Stomach issues in elderly Iggy. Anxiety?

[IggyMomNC]

My dear Beau just turned 17 years old. He is on KD Prescription Diet food with chopped baked chicken thigh meat. He also has arthritis. He weighs 11 pounds and is frail now. (His young self was 18 pounds and quite the athlete). His blood work is good. I just long for him to be comfortable during his waning days. But he has periodic gurgly stomach, bloody diarrhea and some clear vomiting. The vet gives me liquid metronidazole for it. But he just had four straight days of it and it didn't seem to help. I started him on a quarter tablet of tramadol six weeks ago and that seems to make him more peaceful but he's anxious and has been working in the night and pacing. He also had a seizure of his left hind leg last week and then again yesterday. He was so anxious and could not rest. I have to hold him. I had some Trazadone which was prescribed to him several years ago from a emergency vet after he had a seizure (which he has had over his lifetime a few times). I gave him 25 mg at 3pm and it pretty much knocked him out. It did help the seizure to relax and he's resting comfortably but he can't even stand up well yet so it was too much I think. He went out and had a solid stool this morning and ate a whole bowl of wet Katie food mixed with chopped chicken. Is sleeping resting well now. Slept well all night (rare). My vet is unfamiliar with IG temperament but I feel certain that his anxiety is contributing to his stomach issues and his general discomfort. What to do? Sorry this is so long, and I am new here, but thank you for any experience or help you can share.

[kudzu]

I really want to help you, but there is an awful lot going on with your pup. It might be time for an internal medicine specialist vet. You might ask for a referral. Your vet would then send her records to the specialist and the specialist would share info and keep your regular vet appraised of what is going on.

Am going to say that metronidazole, while appropriate and very helpful in certain situations, does have a long list of potential side effects and can cause or contribute to neurological issues. Am not saying that is part of your dogs problem, but am urging a good deal of caution. It isn't something for long term use unless absolutely necessary and also be extremely careful with dosage. That last is even more important for a little dog. Metronidazole was a huge benefit for one of my dogs short term, but for a friend's dog it was bad news when giving long term. So... Yeah, just be careful.

Sending good thoughts for Beau. I love Iggies and the seniors most of all.

[IggyMomNC]

Wow, thank you very much. I did not know there was an internal medicine specialist vet. Well, I will certainly quit the metronidazole! The vet even told me it was very safe although I remember googling it and thinking it wasn't. Thank you for your good thoughts. And your very sage advice.

[kudzu]

In general, metronidazole is usually safe. It has been a big help to many dogs, including one of mine. Still, it does require care and caution. Am not saying you should stop giving it. But reviewing the issue with your vet in light of everything else happening may be a good idea. It's something to consider.

[1Moregrey]

10 hours ago, kudzu said:

. It might be time for an internal medicine specialist vet. You might ask for a referral. Your vet would then send her records to the specialist and the specialist would share info and keep your regular vet appraised of what is going on.

and a fecal checkup too

[HeyRunDog]

You don't say what bread of dog  Beau is but 17 is a good age for any dog and he is obviously a great friend and companion. I don't want to sound harsh and uncaring but perhaps it's time to make him comfortable and say goodbye.

[macoduck]

IggyMomNC, where in NC are you? I'm on the coast by Camp Lejeune/Jacksonville. I also help out with Mid Atlantic IG Rescue and they may have an adopter in your area who has a good vet for iggies.  I'm not sure if you can PM here since you are new. If you can't, then post here and we can try to connect another way.

[ZoeRobertson]

How important it is to take care of your stomach, eat right and stay healthy, my father suffered from an ulcer his whole life and lived on pills and gels for his stomach. So stay healthy!!!

Edited September 8, 2021 by ZoeRobertson

[IggyMomNC]

I really appreciate all the input. Y’all are so kind. We have an excellent emergency and specialty CARE medical center (that he has visited for injury and for seizures) very close by but their appointments for specialists are booked months in advance. I calculated how old my Italian Greyhound is in dog years and at 17 he’s about 99. It may just be time for him to go.I have never euthanized a pet and have read some tragic stories of other peoples’ experiences. He is so sensitive to everything. I guess I need your experience and strength with end of life choices with your Italian Greyhounds. Hardest choice ever. 

[IggyMomNC]

macoduck, I am in Charlotte, North Carolina.

[BatterseaBrindl]

[kudzu]

Deciding when it is time, for me, is less about the dog's age and more about current quality of life. There needs to be more to life than just surviving. There needs to be some things the dog still enjoys, things that keep the balance of good and bad leaning more to the good. For my pets who are chronically ill and need a lot of medical support, I try to remember that I am essentially, artificially prolonging their life. In general, I think prolonging life is good. However, with the ability to prolong life comes the responsibility to decide when to stop prolonging that life. I ask questions like is the dog currently suffering? Are there ways to improve quality of life for good period of time? And, maybe harder to evaluate, will the dog be able to tolerate the diagnostics and possible treatments well enough to make a continued fight worth it?

I have had many pets. Losing them, letting them go is always very hard. For me, the hardest is when I lose them during an emergency. It is a combination of the shock of the suddenness and the idea that my pet was scared and suffering at the end. My cats and dogs seem to have a better departure when it is planned rather than during a crisis. Despite my desire to keep them in my life, experience and hindsight has led me to feel that it is better to let a pet go a day or even weeks early over a day too late. But that is me and there are others who feel differently.

With all the above said, it is only you who can decide what is best for your dog. You may evaluate the situation and decide it is time to let go. But you may instead decide to keep going a while longer. If decisions are made with love and done in the dog's best interest then it will be the right decision. All we can do is make our best decisions with the information we have available. That information is never complete. It isn't reasonable to expect we can know everything. We just try to do our best.

[macoduck]

On 9/8/2021 at 12:18 PM, IggyMomNC said:

macoduck, I am in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Agreeing with what Kudzu said. 17 is a good long life for an italian greyhound. I lost my iggy Charlie a few months ago. He had been in somewhat good health... until he wasn't. It took me coming home after being gone a few days to actually notice that he was going downhill. He wasn't being engaging with our other dogs. He did not want to cuddle anymore. My chowhound little boy didn't want to eat. He was afraid of things that never bothered him before. He was ready to go. I took him to the vet the next day and I truly think he sighed a big sigh because he was ready to give up and he went peacefully. 

Message the Mid Atlantic IG Rescue page on FB with the info in your first paragraph. Michelle heads the group and has lots of IG medical experience to offer.