Guest fatesrelease Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) Hi everyone, it's been a while since I've ventured onto the forum. We've been busy, and the last time I had written on the forum had been about Sarah's IBD like symptoms that ended up wracking up a huge bill at the emergency vet. Well, the saying if it ain't broke don't fix it is ringing through my ears right now. The vet had told me to put sarah on purina sensitive skin and stomach. After switching from wellness she felt so much better. Her poops were normal and we had no accidents. Well, I felt badly giving her purina. I was happy she was feeling better but thought she might feel even better if she was on better quality food. I had done a lot of research in limited ingredient diet foods and switched her (gradually) to natural balance LID food. She was doing alright up until yesterday. She took longer to go to the bathroom and last night she did not eat her food. This is VERY unlike Sarah. This morning when she woke up (or should I say got up!-She's very lazy) she ate her bowl of food from last night that I kept out for her just incase. Then I promptly took her outside for a walk to see if she'd go to the bathroom. She pee'd but was taking a long time to go poop. So I walked her around another block near our street and she stopped to go and all that came out was blood. There was VERY minimal stool in the blood. Like bloody diarrhea but more like blood with a tiny bit of diarrhea. I called the vet and they are fitting me in for an appointment in about an hour and a half. I feel really badly if this was all caused by the food switch but even when she had that drastic upset belly last time there was very minimal blood. I'm just worried it might be worms or something else. I really don't think she got into anything...she's really good about not eating anything but her food. Any thoughts or insight would be appreciated. Thank you, Sarah's mom. Edited July 18, 2012 by fatesrelease Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Good you're going in. Dogs with IBD (I assume that's what you mean, not IBS?) can get hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. She should be OK iwth treatment. But yeah, it might very likely be the food switch. What works for your dog is much, much more important than the list of ingredients on a bag. Trust your vet. Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fatesrelease Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Good you're going in. Dogs with IBD (I assume that's what you mean, not IBS?) can get hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. She should be OK iwth treatment. But yeah, it might very likely be the food switch. What works for your dog is much, much more important than the list of ingredients on a bag. Trust your vet. Yeah, that's what I mean't-sorry. My vet never said if that was what she had for sure-but I think we kind of assumed it was something along the lines because she felt better after the switch. I know-I'm kicking myself now I hate seeing her sick and I really can't afford to take her to the vet right now but obviously I always will regardless. I feel like a bad mom I should have just left her on the food. Well, I've learned my lesson now. She's so good though. She's just laying, waiting patiently. She never even really ACTS sick. She just gets sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) Also make sure you have Flagyl (metronidazole) on hand at home so you can start giving it at the first sign of GI problems -- that's very important if you have a hound prone to issues. Your vet shouldn't have any problem giving you extra. It also might be just one of those things that would have happened even without having switched her food. That has happened with no discernible trigger to other IBD hounds on the board. (Merlinsmum is a good person to consult on this, as unfortunately Merlin has had similar issues.) Edited July 18, 2012 by PrairieProf Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Poor pup. I don't have much to add, however I wonder if you can consider giving a "supplement"? I currently give Kasey Slippery Elm to help with acid reflux and it helps to coat and protect the stomach and stomach lining and I'm thinking helps other digestive organs as well. The downside is needing to space this our with meds for about 2 hours because it prevents the correct metabolization. I wonder if this would help ease her insides a bit? Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SoulsMom Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Good you're going in. Dogs with IBD (I assume that's what you mean, not IBS?) can get hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. She should be OK iwth treatment. But yeah, it might very likely be the food switch. What works for your dog is much, much more important than the list of ingredients on a bag. Trust your vet. YUP. Been down this road with Soul too many times. Now I know the symptoms before the blood begins and start dosing him with the Flagyl before it can worsen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fatesrelease Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Well, I was nervous because my vet of-well forever had just recently sold her practice, but the new woman taking her place was really nice and I hope will be a good fit. She was very thorough and agreed it was probably my stupid idea of a food switch, but told me to fast Sarah till tomorrow morning and then do the chicken and rice thing for a few days and then put her back on her old food and see how things go from there. Moral of the story- it had to take me hundreds of dollars to realize maybe I shouldn't change Sarah's food if she likes it and it works for her, even if it might not be the best food in the world. Thank you all for your concerns and understanding. I appreciate it! It helps me when I am frazzled! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryz Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Was she given any medication? Quote Mary, mom to kitty Rebel.Always missing Sherri (SO DELICIOUS) (12/6/2005-8/29/2018) kitties Marley (4/2000-12/3/2015) and Beady (4/1998-2/24/2006) and Dalmatian Daisy (7/25/1984-5/13/1999). The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not - Thomas Jefferson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Was she given any medication? I'm wondering that too. Very odd if she wasn't given metro, though the fasting is right. I would say that if she isn't on it and shows ANY sign of the problem not improving quickly you get right back to that vet or another and insist on it. It is absolutely the first-line treatment for any serious GI issue. Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kirstenbergren Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I hope everything goes well for Sarah! Keep us posted with how she's doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SoulsMom Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I hope she prescribed some Flagyl . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryz Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Sherri had HGE in July of 2009. I just looked in her records. She was given Ampicillin, Metronidazole, Sucralfate to coat her stomach and Proviable-KP. I kept her on a bland diet for about three days and then slowly introduced her back to her food. The medicines she was given had her feeling pretty good by the next day. Quote Mary, mom to kitty Rebel.Always missing Sherri (SO DELICIOUS) (12/6/2005-8/29/2018) kitties Marley (4/2000-12/3/2015) and Beady (4/1998-2/24/2006) and Dalmatian Daisy (7/25/1984-5/13/1999). The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not - Thomas Jefferson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 IMHO, you probably need some flagyl for this and you likely don't need to fast - just give a bland diet (no kibble). If the vet didn't give meds you should probably call up and find out why. I'm frankly very surprised that they sent you home w/o meds when you have a dog with bloody diarrhea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyandHollyluv Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) Sorry to hear your Sarah is ailing -- but, hey, there are far worse foods than Pro Plan S & S!!! I served it to my hounds for many years despite what Whole Dog Journal said! My Pro Plan hounds all lived to a ripe old age of 12 - 13 yrs old (including my girl with kidney issues - well, she was eventually switched to a kidney diet which she hated!). That being said, at one point, I decided my hounds surely needed to eat more highbrow food. Tried various organic and all-natural brands. While Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream seems quite popular here on GT -- when I switched my hounds to TOTW, two of my pups had bloody stools. Took me a while to figure it out but when I switched them back to Pro Plan -- no more bloody stools. And I regret to say Wellness didn't work for my hounds either. Some foods are too rich and some dogs don't do well with certain grains or protein sources. I concur with PrairieProf -- it's really all about what agrees with your dog and what they like. I also mix in canned food and vegetables - which also seems to make my pups very happy. Hope you find the right combo and that Sarah feels better soon! Edited July 19, 2012 by IndyandHollyluv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lady_Catherine Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Poor Sarah! Keep us updated- that sounds like a scary situation. Hopefully she's feeling better ASAP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fatesrelease Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Was she given any medication? Nope, she wasn't given anything. I was kind of surprised to be honest but she said to do the fasting, then the bland food, then try to wean her back onto the good for her food, and if I had any issues to call immediately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Weird--wonder why metronidazole wasn't dispensed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SoulsMom Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I would call and demand it. Flagyl is standard protocol for bloody stools and usually get them better fairly quickly, where as without it things can worsen rapidly. I'd be finding another vet as well . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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