Dog illness/gastro issues question??

[4-H chicken mom]

Sometime when dogs eat everything under the sun outside, as do mine, there tummies get quite upset. When this happens and they get diarrhea. I will give them some yogurt. Just like humans, it helps get the good bacteria going again. Then I will do the same as SillyChicken.

I hope that is all that is wrong with your pup.

 

[Slinkytoys]

When you don't have a definitive diagnoses you treat the symptoms. For the diarrhea give one Immodium per 40 lbs. Can do this twice a day. Electrolytes would be a good thing, you can use the pedialyte or gatorade, however Stress-Dex or an animal form is preferred. Resting the stomach will help as will some Pepto Bismol liquid. I would run a fecal up to your vet, doesn't cost much at all. Ask them to check for worms as well as protozoan parasites. Whenever you worm or flea dip your pets, remember that you are poisoning them. As a rule of thumb, do NOT worm, vaccinate and flea/tick treat at the same time.
I have a pet boarding facility, all this info is from past experience and vet advice. Hope it helps you.
Slinky
P.S. Take the temperature, normal range 100-101 When you get into the 104 it's call the vet!!

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Well she has been confined all afternoon so she can't access her food at will. I have given her a small dose of wormer and some white rice. I have let her out several times to potty, and she seems to be doing some better as of this afternoon. I'll keep ya'll updated! Thanks for all the advice!!!

 

[bumpershoot]

Quote:
Gosh, lets go from "My dog has the trots" to "You are now officially too poor to be allowed a dog." SHEESH. Everyone goes through times when cash is tight. EVERYONE. I have owned,worked and showed dogs, specifically pits, for 15 plus years. There have been 2 times in my life when a trip to the vet ONLY happened if it was life and death and mine have made it into their teens to eat yet more chicken poop. Diarrhea is not necessarily a vet trip. It's also not the death warrant that seems to be tolling here. Sure, it COULD BE any number of things or it could be just an upset GI tract. Heck, I could probably open my Merk vet manual and find stuff scarier than PARVO. And for the record, how does one poop at all with a blockage? You don't. You vomit, cuz if it ain't going out one way it's going out the other, so quit it with the blockage thing. Lets use some common sense here. The dog is stable: its eating, drinking and pooping all without a fever. I think that it is reasonable advice to withhold food for 24 hours. Personally, I'd give the electrolytes, but that's me. After that, use your eyes! Is the dog better, worse or same? Fever or no? Roached back, or no? Drinking and hydrated, or no? Pooping every five min and it's getting worse, or no? This dogs stools aren't bloody or slimy according to the owner and she doesn't have a fever. I don't think we need to sound 8 bells quite yet.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
Gosh, lets go from "My dog has the trots" to "You are now officially too poor to be allowed a dog." SHEESH. Everyone goes through times when cash is tight. EVERYONE. I have owned,worked and showed dogs, specifically pits, for 15 plus years. There have been 2 times in my life when a trip to the vet ONLY happened if it was life and death and mine have made it into their teens to eat yet more chicken poop. Diarrhea is not necessarily a vet trip. It's also not the death warrant that seems to be tolling here. Sure, it COULD BE any number of things or it could be just an upset GI tract. Heck, I could probably open my Merk vet manual and find stuff scarier than PARVO. And for the record, how does one poop at all with a blockage? You don't. You vomit, cuz if it ain't going out one way it's going out the other, so quit it with the blockage thing. Lets use some common sense here. The dog is stable: its eating, drinking and pooping all without a fever. I think that it is reasonable advice to withhold food for 24 hours. Personally, I'd give the electrolytes, but that's me. After that, use your eyes! Is the dog better, worse or same? Fever or no? Roached back, or no? Drinking and hydrated, or no? Pooping every five min and it's getting worse, or no? This dogs stools aren't bloody or slimy according to the owner and she doesn't have a fever. I don't think we need to sound 8 bells quite yet.

That was hard to read..lol! She isn't dying...dying dogs don't want to play ball. She will be fine. If all the dogs whose owners couldn't afford a vet gave their dogs up right now...I'd hate to have to do a body count.

