Sid's Not Good ..

[silverfish]

I dunno. A year without a single problem, then he broke an incisor off at the gum and we took him in to get it taken out. She cleaned the rest up while he was under and recommended I got him some Dentagen chews and water additive. Does anyone know anything about this product? He ate three of the chews (they're supposed to be one every other day) then lost interest, and it was about that time he started straining and whining and producing bloody diarrhoea. I found a few pieces on the carpet and to me it looks as if they break into fairly sharp pieces. I talked to the vet about it and she said they shouldn't do that and I should complain to the manufacturers. She gave me a probiotic syringe to give him and some diet food.

 

Meanwhile, I've stopped the water additive too, because the diarrhoea is getting worse and now he's throwing up. Took him back today, and she gave him antibiotics. I fed him boiled chicken and pasta (with her blessing - I need him to eat so he can have his meds), and he threw the whole lot up after about ten-fifteen minutes.

 

She's thinking campylobacter, and they have a stool sample to culture. Meanwhile, he's also developed a sore nose which the vet thinks is due to digging in the garden. But we've never, ever seen him do that, or eat dirt, and there's no evidence anywhere that he's done so.

 

Just wondered really, if anyone knows anything about the Dentagen products. They're completely new to me, and sounded like a good idea from the teeth point of view, but can this 'RF2' cause digestive problems?

[ZoomDoggy]

I know nothing of that product, but have you had an xray to rule out a partial blockage?

[CaliforniaGreys]

I don't know about the particular brand names you're using, but I won't use the dental chews with my dogs at all. When they start getting soggy, there's too much of a chance they can choke on them.

 

Did you get the chews from the vet or at a pet store? If you got them at your vet's office, she should be the one to contact the mfg. not you.

 

As for the water additive, I don't use that either, have never heard any good results with it.

 

I hope Sid feels better and you get to the bottom of what's going on

[greytpups]

No ideas Judy, but when I saw Sid's name, my heart fell. Hoping he gets better rightawayquik. I know how much you love him and we never want our hounds to get sick or hurt

 

I thought the x-ray sounded like a good idea. Have you considered an allergic reaction?

 

 

[Guest Energy11]

I, too, would never used dental chews, as, yes, they can break off and cause blockages. Vets try to push Greenies (*which I hate) and other dental chews, because they get a good deal on them from the reps.

 

I use ONLY raw marrow bones, frozen, never cooked, and sweet potatoe chews by Front Porch Pets (Sams Yams). They are good for them, and I trust them.

 

I, too, would get xrays to be sure there is no blockage, as some of the symptoms do point toward that.

 

Sending lots of hugs and prayers your way, and hoping Sid feels better SOON!

[MandysMom]

No advice, just sending prayers for Sid

[Batmom]

If he's still throwing up, I'd want an x-ray.

 

Sending prayers for your sweet boy.

[ozgirl2]

Cody only had a Greenie once & she ended up with pancreatitis from it!! She also threw up & had bloody diarrhea. It was the fat in the thing. I KNEW she couldn't have fatty foods but I did NOT know that those dental chews are full of fat...

 

Hoping Mr. Sid gets better soon!! Hugs

[greyhead]

I'm thrilled to hear that your vet wants to do a C&S on the poop and even has an idea what to look for. It becomes a very big deal if there's a bad germ in there that goes undetected for months.

 

We stopped the water additive when we noticed that our IBD dog does worse with it and it contains Xylitol, of all things!

 

Best of luck to you and Sid.

[nyGreys]

Sending lots of prayers for Sid.

[silverfish]

Thanks, everyone! I didn't get the dental chews from the vet, she recommended them but I ordered them online. If I'd known how similar they are to greenies, I don't think I'd have got them, but Sid has that gunky saliva like Jack had, and the chance to address that was too tempting. I'm pretty sure the water additive doesn't have xylitol in it - it's not Aquadent, it's called Dentagen. It's supposed to be plant extracts which contain a substance which prevents the plaque from forming properly, rather like Program does for fleas.

