Guest FenwaysMom Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Fenway has been doing very well since he's been home from the vet's office. If you're not familiar with his problem, Fenway had a problem with throwing up blood and bloody stool. He was put on meds and a diet of id canned prescription food. We were told to gradually work his normal dry food back in. He's now back to his regular dry food and has not had the big D again, but his stool is alternately loose and firm. It's the same color as his normal stool but is not always firm. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SoulsMom Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 (edited) When I worked Soul back to his normal kibble his stool got loose again and he got gassy. He was eating about half regular and half I/D when I stopped the transistion. He also got ONLY kibble, nothing else. Well, he relapsed anyway and he's now been on the I/D exclusively since. Since the I/D causes his discoid lupus symptoms to worsen I am once again trying to transistion him to a new food. I started this week. One thing the E-vet told me is that he might need more fiber in his diet and to try adding metamucil (sp?). Do you have Flagyl on hand just in case Fenway relapses? What is his 'regular' kibble? Since Soul got sick on two different varities, I'm now trying a third variety~Lamb and Rice. Edited April 22, 2009 by SoulsMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FenwaysMom Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 We don't have Flagyl on hand but I can request it from the vet. Thanks! Hmmm.... metamucil, huh? How did that work for you? Fenway's regular kibble is Nutro. I saw the thread on that today and was worried about it. He was halfway through the 40 pound bag when he got sick, so I don't know if that could have caused his problems. What did Soul get sick on? Who makes the Lamb and Rice? Thanks so much for your response and for your help earlier when my husband posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SoulsMom Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I haven't tried the metamucil yet, Soul relapsed before I had a chance to try it. But it makes sense, when I compare the fiber content of his regular kibble to that of the I/D the I/D is much higher. The E-vet suggested Non Flavored Metamucil, 1 tablespoon 2-3 times per day, mixed with canned food or with moistened dry food. Before he was hospitalized Soul had been on Natural Balance LID Fish and Sweet Potato. When I was trying to switch him back to regular kibble I tried the Natural Balance LID Venison and Sweet Potato. Now I'm trying the Lamb and Rice variety. I hope this works because he really needs to be grain free to get his DL under control When he relapsed it was on New Year's Day and the vet was closed. Thank goodness a friend of mine had some Flagyl. After that episode my vet had me pick up some Flagyl to keep on hand at all times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FenwaysMom Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Well good luck with Soul and his new kibble. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you! Poor pupper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandimom Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I don't have any advice but I send lots of love to Fenway and tell him to "poop solid" so as not to worry his guardians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhoundlady Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 A few weeks ago my Cheyenne had the same thing - throwing up blood and bloody diarrhea. Never knew what caused it, but the vet also did meds and the prescription canned food. When she started to return to kibble, I added boiled chop meat and cooked brown rice with canned pumpkin to the kibble (and wet it with a little warm water). She is okay now, but it took a while to 'firm up'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SoulsMom Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 (edited) I just wanted to add that Soul was strictly on the I/D diet for a full month. I then started the transistion, and it took another month before he got sick again, even though he was only getting half of the 'regular' kibble. So this type of illness can 'build up' and not be immediately apparent. Edited April 22, 2009 by SoulsMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FenwaysMom Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 It's good to know that it can take awhile to get back to normal, thanks. I really hope this is the end of it. I am sure his poor system is going to take awhile to recover Soul's mom, how many times has your pupper been sick with this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SoulsMom Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Just twice . . . .the first really bad episode that landed him in the hospital had been brewing a while. Hindsight being 20/20, I now know that it had been building up for a couple of months. The second time I knew exactly what was going on and got him treatment right away. Now I keep a diary of everything he eats and everything that goes on in his day, since the vet and I still don't know exactly what the root cause is. . . . .but his situation is a little bit more difficult because he also has Discoid Lupus, so it's tricky trying to manage that while still trying to diagnose and prevent what is causing the GI bleeding. Donna (ChancesMom) has gone through it twice with Chance as well. She thinks his was caused by stress. From what I understand (in the absence of lymphoma or another disease that can be detected through blood tests) HGE can caused by three things: Bacteria, stress, or diet. And a relapse is not uncommon. But fortunately, once you've been through it once it's easier to recognize the signs and get treatment quickly the 2nd time around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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