Dog Community

Tummy troubles- acid reflux?

Posted : 4/7/2011 3:14:49 PM

Hey guys,

So, Lucky has me AND his vet stumped. He will eat dinner around 6pm, go out, poop, play, etc. Just before bed, he gets a benadryl for itching and a half a tablet of pepcid as well as a biscuit to (supposedly) help his tummy. He's fine until about 1-2am, then it happens:

He wakes up pacing (I know this because of the jingling of his tags) He then settles down, but he's looking for a place to hide too. And all the while he's shaking head to toe. And he won't eat or drink anything while he's going through this. He doesn't puke, but he hurps up like he will, and he licks his lips a lot. Last night he asked to go outside, and ended up wedging himself between the A/C unit and the side of the house.

He just had a full bloodwork pannel done at the vet (that included pancreas) and thyroid test. Everything was normal. Vet gave him prescription Iams Low Residue for a few days (which he likes, but I dont. It stinks to high heaven!) . His normal food is Canidae weight mgmt with a little bit of beef baby food mixed in.

He is about 2lbs overweight, and I wonder if this is contributing to it too.

He doesn't puke, but he hurps up like he will, and he licks his lips a lot.

My guess is he's sleeping and as he's relaxed the muscles in his tummy are relaxed too- so the acid "sloshes" up his esophagus? I have acid reflux myself, and I know if I don't take medicine for it, when I sleep it's WAY worse.

Has anybody gotten an endoscopy for their dog?

Thank you!

calliecritturs

Posted : 4/7/2011 4:02:23 PM

You can give dogs prilosec -- but given that this could be indicative of something liver, I'd honestly recommend a visit to a TCVM vet. http://www.tcvm.com - -there's a locator on the left.

It could be a lot of things but that timing makes me think "liver" (Chinese medicine is very connected to the clock). Holler if you want more information.

I do *NOT* mean to change vets -- I'm talking about *adding* a complimentary medicine vet.

sl2crmeg

Posted : 4/7/2011 4:26:47 PM

It sounds a lot like Pirate's petit mal seizures - down to the time of night.

3girls

Posted : 4/7/2011 5:41:39 PM

sl2crmeg
It sounds a lot like Pirate's petit mal seizures - down to the time of night.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

thedoc617

Posted : 4/7/2011 10:38:39 PM

You know, honestly, I really wouldn't rule it out. He fly bites like crazy and licks the air. (under normal circumstances) I've been told that can be a neurological thing. He doesn't do it when he's having those episodes, but he does it especially when he's nervous.

janet_rose

Posted : 4/7/2011 11:09:00 PM

thedoc617
Last night he asked to go outside, and ended up wedging himself between the A/C unit and the side of the house.

Hiding like that can be indicative of seizures that have scared the dog. One forum member had a large dog that tried to hide under the bath mat - only his head would fit. Smile

What kind of diet is Lucky on? Dogtorj (http://dogtorj.com/) believes a lot of seizures are caused by diet when a flaw develops in the blood/brain barrier allowing too much of two non-essential amino acids, glutamic and aspartic acid, to enter the brain.

He recommends eliminating the food sources of these amino acids - grains, dairy, soy/legumes, and nuts/seeds.

Dogtorj is a vet and an epileptic. He makes another interesting claim:

"We can and will eliminate hip dysplasia in the dog by feeding the soon-to-be pregnant female a healthy, non-damaging diet before she is bred and throughout her gestation. Of course, the puppy diets must follow suit. We have already proven this in individuals with a history of producing dysplastic puppies."

auburn2932

Posted : 4/8/2011 6:25:22 AM

Has his urine been checked, this is how Bonnie started with her kidney problems, she also had an ultra sound done. Better safe than sorry...