[Susan]

My boy is having a Ultra Scan 10am Wednesday, why would the vet say no food from 8pm the night before…

[Melissaandcrew]

What part of the body is being ultrasounded?

[theBCnut]

Sounds like they are planning on anesthetizing him.

[USA]

Hi sue66b,

An ultrasound of the abdomen usually does not require sedation. If they are planning on taking a biopsy they may want to sedate your dog.

The reason why eating is usually not recommended before an abdominal ultrasound is because when you or your dog eats, air is introduced into the abdomen and ultrasound waves do not penetrate air. They will get a clearer picture of your dogs abdomen if he doesn’t eat before the procedure.

Good Luck and I hope everything turns out OK!!!

[Susan]

Thank-You everyone for responding, I just dont know how Patch is going to go without his toast at 6.30am, He wakes up at 5.50am on the dot, I give him his Zantac then I go back to bed then he just waits for me to get up. Cause he has bad stomach acid the toast must settle his tummy, Ive realised his kibble is making it worst but vet wont listen to me, with dry toast & tin food he seems so much better, but vet just wants him on kibble diet thats not working. If he had just 1 piece of toast at 6.30am I think it will all be gone by 10am, cause when he has vomited 2 hours after eating the toast is always gone but the kibble hasnt its all in his spew…I might ring the vets & ask them is he getting anesthetized he is a bugger & doesnt keep still, then I wont give 1 piece of toast..

[Dori]

Have you ever tried changing the food he’s eating? Maybe too much fat, or protein or intolerance to what he’s eating. If your feeding kibble with grains that would possibly upset him. It has many other dogs. Do you add digestive enzymes to his food? Any supplements. If you’re not feeling right about what your dog is eating but the vet won’t listen to you then possibly it’s time to get another vets opinion and find a vet that is more open to your concerns. Not all (thank goodness) vets think that dogs must be on a kibble diet, as a matter of fact, they shouldn’t. You also might try finding a vet that also practices holistic medicine too.

[Dori]

Just wanted to add that vets are knowledgeable in medicine not nutrition. From what I’ve learned in the last couple of years here on Dog Food Advisor and other sites is that the dog owners who strictly follow their vets nutritional advice are usually the dogs with the most digestive, itching, gas and vomiting problems. Just a thought.

[Susan]

Patch has IBD & cant have much fiber, Eukanuba Intestinal is the only kibble that is 1.70% fiber & 10% fat, Protein 23%.. I live Australia & cant get alot of the brands everyone talks about on this site..I can get the Instinct Natures Variety LID Rabbit but the real big bag only. Amazon have put me on a list if they get the smaller size bags..But its so hard finding anything thats low fiber & low protein & fat, Thats why the vet just keeps Patch on the kibble but I think the kibble irritates his tummy, & the tin food Intestinal is all byproducts of fish & chicken & after its been in fridge u see all the white fat settled on the top.. discusting.I say no when she says give the Intestinal wet…After he eats his kibble he gets pain after drinking water. I said to the vet the kibble must be expanding giving him pain cause after his toast & tin food he drinks water & is fine.. If I give him too much tin food his poos are very soft & I stop & go back to just a quarter tin food plus he starts to get itchy on this Kangaroo tin food he’s eating at the moment.. I mite look up some good wet foods..

[Dori]

How much food does he get in a day and how many meals do you give him a day? Maybe if you divide his food into more smaller meals throughout the day it might help. Also I’ve read that you should add water to his kibble so that the expansion in the food is before he eats it, not in his stomach so much. Does he eat very fast? I mean does he gulp his food down without bothering to chew because if that is also a problem you can get one of those bowls that is meant to slow the eating process down. He may be eating too much too quickly.

[Dori]

Have you gone on the search section of this site (upper left hand corner) and entered low fat low protein low carb foods? I just did it and it comes up with a list of foods. Just a thought. I’m hoping that Patty Vaughn, HDM and/or Shawna sees your post and chimes in or you can start another forum requesting help with food for a dog with bid. They are really really good on all nutrition, supplements, etc. They are my go to gals. Fabulous wealth of information.

[Susan]

He eats 2 & half cups of kibble a day & only half of one of those small alfoil little tin wet foods & just 2 pieces of his toast with little bit honey finely spread, Ive just started the toast again I know bread is bad but it seems to agree with him.. he has the toast about 6.45am then walkies then sleep at 9am..Oh his Probiotic at 8am. I was giving him his half a cup kibble at 9am but have stop cause of pain & whinning so Ive just started the half small tin again then about 15mins later I only give quarter cup of kibble very slowly, I hand feed the kibble, I throw 1 kibble at a time in his bowl & he knows to chew every kibble, he use to gulp & no chew when I first got him, then at 12pm half a cup kibble & walkies then sleep at 4pm just under 1 cup of his kibble then walkies he gets all his wind out on his walks then at 6pm his Zantac & at 6.35pm the other half of his kibble then wees wees then bed, since being on the Zantac a third of a tablet he’s been having better sleeps not getting up thru the night swollowing & licking & going from room to room but some nites he’s so restless & wants me to rub under his right rib cage thats why on Wednesday they’re doing a Ultra scan to see his Pancreas liver bowel etc.. I’d love to not feed this kibble but worried the tins will give direhhea he can eat rice that goes thru him..Patch has 2 vets one vet is a dog stomach & bowel surgeon vet the other vet is just a vet but when she’s not in he see Johnathon the stomach & bowel vet another nut that believes in kibble nothing else…I know now why he was left at the pound & owners never came for him Id say he was ill…hes only 5 yrs old..

