Gastrointestinal illness in dog – Losing weight; picky eater; diarrhea & vomiting

Hi Karen,
Poor Cassidy. You are correct that things are becoming critical and she cannot lose any more weight. The blood test did not come through, so I am at a loss as to why the second vet suggested the Marin (milk thistle supplement for liver and gall bladder). A more appropriate supplement would be digestive enzymes, such as Prozyme, and Acidophilus, to help with digestion. Unless the blood test did show that Cassidy had an underlying problem with her liver.

Check to see if there were any results to check her amylase or lipase or a test called Spec cPL. (Stands for Specific canine pancreatic Lipase, which is a very specific test for pancreatitis).

She may have a problem called Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, EPI, in which her pancreas lacks the ability to produce digestive enzymes. She will want to eat, in fact have a ravenous appetite, but because she does not have the ability to digest or absorb the food in her intestine, it will pass on through, becoming rancid and causing diarrhea, and she will continue to lose weight.

Confirmation of this problem is done with a test called cTLI, canine Trypsin-Like Immunoreativity blood test.

In the meantime, you may need to prepare homemade food for her. Make it slightly cooked or raw, chicken or turkey, mixed with cooked yam, green beans, and carrots. Adding in cooked rice or potato is ok. She should also get some B-12/B-vit injections sub q. You would be able to give them to her at home.

I am concerned that the Breeder’s Edge powdered milk supplement may be too high in fat, as is the (feline) Nature’s Variety Instinct. The Halo Spot’s Stew for Dogs, canned, would be very good, if she would eat it.

Of course, she needs some fat in her diet, but I am afraid that she is unable to digest it at this time, and that is what is making her worse. She does need to have acidophilus added to her diet, since all of the diarrhea has flushed out her ‘good’ bacteria from her intestine.

As for the tick bite that she had, if you are going to have the TLI blood test done, they can include the blood test for Lymes’ Disease. It may show she has antibodies, indicating an exposure. It does not necessarily mean that she HAS Lyme Disease.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART TWO

Hi Karen,
Here is the rest of my response:

You may be interested in a holistic veterinarian, but I am not sure who would be available in upstate New York. To find a holistic veterinarian in your area click on the link below
Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Hello,

Thanks for your advice and comments. Here is some additional information:

Cassidy gets a full capsule of probiotics (acidophilus) per day, spread over each meal since her troubles began. Today her diarrhea and vomiting has stopped but she has not eaten at all. The doctor called and left a message regarding her followup blood test yesterday. She said of the test results of 12/2/11 which showed problems or elevations, all have been corrected and are within normal guidelines or going in the right direction:
ALKP was 404, now 72 within normal range
BUN/UREA was 64, now 45 much improved
GGT was 18 – did not get update
B/C Ratio was 49, now 45 improving
ABS MONOS was 1265 – did not get update
Monocytes was 11% – did not get update
Platelet C was 33 10>3/ul – did not update

Her weight gain yesterday was 0.3 pounds and the doctor was very pleased with that result. We agree completely with your assessment of the food – that Nature’s Variety is likely too rich for her to handle, whether it be dog or cat food. We’ll also hold off on the Powdered Milk which we thought was helping her immensely because while she was eating her bowel movements never looked better (until the Instinct was eaten).

We are very concerned that the underlying problems have not yet been addressed, but perhaps we are overreacting? For most of her life she ate when she was hungry – we left her canned Halo down most of the day. She sometimes ate nothing, sometimes 2 cans and sometimes 1 can. On average, I would estimate that she ate 1.3 cans per day which is about 8 oz per day.

We gave her 2 biscuits a day and several LIV-A-LITTLES chicken treats from Halo. These treats were given with great regularity. And, she never refused them. According to the doctor, the Marin was for the liver/gallbladder as a result of the first blood test results.

We agree we must get her weight up, but now I’m thinking it may be a very long process and one that will take patience on our part.

Here are some specific questions that you may be able to answer:

1) Should we re-introduce the treats as described above?
2) Should we put food down 15 minutes each mealtime and if not eaten take it back up?
3) Should we try a new vet – local one – and start all over again?
4) Is the cooked/raw food you describe a better bet than the canned alternatives?
5) Should we seek a dog nutritionist?
6) What is your best guess as to what caused all the symptoms? Do the blood tests simply reflect the symptoms and don’t really tell us anything? In other words, she had days of diarrhea and vomiting so perhaps the blood tests show that she was dehydrated and hence the elevations in certain results?
7) Is there any evidence that there is a problem now (except for not eating regularly)?

Thanks again for your help and suggestions.

Karen

Hi Karen,
If Cassidy is still not eating, she should have some B-Vit/B-12 injections to help perk up her appetite and replenish her lack of nutrients. If a conventional vet (your local veterinarian), is not including tests for her pancreas, either for pancreatitis or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, it will be difficult to proceed without knowing what she is able to digest.

The elevated liver enzymes may be due to pancreatitis. Even though the liver enzymes are now returning to normal, her pancreas may still be inflamed and/or non-functioning.

1) Yes, re-introduce the Liv-a-Little treats, especially if it will coax her to eat.

2) Yes, leave food down only 15-20 minutes. If she will not eat it in that length of time take it away and wait until the next feeding time.

