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Bloody diarrhea and intermittent vomiting

4K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  GatorBytes 
#1 ·
While I do have a GSD puppy, this post concerns a senior Welsh Springer Spaniel that I have. In July of this year, she began with some bloody diarrhea and was treated with Flagyl 500 mg. twice daily for seven days. It resolved and returned again and again and again. Now, in November, I took her back to my vet and he did a complete blood chemistry. Everything was normal with the exception of a low normal albumin level. He thinks that she might have protein losing enteropathy. However, we need more time to pass to do a second complete blood chemistry to see if her albumin level decreases further. In the meantime, he talked to a peer at NC State, and it was recommended that we treat for intestinal bacterial overgrowth in order to rule that out. The "kitchen sink" of antibiotics was started (yuck) and she was on Flagyl 250 mg. once daily, Cipro 250 mg. twice daily and Cephalexin 500 mg. twice daily. I also placed her on a diet of just boneless skinless boiled chicken breasts and boiled rice. For tummy comfort, she was placed on Zofran for nausea, Reglan for motility and Carafate for coating. Five days later, no improvement whatsoever. She has continued with bloody stool and had one episode of vomiting this past weekend. I spoke with my vet last night and he suggests that we change her diet to see if she has developed a food intolerance over the years. This morning, I went and purchased a limited ingredient venison kibble and the corresponding canned food with which to give her the tummy comfort medications (a meatball to place the pills in). All of the food that I have given her in the past has either been fish or chicken-based. I also purchased FortiFlora and will start her on this as well tonight.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? Does this sound familiar to anyone? Advice?

The "good news" here is that, while this has been going on, the dog is active, happy, playful and otherwise normal in appearance and her activity level.

I had a previous GSD, Max, with SIBO and Tylan was a dream medication for him. It did not work for this particular dog when tried earlier this summer during one of her repeated episodes. My vet has two other options for us if the novel protein limited ingredient diet does not work and they are a veterinary hypoallergenic diet or a trip to Virginia Tech for an endoscopic exam and biopsies. Another option for me is to switch this dog to raw feeding to see if that makes a difference. I also just found out about Dr. Jean Dodds' NutriScan dog food intolerance/sensitivity panel and am thinking about having this done to rule out or verify a food challenge.

Sorry to throw so many different ideas out, but after four months of this, I thought that I would ask others for some guidance and suggestions.

Thank you in advance.
 
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#2 ·
Seventy-three views and not one response.
 
#3 ·
I have no good info but wanted to say I am so sorry that you are going through this and hope it gets resolved quickly.
 
#6 ·
What about these things:

Bloody diarrhea: Pancreatitis, colitis (inflammation of the large intestines), gi parasites (hookworms, giardia), gi ulcers, toxins (rat poison, caustic agents), prescription medications (NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, aspirin), changes in diet even within the same food (protein source changes)


Bloody Diarrhea - Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis (HGE) in Dogs

Sorry for the list, I'm googling your dog's symptoms :)
 
#7 ·
What about these things:

Bloody diarrhea: Pancreatitis, colitis (inflammation of the large intestines), gi parasites (hookworms, giardia), gi ulcers, toxins (rat poison, caustic agents), prescription medications (NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, aspirin), changes in diet even within the same food (protein source changes)


Bloody Diarrhea - Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis (HGE) in Dogs


She had a complete blood chemistry recently and pancreatitis has been ruled out. Colitis is certainly happening - just don't know why is an otherwise healthy and happy 11 year old dog. She has been wormed with both heartworm (plus) medication and also got three days of Panacur/Fenbendazole last week. Negative fecal exams times two recently. She does not take any medications and there are no rat poisons or other caustic agents/anticoagulants around my home that she can get in to. There was no diet change prior to this other than switching her to a high grade chicken-based dog kibble and she has been on chicken-based kibble for several years. Prior to that and while she was being shown, she was on a fish-based kibble with higher calories.

The current regimen includes three antibiotics (re-started) due to bright red bloody liquid stool and she has been placed on the limited ingredient venison and potato dog kibble. I asked my vet about switching (again) to the veterinary hypoallergenic diet, but he wanted me to keep her on the venison and potato kibble for now. He also added ten milligrams of Prednisone twice daily to try to get the bright red bleeding stopped quickly.

The very bright red bloody stool indicates that the bleeding is at the end of the colon and not higher up in the digestive tract. She does not have the presentation of a dog with GI lymphoma and, in spite of all of this, is still running around my yard, happy and playing with the rest of the pack. She is drinking plenty and still eating too. We are just watching her day to day and trying to get the bleeding stopped, get loose stool firmed up and then will address tapering medications and seeing whether or not the limited ingredient diet change will help prevent relapses. If not, we are back to square one.
 
