My Ig Is Sick, Not Sure What Is Wrong

[Guest LittleGreys]

My little Italian Greyhound girl has me puzzled. Last week she had bloody diarrhea. She has had occasional bouts with this all her life, usually clears up with no other symptoms and only lasts a day or two.

Well, this time she started vomiting also. That is not usual for her, so took her to the vet. She wasn't dehydrated, so we decided on conservative treatment for the time being. Started her on metronidazole and I/D diet and she was fine the next day. Playing like crazy with a Havanese foster we have. That was last weekend. She did fine all weekend. Tuesday morning, she is vomiting again. Took her to work with me to have the vet check her again. Again, not much on physical exam. During the day, the diarrhea starts again and is bloody by evening. Fecal is negative. I had skipped a dose of metronidazole and gone back to her regular diet, so back to the metronidazole and I/D. Again, she recovers pretty quickly. Thursday morning, she is vomiting again, this time there are many little blood clots and fleshy bits in her vomit. That worries me, so back to the vet. Again, not much on exam. Her temp is normal, she is not dehydrated. I ask about an xray, thinking maybe tumor in her stomach, vet says we are not likely to see much on xray, so again, I decide to treat conservatively. Yesterday, she is fine. This morning, vomit with blood clots and little fleshy bits again. Through this week, she has eaten on and off. Sometimes eats her whole meal, sometimes nothing. Still bright, alert and active.

I had thought about her eating 4Health food, which is on the recall list, but our bag of course is not one of the ones recalled. I called Diamond anyway, they pretty much told me not from their food.

Any thoughts? Of course if it continues, I will pursue it further. We will do blood work and xrays/ultrasound. I am not one to panic and rush into thousands of dollars worth of tests right off the bat.

Several years ago, she had a bout of severe uveitis. We took her to a referral center and the opthalmologist was stumped. We tested for every cause under the sun. Dr was leaning toward a lymphoma hiding somewhere but despite all testing, she could not find it. I have that in the back of my mind, but it has been 3 years, so I wouldn't think it is related. And I wouldn't think sympoms would come and go like they are.

No other dogs in the house are sick. All are on the same food. I am puzzled. I have seen bloody vomit from HGE many times, but this looks different. It is just basically water with blood clots and flesh chunks in it. I have never seen it before.

Has anyone else?

[mychip1]

Not seen anything like that. Sending good thoughts for an 'easy-fix" diagnosis.

 

I, too, would be concerned with bloody clots - and "fleshy" bits.

[greysmom]

Might be time to see a specialist - gastoenterologist, if you have one nearby.

[tbhounds]

Rads and blood work would be my next step. Forreign body, pancreatitis, gastric ulcer, tumors.... Does Omeprazole or Pepcid help??

[JJNg]

I'm also thinking something along the lines of a stomach ulcer or tumor. How old is your girl? Are you doing anything to treat for a possible stomach ulcer - usually sucralfate (Carafate) along with omeprazole or Pepcid? With primary GI problems, bloodwork and x-rays are often normal (still important to do), so you might need ultrasound or endoscopy to get a diagnosis.

[Guest LittleGreys]

Sorry, I forgot to mention I just started famotidine and omeprazole this morning. She hate 1/2 her food this evening, but later she finished the other half. Usually she vomits first thing in the morning, before feeding time. Tuesday when we got home from work, I gave her a little I/D, she hesitated, then ate a small amount and immediately vomited it all up, it looked like she vomited 5 times the amount she ate! That is the only time she has vomited food, which I also find odd. I am hoping the famotidine and omeprazole help. I think the diarrhea is back now. She normally goes outside and I have a dog door, so don't always know who goes out when, but when she is sick, she tends to use one spot of the kitchen to potty, and she had a small amount of foul diarrhea late this morning. She seems a bit lethargic today, so definitely will have to do some testing the beginning of the week.

Forgot to add, she is 7 years old. I have had her since the day she was born, so I know all her history.

Thank you all for the suggestions!

[Time4ANap]

Had the bloody diarrhea and vomit with Rocket this week. This is week 4 or 5 of various stomach problems, but things got much worse on Tuesday night. Went to university of IL Vet Med Clinic. Things they came up with were a parasite/worms that are not showing up on the tests, Possible food alergy / intolerance to chicken, or possibly IBD.

 

We came home with Liquid Panacur for 5 Days, and Purina HypoAllergenic Food.

 

A previous 3 day dose of Panacur and 3 weeks of Metronidazole made him about 75% better for 10 days, then this happened.

 

We are on day 4 of the 5 day Panacur dose, and he is like an entirely new dog, complete with solid poop as of this morning. We are feeding the Purina HA, not so much because I suspect an allergy, but because it is as bland as dog food gets, and has no meat in it. Trying to give his stomach a break. I am going to continue on the Purina HA for a few weeks and then switch to something different than we were using in case chicken is part of the issue. The Purina HA is $$$$.

 

After seeing what the Panacur was getting out of him, my bet is on a parasite or worms of some type. A few days from now we'll know if it was truly successful or not.

