Ple Greyhound Questions

[Guest ritamarino]

Hi,

 

I am new here and have combed through a lot of the threads here. I live in Brooklyn, New York and my 8 year old greyhound was diagnosed with PLE (low albumin 2.2). We refused endoscopy and have decided to treat him with a general anti inflammatory regimen without exactly knowing if he has IBD or IL. He was initially misdiagnosed with PLN but the vet was inexperienced and we were quickly able to get the proper diagnosis by going to a IM specialist.

 

He also has low B12/cobalamin and just got his first weekly shot of 1000 ug.

We saw a IM specialist in Long Island and largely found them to want to make money off a biopsy. Not terribly interested in dietary help, and it turns out, I dont blame them. I sent emails to folks (vet nutritionists) at Cornell and OSU and have not heard back yet. Right now, Buck gets 500 mg metronizadole X2 and he got prednisone 40 gm but I am trying to get the vet to get him budosenide per threads I read here. The drug referral came late Friday so I am trying to sort it out tomorrow.

 

The diet is what I need help on. With metro, his poop went from pancake batter to soft scoop (sorry for the analogy). After 3 weeks, we decided to change to 91% FF pork, and it un fortunately coincided with a few days he was off metro and the acidity returned. He also threw up 6 times after getting the B12. Has not thrown up at all in the three weeks on metro, but this could have been exacerbated by the long drive to Long Island to get his B12 shot. I am working to have someone come to my house and give the weekly shots.

 

My qs are mostly on diet. Is there anyone on this forum from Brooklyn, NY, first and foremost, and can they recommend a good vet in the city. Yearts ago we found a vet in LI because the ones in NY seemed too interested in money. Despite the misdiagnosis, the vets at LI are good but if Buck's treatment requires seeing the vet this often, we need someone in the city.

 

How did you guys figure out the dietary elimination? What kind of meat are you giving raw? I probably messed my dog by feeding him boiled turkey and rice for most of his life with a taurine supplement. My vet never told me that was an inadequate diet. Now he is briefly on chicken and potatoes, and just this week I switched to pork. Will give him a few days to see how pork works for him but I need to work with someone systematically to work on food and would welcome referrals. I dont want to do balanceot yet because I am not sure what the base meat + carb should be. Also has anyone worked with a homeopath. I cant push off the steroids anymore because I dont want him to waste away. I feel a little lost because the vets are pretty hands off despite the fact we have spent almost 4k just with tests and hospitalization. Dog went in with distended abdomen, but because he was misdiagnosed initially with PLN and put on IV fluids, the IM specialist thinks it exacerbated the ascites. So my main goal is to get the poop to improve and the fluid to absorb while increasing the albumin. Would appreciate any dietary help, names of doctors that may have consulted over Skype or email from OSU or Cornell. I started him on fortiflora, and almost had to pull that out of the vet - very unproactive with advice. I am so exhausted, it seems he needs L glutamine, NAG, slipper elm, all kinds of things I find on research online but vets suggest nothing.

 

Can anyone help? Thanks, Rita

[greysmom]

First off, stop changing his food around. What dogs with this disease need is a consistent, low fat diet, fed on a strict schedule. I'm unclear why you thought he needed to change to the pork, but be *very* careful of the fat content of whatever you're feeding. I also think a raw diet would not be good due to the chance of contamination in his already compromised digestive system. The one dog I know of who dealt with this long term fed cooked ground chicken and pasta three times a day for two years. But it sounds like you will need some sort of vitamin/mineral supplement to deal with his inadequate prior feeding.

 

I'm sorry, but the only way I know of to diagnose PLE definitively is by a biopsy of the tissues of intestinal wall. Yes, it's invasive and can put your already stressed dog at risk, but you really don't know for *sure* unless you do.

 

Get him on the steroid. Yes, they cause their own issues, but at this point he really probably needs them. Budesonide is what many on here have used successfully, but regular prednisone is fine too. You need to get the inflammation in his gut under control. He will also need to be on metronidazole again unless he has neurological symptoms, which can happen with that drug. You might ask about using tylan powder long-term instead.

 

You can easily give the B-12 shots at home yourself. No need to pay for anyone to come to your house for that.

 

Hopefully someone will chime in with vet suggestions for you. Good luck.

