[RebeccaRose]

Pitlove, thank you! All I can say is this is the longest stretch of wellness she’s had since she was a baby puppy, so it’s hard to argue with those results.

[RebeccaRose]

Hello all. E W, thank you for that point of view. I will definitely keep that in mind. How is it diagnosed? Good luck to you hope your pup gets better.

Well my Shih Tzu is doing much better. She has not had biopsy but the vet thinks IBD is a strong possibility. The Wellness never did work for us. After repeated episodes like in my original post, although not as severe, we moved completely away from chicken &/or turkey foods and she improved. It wasn’t easy… we went through 3 or 4 more foods before finally finding one that she loves & her poops are great & she has very minimal vomiting.

She now receives a 1/2 a 10 mg Pepcid every night very late, about midnight. Her meals are still spaced out with the last being at 10 pm. The food she is currently on is higher in fat that any of the other foods she’s been on but it has helped the most of any food she’s ever tried. We have been on it for 7 months. It is Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach Salmon.

I hesitate to even put that in my post because I know the hatred this community has for Purina… but I have learned the hard way that you feed what works. And this works for us. I am including the name so that it might help others from what I’ve been through. You can spend all the money you have on premium bags of dog food & still have sick dogs, I can speak from experience as I have tried some of the best, most expensive foods & she still was sick.

I keep a list of foods that I am going to try should we start having problems again. Maybe this list will help others if they are looking for a food that is either low in fat, good for a predominantly vomiting dog, sensitive stomachs, upper intestinal IBD, wanting/needing to stay away from chicken, or wanting a LID diet, or wanting to start a novel protein…

*Natural Balance: Potato & Rabbit, or Sweet Potato & Bison, or Potato & Duck, or Legume & Duck, or Sweet Potato & Venison. All these NB choices are around 10/11% fat & 4% fiber.

*Acana Singles (might have to order online) 15% fat 6.5% fiber.

*Zigniture Brand.

*Rayne Dog Food: Rabbit & Sweet Potato Dry (have to order online).

*First Mate.

*Fromm Gold Coast Weight Management Ocean Fish, 10% fat 7% fiber.

*Annamaet 24% Option Formula Salmon & Venison, 13% fat 4% fiber.

*Wellness Simple LID Healthy Weight Salmon & Peas, 8% fat & 6% fiber.

[RebeccaRose]

Hi, LM, I can’t imagine there would be a homeopathic vet any where near me. I did a search on theavh.org & it turned up zero for my State. I did just a general search with my towns name & homeopathic vet & it wasn’t much help. I know if I ask any of the Vet’s near me they’ll just recommend the Hill’s Precription Diets which is what they sell… We had a Pom that lived almost 13 yrs on the W/D Precription dry food. She wasn’t picky. But the price was very difficult for us to swallow all those yrs.

DogFoodie, how are you able to transition from different foods without tummy upset? I have to change her foods over slowly or she’ll either vomit or have diarrhea. I’m barely to the 50/50 ratio right now & she’s already refusing to eat it. She started out like she liked it though, picking out the new over the old.

I have never tried Fromm, I’d would have to order that online as they don’t have it near me.

So do you think I should continue on with the Wellness Healthy Weight with a spoonful of broth as long as she’ll eat it like that?

For dogs that don’t need to lose weight how do you keep them from losing weight when they need to be on a low fat food? I don’t think she’ll eat more than a 1/4 cup 3x a day even with the broth.

[RebeccaRose]

She is starting to refuse the new Wellness Healthy Weight now. I honestly can’t tell if it’s illness or picky eating… But I suspect the latter. Because she is back to her old self in all other ways… Playing and pooping.

I really need some recommendations on a low fat commercial kibble. I don’t mind trying canned but do not want to do that exclusively.