[LuvAPuppy]

Yes, although not quite as acutely as you're seeing. I have no diagnosis for you, my vet calls it IBD for lack of a better term but we all know it is not that.

 

She gets gurgly tummy, may vomit and it may have small bright red clots in it but no fleshy appearing bits. She will have normal consistency stool throughout, but the next day will be coated with cranberry coloured mucus. This last 12-24 hours and is gone as quickly as it comes for a month or two. She's on limited antigen diet (poultry only with occasional lamb) and diet restriction has made no differenc. Her weight never fluxuates, her lab values never fluxuate. She had upper GI endoscopy with biopsies during a dental once and her stomach and upper small intestine looked good and all the biopsies showed was Plasmolymphocytic gastritis. She has horrible, vile smelling gas the next day so now I automatically give her 3cc of catnip tea, 5cc of chamomile tea, 1/4 pepcid (she's an IG too) and a phazyme gel. I have Carafate on hand for if the bleeding gets worse than usual.

[dbullwinkel]

My Ig has gone through this on and off. It seems he has a very sensitive stomach. What has finally ( I hope!) worked for Flex: 5mg prilosec every evening around 9 pm..a small snack of dry dog food as well so he doesn't wake up with an empty (sour) stomach. I keep his diet very regimented: duck and potato and boiled chicken. snacks are duck and potato as well. from what I remember my vet saying about the bloody stools: irritation from gastric reflux. I hope this helps.. I know how frustrating this can be with these little guys.

[Guest Stickdog]

My little Italian Greyhound girl has me puzzled. Last week she had bloody diarrhea. She has had occasional bouts with this all her life, usually clears up with no other symptoms and only lasts a day or two.

Well, this time she started vomiting also. That is not usual for her, so took her to the vet. She wasn't dehydrated, so we decided on conservative treatment for the time being. Started her on metronidazole and I/D diet and she was fine the next day. Playing like crazy with a Havanese foster we have. That was last weekend. She did fine all weekend. Tuesday morning, she is vomiting again. Took her to work with me to have the vet check her again. Again, not much on physical exam. During the day, the diarrhea starts again and is bloody by evening. Fecal is negative. I had skipped a dose of metronidazole and gone back to her regular diet, so back to the metronidazole and I/D. Again, she recovers pretty quickly. Thursday morning, she is vomiting again, this time there are many little blood clots and fleshy bits in her vomit. That worries me, so back to the vet. Again, not much on exam. Her temp is normal, she is not dehydrated. I ask about an xray, thinking maybe tumor in her stomach, vet says we are not likely to see much on xray, so again, I decide to treat conservatively. Yesterday, she is fine. This morning, vomit with blood clots and little fleshy bits again. Through this week, she has eaten on and off. Sometimes eats her whole meal, sometimes nothing. Still bright, alert and active.

I had thought about her eating 4Health food, which is on the recall list, but our bag of course is not one of the ones recalled. I called Diamond anyway, they pretty much told me not from their food.

Any thoughts? Of course if it continues, I will pursue it further. We will do blood work and xrays/ultrasound. I am not one to panic and rush into thousands of dollars worth of tests right off the bat.

Several years ago, she had a bout of severe uveitis. We took her to a referral center and the opthalmologist was stumped. We tested for every cause under the sun. Dr was leaning toward a lymphoma hiding somewhere but despite all testing, she could not find it. I have that in the back of my mind, but it has been 3 years, so I wouldn't think it is related. And I wouldn't think sympoms would come and go like they are.

No other dogs in the house are sick. All are on the same food. I am puzzled. I have seen bloody vomit from HGE many times, but this looks different. It is just basically water with blood clots and flesh chunks in it. I have never seen it before.

Has anyone else?

[Batmom]

Just realized this is a very old thread. Still, I'd say to anyone in doubt:

 

Get the x-ray.

 

 

Plain old x-ray found Batman's tumor, Zema's tumor, Joseph's foreign body ..... It's a good tool.

Edited April 29, 2013 by Batmom

[Guest Stickdog]