[Guest ritamarino]

Hi Greysmom,

 

THanks for your note. He got back on metronizodole yesterday and the biggest change I noticed when he was off two days was acid. Stools were loose but not as bad before this started. The reason I tried pork was because with chicken for 3 weeks, I got to soft serve and wanted to get to a better position. I hope I can get him on Budesonide tomorrow once I get the compounding pharmacy to get it to me. I will ask about tylan though metro doesnt seem to be affecting him negatively so far at least. I hope that the vet tech can show me once or twice and then hopefully either me or my husband will give it to me. The bad thing is my vet was like, you cant give it. Yes. even the best vets I have met seem to just care about their bottom line. The chicken was 92% FF, the pork is 91%. I boil and then rinse it to make it even less. Dog tried 1/d, sniffed it and would not eat it. He has been used to home cooked all his life so getting him to eat a canned food is hard. he did like the Hills k/d for the 4 days he was "misdiagnosed" with PLN.

 

Has anyone also worked with a homeopathic vet? I am talking to someone but feel I may be better off with someone who understands these meds, and the dr (homeopathic) I spoke to knew of Prednisone but not Budesonide. Is soft serve consistency of poop acceptable? Will the consistency improve with the Budesonide even if the diet isnt entirely figured out. I feel there is way too much happening and I am not sure I am prioritizing everything. He seems to have a good quality of life now so i want to make sure I stabilize him.

[cleptogrey]

looking at your location have you considered the animal medical center in ny? cornell in stamford, ct? is the Univ. of PA too far?

[macoduck]

An adopter fed her girl chicken, rice and vegetables only for nearly 8 months. Owner was trying to stop the pudding poop.
Owner thought she was feeding healthy stuff.
By the time she took the dog to a vet she was very nutritionally deficient.

She's improving now that she's on kibble. She didn't have PLE like your girl though.

[Guest ritamarino]

I have contacted Cornell, waiting to hear back. Univ of Pensylvania says they consult with the vet only and I feel my vets are not that interested in working on all the details. So I think I will pursue Cornell and hope that I dont need to drive him up. The stress is very aggravating to Buck. I didn't see any nutrition info at animal medical center in ny, grey - cleptogrey, were you suggesting them as vets if I decided to change my vet and find someone in the city?

macoduck - i have made the mistake of basically feeding my boy a bland diet with no supplementation except taurine for 4 years, his vet never said it would be a problem. His specialist was very guarded about budosenide helping but its being compounded in Glen Rock NJ right now and we will give it as chance while also giving him his B12 shots for a month.

 

After 4 days of pork, I am convinced its not working for him. He never had acid when he was just on the chicken and potato diet, with the metronizodole, but every day he has had pork, he has also had acid. Back to chicken till we can get some solid nutritionist guidance. I don't want to change things on him but feel the pork isn't working. Will also go to whole foods to see if I can get any leaner than 92% chicken. Don't want to give turkey or rice since they were his mainstay for years. One thing else is he has always scratched his ears and vets never found an infection. I am wondering if its some food sensitivity as well. Skin is fine though.

[tbhounds]

Ibd disease is nothing to fool with nor is trying to treat your dog without the help of a qualified internal mendicine Dr

Bouncing different foods around is only exasperating the disease. Didn't your vet prescribe an appropriate commercial food?

I would also stop the probiotic as it is not hypoallergenic.

There are variant degrees/ stages of ibd and with the noted ascites your dog may or may not need to be hospitalized-there are iv products that can address the ascites.

To be honest I feel a trip to Cornell would greatly improve your dog's chances of getting this disease under control-I highly suggest not attempting to treat this dog at home.

[Guest ritamarino]

Ibd disease is nothing to fool with nor is trying to treat your dog without the help of a qualified internal mendicine Dr

Bouncing different foods around is only exasperating the disease. Didn't your vet prescribe an appropriate commercial food?

I would also stop the probiotic as it is not hypoallergenic.

There are variant degrees/ stages of ibd and with the noted ascites your dog may or may not need to be hospitalized-there are iv products that can address the ascites.

To be honest I feel a trip to Cornell would greatly improve your dog's chances of getting this disease under control-I highly suggest not attempting to treat this dog at home.

