Sick Dog - Advice Please.

[DopMan]

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Our 11 year old Lab became sick between Xmas and New Year. After nearly 3 weeks on tablets for gastritis he wasn't much better.
Tests then showed that the retained testicle he had (I know this should have been sorted out when he was younger, but we only took ownership of him 4 years ago) had become a tumour and was blocking his digestive system.
He had the operation just over a fortnight ago and was doing well. Then he got a slight cough. In hindsight I think I should have seen how that panned out, but I rushed him back to the vet, who wasn't our normal one. He swapped the meds our dog was on from Zitac (aka cimetidine/tagamet) and Tramadol (which he was getting waned off) and put him on Steroids and Antibiotics.

Next day our dog was violently ill. I thought he was dying tbh. Back to the vets (another one) and he was put back on just Zitac along with some Pro-Kolin paste, together with a bland diet.

Since then, good days and bad days. Yesterday he threw up a couple of times, just yellow bile. This morning he threw up some clear liquid after drinking water (he's drinking huge amounts). He hiccups sometimes and his breathe has an acid smell, so he's obviously having some kind of acid reflux problem. His stool are very loose.

I don't want to keep taking him back to the vets. He's traumatised. I could barely get him out of the car last visit.
So I need advice how to proceed.
He's gone from 35kg (He's a big Lab) to 29kg, and I'm feeding it difficult to finding the balance of getting him to eat enough so he has energy and doesn't waste away, but not too much so he's instantly sick.

At the moment he's on chicken and rice mixed with dog food the vet suggested called Specific Digestive Support, but he's mainly just picking out the chicken.

It's been 5 weeks since he first became ill, and with the set backs it's becoming very stressful. I'm not sure if he will ever get back to normal, but I would like advice on how to manage his condition and give him a decent quality of life.

 

[JoanneF]

I think I'd be keeping him on the bland diet, but since his condition is well known to the vet, and visits traumatise him, I'd just give them a call - I'm sure they would advise without having to see him, given the circumstances.

 

[Finsky]

Since he is bringing up bile and if there is no food in it.....it could be that his digestive system is dealing with the food quite quickly now. How many meals do you feed him? Maybe splitting the meals into smaller lots would ensure there is something in his tummy as empty one can make him retch and bring the bile up.
Mine had pancreatitis and as we had to be careful with her feeding, we started ours with Royal Canin Low fat 'gastro' food and as she was picking up I started to add some raw, cooked or partially cooked meaty bits, fibre and digestive enzymes.
The 'gastro' food is high with carbs so we didn't add anymore rice on the plate...just some lean meat bits/mince that are chopped into very small bits... the size of the meat pieces on its own will help with the digestion.
It is slow progress change and to find out what their tummies will accept after being ill. Although we have to always be careful now what she is eating, her system seems to be contempt with 'gastro food' & raw mix with the added supplements. But it has taken us now 6 weeks to get into 'settled' stage and to able to give her the kind of foods that have bit more 'umf' to keep young and active dog going without loosing more weight or putting it unnecessarily on AND so that her digestive system is coping with it AND that the same food is ok with our youngest one too..
For example, this morning on the plate 1/3 tin of 'gastro food', similar quantity of raw mince, measure of 'pro-fibre' pellets, 3 table spoons of thawed and warmed in hot water but otherwise raw chicken hearts and one raw chopped chicken wing all well mixed together to slow the 'picking out the best bits' progress and sprinkling of digestive enzymes.
That is now fairly typical meal between two small dogs.
When I first started 'enriching' the food after the pancreatis, I would add just a spoonful of mince to the vetenary food...and as her tummy was ok with it...I carried on like that with 3-4 small meals per day and eventually increasing the meat content. Now she won't eat that many meals but is ok with just 2.