mention it. It's encouraging that the Flagyl helped. It helped us too before the C&S, but it hadn't been given long enough or at a high enough dose. It turned out to be one of the three a/b's that the C&S showed would work, but the two other a/b's were needed also -- maybe because we had two strains of Clostridium to deal with? But then we wasted a lot more time on beet pulp and pumpkin than you have, so hopefully you pup will heal up sooner and more easily! Please keep us posted, as I take a personal interest in cases like yours and care very much what happens. ETA: Our dog wound up intolerant of a lot of carbs and could really only deal with sweet potato, no grains. So paying attention to that aspect of things may help a lot. A lot of dogs don't handle white rice, particularly.

Fantastic! We're thrilled for Robin and for you!

After our Spencer had this problem for months, and he tested positive for intestinal malabsorption, we finally prevailed upon the vet to do not just another fecal test, but a culture and sensitivity test on his poop. Turned out he had two strains of Clostridium perfringens, and it took all three recommended antibiotics to clear it. So I'd vote for doing a C&S. You definitely have our best wishes.

:grouphug

What a happy, handsome boy Hermes is! Welcome to GT!

Can you describe the distinction between envy and jealousy as you see it?

Melatonin can be irritating to a stomach if it is already irritated. Don't know about your situation, but you might watch for that.

I'm happy that things are looking better for you and Sparks. I hope you do share those other pictures you took too. He looks like such a sweetheart!

Jeez, hon, you've really been through some doggie drama. (We have too the last few days, so I'm viscerally sympathetic toward you and everyone else!) I'm very glad Robin has a greyt honcho doc and is back home with his mom, Tramadol and a comfy bed! He looks great in the picture.

It feels like you're doing the right thing! All fingers and paws crossed here that strong-hearted Larry improves and fast.

We'll be thinking of you and Larry and hoping you have a really good last day together.

Here's a link to a Texas A&M piece on canine PTSD. It doesn't have a lot of answers, but it's a little bit of an orientation at least. http://tamunews.tamu.edu/2010/10/07/ptsd-in-dogs/ Gentle virtual hugs to both of you.

And I don't know that they *will* add anti-anxiety meds. But if she's still doing this by Thursday, I'd let the vet know and at least hear before the weekend what they might recommend. Meanwhile, anything soothing you can think of can't hurt and might help.

This sounds like PTSD to me. Meds for doggie anxiety may be necessary and helpful to Deeni. You should let her vet know about this situation sooner rather than later. Being positive, by itself, may not be enough. Sending lots of good juju to you and Deenie

Sincere sympathy to you and the Krewe of Roo.

I'm sorry.