#9 ·
She is back to brown stool with blood in it, versus just liquid blood on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The Prednisone may be the reason for the change. Time will tell. Yes, very frustrating.
 
#12 ·
We had a foster who came in with pancreatitis secondary to Cushing's.
He didn't start out with bloody diarrhea but Sunday evening it turned brownish red which is, I think, how you describe your dog's?

I would recommend Tylan for this dog which sounds like he has colitis and sometimes you really can't figure out why, but it sounds like you already exhausted that remedy.
However, I'm not sure if you should completely discount it.
You might want to try injectible Tylan, which is a pain in and of itself and it's no fun for the dog, either, but it did seem to help our foster dog, Holly, who was here for 6mos. on a hospice foster. It's given sub-cutaneously.

When she was too sick to hold down food a few times, we'd give her a shot of it and she'd generally be right back right as rain within hours.

She still had occasional colitis but the Tylan also helped with her eyes (weepy eyes) so we just kept her on it until she passed.
 
#11 ·
Jeeze I hope you get this figured out soon. You must be so stressed out!

BTW, my friend's dog somehow ate rat poison. She doesn't have it around her house either, so she wasn't sure where she got it. She started off lethargic and salivating, then her gums were bleeding a bit, which I guess is the first signs. A shot of vitamin K and she was alright. Scary stuff though.

Is it worth going to another vet for a second opinion? Not saying your current vet isn't ok, but maybe it would be good to get another brain working on this?

Please keep us updated!
 
#14 ·
Thanks everyone. This morning she had a snmall amount of brown bloody stool, but there is at least stool versus just blood. She is eating the venison and potato LID kibble and getting her multitude of pills in venison canned food. Once I can get the bleeding stopped, I am going to try to withdraw one antibiotic at at time and then, if that works, will try to switch her to Tylan powder. Two weeks ago I tried Tylan and gave her three doses, but she just continued bleeding and I went back to the metronidazole. Now with the Prednisone, the bleeding appears to be stopping and her appetite is a little bit more robust. Not a bad sign in a senior :). If I can get the bleeding stopped and the multitude of antibitocis withdrawn, I will also start giving her some probiotics. One thing at a time . . .
 
#16 ·
Did you try the Panacur and Flagyl at the same time? At the shelter, when we were faced with dogs with colitis, we always did a 5 day Panacur/7 day Flagyl procedure. Started them at the same time, etc. Mayhaps something to talk about with your vet. Also, I agree with hunter, get input from your vet before "playing" around with the antibiotics.
 
#17 ·
Was her prior food back in june/july one of the brands suspected of salmonella? Can you run a check on the FDA website? If not try other food advisory sites (I have one I can't think of right now.)...also of recent some bully sticks, frozen yogurt treats have been recall...wellness too, check their site even if not on wellness, they might list symptoms of toxicity to mold.

Low Albumin may be do to loss of nutrients do to rapid transit - so a symptom, same with the PLE...however, if it is liver disease, these could also be marker of disease.

Search amino acids for treatment, as well slippery elm. If SIBO (which is small intestine), or other parasite, or bacteria, slippery elm will form a mucosal barrier giving the tissues a chance to heal, and preventing the microbes from adhearing to the lining.
 
#18 ·
Pred is great short term. It sounds inflammatory in nature. Which means the tylan should help, maybe try 3-4 days before giving up...?

Two weeks ago I tried Tylan and gave her three doses, but she just continued bleeding and I went back to the metronidazole.
 
#19 ·
On Saturday morning this past weekend, she had a normal brown formed stool for the first time in twenty-four days. I was never so happy to be walking in the yard in a robe with a flashlight looking at what my dog left behind her :eek:. Heavens only knows waht the neighbors think.

For those that have responded, I have not changed or started any antibiotics without placing a call to my vet first. We have been in contact almost daily and, so far, we seem to be on the road to recovery.

This weekend since I was home mid-morning, I also started giving her some probiotics to help her gut heal. One antibiotic of the three has been withdrawn and the other two have been reduced by half. The Prednisone is now also being reduced by half too. She is eating, playful, active and basically seems otherwise well. Her kibble has been changed to the limited ingredient venison and potato and I am still giving her boiled brown rice. The combination seems to be working well so far.

Her kibble was never part of a recall so I am not sure if it is just coincidental or not. My other seniors are still eating the same food and none of them are having any difficulties.

In the meantime, I am going to conintue as we are for now and will ask my vet about switching her to Tylan while she is asymptomatic to see if that will help prevent relapses. I will also pick up another jar of the powder and some more empty gelatin capsules to fill.

Thanks to those that gave input and to the others that gave support. Having a dog with bloody diarrhea and intermittent vomiting for nearly one month is pretty exhausting and, when it is an eleven year old dog, it is even more worrisome.
 
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