PrairieProf

Plain yogurt is Beth's favorite food group -- not sure how I'd get her off the bed for 'last call' without it! She's very conditioned to the clank of the spoon on her bowl. We share the same expensive organic local low carb yogurt (Kalona SuperNaturals, awesome if you can find it) -- she definitely doesn't like cheap store nonfat stuff as well, and I won't eat that either, so.... I don't really measure, she gets maybe a few tablespoons a day.

I'm so sorry things haven't been going better! Poor Goldie. She, and you, are in my thoughts.

Glad she is getting better, hoping for continued improvement by tomorrow!

I am so very sorry for the loss of your precious girl. I am happy you and she had such a long time together.

Finally got the results of Beth's stool culture this morning (after my vet was out yesterday afternoon and the other vet wouldn't give them to me, and I spent the night freaked out with anxiety!). He said it showed E. coli, enterococcus, and enterobacter, but that these are normal to find in dog stool and don't indicate a problem -- so he suspects her GI issues were probably viral, and said he's been seeing a lot of that in the past few weeks. (Would have been nice if he'd mentioned that last week when he was trying to scare me straight off of feeding her raw sometimes! ) Anyway, Beth seems to be recovering very well now -- nothing is coming out of her that shouldn't be coming out and she's eating enthusiastically and behaving normally. Today I'm starting to add some of her regular food back in with the I/D, and hopefully that will be a smooth transition.

Let's not get all worst-case-scenario here. This is her first dog, and he's walking in the season's first snow. I too freaked out when Beth (also my first dog) started limping in the snow (actually on some pavement salt) and holding up a foot the first winter I had her, but it's really only cold or ouchy feet! She's started doing it again since we got snow and very cold temps the last few days. Lauren, if this is what it seems to be you might want to look into Pawz disposable dog booties -- pretty easy to use and they help.

They will limp and hold a paw up if it gets cold from the snow, or gets some salt in it. If you brush off/rub the paw for a few seconds and then they're fine, that's all it was. (By the way, Lauren, did you see my post on your Bernie's Thanksgiving thread? Bernie and Beth are half-siblings from the same mom!! -- this is rare to find. They look spookily similar in the face too. I've watched Bernie win a race and posted a track picture of him from Dubuque on that thread and would really love to talk with you "off list.")

Oh how terrifying. Sending good thoughts.

Things continue fine . . . another decent poop this afternoon (not quite as firm as the morning, but it never is). I took Beth on a short trail walk as we hadn't been away from the immediate neighborhood (except to the vet) since last Wednesday and I don't want her to get bored though I think she should wait a few more days to run. She's not happy with the cold and the coating of snow we have . . . guess it's time to break out the Pawz boots!

Welcome from Iowa! You and Cecil will be popular here -- as you may have already discovered, GT lubs the roman noses!

We have solid poop this morning! So I think we're over the problem. I'm impressed how well the I/D has gone through her. I'm going to increase the amount of it I'm feeding her sooner than the vet suggested as she's clearly hungry -- I'll still stick with four smaller feedings today, though, and maybe three tomorrow. And she'll be on the metronidazole for another week.

Things seem to be looking up . . . she certainly eats the I/D enthusiastically, and she isn't showing any signs of stomach upset. No poop at all yet, but that's totally unsurprising after two days of fasting. If what comes out tomorrow isn't too awful I'll ease up on the worrying. She seems to be feeling better -- clearly very hungry and wanted to eat a lot more than I was allowed to give her per the vet's instructions (but I'm going to boost the amount tomorrow). And on our late afternoon walk she did her familiar behavior of jumping around and begging for treats. So again, I think the D was just pooping out excess liquid from the fluids, not having continuing "real" D. Geez.

TOTW has been absolutely excellent for many, many people on this board and elsewhere.

Sending good thoughts for Goldie. How hard to be going through this. My middle name is Golda . . . after my great-grandmother Goldie.

My regular vet isn't on today, but I spoke to the other, new vet in the practice, who fortunately was up to speed on Beth. She (as well as an experienced tech) told me that the liquid poop was almost certainly from the fluids Beth got two days in a row . . . that the kidneys can only absorb so much and the rest comes out through the colon. Very reassuring -- but WHY didn't someone tell me this a day ago?? Would have saved me tremendous worry and Beth could probably have been started on food a day earlier! We just prolonged a fasting-fluids-liquid poop cycle for 24 hours extra. This vet supported the idea of I/D for awhile and I've just come home with ten cans. She said 1/4 can four times a day for today, then build up. Beth just scarfed down her first feeding, so we'll see what happens. I hate the ingredient list, but I know people here think it works well so I'm hopeful. At least I can know she's getting some nutrients now.

