[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia
Yes I know what you had to do for your Hannah in your previous messages I could tell all the work that went into her so I know that all your info and advice is well received at my end because you have ( been there and done that) and now I have his new prescription food for the next 6 weeks, I will just take 1 day at a time and see how it all is by the end of the trial, fingers crossed that this is all we need and nothing further in the way of meds/steroids etc. Yes I will keep u up to date on C J’s progress, thanks again.

[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia A
Thank you for your kind supportive words, I needed that because I am not getting much support from anyone else near me at the moment and that has left me wondering….what have I done ?? Yes when dogs get sick it puts pressure and emotional strain on the owner/s, I have actually let my own health slip by the wayside for many months now as I am focused on C J only at this moment, I have missed my twice yearly injections and never even filled out my script for my meds yet, I know they are needing to be done, but C J is top priority for the time being. Thank you for the links for me to catch up on some reading in regards to the IBD, I saw my vet yesterday and she gave me 2 lots of tablets for C J and it’s 3 weeks worth plus she had a bag of the Hill’s Prescription Diet Z/D in the dry and tinned food for him, so hopefully we are on the right track with this, so $360 later I walk out of the vets armed with the tools I need to make my C J well again and start gaining weight, he is a big boy and is about 8 to 10 kilo’s under weight because of all this vomiting and diarrhea, I have cut back slightly on our walks just until his tummy starts to settle as I see it’s no good in regular walks for an under weight dog, otherwise he’s going to lose more weight with having too much exercise, he is always hungry which is good, but his tummy just couldn’t handle all that food and walking also increase’s his appetite, but he doesn’t need any help their lol, so he just has a gallop around the backyard, which is sufficient for now. I was hoping not to have to keep buying the dry or tin food for him as I prefer to cook for him myself, but the vet sort of said, it’s probably not a good idea as it will be more trial and error further down the track because she said we still don’t know for sure which protein is upsetting his tummy, so I will give it until xmas, get him sorted on this new food and see the vet about trying single proteins after xmas as a way of finally getting an answer, but I’m still thinking about that and not sure I will bother with going down that road now or ever.

[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia A
Yes C J has the lymphoplasmacytic gastritis and heliobacter as stated on his biopsy results, my vet is starting him on a 3 week course of medications and then we are doing a second food trial of the Hill’s Science Diet Z/D for sensitive tummy etc, then I touch base with the vet again after about 6 weeks to see if he needs to start the steroids which the vet mentioned to me during our phone call. C J’s biopsy results also came back showing he has a thickening of his intestines and that’s why they are saying IBD, but to do another food trial with the Z/D food then I feel they are still guessing, but then I have read on the internet that diagnosing true IBD is kind of trial and error until the dog shows signs of getting better with different foods and what a pain this is going to be, I also read that some dogs do well on raw food diets for IBD, but my boy has been on the raw food since he was a puppy and its not been helping him, also yogurt was not helping as I was reading that it does help, but it looks like my boy is an exception to the rule, but I know he wouldn’t be the only one, so that’s why I am slightly confused after reading these things on the internet, I sat back and thought…ok C J is already on this so why is he still sick and then I got to thinking, if we get his heliobacter sorted first, then maybe he won’t be so bad but then the thickening of his intestines is another issue that can’t be reversed but can be managed…hopefully. I feel I maybe should not have gone to ask Dr Google…because all it’s done has thrown me into heaps of doubt on what the true issue is, regardless of what the vet/s have said because I kind of feel they too are still clutching at straws on how to treat effectively, so if my vet is in doubt then that places me in doubt, after talking with the vet about the next move, she said to me, to try the Z/D dry and or tin food for my C J and then we check in 6 weeks or so to see how he’s doing and if needed we start steroids, so basically she’s not even sure this Z/D food is going to work, can it really be this hard ?? I am just about ready to give up, my finances and emotions are stretched beyond belief and I just want to have a healthy dog, gosh I can’t even find a food list online of what to cook for a dog with IBD, because I would prefer to cook all his meals myself as they will be more affordable, so if anyone knows where I can find a food list or cook book for homemade food for your dog that has IBD then I will be ever grateful. Thank you Patricia for all your info supplied in the previous message, I have read and re-read it all a few times, and some of it is making sense but some of it also going straight over my head, I think my mind is just in overdrive at the moment but I will go back and read it as many times as necessary until I understand it all. Keep in touch and I will let you know how C J tolerates this new Z/D food etc.

