Guest KTPrime Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 (edited) So I'm starting to freak out a little bit.Around Monday Optimus started to have some diarrhea. He wasn't going excessively, but when he did it was pretty much liquid. Nothing has changed in his diet (he has a very sensitive stomach and food allergies so he's on a limited ingredient brown rice and lamb food). I didn't immediately think much of it because his poops have always been inconsistent and often loose. I called the vet on Thursday, and they advised me to put him on a bland diet of white rice and chicken.So he's been on chicken and white rice (2c of each 2/day) since Thursday. I'm definitely noticing he is lethargic, particularly today. After I fed him and took him out (another loose stool though slightly firmer), he instantly retreated to his bed and went to sleep for a couple hours. When I checked on him he felt very warm and his nose was dry. As I'm typing this (15 mins later) his nose is wet again but he still feels very warm.I'm just not sure if this is passing gastric thing or what. For all we know, chicken could be the thing he's allergic to--we've never been able to figure out what the allergy is. The timing of the diarrhea did seem to coincide with me applying a new ointment (momemtax) for a recurring rash he gets on his crotch (again, they think it's an allergy but are not sure what), but the vet said it shouldn't cause diarrhea. And I stopped putting it on the past two days since his rash seemed better and I was worried it connected. I may be overreacting, it's just hard to see him clearly feeling unwell and have no idea what's going on. The vet does have some limited hours tomorrow so I may try to bring him in, though he was just in (for the rash) and they did a fecal test which was clear. And there were no other indicators anything was wrong. He has had diarrhea before and it's passed, so I could wait and see, but it's just tough. As some of you may remember, he had an ischemic event in August so I'm kind of hyper sensitive about his health right now. (Unfortunately I'm also hyper broke since the vet bills from the ischemic event came to around 2k and vet visits add up quickly.)I guess I'm wondering if I should be worried or not, or if this is the type of thing I can give a few more days. Edited October 18, 2014 by KTPrime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KF_in_Georgia Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I'm sorry: I advise a vet visit tomorrow. I lost a girl to an immune-system problem that started with diarrhea, vomiting, and lethargy. Check him for any bruising or discoloration on his belly. If you see that, I wouldn't even wait until tomorrow. Quote Kathy and Q (CRT Qadeer from Fuzzy's Cannon and CRT Bonnie) and Jane (WW's Aunt Jane from Trent Lee and Aunt M); photos to come. Missing Silver (5.19.2005-10.27.2016), Tigger (4.5.2007-3.18.2016), darling Sam (5.10.2000-8.8.2013), Jacey-Kasey (5.19.2003-8.22.2011), and Oreo (1997-3.30.2006) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Because the diarrhea has been persistant it's time for a vet visit--meds are needed now. Also just an FYI--the whole warm, dry nose thing is a myth-- dog noses will normally fluctuate throughout the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest normaandburrell Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I would see the vet too. Lethargy means the problem is becoming systemic, maybe an infection or dehydration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Could he have licked the cream? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 (edited) Concur with the others who say this has gone on too long, so go to the vet! If it's an infection or small-intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), it can permanently mess up the lining of the intestines and even be fatal, depending on the germ. It can also lead to intestinal malabsorption and inflammatory bowel disease. If it gets to the stage of suspected IBD, the vets will want to do a biopsy, which will be invasive enough to require anesthesia. You don't want to go there, right? Wishing you the best. ETA: The usual "fecal test" only checks for worms, not germs. Negative fecals only mean that no eggs are being shed at the time of the sample, not that there are no worms. Beyond that, poop can be cultured to determine if there is a bacterial overgrowth. At our house we found that to be money well-spent and, actually, life-saving. But it's not something vets do routinely, and I had to basically demand that it be done. Edited October 18, 2014 by greyhead Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Were you able to get in today? Hope he is feeling better. The persistent diarrhea only is cause for a very visit but the lethargy would worry me even more. Good widgets for improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KTPrime Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Unfortunately my regular vet was all booked yesterday, so we went to the e-vet. I explained he seemed to be doing much worse after being put on the chicken and rice diet, so she recommended I get him back on his regular kibble and prescribed an antiobiotic. She said it could be IBD, food allergies, or a bacterial buildup, but recommended we get him on antiobiotics to start. I am happy to report he is making a huge improvement off the chicken, and his energy levels are much more normal now. He was even playing with his toys today! I suspect he is just very allergic to chicken--some treats I had given him this pack week were chicken based, so I think maybe that started this whole mess. I'm going to follow up with my regular vet this week, but I feel much better now that he is acting normally and eating and drinking normally.He hasn't pooped yet (last time was yesterday afternoon), but I think his system is probably a little messed up from eating so much chicken. I'm going to follow up with my vet this week, hopefully we can just chalk this up to a food allergy. I've always known he had them, but we've never been able to pinpoint what. It's good to know chicken is definitely on the do-not-eat list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 (edited) Please don't underestimate the important role probably played by the antibiotic. Edited October 19, 2014 by greyhead Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KTPrime Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Please don't underestimate the important role probably played by the antibiotic. I'm not. But, based on how much worse he got right after switching his diet, and how instantly he got better after removing it, I don't want to underestimate the role played by the chicken allergy either. The lethargy didn't happen until after the diet change. He will still be getting all the doses of his antibiotics and like I said, I'll be following up with my regular vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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