Agreed on some points. Waiting for the long distance consultation with Cornell today or tomorrow. They said they had experience and success with PLE. Staying put on chicken/potato till they advice. Bad idea on my part to try pork. I am working with a qualified IM specialist at Long Island Vet Specialist, and yes they did prescribe the Hills i/d which my dog would not touch. IM spec. said he was fine with the chicken and potato I gave instead and he also suggested the fortiflora when I asked for a recommendation. So far none of the doctors have addressed needing iv products for the swelling, they feel it will absorb once the steroids are given, and as such, his normal swelling was really worsened by the IV my regular vet gave when he initially misdiagnosed Buck with PLN. His swelling at the time he went into the hospital was undetectable, though I cannot say it would not have naturally worsened. I am just amazed by how fast this is progressing, he was fine and now he is losing weight in the last few weeks. I am assuming all the extra food he is getting is just being lost. Luckily his spirit and quality of life is fine. The travel and stress are very bad for him so I will eventually have to switch vets as well if this treatment will require blood tests every month and so on, his current vet also being in Long Island.This is quite stressful for me as well, way too many things to learn and the general idea that if you dont ask the vet for any extra supplements, they wont offer it. Hopefully the people at Cornell will address all of that. Many thanks for your answers.

[cleptogrey]

good luck at cornell. you are going to the stamford, ct branch right? it shouldn't be more than 1.5hrs for you. straight up rt 95. google or Waze will get you there in no time.

[Guest ritamarino]

good luck at cornell. you are going to the stamford, ct branch right? it shouldn't be more than 1.5hrs for you. straight up rt 95. google or Waze will get you there in no time.

 

Hi cleptogrey, We are not going anywhere. Doing a nutrition consult hby email/phone at the link here

http://vet.cornell.edu/hospital/Services/Companion/Nutrition/ .

 

Is there any reason to actually visit the nutritionist. Seems they just need the test info and the doctor's notes. They will formulate a diet based on the tests sent by the vets and a very detailed form I filled out about medical and food history. I think this branch is in Ithaca per the website. Yesterday's chicken at the store was lower fat than 92% and I saw the first soft but formed poop this morning. Might be too early to say for sure it helped but maybe the fat content needs to be reduced from 92% to work. Will update once I hear and talk to the vet nutritionist.

[GeorgeofNE]

We had a dog with confirmed IBD. He ate a commercial Hills diet AND NOTHING ELSE and took his Flagyl (he also had a thyroid problem, so he took that too) and he did great. When he died, it was of totally unrelated issues. Not a greyhound, but an English setter. We did pay for the biopsy, and if you aren't willing to do the test, you may find vets aren't all that interested in "helping" you since in their minds you haven't actually confirmed what the problem is.

 

I hope you can find your boy some relief!

[carronstar]

I no longer live in NYC but Animal Medical Center in mid-town was always amazing.

 

My homecare vet, was beyond amazing, same price range as NYC vet offices and has affiliations for when you need testing, etc. Andrew Obstler, homecarevet@gmail.com. He saw Aquitaine and I through her PLC and kidney disease. She, too, had very low albumin levels but had them well before diagnosis (that came after her splenectomy and tumor removal). I lost her to osteo so I have to say that Andy and AMC did a tremendous job helping me with her. Both were very open to me using supplements along with traditional medicine as well.

I no longer live in NYC but Animal Medical Center in mid-town was always amazing.

 

My homecare vet, was beyond amazing, same price range as NYC vet offices and has affiliations for when you need testing, etc. Andrew Obstler, homecarevet@gmail.com. He saw Aquitaine and I through her kidney disease. She, too, had very low albumin levels but had them well before diagnosis (that came after her splenectomy and tumor removal). I lost her to osteo so I have to say that Andy and AMC did a tremendous job helping me with her. Both were very open to me using supplements along with traditional medicine as well.

 

Edited to say that we didn't have to deal with IBD but still great vets to have on your side.

[tbhounds]

I will only add that you really, really should see another internist. Attempting to treat this dog in the manner you are can result with a very bad outcome. Ibd is a very serious disease requiring much more than finding a diet that can aid in the control (not cure as there is no cure just remission) of the disease. So many approaches regarding diet-novel protein, novel carbs, low fat, high fiber, low residue etc must be combined with various medications ( B12 injections, corticosteroids, blood monitoring etc).

You must be very careful to watch for a stroke (low blood proteins= low antithrombin).

A nutritionist is not what you need at this point. I would gather your records and make an appointment with another internal medicine Dr.

I'll leave it at that.

[macoduck]

Ritamarino, tbhounds knows of what she speaks. She is a vet tech with extensive knowledge. Please consider what she suggests.

[Guest ritamarino]

Carronstar - thanks for your recommendations. Noted the names. Staying put for a little bit, trying to get the guy to get a regular formed poop.