This morning the only way I could get her to eat was to spoon one plastic spoonful of chicken broth over the kibble. When I did that she ate it right up. It was broth from a can… Low sodium. I know people say not to give them commercial chicken broth only homemade but I never buy chicken with bones so this would be challenging for me. I’ve only done the broth a few times it is not a regular thing.

The deal is, a lot of people say of a picky eater… Just take the food up & they’ll eat later. Well I can’t do that with her because she will get sick & start throwing up. And then it starts a vicious cycle of not wanting to eat because of nausea & the longer she goes without eating the sicker she gets.

I’m going to abandon Wellness, she just doesn’t seem to like them anymore. I don’t know where to look next though. I looked at Halo, but their healthy weight food for small dogs had a min of 12% fat…. That’s not low fat.

[RebeccaRose]

Well it’s been a while since I posted. Things are what I would call Stable. But she is still not back to pre sickness state. She has had a couple episodes of late night vomiting and it can be very challenging to get her to eat.

I stuck with the Wellness rather than trying to go back to the 4Health. The meds she is on is the Albon and Sucralfate. She was also taking the omeprazole but I switched that to Zantac just this morning. I am nervous about that. She has 2 more days on the meds besides the Zantac I might keep her on that.

I’ve been doing loads of research. Seems like low fat is the best way to go for her. In the past 3 days she has vomited 2x in the wee morning hrs in her crate. It was not just bile it had partially digested food in it.

Yesterday I went to Petco and bought a bag of Wellness Complete Health Healthy Weight. It’s fat is 6% min and 10% max. Fiber is 6% max. Protein is 21%.

I am mixing it in with the regular Wellness at a 1/4 to 3/4 ratio. She seemed to really like it, she picked it out of the regular Wellness. But when the new was gone she went back to just sitting there refusing to eat.

This morning was one of the 2 episodes she had vomited in her crate. It had to be after 3:00 am because I checked on her at that time and there was no vomit. She was fed at 10:00 pm but it took her 45 minutes to finish. Keep in mind this is only a 1/4 cup of food so not a huge amount. So anyway my point was she vomited after the first try on the new Wellness (albeit 5 or more hrs later) and it could have just been a coincidence. Also, is it normal to still see food in the vomit that many hrs later, it was ground up no solid pieces.

But I’m praying it’s not the new food. As the day unfolds today I’m sure I will find out. I was hoping the low fat food would be the key to settling her stomach and helping us all get back to normal but I don’t know if she will even make it through the transition process of one dog food to another.

My questions are… If the Wellness Healthy Weight does not work out, what else can I try that is low fat. I’m assuming low fat is what she needs for whatever stomach issues she has.

Next, when is the best time day or night to give this Zantac. It has occurred to me that some meds work better with or w/o food, but also if the wee hours of the night and day are when she is vomiting (at this point anyway), would bedtime be the best time? If so it won’t exactly be on an empty tummy because of that 10:00 pm feeding. I just am lost on how to help her. I have some ideas but don’t know how to implement them.

[RebeccaRose]

No Susan I did not stop those meds. You do mean the Sucralfate & Omeprazole right? I wanted to give them a couple days at least to see if they were going to work. I think today was the last day on the Omeprazole though, I’ll have to call the vet to be sure but I’m almost certain she said to do it thru Sunday. But I do not remember how long she said to do the Sucralfate. Again I’m going to call in the morning & ask.

But I did buy some more Zantac other than what I have here at home… what I had was the maximum strength 150mg and there exists a regular strength that is just 75mg. Because I did some research online & from what I read they only recommend up to 1mg per pound. And my shih Tzu only weighs 15 lbs. So I needed something I could half or quarter or cut into thirds that could get that mg down to around 15. The 150mg would still be 37.5 mg quartered. I felt that was too much.

So while I’m on the phone with them tomorrow I’m going to ask about maybe doing a short term (a month or two or three) on the zantac & what she thinks about that & if so what dosage just to be sure.