She did eat today, but very little because I withheld it from her. Her bowels aren't AS loose as they were yesterday. I noticed when I let her out into the fenced yard this afternoon. I think it may be the dog food. Maybe it's producing too much gas? Gas is painful, and could be the pain problem. The rice seemed to make her feel better and she was wagging her tail really hard..not like yesterday when she just wagged the tip of her tail when I called her back in and petted her. She's still feeling a little sickly because she crawled her big 60 pound carcass up in my lap, but better than she was for sure. She has been more playful this afternoon.

I'm not the type of person to jump to the worst case scenario on my animals health. I DO very much appreciate all the advice and options, the caring comments, and the cautious comments as well. Jumping in and saying someone shouldn't have a dog because their opinion on how to care for them is different than what you would personally do is just overly judgemental and not a welcomed comment. I can "properly" care for my dog and myself with OR without money. Everything doesn't have a pricetag. My dog going to another home or whatever would not soothe any of her issues, but would only make them worse, because it would stress her too much. Actually, EVEN a vet trip upsets her, so she may be better off not going anyway. So I would have to get her well before rehoming her anyway.


ETA:SillyChicken...I DO appreciate your other advice. I actually am considering some and using some of it. Thank you.

The getting rid of her is just not an option...she was my responsibility when I got her as a pup, and remains my responsibility until she dies...hopefully at a ripe old age. If I thought this were truly that serious, I'd go to the vet with her and work something out.

 

[Skyesrocket]

I would get some probios into her and some electrolytes. Tractor Supply sells a jar of powdered probios for about $9. You can use if on most animals so it's something handy to have around. Yogurt works too to replace the good bacteria, but I think the probios do it faster.
I'm glad she is feeling better. When I see an animal that has lost weight in a short amount of time and is acting and looking punky the first thing I usually think of is tapeworms. It's common, especially with flea infestations, and most wormers don't kill tapes and they don't show up in fecal exams. Check her tail area and bedding for what looks like dry pieces of rice to check for tapes.
Good Luck! I hope she is better soon!

 

[SillyChicken]

Hey sorry Cindiloohoo, I meant no offence, I get overly passonate sometimes.

I'm in no way trying to be mean, I tried to offer the best advise I have to help you out first.

I truely hope the problem is just a GI upset.

bumpershoot, they can still have diarreha with a blockage, and if the dogs not eating, they're not going to vomit. A blockage can actually move around depending on where/what it is. Blocking and unblocking it'self if in the stomach.. and sometimes it could be a partial blockage. I've had personal experience with this so please cut me some slack!

PS, to add weight on a dog - try "Satin Balls"
http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition/Satinballs/satinballs.html

 

[bumpershoot]

Quote:
Silly Chicken, it is obvious that you care very much for your dogs and devote any resource they should need to them, which is admirable. I just found the suggestion that one should relinquish a pet a bit harsh, especially as most shelters kill a pit right out the gate rather than "risk" adopting them out.

Young dogs get into all kinds of things and, heaven knows, their little antics can be expensive and weird. You seem to be a kind person and we all would like to see this pup get better. Still, if this were a blockage of the stomach, as you describe, the dog would be much sicker than it is being presented as. This dog is eating, not running a fever and the stools are only runny. Not bloody. Not mucosy. There is just not enough distress for such and extreme diagnosis.

Moving on, Silly Chicken, I would recommend to you the "Whole Dog Journal". I think you would enjoy it if you are not currently a subscriber.

I will be off until tomorrow, so I hope that all of you have a lovely day and that this young dog returns to her busy self.

 

[tdgill]

I missed the part that said this dog doesnt have a fever...

anybody?

 

[Cindiloohoo]

SillyChicken

Thanks again for the advice! I appreciate your passsionate response!!
tdgill no fever

UPDATE: She is on the mend folks! Apparently her tummy did need a rest. She had a cup of rice yesterday and nothing else. She seems to be a good bit better today. She's aggravating me to go out to play and everything. She hasn't shook any, nor has she held her tail down between her legs. She seems almost as if nothing ever happened. I can tell her belly may be a little sore, but when she went out this morning the diarrhea is gone. She's chased the roo down for a good morning kiss/slurp...I think she has a crush on him

Thanks again for all the help everyone!! Now I just need to figure the cause, and keep her away from whatever it is..lol!