 

Hi tbhounds - I got his blood CBC and urine analysis (twice for both), urine cultured, poop tested, B12/cobalamine test all done within 4-6 weeks (3 rounds, including 1 hospitalization with IV). I am not sitting back and ignoring that he has a serious problem. Just trying to figure out the nutrition aspect by talking to vet nutritionists at Cornell. She has suggested a couple new proteins and we will get started on Friday with tilapia, slowly transitioning from the chicken to see how he does. Why does this seem wrong? I am not being snarky - I just want to know what your true thoughts are, if you want to DM me, that would be great.

 

He is getting B12 (1000 mcg) shots weekly for the next 6 weeks and the followup bloodwork is a month from budosenide start. From everything I have read, this doesn't seem unusual. A lot of people treat their pets more generally. It seems the drug protocol is quite identical for both IBD and IL. What am I missing? If you are a bit more clear, it will help me a lot.

I dont want to put him through endoscopy which from all my research seems inconclusive often. Even the IM I am speaking to does not want to biopsy him - I know Buck is extremely stressed out with vet visits so I am trying to establish his baseline diet as we start the steroids and then monitor him. It seems I am doing everything except endoscopy/biopsy.

Are you saying that Budesonide, antacid as needed, Metronidosole and B12 shots along with diet monitoring and follow up testing is not enough? I hear you on the stroke pointer - that is the only thing which I have not heard yet from the doctor. Wont the veterinary nutritionist help with the novel protein, novel carbs strategy ? Thats what I thought she was going to do and it seems she wants to - she suggested bison or tilapia and we are switching the protein first while sticking to the current carb.

 

I am honestly lost. It has been so hard to even diagnose that the poor dog doesn't have PLN. If someone can recommend a great IM in the New York area that would be great. We are seeing Dr Tumulty at Long Island Vet specialty right now, its a 50 minute drive but we want to get to the bottom of this. If you can state what you think I am doing wrong clearly, it would help me. I am done guessing. Exhausted.

[Guest ritamarino]

I will only add that you really, really should see another internist. Attempting to treat this dog in the manner you are can result with a very bad outcome. Ibd is a very serious disease requiring much more than finding a diet that can aid in the control (not cure as there is no cure just remission) of the disease. So many approaches regarding diet-novel protein, novel carbs, low fat, high fiber, low residue etc must be combined with various medications ( B12 injections, corticosteroids, blood monitoring etc).

You must be very careful to watch for a stroke (low blood proteins= low antithrombin).

A nutritionist is not what you need at this point. I would gather your records and make an appointment with another internal medicine Dr.

I'll leave it at that.

Are you suggesting that the IM should offer to help with diet?

[Guest ritamarino]

Just have one update - after getting a lower fat chicken (98%FF vs the usual 92%), and feeding two meals, Buck has had his first formed poop in weeks, twice today. Its soft, but its not soft serve, it has a shape. I will talk to the Cornell vets about formulating supplements for super lean chicken and not switching to tilapia yet. I think this probably needs to be tried for a while. Its basically ground chicken breast.

 

Looking for more IM referrals near NYC if anyone has any experience. Feeling a little better. However, I did notice that Buck is getting a little acid with the 98% FF chicken which he didn't get with the 92% FF.

[Scoutsmom]

As someone who suffers from IBD, let me tell you that prednisone or Budesonide are miracle workers--at least from a human perspective. Yes, there are side effects, but they can be monitored and are manageable. It is a lifesaver to not have constant diarrhea and cramps and to feel like eating something.

 

When I was first diagnosed 30 years ago, I was given a long list of what I could and could not eat. Recently my doctor (a gastroenterologist) has advised me to just try to eat a healthy diet and what appeals to me, and to note what causes cramps (onions, and raw veggies) and avoid those. IBD may cause poor nutrition because you don't feel like eating anything, but it is not caused by poor nutrition or by emotional stress as was once thought.

 

I hope this can give you some insight into what your poor pup is going thru. You do need a vet that understands IBD. Best wishes to you and your pup.

[Guest ritamarino]

As someone who suffers from IBD, let me tell you that prednisone or Budesonide are miracle workers--at least from a human perspective. Yes, there are side effects, but they can be monitored and are manageable. It is a lifesaver to not have constant diarrhea and cramps and to feel like eating something.

 

When I was first diagnosed 30 years ago, I was given a long list of what I could and could not eat. Recently my doctor (a gastroenterologist) has advised me to just try to eat a healthy diet and what appeals to me, and to note what causes cramps (onions, and raw veggies) and avoid those. IBD may cause poor nutrition because you don't feel like eating anything, but it is not caused by poor nutrition or by emotional stress as was once thought.

