Inflammatory Bowel Disease

[rookie85]

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hi has anyone had any experience of this my 20 mth old american cocker spaniel has been at the vets on a drip for 4 days now with vomiting, bloody diarrhea, weight loss through not eating for 5 days, dehydration and depression.

my vet has tested for almost every disease including parvo,cancer etc etc

he has done x-rays to make sure there is no blockages, all he has found is excess gas in the gut and has said he suspects inflammatory bowel disease, the only way to diagnose for definate is a deep intestinal biopsy to check for inflamed cells

hee has had re-accuring bouts of colitis every 4-6 weeks since he was 4 months old and it has taken it to become life threatening for them to do any tests :rant:

has anyone ever had a dog diagnosed with this and if so what is the long term prognosis for the disease

any advice or info would be great

 

[June Jonigk]

Hi, I had a whippet called Lucy with IBD, and she was poorly for quite a while before the vets found her problem. It started when she was 18 months old. She went onto Hill's D/D food only, which helped sort her problems. She would be very ill, vomiting as well as passing bloody, jelly like motions. The problem was that they gave her a drug called metoclopramide which gave her some strange symptoms which I put down to her problems, until I realised the tablets caused that behaviour. Interestingly, the same drug also affected two of my other whippets (it's given to stop vomiting), who also had the same sort of behaviour after taking it. She would look as if she had seen something very frightening, and would leap into my arms and cling to me shaking with fear. At first I thought it was a reaction to pain. It was quite disturbing. Her sister had the same drug by injection once for vomiting. She came home from the vets and when she got out of the car she was panting and looking really scared - she came straight into the house and went straight for the kill at one of my other whippets.

Lucy also had some orange tablets called Sulphasalazine. So, once she had a course of Sulphasalazine, and we put her on the D/D diet she was much better. She had odd relapses, but mostly she was fine, until she started to be ill when she was about 5 years old.

:luck: I wish you lots of luck with your dog, it s hard to see them suffering and not being able to help them. Perhaps the Sulphasalazine might help your dog, although I do know vets don't really like to prescribe it because it can have side effects - if I remember correctly it could cause dry eye. In the end I was desperate, so opted for that treatment whatever.

Lucy died just before her 7th birthday of cholangiohepatitis, a very rare condition, but thought to have been caused by her colitis. It's thought that the bacteria travelled up through the intestines to the gall baldder, and then to her liver. It took about 18 months before she was diagnosed, as it is well known in cats, but very rare in dogs. It was first suspected after an ultrasound scan showed her gall bladder was enlarged - they then went on to do an exploratory operation, which showed her liver was a real mess. She coped with her illness for 6 months following diagnosis, and I always hoped she would make a miraculous recovery, but after 6 months it was clear she had had enough.

I'm not suggesting you dog has the same, but if they run out of ideas like they did with Lucy, it might be worth looking at. I spent hours sitting up at night putting her symptoms in to the computer and trawling the net in desperation. She too was tested for just about everything you could think of.

I wish you all the very best, and do PM me if you want any other details.

Edited to say, just checked my spelling - it's Sulfasalazine :thumbsup:

 

[rookie85]

hi and thanks for your reply

i too have spend countless hours trawling the net but it almost never tells u the long term prognosis

as i said in my post he is still on a drip and very poorly

he is refusing any food including fresh chicken which is his fav treat

we restricted his diet over a year ago to a hypoallergenic food and strictly no tip bits but with no prevail so we are going to bully the vet into trying preds(steroids) which is what i believe the drug was that u had to see if it makes a difference

my vets are good but they always tend to prepare me for the worst case scenario

at the moment we are clutching at straws as we are not sure if he will pull thro so any advice on what 2 bully the vet into trying is worth a try as it bmay save his life!!!!!

ALL MY FINGERS ARE CROSSED

and will keep updating his progress

kristy xx

 

[posh totty]

kirsty im so sorry to hear this hun , i know how much you have tried, thinking of you at this uncertain time :huggles:

 

[WIGGY]

kirsty im so sorry to hear this hun , i know how much you have tried, thinking of you at this uncertain time  :huggles:

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was your dog tested for parvo early on in illness as they can shed the virus , get a negative result and still be very poorly. i have had 2 with this virus and 1 started to improve after being on drip for 5 days the other didnt improve until 8 days but fingers crossed for you.

 

[rookie85]

thanks hun

the live yoghert had no effect and we were not expecting him to get this bad

we took him in on fri got usual drugs

he had temp of 106 and severly dehydrated by sat morn so rushed him in and has been there ever since

will talk 2 u at club 2morro

kristy xx

 

[rookie85]

hi wiggy

he is negative for parvo they tested on friday as i have 21 other dogs so needed to be sure it wasnt for obvious reasons his feces does not have the dreaded smell and all other dogs are fine

he is showing all normal signs of colitis which he gets evey month they are just 4x worse this time

kristy xx

 

[whippetsrus]

Whilst he is this poorly I would imagine that your vets will be reluctant to try anything as he will need to be stable. The only way to determine properly how bad his gut is will be to do a biopsy. Maybe that is the route to take it will allow them to see just what the lining of his gut is like and from what they see determine the most effective treatment.

However well the disease is managed there will always be flare ups of varying severity.

I have quite a bit of experience of IBD in humans. If I can be of any help PM me.

 

[rookie85]

Whilst he is this poorly I would imagine that your vets will be reluctant to try anything as he will need to be stable.  The only way to determine properly how bad his gut is will be to do a biopsy.  Maybe that is the route to take it will allow them to see just what the lining of his gut is like and from what they see determine the most effective treatment.
However well the disease is managed there will always be flare ups of varying severity.