3) Consider a holistic veterinarian, since holistic treatment takes into account ALL of her symptoms in order to treat her. Or if there are no holistic veterinarians close by, hopefully a local veterinarian will add on the pancreas tests. If her blood sample is still at the lab, (and it has not been over 7 days), they can ADD on the Spec cPL and the cTLI tests.

4)Cooked/raw home prepared food may be more palatable and easier for her to digest, and continue the Acidophilus.

5) A veterinarian IS a dog nutritionist, although a holistic veterinarian may be more knowledgeable in diet and supplements than a conventional one.

6) You wrote, “What is your best guess as to what caused all the symptoms? Do the blood tests simply reflect the symptoms and don’t really tell us anything? In other words, she had days of diarrhea and vomiting so perhaps the blood tests show that she was dehydrated and hence the elevations in certain results?”

Dehydration will cause the Packed Cell volume, BUN, some electrolytes, and Total Protein levels to be increased. Anorexia will cause a decrease in potassium. But increases in Liver enzymes, other kidney enzymes, pancreatic enzymes, white blood cell counts, and several others are a reflection of a disease process. My best guess is pancreatitis AND/OR Exocrine Pancreatic insufficiency.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART TWO

Hi Karen,
Here is the rest of my response:

7) Since she is still not back to normal now, I suspect there is still some underlying problem. But using B-12/B-vitamin complex injections, coaxing her to eat with Liv-a-Little treats, and home-prepared food, will help for now. She may need homeopathic treatments to treat her symptoms, and pancreatic enzyme supplements if she is deficient in digestive enzymes.

Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Please keep us posted.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Hello again,
Sorry I didn’t mention this earlier, but the vet has ruled out pancreatitis. If the internet information I just found is accurate, here are the 12/2/11 (original bloodwork) results for the pancreas:
AMYL was 663
GLU was 94
LIPA was 119
TRIG was 46

Apparently these results were well within normal ranges.

Cassidy ate a full can of Halo last night (5.5 oz) as well as 1 biscuit. She has had 2 bowel movements today which were completely normal.
As my long narrative indicated, she was gaining weight, eating regularly and bowel movements were great — until she stopped eating the Halo and we switched to Instinct. We now think she stopped eating the Halo because of the powdered milk which was too rich for her.

At this point, we’ll relax a little, compare the new blood results for signs of problems and feed her regularly and see how it goes. Her energy and alertness are very good but at 5.9 pounds she is still underweight. We do have a holistic vet (using your website) within 45 minutes and if her weight is not up within a few weeks, we’ll make an appointment.

I’m still not 100% sure what caused all of this – probably a combination of toxic Frontline Plus, huge amount of stress associated with the move, new smells and perhaps ingesting something on the street or in the yard — but we are watching her closely and will monitor her weight carefully.

Thanks for all your advice – we are not against cooked food but she has always rejected it. We’ll go there if and when she rejects Halo.

You were instrumental in us confirming no Instinct – too rich — and no powdered milk – we thought this was fattening her up. We’ll keep you posted on her progress and thank you for your counsel and advice.

Hi Karen,
Thank you for clarifying with the results from the blood panel from Dec. 2. Yes, that would rule out pancreatitis. Her progress now sounds good, with an improved appetite and normal stool.

If nothing else upsets her system, and she continues to do well, she should gain weight! Have you considered giving her Rescue Remedy? This is a Bach flower essence used for humans to help decrease anxiety.

It was developed by Dr. Richard Bach in the 1930’s. He was an M.D. and observed that humans that were under chronic emotional distress, would eventually develop physical illness. Animals also have emotional upsets, that will mirror their owner. Rescue Remedy can be very useful in these situations.

I give it in a diluted form. Add 10 drops to 2 oz of Spring Water, and give two times daily for the next 3 weeks. Or, you can add 10 drops to her drinking water twice a day.

In summary, I agree with your assessment, if Cassidy DOES NOT gain weight over the next 2-3 weeks, then you should seek the help of a holistic veterinarian.

Please do keep us posted.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Related Pages:

– Ask a Vet Online Library: Dog Digestive Problems

Hi again,

Yes, we have used Rescue Remedy – thanks for the suggestion. We just put a few drops in the water and we’ll do that daily.

Cassidy’s appetite is still not great — but she’s eating at least one can of Halo per day, sometimes two. Plus one biscuit after we brush her coat and teeth in early evening.

Her blood work results which I had mailed to us came today. Here are the items that are marked LOW or HIGH:

BUN/UREA 45 (previously 64)
CHOL 347 (previously 207) – probably due to Instinct food
Mg 1.2 (previously 1.5)
B/C Ratio 45 (previously 49)
ABS MONOS 1416 (previously 1265)
Monocytes 12% (previously 11%)
Platelet C 63 10>3/uL (previously 33 10>3/uL)

Thanks again and we’ll continue monitoring closely.

Hi Karen,
Cassidy’s blood report looks good. It sounds like she is much improved ‘on paper’, but physically (and emotionally?) she still has some healing left to do.

If her appetite does not decrease, hopefully she will start to get stronger, feel better and gain some weight. If not, then finding a holistic veterinarian for a ‘constitutional’ workup would be the next step. See our page on homeopathy, https://www.organic-pet-digest.com/homeopathy-for-dog.html.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.