 

I hope this can give you some insight into what your poor pup is going thru. You do need a vet that understands IBD. Best wishes to you and your pup.

Thanks Scoutsmom. The vet nutritionist did talk about eventually introducing vegetables but for now its going to be choosing the novel protein + sweet potato along with supplements since he has been barely supplemented for years. That said, most of his nutrient levels are fine.

 

Buck finally had fully formed stools this morning (albeit soft, not sure if this is an improvement but I hope it is) after two ultra low fat chicken meals. I do sense that he isn't liking it as much, which I assume is because of the lack of fat. I am also seriously considering taking him to Cornell for his next follow up blood test and basically get a third opinion. At this point, as long as its not an extra trip for him, I am open to getting another opinion. Looks like there are three doctors in IM at Cornell - does anyone have experience taking their PLE dog to see Dr Marnin Forman, Megan Morgan or Jessica Chavkin?

 

Thank you!

[cello]

I just saw this thread. My Greyhound Lady was diagnosed with PLE at age 8.5 years old. Her condition was discovered through routine blood work prior to a planned dental. Her blood protein and albumin levels were extremely low. We immediately got her in to see a top notch internal medicine vet at a specialty clinic. They did an abdominal ultrasound and an endoscopy with multiple biopsies of her intestines. Tests confirmed that she had PLE. Prognosis was not good. IM vet had us switch her to one of two commercially available kibbles that were ultra low fat. She hated both of them - supposedly they don't taste very good. She was also allowed to eat boneless, SKINLESS, chicken breasts. I would grind up the kibble in a blender, add shredded chicken and fat free broth, spread this on cookie sheets and bake in the oven until like a cookie. Lady would eat that broken into chunks! That got us through those first few weeks. She also immediately started a high dose of prednisone - 40mg per day.

 

Over the next few months, we were able to decrease her prednisone down to a maintenance level. For her food, we discovered that PASTA has almost no fat, plus lots of calories! So for the next 3.5 years, Lady ate two cups of pasta and a half a cup of chicken (Boneles/skinless breasts) plus one cup of the not so liked kibble two times each day. I was literally cooking her 5 pounds of pasta each week! Costco sells the chicken breasts for a reasonable price. Her vet called her a miracle patient! She lasted longer than any other patient of her with the diagnosis of PLE. Our vet was convinced that my dedication to keeping her diet exactly on track with zero deviations was the reason for our success.

 

We lost Lady this past January to intestinal cancer at age 12.

[Guest ritamarino]

I just saw this thread. My Greyhound Lady was diagnosed with PLE at age 8.5 years old. Her condition was discovered through routine blood work prior to a planned dental. Her blood protein and albumin levels were extremely low. We immediately got her in to see a top notch internal medicine vet at a specialty clinic. They did an abdominal ultrasound and an endoscopy with multiple biopsies of her intestines. Tests confirmed that she had PLE. Prognosis was not good. IM vet had us switch her to one of two commercially available kibbles that were ultra low fat. She hated both of them - supposedly they don't taste very good. She was also allowed to eat boneless, SKINLESS, chicken breasts. I would grind up the kibble in a blender, add shredded chicken and fat free broth, spread this on cookie sheets and bake in the oven until like a cookie. Lady would eat that broken into chunks! That got us through those first few weeks. She also immediately started a high dose of prednisone - 40mg per day.

 

Over the next few months, we were able to decrease her prednisone down to a maintenance level. For her food, we discovered that PASTA has almost no fat, plus lots of calories! So for the next 3.5 years, Lady ate two cups of pasta and a half a cup of chicken (Boneles/skinless breasts) plus one cup of the not so liked kibble two times each day. I was literally cooking her 5 pounds of pasta each week! Costco sells the chicken breasts for a reasonable price. Her vet called her a miracle patient! She lasted longer than any other patient of her with the diagnosis of PLE. Our vet was convinced that my dedication to keeping her diet exactly on track with zero deviations was the reason for our success.

 

We lost Lady this past January to intestinal cancer at age 12.

Hi Cello -

Thanks for sharing your story.

I think the diet is key as well. Your greyhound has lived a good grey life. I lost one at close to 13 and another at 11. I am going to see another IM specialist here in NY at the Animal Medical Center in a few weeks. We got a diet plan from the specialists at Cornell who want me to try a novel protein. Buck's poop has improved in the last few weeks to being consistently formed, sometimes with the ridges, albeit soft. This coincided with me cutting back from a 92% FF ground chicken to basically chicken breast, like you, 99% FF. He loves it. I have grilled as well as baked it and he loves it mixed with sweet potatoes. I think he has a bit of an issue with pasta. He eats so much but is getting skinny. I was just curious that when his poop forms, shouldn't he automatically start putting on weight?