She ate pretty good today. Still not 100% herself but she is doing much better. She has not pooped at all today. So now we’ve went from diarrhea to nothing at all.

I’m glad you mentioned the Wellness Simple because I had been looking at that too & I think I will pick up a bag and work it in. I really want the small bites they make but I bet my Petco won’t have it. Is it ok to put some large size kibble in a Ziploc bag and use like a rubber mallet to break it into smaller pieces to make it easier for little mouths to eat?

[RebeccaRose]

Well everyone she started eating some last night. I was shocked actually…

I had been offering her bits of several different things throughout the day to see if anything enticed her. I offered her 4Health, Wellness, the Prescription ID, boiled chicken, etc (not all at the same time mind you)… The strange thing is that the dog food that she’s decided to eat is the Wellness that she stopped eating in December. I’m not sure if that food would be old since it’s sat there so long. Of course it is sealed in a bag but I don’t know.

Also, you are supposed to change them over slowly to a different dog food. Would this be considered new though? How does that work when they’ve had it before but not for a couple months. That in & of itself might cause tummy upset right?

So this morning I was so nervous I didn’t know which dog food to offer and how much, so I settled on the Wellness and gave her almost her full usual serving. At first she went to it and gobbled it up. I went about my business so as not to crowd her but stayed close, then I heard her get a big drink of water then silence. So I came over to see and she still had quite a bit of food in the bowl but was just sitting there (gave her a little less than a 1/4 cup, 1/4 is her usual serving).

So I sat next to her on the floor and she would get a kibble eat it then sit for another minute. This was reminding me of how she would do this back in December when she started refusing the Wellness. But my husband came through the kitchen about that time on his way to work & just like back then she started gobbling up her food again. As soon as he left she just had a few more kibble left but went back to slowly eating them one at a time.

So should I keep her on the a Wellness??? Why does she eat good at first then seem to not want it any more?? I’m afraid to get back into those days on Wellness where either it took FOREVER! for her to finish one meal or outright refuse it all together.

My friend who does free feeding with her dogs used to say just leave it out she’ll eat when she’s hungry. But that is not my lifestyle. I like having a schedule… For meals, for poops, everything. I don’t want to free feed. Then there’s also her being susceptible to throwing up bile if she keeps an empty tummy too long.

I’m just not sure what to do. Do you girls think keeping her on a Zantac would help?

Today was also the first day with no cerenia the nausea vomiting med she was on. So far so good. No throwing up but she has not pooped yet so I don’t know if she’s still having the diarrhea or not.

[RebeccaRose]

I thought that’s what subq fluids meant. Oh ok!

[RebeccaRose]

I think you are so right LM. I will admit that my vet seemed to push the idea that she got into something also even though I adamantly denied it. After she mentioned yet again something like this, to be specific she said she might have eaten a dead mouse outside… I over explained how go out with her for every trip & she’s watched closely through out the house. If only she knew how ludicrous that sounds to me. There is no way that is a possibility.

Tomorrow is my deadline. I will be going back & asking for blood work & getting IV fluids. Depending on what that shows I’m asking for a referral for the larger vet clinic where she had already told me they send patients for things they are not equipped to do. And I will be taking her X-rays with me.

I think the biggest thing speaking to me right now is you saying sometimes a pair of fresh eyes is all it takes to turn it around.

[RebeccaRose]

LM, I so appreciate all your posts. Your advice is at the front of my mind. At this time I think we are ok. Her skin bounces back good, her eyes are nice & moist, her gums mouth and tongue are all moist. And I have started doing chicken broth every half hour this morning.

I am sending my husband out to get the pedialyte. The problem was finding one plain & not flavored. I read on another thread that sometimes pet stores sell an electrolyte packet that you mix with water for dogs. I might tell him to look for that.

I have read on this site and others that gently squirting fluids with an empty syringe is acceptable as long as you are gentle & squirt towards the teeth and not the back of the throat.

