severe explosive diarrhea

[hvtopiwala]

woke up this morning and took out the dog and was greeted with EXPLOSIVE diarrhea! its like you turn on the jet setting on a hose and it comes shooting out...so i took him back inside and fed him breakfast and he only ate half of it, didnt care about the rest...(hes fed Acana Grasslands and also probiotics daily).

i took him to the vet, but they insisted on not running tests cuz he has had soft stools before (although i tried to explain its not the same problem this time)...so they prescribed Albon for him, and said he has Cystoisosporiasis..

for some reason im not settled with what the vet says since they didnt even run a single dam test on him. He hasnt gotten into anything at my place, and hes in his crate at night. all his toys are intact and nothing is missing...can this really be Cystoisosporiasis?

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Check out Overview - EPI * Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

There is information there on:
EPI
SIBO/ARD

To diagnose those there is a 12 hour fasting blood test that goes to Texas A/M (typically).

It could be coccidia: Coccidia which is what I am thinking they said it was?

Or here are others:
CDC - Parasites - Alphabetical Index of Parasitic Diseases

Those things might show up on a fecal test, or a fecal PCR test: CDC - Parasites - Alphabetical Index of Parasitic Diseases

I did have a dog with giardia years ago, which has a different treatment, and she was like a garden hose. ONE drink out of a puddle! ONE! Now my dogs know they aren't allowed.

Sounds like you want more info and good for you.

[Gretchen]

That is too bad about your vet not doing a fecal test. Any other vets in the area?

I am not familiar with the condition you described. "Explosive" diarrhea is very typical in humans and dogs who have Giardia and usually treated with Metronidazole. Also when taking antibiotics it is good to take probiotics. Some antibiotic medications have a side effect of diarrhea. Putting your dog on a bland diet is very helpful for a few days, relax the GI system.

[hvtopiwala]

yeah im about to get a second opinion from another vet tomorrow....that drug they prescribed, Albon, would that treat other parasites such as giardia? i thought he had giardia too, but the vet was like since he has tested negative so many times before, then i doubt thats the cause this time... which makes ABSOLUTELY no sense to me as he has never had explosive diarrhea like this before...oh well hopefully the second vet runs a fecal. again, do you think Albon treats this type of stuff?

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Giardia

Good info on Giardia. Including treatment.

Good chart! Comparison Chart of Wormers for Dogs

[Rerun]

How old is this dog?

Could be a number of things...first thing to do is find a new vet, have a fecal sample run and check for things like giardia, coccidia, etc. If the fecal comes back clear, and he's not a young puppy (a year old plus) I would test for EPI.

[hvtopiwala]

8.5 months

[Gretchen]

Originally Posted by hvtopiwala

yeah im about to get a second opinion from another vet tomorrow....that drug they prescribed, Albon, would that treat other parasites such as giardia? i thought he had giardia too, but the vet was like since he has tested negative so many times before, then i doubt thats the cause this time... which makes ABSOLUTELY no sense to me as he has never had explosive diarrhea like this before...oh well hopefully the second vet runs a fecal. again, do you think Albon treats this type of stuff?

I am not sure. That is why a fecal is important to select a specific antibiotic for the specific pathogen. One benefit of the Metron... is that it has anti inflammatory and anti-diarrhea properties.

What sometimes happens is the vet may give you a broad spectrum antibiotic, get a fecal test, and then after the test results the medication might change and get more specific. I am not familiar with Albon.

[vukc]

Could possibly be Giardia or maybe some worms....Fecal testing for Giardia is only 50% accurate. SNAP Giardia test will give you 90% confirmation accuracy if your dog has giardia or not. http://www.idexx.com/view/xhtml/en_u...jsf?SSOTOKEN=0

Metronidazole has been found to be 60 to 70% effective against Giardia. It works in some dogs and is able to eliminate Giardia.
When treating giardia with metr. the treatment period should be 5-7 days.

Fenbendazole (Panacur ingredient) has been also found to be 90% effective against Giardia.

Albon is generally used for coccidia - When treating coccidia with Albon the treatment may need to be done for up to 21 days

I suggest talking to your vet about these options and possibly performing SNAP Giardia test in order to (hopefully) rule out Giardia.

I am not veterinarian hence please discuss with your vet any medication and treatment prior to giving any medication to your dog.