[ExplEngineer]

I would have to disagree with the statement that an abdominal ultrasound does not require an anesthetic. This may be true, but it is truly dependent upon the individual dog, and how he/she reacts to tests, behaves when receiving Vet care, etc. If forgoing a piece of toast for a morning will provide you with both the flexibility, and the ability to have more accurate tests run and to secure a more fact-based diagnosis, well, he will be okay without that piece of toast. My dogs are family, and I would never do anything to harm them, or to even make them even less than happy, but I would not jeopardize the success of a procedure for such a minimal sacrifice. Additionally, there are times when the results of one procedure or test requires a follow-on with a different, more specific diagnostic test or procedure, e.g. an MRI or PET Scan, this contingency can be addressed immediately if the dog is properly prepped for the administration of an anesthetic which is generally required for these procedures despite the fact that they are far less invasive than a biopsy or other invasive procedure. At a point along the way, the dog will become acclimated to the process of diagnostic procedures and the level of stressor imposed will be mitigated if the sequence of procedures can be addressed in a single visit or event, and thusly a sacrifice of normalcy such as his piece of toast may only be required on a single day. It is difficult to fully address all of the issues concerning these requirements, but generally, if you trust your Veterinarian (and if you don’t, find another one for everyone’s sake), I would suggest that you comply with this relatively simple, and minimally disruptive pre-testing regime. In the end, if you are like I am, you will want to achieve the best possible outcome within the context of both diagnostics and treatments and it appears that withholding this small amount of food for a minimal amount of time, even if it is disruptive of a daily routine will result in a positive “risk-reward” ratio.

[Dori]

ExplEngineer
Very well said.

[Dori]

Sue66b
Hi Sue. Just wondering how Patch made out with his ultrasound procedure. Hoping all is well.

[Susan]

Patch never had the Ultra Scan he has been doing well on the Zantac & the pain under his right rib cage has gone again, I want the test done when he is real ill again not when he’s better like the blood test I had done for Pancreas, I had them when he was better, they came back all clear, should of been done when he’s was unwell..I dont want another false reading for the vets as its confusing them.. The vets where I go are very very busy, by the time u book something Patch seems to get better then he’s ill again.. I really think he has either a ulcer & a Ultra scan cannot pick this up or he’s suffering from Acid refux. He’s always burping.. I heard the vets talking about GERDS… Something I suffer from the acid comes & goes u have good days then u have bad days..

[ExplEngineer]

If you will permit me, perhaps I can offer a suggestion that might aid in achieving a proper diagnosis of that which is afflicting “Patch”. I do not know where you are located at geographically, nor as to your proximity to advanced Veterinary care, but if “The vets where I go are very very busy, by the time u book something Patch seems to get better then he’s ill again..” however, I would suggest that you will receive greater opportunities for appropriate diagnosis if you would, rather than continuing to cope with the cycle of appointment delays and intermittent suffering, ask for a referral to a regional veterinary specialty clinic, or to a clinic that is co-located with a College of Veterinary Medicine. Despite the fact that Patch appears to go into remission spontaneously, there is a great probability that there is the issue of cumulative tissue damage or destruction, resulting in increasing severity of symptoms, and perhaps even complications that are difficult to treat or even beyond remediation by other than extreme treatment modalities that in and of themselves can result in complications of their own. In reviewing the symptomology that you report, it is unclear as to whether the underlying cause is digestive in its etiology, or as a result of endocrine system dysfunction, each of which would have differing modalities of treatment, and for the most part require differing diagnostic testing to achieve a proper diagnosis, which is always the predicate for developing a treatment plan that is suitable for both the disorder in general, and the individual needs of the patient. In the instances of illness and dysfunction that you describe, the varied causes may require a series of different diagnostic procedures to isolate and identify the cause of the distress, e.g. an Ultrasound, or an MRI, or perhaps a PET scan. Depending upon the findings, there may be the need for either a needle biopsy, or other marginally invasive procedure to secure tissue samples for examination by a pathologist. I know that this may seem extraordinarily complex, but by entering into a unified diagnostic protocol you may be able to avoid repetitive testing as well as subjecting Patch to the stressors relating to multiple clinic visit and perhaps exposure to a number of differing Veterinarians who may, or may not have a means of communication and consultation, repetitive procedures and delays in securing relief for the underlying condition.

I apologize if this appears to be a statement of the obvious, but I cannot help but conclude that your current system of assessment and diagnosis has not yielded the results that you would have expected, nor any conclusions as to the underlying disease process, which will create stressors upon you as his caregiver, as well as considerable redundant and unnecessary expense, thus depriving you of access to funding that may be required to secure the treatment that is necessary to secure a positive outcome.

[Author]

Posts