Please don’t think I am not hearing your concern! I am taking everything you all have said into consideration. Thanks everyone so much!

[RebeccaRose]

LM, I looked them up. It seems the bigger of the three does off “24 hr” services, but it says to call a different number and speak to one of our on call staff. Perhaps that is the same as what you mean. I’m in TN. There is an Animal Hospital about an hour away. But even their website says Closed for today & I did not see the words 24hr anywhere.

DogFoodie, I am going to request the blood work as well. If this doesn’t resolve soon I would expect the next level of care would have to be something like an endoscope.

[RebeccaRose]

Also could you guys recommend a limited ingredient dog food? I’m going to look on this site but thought I’d put the question out there. I need something that is either sold at Petco or Pet Supplies Plus. Those are the only two stores near me.

[RebeccaRose]

We don’t have a 24 hr clinic. There are 3 vet practices in the town next to me. One is the vet we go to. They all have a system where if it’s after hours/weekends you can call a different number and essentially you are paging one of the vets and they will meet you at the office. My vet office has already told me they can’t do ultrasounds they refer out to one of the other vets for that and probably the bigger stuff too.

I think I will be returning to the vet tomorrow. If for nothing else than IV fluids. I squirted some chicken broth down her with a syringe this morning. So far, still no eating. The last time she ate a meal that stayed down was Thursday night about 10:30 pm. Friday morning is when it all started. She did eat her Friday morning meal at 6:45 am, but when I got home about 2 hrs later it looked like she’d thrown it all up. So I’m not sure if the Friday morning meal counts. If not then it’s been 60 hrs since she ate anything. No vomiting since Friday but diarrhea continued last night and this morning. Small amounts, dime size to quarter size.

This is definitely the worst sickness she’s ever had. All the other times she’s had her random vomiting spells or diarrhea episodes she did NOT lose her appetite, she kept right on eating and playing and acting fine. This time it’s not like that. Last December when she started refusing her Wellness food she was not sick, she just didn’t like that food anymore, I even bought a new bag to be sure it wasn’t a bad batch, but as soon as I bought the 4Health and started mixing it in to slowly transition her over she was eating again.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by RebeccaRose.

[RebeccaRose]

Well the only thing she has not had yet is the blood work. Maybe I should have insisted on that while I was there. I spoke with the Vet herself while I was there today dropping off the “sample” & picking up the Albon, & she said we could do blood work next but it’s been her experience that it usually comes up normal in these cases & what the dog needs is time. Maybe I’m just expecting too much, I don’t know.

[RebeccaRose]

Thanks Susan & LM,

LM, the first time she got the lepto vaccine she had a reaction, within 10 minutes of leaving the vet office her face started to swell up. You can imagine the sight since she’s a shih tzu & has a smashed face.

They gave her a steroid shot & a shot of Benadryl & she was all better. So from then on she has gotten those two shots with her vaccines. Never had a reaction since. So I’m not sure if this could be related or not, except for the fact that she was very scared & stressed but either way… Could stress from the vet visit 9 days prior or stress or virus/bacteria from the groomers 4 days prior… be the cause?

She still won’t eat a thing. She got one big drink early this morning but refused since then so I squirted a syringe full in her mouth. I called the vet back. They still think I need to give it more time. They are not concerned with her not eating. They said it’s only been 24 hrs. It’s stressful when they won’t eat though.

She had diarrhea thus morning. I told the vet that & they wanted me to bring in a sample for testing & pick up an RX of Albon. So I did all that this morning. Fecal test was clear.

When I got home she greeted me at the door with tail wagging. Not as enthusiastically as she normally would but it was more than she had done thus far. I’m getting the pedialyte today. I just wish she would eat.

[RebeccaRose]

Thank you Susan! Esp for the price estimates, that’s much lower than I was expecting. I have Care Credit, which is basically a credit card just for some medical, dental, eye care & veterinary purposes. I had to use that today & the bill was almost $200.