My IG Stick is 12 years old and started having these same symptoms 2 years ago when I moved to Texas. I was far away from family and was working many hours. He was alone for 9 hours at a time where previously he always had someone around. I came home from work January of 2011 to 6 or so spots of bloody goop in my apartment. I took him to the vet and they prescribed a med to stop the vomiting. The episode lasted about 2 days and then he was fine for the next 4 months then he had another episode but this time his poop started getting loose and it had mucus looking gunk mixed in. After several hundreds of dollars in the same testing and nothing found, I quit my job and moved back to CT to be with family because I was told it could be stress related due to his being alone for the first time in his life. In September 2011 I had an old boyfriend who enjoyed doing the opposite of what I asked of him fixing up our house and I had cooked spaghetti for the crew and specifically told them not to give the dog anything. Come to find out, the ex had fed Stick an entire plate of pasta with sauce and meatballs which had onions in it. The next day Stick was lethargic and didn't want to eat and his stomach was making these horrid gurgling sounds. I had to go to a few stores so I was gone most of the day but left Stick with my family at home. They spent the day downstairs and Stick was upstairs. When I came home, later that evening, I about 10 large bloody spots on the floor. Stick came out of my room and his entire hind quarters were covered in blood. I went in my room to get his vets number and my bed was literally covered in blood. It looked like a murder scene. I rushed him (hysterically) to the emergency animal hospital and explained what I saw and the Dr thought I was exaggerating until Stick squatted as if to poop and no feces came out, but instead a large gush of blood. They took him from me immediately and said they were going to run tests and hooked him up to an iv to replace all the blood loss. When they took him they said to prepare myself because that much blood loss could mean he wasn't going to make it. They kept him on the iv fluids and gave him antibiotics. They also took X-rays. I went to get him the next day and $4,000 later there was still no diagnosis. Since then, he hasn't had another episode like that (thank God) but, he has had several loose mucus stool and slightly bloody episodes every year. (About every 2 to 4 months) we still don't have an official diagnosis but after watching him carefully and recording everything he ate and times he got stressed (usually when I leave him for more than a couple hours) and after many vet trips and hours of online investigating, I have discovered that what he most likely has is colitis... They want to perform a colonoscopy and biopsy but unfortunately, it's $4,000 just for the procedure not including everything else they'll have to do like anesthesia and medications. I have been able to control the episodes and now know when they are coming. His stomach will start to gurgle and his tail will curl under him. When I see this happening, I stop feeding him anything and get as many fluids in him as possible. I keep him as calm as I can and turn in the heating blanket to keep him warm and comfortable. The episodes are now much shorter and there hasn't been any blood. When he's ready to eat again, I give him a very bland diet of dry chicken breasts and rice for a few days and don't give him any treats or anything else. I am praying for the income to get the colonoscopy because there can be several causes of colitis such as a bacteria, parasites, stress or food allergies. He is allergic to peanut butter. Any kind of sauce (even a minuscule amount) will cause him to bleed either in his vomit or feces. He has a very sensitive stomach. I would suggest that you go online and search for colitis in dogs and see if your little girl has the symptoms and have your vet do some blood work with testing colitis in mind...

[Guest Stickdog]

My IG Stick is 12 years old and started having these same symptoms 2 years ago when I moved to Texas. I was far away from family and was working many hours. He was alone for 9 hours at a time where previously he always had someone around. I came home from work January of 2011 to 6 or so spots of bloody goop in my apartment. I took him to the vet and they prescribed a med to stop the vomiting. The episode lasted about 2 days and then he was fine for the next 4 months then he had another episode but this time his poop started getting loose and it had mucus looking gunk mixed in. After several hundreds of dollars in the same testing and nothing found, I quit my job and moved back to CT to be with family because I was told it could be stress related due to his being alone for the first time in his life. In September 2011 I had an old boyfriend who enjoyed doing the opposite of what I asked of him fixing up our house and I had cooked spaghetti for the crew and specifically told them not to give the dog anything. Come to find out, the ex had fed Stick an entire plate of pasta with sauce and meatballs which had onions in it. The next day Stick was lethargic and didn't want to eat and his stomach was making these horrid gurgling sounds. I had to go to a few stores so I was gone most of the day but left Stick with my family at home. They spent the day downstairs and Stick was upstairs. When I came home, later that evening, I about 10 large bloody spots on the floor. Stick came out of my room and his entire hind quarters were covered in blood. I went in my room to get his vets number and my bed was literally covered in blood. It looked like a murder scene. I rushed him (hysterically) to the emergency animal hospital and explained what I saw and the Dr thought I was exaggerating until Stick squatted as if to poop and no feces came out, but instead a large gush of blood. They took him from me immediately and said they were going to run tests and hooked him up to an iv to replace all the blood loss. When they took him they said to prepare myself because that much blood loss could mean he wasn't going to make it. They kept him on the iv fluids and gave him antibiotics. They also took X-rays. I went to get him the next day and $4,000 later there was still no diagnosis. Since then, he hasn't had another episode like that (thank God) but, he has had several loose mucus stool and slightly bloody episodes every year. (About every 2 to 4 months) we still don't have an official diagnosis but after watching him carefully and recording everything he ate and times he got stressed (usually when I leave him for more than a couple hours) and after many vet trips and hours of online investigating, I have discovered that what he most likely has is colitis... They want to perform a colonoscopy and biopsy but unfortunately, it's $4,000 just for the procedure not including everything else they'll have to do like anesthesia and medications. I have been able to control the episodes and now know when they are coming. His stomach will start to gurgle and his tail will curl under him. When I see this happening, I stop feeding him anything and get as many fluids in him as possible. I keep him as calm as I can and turn in the heating blanket to keep him warm and comfortable. The episodes are now much shorter and there hasn't been any blood. When he's ready to eat again, I give him a very bland diet of dry chicken breasts and rice for a few days and don't give him any treats or anything else. I am praying for the income to get the colonoscopy because there can be several causes of colitis such as a bacteria, parasites, stress or food allergies. He is allergic to peanut butter. Any kind of sauce (even a minuscule amount) will cause him to bleed either in his vomit or feces. He has a very sensitive stomach. I would suggest that you go online and search for colitis in dogs and see if your little girl has the symptoms and have your vet do some blood work with testing colitis in mind...