Ryan,
Yeah dont feel bad, you’re doing the best you can, at least you have taken him to see a vet & now he has some meds & low fat vet food, to make him more comforable, I wish you live here Australia, i’d give you a Hills Voucher for 12 x I/d Low fat loaf cans & the medications to trial & see if he improves, I wonder if you’d ask the rescue group you got him from if they can help or know of a group that can help pay another vet bill or help pay for the medications?? Don’t feel bad ever asking for help, some people love to help. I know I do, I’m feeding a Rottweiler up the rd now, he has alcoholic owners & he loves his owners, so I donate food for him…
Honestly I would be looking into giving him some type of ant acid medication or Pump Proton Inhibitor, Omeprazole to see if this helps & stops the licking & swollowing problem, start with an ant acid medication, as this helps kill the Helicobacter as well + the Metronidazole kills the Helicobactor & reduces the acid coming up into the throat, the Omeprazole blocks the stomach acids being made & this is where the Helicocator lives deep in stomach walls…
My vet told me, she would of known if Patch had any Neurological disorders by now, I think you would have known aswell, you could be wasting money on un necassary tests thats not needed, we have 9-10 yr “old” dogs, as we age we make less Hydrochloric acid so less good stomach bacteria & the bad bacteria starts to take over…..
Google “Hypochlorhydria” lack of stomach acid & “Hyperchlohydria” excessive acid production….
You could asked your vet can she treat him as if he does have the Helicobacter & give you the triple therapy meds or get script so you can get out from chemist if cheaper…& this way you’ll have a better idea whats wrong so will your vet…
All the Endoscope & Biopsies does is tells you 100% yes the dog does have ??? I wasted $1,100 in January, I sorta knew what was wrong with Patch but I also thought he had stomach cancer & I think my vet also thought the same, when patch was having his Endoscope the vet checked his teeth & found Patch had Gingivitis back teeth from the acid coming up into his mouth, thats why it come to $1,100 Patch had to get his teeth cleaned $200 while he was under from having the Endoscope..
They’re expensive to keep, I dont even have my teeth cleaned..
Triple Therapy meds are a 3 week course of 200mg Metronidazole & 250mg Amoxcillin taken every 12 hours with a meal & 20mg Omeprazole given once in the morning, or you can do 10mg Omeprazole twice a day with the other meds, I wonder if he’d only need 10mg Omeprazole dose once day instead of the 20mg the vet would know…
Then once the triple therepy meds are finish, “you must continue him on the Omerpazole” 1 every morning cause the Helocobacter comes back again & again so now we leave Patch on the PPI, also research has proven the Helicobacter can’t grow or live in stomach when you’re taking a PPI, cause your boy is smaller….
With the Sufcarafate tablet you can break the big tablet in 1/2, add 10ml warm water & swirl around to dissolves the Carafate tablet & give to him with in a syringe in side of his mouth 15-20mins before he eats, this way the tablet isnt just sitting in his stomach, don’t give if he has any food in his stomach as the Carafate lines the food instead of lining his stomach…
Now I give Patch 1/2 a “Quick Eze Chew” Forest Berry flavor chew every afternoon 3pm now & Patch is doing really well at the moment touch wood, he has even gained weight & is nilly 19kgs he has never been this weight, as soon as he gets to a good weight he loses it…
I changed Patches diet & changed his Omeprazole this year April & begged the vet can I please try the Pantoprazole 20mg instead as you can NOT just stop taking a PPI (Omeprazole) once you have been taking a PPI for more then 14-21 days, you get alot of pain across & in your stomach cause all your stomach acid return all at once, making way too much acid until your body regulates back to normal again, this might of happened with your stomach…. Drs dont explain about PPI’s unless you ask about side effects, but they do help when you have bad acid reflux….
My vet made me go to see my Dr & test to see if I also have Helicobacter when Patch was first diagnosed with the Helicobacter & we can have a Blood test now but I dont know if a dog can also have the same blood test, cause I take Somac twice a day I didnt get Patches Helicobacter cause the Helicobacter lives in the stomach walls in the stomach acids… so you need to reduce these somach acids..
I’ve done alot of research & they have found “Pepto Bismol” kills helicobacter pylori, but you still need to take the triple therapy meds first & give the liquid Pepto Bismol aftwards,
I hope he feels better soon & the Sucarafate helps line his stomach & reduces the acid, you’ll soon know but he may need something stronger then carafate….Time will tell, I hope it was just his wet food he was eating & he’ll be OK now he’s eating a lower fat food & has the Carafate to line his stomach..
