chronic diarrhea for 4 months now. help?

[CLINT]

My 8 year old rottie Reggie has had chronic diarrhea and we have been through all the tests from stool samples ,blood work, ACTH test, rice and hamburger diet, low residue food and prednisone and nothing is working. He has had accidents in the house and doesn't seem to have any control over his bowels sometimes. He was at 120# before this started and now is just under a 100#. The last couple of days he has barely eaten anything and I am concerned that he is just whithering away to die. Always a healthy dog and now he barely gets up every day. Very worried-please help.

[Anne]

I would have the vet refer you to a specialist. Perhaps an ultrasound would shed some light on the problem.

[brunie's mom]

I agree with Anne. Get him to a specialist....there is something major wrong with your dog. At the age of 8, this is when cancer often shows up in the breed. I would be looking for something in that direction.

Gina

[rottgirl]

Agreed, get him to a specialist.

I don't want to be negative but we lost our girl at 8 to lymphoma.

Good luck and good thoughts coming your way,

Michele

[Lola B Marie]

So sory to hear you you and your dog are going through this.My girl had diarrhea for months on and off but mostly on. Her diet was boiled white meat chicken and starchie rice water. Plain white bread no crust. She was finally put on a drug called Tylosin. It is used on large animals to control a chronic over growth of bacteria which causes chronic diarrhea. Dogs for some reason tolerate this med. very well. She finally got better, but still takes the med. The dose is 300 mil. 2xdaily. She now eats cooked skinless chicken, cooked oatmeal, pastina pasta, cooked , very lean chopped meat, calves liver, and pet tabs. As soon as I give her some kibble or dog food, boom, back to the loose stomach. She does tolerate milk bones. The vet who finally helped her is a Cornell grad, He tried everything until he came up with this. He also works with a holistic vet for suplements. Lola is one,and 110 lbs. I know it takes a lot of chicken to fill her but I had no choice. She also laps up the chicken broth once the fat has been skimed from the top. The vet did not want her to dehydrate or lose any weight so it was a constant battle to keep her full of calories. Good luck, Please let me know if your vet tries this with your guy. Over the counter tagament a half hour before breakfast,calmed her stomach acids for a while before we found the tylosin.
Jane

[rottnkidd]

Has the vet indicated that this 'may' be IBD (Irritable/Inflamed Bowel Disease)? This disease is treatable, and can be verifed by scoping. Many dogs that suffer from bowel disease have an intolerance to ANY type of grain.
I am disturbed that this poor dog has been suffering for 4 months. Please find a vet that can help immediately. Your dog's life depends on it.
Best wishes-
kathy

[moondog]

Originally Posted by rottnkidd

Many dogs that suffer from bowel disease have an intolerance to ANY type of grain.

Not to be contrary, but every IBD dog I know has NEEDED a carbohydrate in the form of grain, usually rice or pasta, as part of a home-cooked diet. I'm not sure what part of a commercial diet is intolerable because it cannot be dissected (it could be any number of things in the food), but I do know that dogs with intestinal disease do much better with a single protein/single carbohydrate home-cooked diet than on any commercial diet....and it includes a grain.

And I agree......four months is WAY too long for a dog to go on with diarrhea......ask for a referral to a specialist in internal medicine, and a visit to a good holistic vet is a good idea also.

[rottnkidd]

Patti! You are not being contrary, more like informative! You have had personal experience with feeding a homecooked diet for a specific condition. In the case of your ^Luna^, that 1 protein/1 carb source was indicated and effective. The info (mostly anecdotal ) I have garnered in recent years has strongly suggested a grain-free diet. UC Davis did a study on cats with IBD. They were fed raw, ground whole rabbits and responded very well. (I will try to send you that study, when I can locate it!) Personally, I know of 2 IBD dogs that were put on raw, grain-free diets and over time their symptoms abated and their overall conditions improved.
I am in no way in disagreement with you, it is just my knowledge on the subject is too limited to debate with you!
My hope is that the OP's dog can get a diagnosis and treatment, and soon.
kathy

[moondog]

My info is also anecdotal, allbeit its foundation is based in science.....and it includes many, many more dogs than just Luna, with a variety of conditions affecting their digestive systems, not just PLE and lymphangectasia....the commonality being "intestinal disease".

Cats are true carnivores and gain very little, if any, benefit from carbohydrates, unlike dogs. I don't think there is a fair comparison between cats and dogs with studies on IBD. The diets I have in Dr. Strombeck's book for cats are meat, meat, and more meat (and fish and eggs), a touch of oil, bonemeal, and vitamins/minerals. The same is not true for the diets for dogs.

Luna could not tolerate any type of raw food, a recurring theme in my experience of other dogs as well, with the exception of one dog who ate raw....but even he has had to switch back to a cooked diet on occasion when the flare ups were serious enough. Which brings me to the point I'd like to make....my sense is that dogs with milder forms of intestinal disease are more likely to be able to do well on a raw diet, and the dogs with more severe forms (whatever the cause) will do better with a cooked diet because cooking begins the process of breaking down the foods - and that is a benefit for a dog with a compromised ability to digest food and absorb nutrients.