[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia A
Well C J’s biopsy results are in and they came back showing he has IBD ? and Heliobacter, but the vet is still sort of guessing because he said we are to do another FOOD TRIAL specifically designed for IBD and doing another food trial means that they still aren’t sure, even though he said IBD, so as you can imagine I am not at all impressed, this is starting to get to me, all the unknowns even after $1,500 spent on biopsies and Ultrasounds and Gastroscopes and I am not feeling very well lately I put it down to stress because I don’t know what to do, I told the vet that I want to get my fur baby tested for EPI and he said it’s not something he thinks is wrong as it’s not jumping out at him as being a probable issue, but he did say I could go ahead and get him tested for it, so I am thinking…is it worth wasting more money for another unsure diagnosis and should we just proceed with the special diet for IBD ??? mind you though my fur baby is already on a special diet for tummy issues and its just not working, the vet did say this other prescription diet food will be slightly more super charged than the food he is on now, so basically I am not sure where to turn, I think my plan of attack will be, I go see my vet, get her thoughts on everything that the specialist has found, and then find out about the EPI test, before this new food trial ? Oh I don’t know I will see what I feel like on the day of vet visit which will be next week now, as the vet is away till Monday, I will keep you updated.

[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia A
Your post’s and reply like I said have been ever so helpful to me. I am sorry to hear about your beloved pet and everything you went through with your’s and the illness’s etc, its not fun is it, when a pet gets sick and what makes it worse, is with my fur baby C J we are still basically clutching at straws to diagnose SOMETHING, who would have thought it would still be up in the air and unknown after many months and many tests, my credit card has been doing a marathon these past few months, so much so that when I drag it out of my wallet, it’s still hot from the last vet visit lol. But I love my fur baby and would go to the ends of the earth for him, he has been my support and therapy after I lost my daughter, so of course I would do everything and anything for him, but I won’t see him suffer or be in pain, so I am keeping an open mind and am ready for anything…..I think !!! As soon as I get them results I will post here on the forum, so watch this space and thanks again for your care and concern which has actually been shown by many of here, but for the breeders who I got my fur baby from, they have shown no interest.

[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia
Yep it’s a solid plan in place for now till results come in, so my fingers are also crossed for a good outcome.
I love that you have replied to my posts, you seem to be very knowledgeable, are you a vet or just a parent of a fur baby who has also been very sick ? Because believe me when I say I have been doing my own research the last few years since my fur baby got sick and I never came across any of the info links until you sent them to me, ever grateful that you replied and have been able to help me out so much, I now have the tools and info to take back to my vet and ask for these specific tests, because the EPI is a specific test and I didn’t know of such a thing, it wasn’t brought up in consults by me or the vet and my vet is pretty good if I rock up to the office and say, I want him tested for this this or this she will get it sorted. In case you didn’t know my dogs name is C J which is short for Cooper James Dean, my vets have a giggle about his name but more so that I have given him a middle name lol.
Regards
Melissa and C J

[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia
HUGE thanks to you for supplying me with these links, I have just had a good slow look over them with my morning coffee and some of resonated with me, in the info you sent it said that some vets have diagnosed GIARDIA in dogs when in fact it could be EPI….my furry baby was diagnosed with GIARDIA when he was 12 weeks old, I am now thinking that may have been wrong. I will be getting his biopsy results this week, and if they come back showing nothing, then my vet said she want’s to open his tummy up and have a good look around, now I have this info you sent me, I would much prefer to go the less invasive test’s and get the bloods done for EPI etc and only then if they too come back normal then we can go inside the tummy for a further look, without you sending me this info to look at, I would be none the wiser, In the links you sent me I tried to click on the highlighted blue link that said their are special requirements of (how much blood the vet needs to take to do the EPI test) but it came up saying an error. I also read that some dogs with EPI do really well on the RAW food diet, my fur baby has been on the RAW food diet since he was on solid foods and he was still having all these issues, so as you can tell even my vet/s and a specialist are still scratching their heads, I am hoping this weeks results will show SOMETHING at least that way we can start treating my fur baby appropriately instead of all this guess work, its doing my head in, just last night he had his food for sensitive tummy and he threw it up over my carpet, I was not impressed but i know its not his fault, I lay blame solely with the breeders, for breeding bad stock and yes they will know about it again for the 15th time, of me trying to get throught their thick heads, that my fur baby is sick, I have never come across people who are so focused on their wallet only.
Thanks again Patricia keep in touch and I will let you know as soon as we have the biopsy results this week, take care and have a great weekend.