 

He's only been throwing up since this morning, but yes, I'm going to be talking to her about an ultrasound tomorrow. X-rays I don't think would pick up a dental chew.

 

Jeannine - I didn't think about pancreatitis. Susan had it and her stools were almost black, which Sid's aren't (at the moment) but I'll mention it tomorrow. Thanks for that. He's usually just fine with fats though.

 

He's had dental chews of a softer, different kind ever since we've had him and he's been fine with them. He also has ostrich tendon chews (guaranteed not to splinter). And we brush his teeth. But none of that is worth making him ill for.

 

Thanks for all the good thoughts!

 

Oh, and Jan - yes, I have thought of an allergy, and I've stopped putting the stuff in his water in case that's all it is. We'll have to wait and see. Thanks for the good thoughts.

[KF_in_Georgia]

I've just looked online for an ingredients list for Dentagen and can't find one. You might want to double check the ingredients. There's probably something in it to make dogs want to drink the water it's in, and Xylitol sometimes is added for its sweetness. Petrodex makes a breath spray for dogs--and the spray contains a small amount of xylitol. And Aquadent, of course, contains xylitol. The only info I found on Dentagen said "no harmful additives," but I'll bet the Petrodex and Aquadent folks don't think their products have harmful additives, either.

 

I seem to remember that when warnings about xylitol first surfaced, reports said that the sweetener had been used in products for pets in Europe and that there had not been the same problems that surfaced in the States. That was quoted as one reason there wasn't an immediate awareness of the risks of xylitol in pet products. When the first problems were coming up in the States, though, it wasn't problems with reasonably formulated dog products; it was problems where dogs had pigged-out on desserts for humans, so the dogs were getting much larger quantities of the sweetener.

[Guest MyBoys]

I know nothing of that product, but have you had an xray to rule out a partial blockage?

This was my first thought also.

[silverfish]

I checked the ingredients on Dentagen and there's no xylitol in there.

 

Good news - Sid is feeling better today. He managed to keep his antibiotics down this morning, and this evening, in fact he kept all his food down today, and hasn't had the big D. He hasn't done any poop at all, so I'm guessing he's pretty empty from the bug. Fingers crossed, he's over the worst!

 

Thanks for all the good thoughts and suggestions! I'm going to wait until he's well and truly over this, and then give it a week and start the Dentagen water additive again and see what happens. If he gets an upset gut again, I'll assume he just can't handle it.

[CaliforniaGreys]

I checked the ingredients on Dentagen and there's no xylitol in there.

 

Just an FYI on the Xylitol. The water additives that contain it, are safe for dogs. If I remember correctly, this was addressed here before, and Dr Feeman posted it was safe as well.

[silverfish]

I checked the ingredients on Dentagen and there's no xylitol in there.

 

Just an FYI on the Xylitol. The water additives that contain it, are safe for dogs. If I remember correctly, this was addressed here before, and Dr Feeman posted it was safe as well.

 

And that's what I've been reading on the net, too. But as it happens, there's none in Dentagen.

[EllenEveBaz]

Just sending healing ear scritches for your boy.

[lovinggreysslp]

Sending healing thoughts for Sid.

[Guest Stripeyfan]

Sending good thoughts for Sid. Hope he's continuing to get better!

[Guest Longdog]

Best wishes for Sid from Willie and Whizzy

[Guest PhillyPups]

Keeping you and Sid in our prayers and thoughts.

[Remolacha]

Glad to hear Sid is feeling better, I hope he continues to improve!

[silverfish]

Well, he's still not right. He's not vomiting any more, but his poop is still ultra squidgy/drippy. No blood or mucus anymore, but we had another mess on the carpet this morning. And he often squeaks when it comes out as if it hurts him.

 

I picked up some more of the digestive support food from the vet today. Luckily, he likes it!

 

Thanks for all the continuing good thoughts.

[silverfish]

Well, he's not vomiting, but apart from that, he's back to square one. Drippy, liquid poop with bood an mucus. *sigh*

 

He's still on the enteric diet food, too. Should get some results tomorrow I hope.

[Guest Energy11]

Sending lots of love and prayers your way!