Hello, and thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions anyone might have. Since this is my first post, let me provide a brief introduction. My boyfriend and I, after over a year of research, purchased an 8 week old german shepherd puppy from a very reputable breeder. Everything was fine for the first 2 weeks.
Then the diarrhea started. I work at a vet hospital and consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about the typical stuff. We took him in to the vet the first day of diarrhea. Negative parvo test, normal bw, but a high fever. He was given fluids, injectable antibiotics, and sent home. His fever went away that night, and has not been an issue since.
The diarrhea, on the other hand, has not gone away. He's now been on metronidazole almost consistently for 2 months. It is the only thing that seems to provide any relief. After switching to a chicken diet, which he wouldn't eat, we put him on EN, and he's been eating that for over a month. It doesn't help at all. As long as he's on the metronidazole, his stool is mostly normal. As soon as we stop though, it comes back within a day.
We've done 3 fecals, a fecal culture, several giardia tests, and more bloodwork. Everything is coming out normal. He's right about 40 pounds, his coat looks great, and his activity level is off the chart. Apart from the diarrhea, there doesn't seem to be any other problems.
We have an appointment with an internist for a consult on Tuesday. We'll possibly do an ultrasound and/or a scope, if he recommends it.
We have spent thousands of dollars on this dog, first in his purchase price, and now in all of his vet bills. We have no issue spending the money, but we desperately want to get him healthy.
Does anyone have any suggestions for other things we can try? Thanks so much, and please let me know if there's any additional information that would be helpful!
Then the diarrhea started. I work at a vet hospital and consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about the typical stuff. We took him in to the vet the first day of diarrhea. Negative parvo test, normal bw, but a high fever. He was given fluids, injectable antibiotics, and sent home. His fever went away that night, and has not been an issue since.
The diarrhea, on the other hand, has not gone away. He's now been on metronidazole almost consistently for 2 months. It is the only thing that seems to provide any relief. After switching to a chicken diet, which he wouldn't eat, we put him on EN, and he's been eating that for over a month. It doesn't help at all. As long as he's on the metronidazole, his stool is mostly normal. As soon as we stop though, it comes back within a day.
We've done 3 fecals, a fecal culture, several giardia tests, and more bloodwork. Everything is coming out normal. He's right about 40 pounds, his coat looks great, and his activity level is off the chart. Apart from the diarrhea, there doesn't seem to be any other problems.
We have an appointment with an internist for a consult on Tuesday. We'll possibly do an ultrasound and/or a scope, if he recommends it.
We have spent thousands of dollars on this dog, first in his purchase price, and now in all of his vet bills. We have no issue spending the money, but we desperately want to get him healthy.
Does anyone have any suggestions for other things we can try? Thanks so much, and please let me know if there's any additional information that would be helpful!