[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia
Yes Addisons Disease is being looked into at the moment as well as other things and I am looking at the blood tests and because I’m not a vet I can’t decipher what I’m looking at, but I do remember my vet mentioning something about cortisol levels but can’t remember if it was good or bad, my mind zones out after a while trying to take it all in, because it saddens me that it doesn’t matter what I feed my dog it’s upsets his tummy, yes I only ever feed boiled chicken breast on the days he was vomiting and as far as the rice goes, it gave him wind and he was still intermittently vomiting and diahorrea., I also never mixed it with anything except the probiotics the breeders told me to buy. And I don,t mind mentioning the breeders I got him from, because as far as I am concerned they have shown no interest in the fact that my dog has been sick or that they sold me a sick dog, the only thing they did do was email me on the very first occasion I told them he was sick and their reply was….NO we haven’t had any of our dogs come back sick with what you say your dog has…..I say, BULLSHIT, I have since found out that their have been several other dogs from the breeders ( Tasmanian Labradoodles) have been diagnosed with pancreatitis, one had addisons and another stomach cancer, and even though they gave me a health guarantee for the first three years after purchase they are not being very helpful and are not responding to my emails, texts and calls, I even sent them pics of my dogs vomit which was nothing but blood and a huge amount at that, the breeders read the message as they have read receipts enabled on their iphones but totally ignored me and never got back to me, no concern what so ever on their part, as long as they have a full bank balance is all that matters to them, and I am so pi$$ed off with them, I told them they could deal with my solicitor and they never got back to me, their basic customer service and basic courtesy is just not their they are rude and only care about their overseas holidays with all the money they make from each pup, a lot of these dogs go to Japan and America and Europe etc, I would not buy another from these people, they have no conscience and I feel they are puppy farming, because at last count they had 35 plus breeding pairs of dogs but I have been told they actually have 75 breeding pairs, so if this isn,t a puppy farm then what is, if they had been better with customer service and showed me some courtesy and concern for my dog being sick I wouldn’t be so pi$$ed off. Yes I will keep u updated my boy is getting his biopsy results this week coming, so I will message you here, when they come through.
Regards
Melissa

[Melissa D]

Hi Patricia
Sorry for the delay in reply, I have been busy with my sick dog, but value greatly your suggestions and input, because like I said after 2 vets and 1 specialist and food trials, 2 lots of blood tests, biopsies we are waiting on results, but I am fearing the worst, he has had flea treatments and worming but even those upset his tummy and he gets sloppy poo, we did a food trial for 6 weeks and nothing changed with him because during that 6 weeks period he still did his intermittent vomiting and soft poop / diahorrea he is also on a prescription diet for sensitive tummy and that too has not changed his poo and boiled chicken with rice is not helping either, even pumpkin in his diet would still see him with the intermittent vomiting and soft poop/ diahorrea, my furry baby has never had firm poop and for the last 2 and half years i have monitored and inspected his poops for worms and blood etc as I have too because he has ocassionally been passing watery and nothing but blood in his poop one day and also vomiting really bright red and watery blood. the only things that has showed up on his first blood tests, was mild pancreatitis, his neutrophils are really low, his Lipase was really low and under the chemistry tests it says, Mild haemolysis and on his second blood tests, it came back showing something wrong with his kidneys and they did not show up on the first test, also on the morning of my fur baby having his biopsies taken, the specialist vet had to abort half way through because when he put the scope down, my fur baby had all this undigested food in his tummy from the day before, so their is an issue their too because the vet said his tummy should have digested that food and it wasn’t normal, so he took lots of biopsies but in the mean time it’s causing me huge debt for all these vet bills and special food and it’s something I just don’t have a lot of being on a pension, the breeders I got my furry baby from, gave me a health guarantee stating if my boy was to get sick with anything serious, they would refund my money….BUT do you think they are answering my phone calls, texts or emails….not on your life because they don’t want to honor the health agreement now, because my boy is a Labradoodle he cost me thousands of dollars and I would not recommend a Labradoodle because of all the health issues, not just with my boy but with others who have had them and they too also have had health issues, but I think its the breeders just breeding bad stock and not taking care, because all the doodles I know that have been sick or had to be euthanised have all come from the same breeder.

[Melissa D]

My dog has been doing this for the last 2 and half years since he was 12 weeks old, but he also has been vomiting and pooing blood all intermittently…at last vet visits it has been food trails, which didn’t work then Ultrasound, gastroscopy and biopsies, So I think I can safely say I have been sold a sick dog…….becasue no healthy dog would be doing all of this, nor would they be spending this much time at the vets…my vet is assuming for now that my furry baby may have IBS and the scope found that he has a thickening of his intestinal wall, I have googles that it says something like stomach cancer a possibility and when I read the list of symptoms for the Leiomyosarcoma, he has all of the these. So I am trying to keep my cool till the biopsies are back. My vet showed me the video of the Gastroscopy and my furry baby’s tummy and intestines did look nice and pink and I couldn’t see any inflammation, so would this mean stomach cancer could be ruled out because at the time of biopsies he had no inflammation, even though he has all the symptoms ? Any thought’s from others on here.
Leiomyosarcoma of Stomach, Small and Large intestine in Dogs
Vomiting.
Weight loss.
Diarrhea.
Blood in stool (hematochezia)
Gas (flatulence)
Stomach growling, or rumbling sound (borborygmus)
Feeling of incomplete defecation (fenesmus)

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