Billy Update...........we Were At The Vet Tonite

[Guest houndlover]

Billy finally started eating a little bit last nite. He had some boiled chicken and then this morning he had a jar of baby food. I was so happy that he was eating until DD came home from school and said that there was diarrhea all over the house. She said it was like water and she couldn't even really pick it up with paper towels.

 

When I got home I called the vet and got an appt for tonite. In the meantime I gave Billy 1 1/2 C of kibble with some canned food. He ate it and then went outside and had diarrhea that really was just like water.

 

I weighed him at the vet and he only weighs 65lbs. He should be at least 80lbs. The vet said that she has seen dogs that look much worse than Billy but that he definitely was not looking well at all. He is dehydrated so she gave him some subq fluids, showed me how to do it and sent me home with everything. He gets 500 mls 3x per day. She also put him on 10mg of pred 2x's per day and 500mg of ampicillin 2x's per day. The ampicillin is just a precaution in case he ends up with an infection b/c he is on the pred.

 

I also have an abdominal ultrasound scheduled for Thursday morning at 9am. Dr Shaker did Billy's ultrasound 6 months ago and I really like her. She is a board certified internist and is highly recommended by many vets in the area. I am hoping that she will be able to give me a 2nd opinion about Billy's condition without having a biopsy done. All of the meds/supplies that my vet sent me home with tonite are only to get me through till Thursday when we see Dr Shaker and hopefully we will be able to come up with a treatment plan then.

 

Thank you all so much for your support and suggestions. This really has been a long, rough road and I wouldn't have been able to get this far without all of your help.

Edited May 5, 2009 by houndlover

[Remolacha]

[zimsmom]

I forget. Is the working diagnosis inflammatory bowel disease. Did the previous u/s show anything?

[Guest houndlover]

No, the previous ultrasound did not showing IBD or anything that the vet was overly concerned about. She was able to confirm that he was very early stage renal disease byt the scarring on his kidneys and I thought that she said that there was some thickening on the walls of his bowels but at that time she wasn't sure if it was an irritation from the diarrhea or not. We tried some dietary changes after the 1st ultrasound and it seemed to help for a while.

 

I do not have a definite dx of IBD. I will not do a biopsy so my regular vet has just been trying a few different things to see if anything works right now. She said that she hates to do that but agrees that she wouldn't put him through a biopsy at this point.

 

Billy did sleep all nite and just got up now to go out. I will do his fluids after I have a cup of coffee and am able to function a little better. I hope that he eats something this morning too.

[Guest SoulsMom]

Oh dear, you have been through so much Sending gentle healing thoughts to you and Billy from here

 

When Soul had all his issues his ultrasound was also clean, with the exception of a slight thickening of the walls of the small intestines. His vet also said it was due to his recent pooping problems.

[Guest greytbookert]

Oh Michelle, I'm so sorry that Billy is feeling so poorly again.

 

However, it sounds like you have a plan for the next few days. I would try to keep his diet very bland for the next few days to give his system a rest. The watery big D is very stressful for the system. I think the pred is probably going to increase his appetite.

 

Hugs for you and Billy!

[Guest ss556]

Sending prayers for Billy.

[TheFullHouse]

Good thoughts and prayers for Billy.

[nyGreys]

Sending prayers & healing thoughts for Billy.

[Meandmy]

Oof! Poor you, and poor Billy!

 

I hope that you are able to get a definitive diagnosis on Thursday. I'll be thinking of you.

[Guest Energy11]

WE are sending good thoughts for Billy, as well. The sub-q fluids, will REALLY HELP him feel better, and you will see a difference. I hope they get to the bottom of this soon!

 

Hugs from all of us here!

[CaliforniaGreys]

Always thinking of Billy.

The baby food gave Misty the runs and it was like water, especially if she ate 3 or 4 jars at a time

[carronstar]

Sending prayers and good thoughts for Billy.

[Guest myjazzy]

Sending good thoughts and white light to Billy.

[Remolacha]

sometimes the fluids make them feel better, you might want to offer him some food 20-30 minutes after he gets his fluids.

[Guest fatesrelease]

Awh, poor thing. I hope everything works out alright. *hugs*

[duncan41]

Sending tons of prayers and healing light to Billy. Poor boy - he must be feelin' pretty low down!

[MandysMom]

Sending prayers for Billy

[Guest BoogieDown]

Billy, I hope you get well soon.

[greyhead]

Glad that ultrasound is coming up. All fingers and paws crossed here for Billy and for you.

[Guest greygirls2]

Sending lots of prayers and white light for Billy. I hope they figure out what's going on soon so he can get well quickly. My Tessa had her U/S with Dr. Shaker also and she really is wonderful....good luck with everything.

[Guest houndlover]

Just wanted to thank everyone for the support and good thoughts. I am happy to report that Billy is feeling much better tonite. I definitely think that the fluids have been helping. He has eaten twice today, had some cookies and he even came to greet me with bright eyes and a wagging tail when I got home from work tonite! It was so nice to see him up and feeling better.

 

My vet just called a little while ago to see how Billy was feeling and to tell me to cut down on his soloxine b/c she thinks that may be contributing to his weight loss. I had to admit to her that I really haven't been very good about giving him his thyroid meds b/c he has been so sick and he just doesn't want to eat.

 

I really can't wait till I am able to get him in to see Dr Shaker for the ultrasound. My vet made it perfectly clear that there is a possibility that this could be cancer but she also said that she is very optimistic that it is NOT.

[Batmom]

How long has he been on thyroid meds? Was he diagnosed from a T4 (vet's blood test) or a thyroid panel (multiple measures) that was sent to an outside lab?

[Guest houndlover]

How long has he been on thyroid meds? Was he diagnosed from a T4 (vet's blood test) or a thyroid panel (multiple measures) that was sent to an outside lab?

 

He has been on thyroid meds for at least 5 years. I don't recall how he was originally diagnosed b/c it was so long ago. When I have his levels checked the vet runs a T4.....why do you ask?

[Batmom]

A lot of what you've been going through with him the past several months is typical of hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone). Not saying that's what it is, just saying many of those things are typical symptoms. Weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drinking (and peeing), restlessness, irritability/touchiness (like freaking out when someone tries to do nails), heart palpitations, kidney disease, poor coat condition – these are pretty much the classic symptoms. If there’s a lot too much, you get loss of appetite as well.