Morning update: she pooped AGAIN this morning. It was pudding with a little form, so seemingly heading in the right direction. But still, how can she still be pooping after two days of fasting?? Could this be a sign of a partial obstruction or something? As of this morning, her stomach is making LOUD growling/squelchy noises. I assume this is just from being really empty. It's an hour before my vet opens, and I'm anxious. I don't want to feed her before I get the OK, and maybe get some I/D, though he doesn't push that. But it's hard.

Crossed my mind, but we're at least halfway through the current bag of TOTW and she was fine before. Timing-wise, it's likelier the issue is related to the raw she had the night before it all started.

Sorry folks, haven't been online today before now. Very mixed report -- was better, but now it doesn't seem good. Beth had liquid D again this morning, back to the vet for the morning, they gave her some more fluids and Kaopectate. I brought in a stool sample for a full culture -- they need 24 hours to culture it, so I'll get results tomorrow. Instructions were to keep fasting her until tomorrow morning. She continues on metronidazole, Cerenia, and Pepto-Bismol. This afternoon/evening she has seemed like she feels better -- her behavior is more normal, she is up and around following me more and comes into the kitchen looking for something to eat. So I was hopeful . . . but just a little while ago on her final walk she had liquid D yet again. What could she possibly be pooping??? The last time she ate was on Wednesday and she threw most of all of that up. I did give her maybe 2-3 tablespoons of plain yogurt during the course of the day (which she has daily anyway) after her pills, but surely that's mostly liquid? I am feeling so scared and demoralized . . . the vet is so set on 24 hours of fasting after the last incidence of diarrhea. But how long can I keep doing that to her?? I'll call/take her in again in the morning of course, and make sure I have a way to contact them in the remainder of the weekend.....

I only have one, and she's sick. . . .

Thanks! How is Beth? Did they ever figure out what was going on with her? I thought of her when this started! Hugs to you both! I've been updating my thread here in H&M -- they think it's just a GI thing, all the bloodwork is normal, but she's definitely not OK yet.

As someone who went through a rough night last night, I'm really sorry you're going through this! Hope they settle down so you don't need the e-vet and you figure it out quickly.

Just got home, but she's still sick. She had liquid D again when we took a little walk outside the vet's office, though she hadn't had any all day when the techs walked her to pee. So now she's on fasting until tomorrow afternoon. The instructions are for me to give he a second dose of Metronidazole tonight (she had one already today) and a Pepto-Bismol tablet, plus the Cerenia.

Yes, I always do freeze the chicken, indeed all meat, before I feed it raw, and generally feed partially thawed. I'm leaving to pick her up shortly ... I'll report in tonight. More worried about D at this point than vomiting, I think. I assume we will have to go out a LOT tonight for her to pee after that IV, not fun as it's cold and she has to go out on leash. On top of the massive vet bills, it'll be $100 to clean the carpet she barfed all over (I have just one room with carpet but that's where she chose! Well that and my bedspread).

Well, I talked to the vet, and all the rest of her bloodwork was good. So hopefully the fluids and antibiotics will fix her up. He wants me to fast her until tomorrow morning though, waaah. But I see the rationale.

Beth is spending the day at the vet -- he and I thought it was a good idea. He's going to complete the bloodwork that was done last night, give her fluids, and start her on antibiotics. I'm relieved someone is keeping an eye on her -- she can apparently rest well even there (she is so social and likes it there, doesn't seem to find it stressful!). He thinks it's probably just a bug or the meat, but that "she needs some help" today. He is definitely anti-raw feeding though, which I knew . . . he said that there's a danger of getting salmonella from raw chicken, and that if dogs get a serious salmonella infection "they" recommend euthanizing them because it's so hard to treat. Anyone heard anything like that?!? I know he's trying to "scare me straight" and it makes me nervous; I really don't think it's the chicken quarter she had with the steak that made Beth sick, as she's had those lots of times before and even had one from the same pack before this. But I only raw feed her a couple of times a week and it's not something I really have to do, though I think it's good for her and she likes it.