I think I agree about the Zantac, my only hesitation is a year or so ago when she first started that bile in the mornings thing the Vet prescribed liquid Zantac & it did not help her then. The only thing that helped was me making her feelings more spread out with that last feeding at bedtime.

I happen to have Zantac in tablet form here at home for myself but it is Maximum Strength 150 mg. would that be too much even halved? Also it’s generic not name brand.

I also for got to mention she’s burped a few times today. Just randomly & that’s not like her she’ll usually only burp a few seconds after eating or drinking. I thought it might be a combo of empty stomach and/or the two stomach meds she’s on.

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions, it helps just to bounce ideas around. I’ve been feeling so stressed & worried sick over this. My daughter & I have reservations for out of town in 5 days. I don’t know what will come of that. It was our first little Mother/Daughter get away, my daughter is 10 & was so looking forward to it. It’s just for two nights. My husband & teen son would be here but I’m not sure I can leave if she is not completely well by then.

[RebeccaRose]

Ok Dori, I will do that, thank you. Why do these things always happen on a weekend, right. My Vet is open tomorrow but not Sunday & has a 24 hr page.

I wish she would eat a little something. I’m just worried that her stomach sitting empty so long is just making matters worse.

[RebeccaRose]

DogFoodie, no she is not herself. She likes to lay next to me & she doesn’t seem to mind being petted. But she doesn’t show much enthusiasm & definitely no playing. Earlier we noticed she was grunting or groaning softly, groaning may not be the right word though.
She’s also had some times of shivering which she has done before when she didn’t feel well.

LM, I didn’t mean to make it sound like she’s had these problems continually, she actually was doing really well the last year before she just up & decided she wouldn’t eat the Wellness any more.

[RebeccaRose]

LM, no I do not leave the food down. I feed her 3x a day with the last meal at bedtime to help with the stomach not being so empty so long.

Susan, well the reason the Vet gave me for the Omeprazole was in case there was an ulcer. Since she’s such a nervous dog and had been having a rough week.. she’d been to the Vet not this past Wednesday but the one before (March 4th) for her check up & vaccinations, and she had a terrible time, tried to bite the tech a couple times (she’s never done that before usually acts nervous & submissive) and the Vet had to give up giving her the bordetella vaccine in the nose because even with a Tech holding her she still jerked away & gave it to her in shot form instead… then 5 days later this passed Monday she got groomed. So she has been stressed a lot in the passed week & a half but seems funny it would take 4 days to catch up with her. So that was the reason for the omeprazole.

But I understand what you are saying about the PPI’s. She did say that I could do the omeprazole for a few days then switch to half a Pepcid a day if she was better.

Update so far this evening. Still won’t eat. She did get a good drink & keep it down but she had some diarrhea. I don’t know if it’s the illness progressing or just the nerves. If I could get her to take some pumpkin (which usually is her favorite thing in the world) I might could help the diarrhea.

LM, I have tried chicken broth & to my amazement she refused that also. I’m just not sure what’s going on with her.

Susan, I don’t know if I can afford the endoscope & biopsy but will keep that in mind, thank you.

Thanks everyone for all the replies.

[RebeccaRose]

Well so far she has not thrown up since they gave her the shot of Cerenia. But she is still refusing to eat. She will not eat the Hills I/d. She just sits there. So I tried her regular food & she won’t eat that either. Do I just wait it out & see if she’ll eat tomorrow?

Well I switched from Wellness Complete Health Small Breed & that was Deboned Turkey & Oatmeal. She just refused to eat it anymore. So I switched to the 4Health & that’s Chicken, Chicken Meal, Cracked Pearled Barley are the first few ingredients. I guess most in common there are the grains Oatmeal & Barley. Aren’t those usually well tolerated? Maybe I should try a grain free but I have read some people here say they can be hard on a sensitive stomach. Is low fat not the key? Does Wellness make a grain free sensitive stomach?

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