He is on Budesonide, but his vets arent sure if it will work because we dont know if he has IL or IBD. I guess I may have to get him to try Pred if thats the way he will be controlled as long as it can be scaled back. His ultrasound was fine, but he didnt have an endoscopy. His swelling hasn't reduced much in the 9 days of Budesonide, but his vets thought that if Budesonide was to work for him, it will take at least a month. So we are being patient. The poop started normalizing a day or so after the Budesonide - unfortunately both Ultra LF chicken and drugs started at the same time approximately. I guess the proof is in the blood test. I want to keep him on the chicken but the nutritionist feels the novel protein (tilapia) is the way to go, so we will slowly transition to that next week and see how he does. Thanks for sharing your story - I did read about it and tried the pasta earlier based on your post just to add calories. I am just happy that he is no longer pooping a soft mush, thats an improvement from pancake batter, and his behavior is normal. I am hoping he will put on some weight - doesnt better poop mean less protein loss and less inflammation?

Does the poop ever get firm with the meds? Will prednisone do that?

He still waits for his Greeny after the walk, and I have so many boxes of those. If someone is in NYC, and wants to pick some free boxes, just holler.

[cello]

If we had not had Lady on the high dose of Prednisone those first few months, she never would have survived. The pred saved her life. Yes, there were ugly side effects, but we learned to deal with those, and with time and her dose being lowered, they were manageable. When she had diarrhea we used Tyloson Powder. The key to managing this disease is consistency in diet. Do your best to pick a plan and stick with it. Jumping all over the place with different approaches is not a good idea. If it were my dog, I would get the endoscopy and biopsies done. You will never have a correct treatment plan if you don't know for sure what you are treating. Good luck.

[Guest ritamarino]

The key to managing this disease is consistency in diet. Do your best to pick a plan and stick with it. Jumping all over the place with different approaches is not a good idea.

 

Thats the part I didn't understand. I told the nutritionist at Cornell, that we want to continue on chicken since he is improving. He was like, well if he is on steroids, his poop should be near perfect. I prefer you try the tilapia, we can always come back to chicken. Honestly, I didnt think he would push for changing something that seems to show improvement, and I am not sure if I should just ignore him but I gather he knows of what he speaks. Just not feeling his advice and these are people who have written for the NY Times, so I gather maybe they know something I don't. Most of all, I feel that though I am going to good doctors, I am not totally feeling their advice. No follow up though we spent all this money on visits and tests. None. If Buck's albumen is more than 2.2, then I think I will get the endoscopy done.

[tbhounds]

Endoscopy may not yield a definitive diagnosis at this point-a full thickness biopsy may be required. A biopsy via scope can only get surface cells (which may not be still inflamed while on the pred)-a full thickness biopsy does require abdominal surgery (some clinics can perform the surgery laprascopically).

I can attest this to be true-my own dog suffered with ibd-was in remission for 3 years thanks primarily to budesonide-when his ibd symptoms suddenly reappeared I opted to scope him. While there they grabbed some biopsies --the path report return as inflammation--I lost him one week later-final biopsy report (full thickness)=adenocarinoma (a bad, bad, non-chemo responsive cancer).

I just wanted to add-I don't feel scoping him is a bad idea so they can visualize the gut but, just understand that a biopsy in the matter may not yield any results. I'm sure your vet will discuss that.

Ibd sucks

Edited September 7, 2017 by tbhounds

[Guest ritamarino]

Endoscopy may not yield a definitive diagnosis at this point-a full thickness biopsy may be required...

I just wanted to add-I don't feel scoping him is a bad idea so they can visualize the gut but, just understand that a biopsy in the matter may not yield any results. I'm sure your vet will discuss that.

I feel that if he is anaethesized, I would prefer the full thickness option otherwise its a lot of risk for nothing. I understand that he will probably need to be taken off the budesonide should this be the plan. The Animal Medical Center has a laparascopy option listed on their website. Still not sure whether I should take him to Cornell. Is Cornell going to be better than Animal Medical Center - I heard that a lot of these IM doctors train at the Animal medical Center. I just know I will need someone here in NYC if this becomes a regular option, because my regular vet is in LI and it seems they aren't able to interpret these results too well. The tech that showed me how to do the B12 shots last week said till he was stabilized, he will have to go to a IM specialist. I have an appointment with Doug Palma.