Guest zombrie Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 proviable dc he's been wormed several times. his stool improved a lot over the last week, to the point where theyre getting back to normal. but the sudden loss of apetite and noticeable lethargy is really troubling. as is the beginning of another weight loss. I see you live in MA (I do as well)... Doolin woke up this morning lethargic and not wanting to eat. We took him to the vet and found out he has Anaplasmosis... It couldn't hurt to have your vet do a TBD test on him. i specifically asked thet vet* about TBDs today, and she said they wouldnt cause those symptoms. i know he's never been tested, and he came from west virginia last fall, so i was curious. i think that, given his history, she thinks its an extension of his digestive issues. *the woman i spoke to was a consulting dr. my vet was out of the office today. Did you get him from Greyhound Friends? They test all their dogs when they come in. And yes, between my dogs, we've had all the tick diseases known in the area. They can all have those symptoms. But it could very well be a digestive issue. We had a lot of problems with Doolin the first 8 months we had him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 (edited) next step is the ultrasound/endoscopy. this dog has cost about $2k since i got him 6 months ago. alas. that's how it goes, though. i just really want to get him to a healthy, stable weight. Edited April 20, 2012 by jaym1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zombrie Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Poor guy (and you!) I hope you can figure out what is going on soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 How many days of panacur did you do? Did you try the frozen BilJac? I have the Protatek information if you want it as well as tick information. Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jshell Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Betty Joan went through a horrible and rapid weight loss last year. Normally she would be between 53-58 pounds, but suddenly dropped to around 42! Then she looked very skinny, with hip-bones showing and all of that! She eventually got up to around 61 pounds, but it seemed to take a while. Not 6 months, but at least 2-3 months just to get out of those horrible 40s. Then it suddenly seemed to jump. I don't know if others experienced this, but in my experience it took a while for that weight to get back on and to show up. So even if you've found a good food and format, you might need a little patience. I went through a few food experiments during this time to find things that she could tolerate, but once I found it, I put the weight back on by increasing her intake. Normally she'd get about 3 cups of dry (or the equivalent) daily split between two meals. To get her weight back up I tried to increase that to 3.25-3.5 cups of dry (equiv), mixing wet and dry food. Once she got up to 61 pounds, I pulled back to around 2.5-2.75 cups and she's slowly come down to the high 50's and back to her normal range. If he's an active boy, he really might be burning off the calories as fast as he takes them on. It's taken me a while to find the right amount to tell the boarders to feed Betty when I travel, as she'd usually come back looking very thin after playing (and possibly having nighttime anxiety) for 4-5 days. The last time I traveled, I significantly increased her food level while she was boarding, and this was the first time I came back to a pup who was the same weight! Quote Betty "Beauty" Joan. 63B-21375. June 2003 - March 2015. Thank you pretty girl! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 How many days of panacur did you do? Did you try the frozen BilJac? I have the Protatek information if you want it as well as tick information. I didn't try the biljac as his stools began to show marked improvement about 7 or 8 days ago. His sudden finickiness and low energy are what has me worried this time. I will check his records again. He came to me indirectly through GF, so perhaps he has had the testing, and I just don't have the paperwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 BilJac frozen is not only good for good poops but it is easy to put on weight with it. Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happygrey Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 (edited) Do you think his changes could be at all related to your new grey? Some definitely are harder to keep weight on than others and stress can cause them to lose weight. Bentley is our super energetic guy and he's a hard keeper. We just were away recently and he returned from the kennel we boarded him at noticeably thinner. In fact, I went out and got him some hi-cal food to supplement his usual kibble to get the weight back on him. It definitely might be a good idea to do a tick test. I sympathize with the big bills you are getting hit with. We had a similar issue with our first grey. Thankfully the other two didn't have a lot of medical issues when we first got them! Best of luck. I hope you figure it out soon. Eta: the grass he's been eating my be helping to improve his stools. (believe it or not!) Edited April 21, 2012 by happygrey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 i thought the changes in his eating patterns might be related, but with his history of GI problems, the vet seems to doubt it. i know, for instance, that while tempo waits dutifully for his bowl to be put down in a sit position and absolutely will not eat until i tell him to, the new dog is jumpy and waits with his nose right up to me to be feed. right now tempo is sensitive to the scolding that i give the new dog, especially during feeding, and i thought thats why he was waiting for food. but his habits when actually eating really have changed. he eats very slowly, chewing every kibble, and spitting a lot of it out. last night his appetite finally improved a bit, and today his energy is back. unfortunately his stools yesterday went from really pretty good to terrible, complete splat. still, the vet visit is definitely in order. he is simply way too thin right now and i need to get to the bottom of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 he's much more responsive today and willing to eat, but his stools are terrible. we went to the vet -- i was shocked to see he's still 68 lbs. it looks to me like he has dropped a noticeable amount of weight, but he's still the same as the day i got him. running a full blood test including CBC and a TBD check (looking for babesia and other non-regional ones). he's scheduled for a partial ultrasound in two weeks. vet didnt feel that we needed to check liver and kidneys and much outside of the GI system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 From my vet: "1. His creatinine- this is a muscle breakdown product that the kidneys filter. This can run higher in greyhounds. The only reason I mention it is because it’s just above normal whereas back in November it was within the normal range. It was at 1.1 before and now is at 1.7 with the high end of normal being 1.5. If his appetite does not continue to improve we may need to explore this further. I would recommend if you are able to drop off a urine sample, preferable first morning sample, for us to check his urine concentrating ability. If normal, I doubt this mild increase is of significance. If low concentration then we will definitely need to follow up on this. 2. His platelets are mildly low but they are clumped (can happen sometimes with blood draws) making an accurate number difficult. They are not low enough to cause clinical signs and we already did the one test I would recommend with the tick panel." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted April 24, 2012 Author Share Posted April 24, 2012 Negative for TBD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 In the photos on page 1 of this thread I think he looks great. (Too many Greyhounds, posted here and elsewhere, are fat). When you dewormed him, what wormer did you use and for how long? I would do Panacur for 7 days if you haven't already. He could have whipworms or Giardia that is being missed on fecal exams. I always beg people to do Panacur, multiple rounds if you have to, before expensive diagnostic testing. When I adopted Teagan he had a resistant case of whipworms and hookworms that we struggled with. Did you test for SIBO? He might have a food sensitivity. Instead of changing foods at random, try to identify what ingredient he might be sensitive to. When I first got Rogan I tried a few different foods. He did poorly on anything with rice or oatmeal, but does fine on a food with potato in it. Right now he's eating a salmon & potato food. He is also an excitable dog and has SA. His poop is formed at home. When he is stressed or when we go to new places and he's excited, we get soft poop again. He'll probably always be that way. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 Full chest ultrasound this morning revealed nothing really abnormal, save for a slightly enlarged spleen. There was no visible thickening of the intestinal walls. His recent blood panels were pretty much normal. I guess the approach going forward will just be to observe him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 also, i didnt realize that they would have to shave his fur off for the ultrasound! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetdogs Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 also, i didnt realize that they would have to shave his fur off for the ultrasound! Hey, I feel a draft! He looks pretty good in that pic - not too skinny, just pokey hip bones. How's his output? Quote Deirdre with Conor (Daring Pocobueno), Keeva (Kiowa Mimi Mona), & kittehs Gemma & robthomas. Our beloved angels Faolin & Liath, & kittehs Mona & Caesar. Remembering Bobby, Doc McCoy, & Chip McGrath. "He feeds you, pets you, adores you, collects your poop in a bag. There's only one explanation: you are a hairy little god." Nick Galifinakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Awwwwww...poor boy. Gosh it does bring home how small Greyhounds really are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 (edited) he actually is putting on a little bit of weight. at his size, tiny fluctuations of just 1 or 2 lbs in either direction are noticeable. ever since that weird setback two weeks ago when he stopped eating, lost his energy, and began producing horrible stools, he's been totally back to normal. great energy, great appetite, etc. stools are still formed, but pretty soft, but theyre smaller. i suppose it could be a food issue, even though this food used to be fine. the vet thinks there could just be some sort of underlying intestinal disease that is causing these cyclical flare-ups, but that since hes not losing weight, and doesnt seem to have serious acute symptoms, i should just monitor it going forward, as he is otherwise healthy. having found no evidence of serious illnesses despite all these diagnostics and dollars, i feel satisfied with this plan. as others have suggested, something somewhere is not quite in order, whether its simply his diet, or a hidden allergy, or a pathological process going on, i dont know. but he is still getting along more or less fine. Edited May 3, 2012 by jaym1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 also, for reference purposes, his hip bones are much more prominent than that angle in the photo would suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Have you tried a high fiber food? Going to get slammed here but here it goes-------- has your vet recommended Hills W/D?? Ok, ok I know Hills yuck right?? Gotta tell ya folks- it flat out works for diarrhea. What you can do is start your hound on it and very very slowly re-introduce your preferred food as see how it goes (literally- pardon the pun)-- if he reverts back to diarrhea re- introduce the W/D and after he starts to form normal stool again mix with another brand. Eventually, you'll strike the right food. I hear through the GT grapevine that Iams may have the same fiber benefit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 (edited) the vet thinks there could just be some sort of underlying intestinal disease that is causing these cyclical flare-ups, Giardia, whipworms, and a few other parasites can cause cyclical symptoms. There is a "wasting" disease described in the literature involving chronic whipworm infection. I would deworm with Panacur if you haven't already. I think his weight looks great in the most recent photo. Agreed with Tbhounds that sometimes a high fiber food helps. I have also had success with kibble with a high beet pulp content. (I think it's Iams in the green bag, with the beet pulp). Edited May 3, 2012 by LindsaySF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlies_Dad Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 I like what he looks like in your last pic. He looks a lot like my Jack who's ribs, backbone and hocks show a bit. Jack's weight stays between 68-70lbs and that is 4-5lbs lower than his racing weight. We did get him up to 73lbs one time but that was stuffing him with pasta which we really do not like to feed our pups. Quote Kyle with Stewie ('Super C Ledoux, Super C Sampson x Sing It Blondie) and forever missing my three angels, Jack ('Roy Jack', Greys Flambeau x Miss Cobblepot) and Charlie ('CTR Midas Touch', Leo's Midas x Hallo Argentina) and Shelby ('Shari's Hooty', Flying Viper x Shari Carusi) running free across the bridge. Gus an coinnich sinn a'rithist my boys and little girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AEB Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 I couldn't read through all the posts but if I had to guess it sound like worms to me. The cyclical nature. Kevin has been battling hooks for close to a year and a half. When we first got him and did not know he had them I was stuffing him because he was not gaining. Then he suddenly dropped 5 lbs. We found the hooks then.They cleared for a bit but now they're back. I noticed the same stool issues, plus gas, and his being more unsettled in general. He wants to go out earlier. Talk to your vet about drontal and then a regular course of worming. See if he improves. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym1 Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 well, its been about 7 weeks his his last bout of illness. right before his ultrasound he got ill, and was lethargic and even refusing to eat for three days or so. just treated with tylan and waited a bit. eventually he came out of it. his appetite improved, and shortly after i also took him off his 10mg/day of prozac. ever since, he has been excitable and energetic. he looks a lot healthier. still a little thin, but fine. his stools tend to be a little on the softer side, but not bad. here he is today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I think he's a perfect weight in that photo. Did you culture the stool or test for SIBO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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