by Pat Nicodemus
(Dixon, CA)
My dog Ranger has a long history of episodes of soft stools. He is a 12 1/2 year old neutered male golden lab mix, weighs about 78 lbs and has hip dysplasia and arthritis. He receives Adequan injections and regular acupuncture for those conditions.
About 4 – 5 months ago he began having anal sac problems for which he was put on several courses of antibiotics, the last being Baytril. The sacs seem to be fine but he then had bloody (bright red) diarrhea about 2 weeks ago and was given Flagyl. That seemed to clear things up. He’s been off that for 5 days and as of this morning his diarrhea is back. No blood this time – just light brown color (tanish) with mucous.
I’ve had him on a bland diet of chicken, rice, 2T of pumpkin and probiotic. I started adding his Solid Gold Beef Barley kibble back into his meals about 5 days ago. I will take his stool sample to his vet’s this morning for testing.
He was tested for giardia about 6 months ago – negative. He had blood work done last week and all was normal. His vet wants to do an ultrasound on him. I would like to see if the problem can be corrected before the expense of the ultrasound.
He is otherwise alert – wants to go on his walks – likes his meals – drinks normal amounts of distilled water. Does this sound like IBD or would you recommend the ultrasound right away?
Do you believe in holistic pet care? If so, please tell your friends about us! Thank you for supporting our efforts!