I have quite a bit of experience of IBD in humans.  If I can be of any help PM me.

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hi and thanks for ur reply

at the moment the vet dosent want to do a bi-opsy as that in itself could compremise his recovery, it will be done but not untill he is recovered from this bout and in the best health he can be

but i do agree it needs to be done however at the moment it is uncertain if he can physically eat and retain the food so getting him well at the moment is our main goal

the vet is almost certain the damage to his gut is manageable but getting the right cocktail is crucial

kristy xx

 

[June Jonigk]

Hi Kirsty, Lucy did go on to Prednisolone when she started her illness with cholangiohepatits, and she also had a temperature of 106 degrees. She picked up almost immediately whilst on them, but she needed stronger and stronger doses, and I knew they were just masking the real illness. Strangely once she was diagnosed, Prednisolone was contraindicated for her condition, but it obviously calmed down the inflammationin her gall baldder and liver, and she was very poorly without it. She had a test called a serum protein electrophoresis test - which showed she had severe inflammation somewhere in her system. It might be worth you mentioning cholangiohepatitis to your vet, just as a possibility. It wasn't something they looked for with Lucy, nor something I came across on the net, but only diagnosed because they cut her open as a last resort, to explore her organs. I will add that if we had found the condition sooner, she could well have lived.

Please keep us updated - I am thinking of you both :huggles:

Edited to say I've just remembered that Metronidazole (quite a strong antibiotic) was the drug of choice for cholangiohepatitis, but also not something vets use routinely because of side effects.

 

[rookie85]

thak you have got to phone the vet at 4-30 so will mention it

he still has not eaten however he is off the drip at the moment but they are expecting him to have to go back on itas he still not drinking his temp has gone down today which ni suppose is something, he is on anti- nausia drus and anitbiotic but relatively no change

not expecting him to come home just yet

thanks for your help

and will post any updates

kristy xx

 

[WIGGY]

hi wiggy
he is negative for parvo they tested on friday as i have 21 other dogs so needed to be sure it wasnt for obvious reasons his feces does not have the dreaded smell and all other dogs are fine

he is showing all normal signs of colitis which he gets evey month they are just 4x worse this time

kristy  xx

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yes once you smell parvo you never forget that rancid smell do you. hope he feels better very soon xx

 

[rookie85]

[SIZE=21pt] good news [/SIZE]

drew is coming home tomorro

i spoke to the vet and he is sending him home with a cocktail of drugs and special food to try

went down there tonight to make a decision on his future as untill 2day in my opinion he was suffering so far b4 tonight he had no eaten or drank anything and has been very depressed they thought he would have to go back on the drip

however contry to what they were saying when i went in tonight he greeted me at the gate and was happy to see me he had a cuddle and went to his food bowl and polished off the whole lot and i held his water bowl out and he drank half a bowl of water them proceeded to act like a parrot and sit on my sholder, i took his toys in yesterday and we played tug of war with it so i have told the vet i want to nurse him at home as he will be happier and more inclined to eat or drink

he made my decision for me he wasnt ready to give up

thank you everyone who posted and PM'd me your info has been invaluable

 

[whippetsrus]

I am so pleased. Sometimes our whippies just don't act well when they have to be left at the vets.

I remember a few years ago having to leave Beau at the vets for a couple of days. He lay there miserable until he heard my car arrive in the carpark then went absolutely ape. I can assure you, he was a very poorly little boy. Never give up on our sole mates they are often stronger than we give them credit for.

Take it easy with him over the next few weeks and be really strict with his diet. Just don't try and run before you can walk.

Fingers are crossed and if I can be of any help PM me. :luck:

 

[Kirawan]

Good luck with Drew,

I too, have a whippet with IBD - some can be 'managed' with dietary help and supplements... some have to have harder drugs like steroids.

There is a group/list, who consist solely of owners of dogs with IBD and their knowledge and 'hands on' advice is very very wide, and helpful.

I hope you will join and get immediate help for Drew from a wonderful group of people.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/IBDogs/

Best of luck, my boy is managing on supplements and dietary care, I have worked out which particular foods set him off on the diarrhoea run and try to avoid them. Not always successful and I am permanently cleaning carpets, but so far he has only refused food a couple of times.

It could be, that Drew has IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) rather than IBD - but you will learn everything you need from the above group.

[SIZE=21pt] good news [/SIZE]
drew is coming home tomorro

i spoke to the vet and he is sending him home with a cocktail of drugs and special food to try

went down there tonight to make a decision on his future as untill 2day in my opinion he was suffering so far b4 tonight he had no eaten or drank anything and has been very depressed they thought he would have to go back on the drip

however contry to what they were saying when i went in tonight he greeted me at the gate and was happy to see me he had a cuddle and went to his food bowl and polished off the whole lot and i held his water bowl out and he drank half a bowl of water them proceeded to act like a parrot and sit on my sholder, i took his toys in yesterday and we played tug of war with it so i have told the vet i want to nurse him at home as he will be happier and more inclined to eat or drink

he made my decision for me he wasnt ready to give up

thank you everyone who posted and PM'd me your info has been invaluable

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[rookie85]

thnk you to evryone who wished him/myself luck

he is alot happier now he is home , he has a cocktail of tabets to take and is on walthams intestinal food, they tried to take him off the tablets 2 days ago but he took a step backwards and had to have them again, we will see if that works if he is ok on this combination the vet wants to try and slowly wean him off the tablets and see if we can totally dismiss them and control it with diet

thank you for all those who replied

drew is doing well at the moment :luck: fingers crossed he will continue to get better and stronger

:cheers: kristy and drew xx