Gibson went to the vet

shamrockmommy

I hope Gibson feels better soon. What if you tried taking him off grains for a while? As a human, i am gluten intolerant, when I eat grains I get reflux and nausea myself, maybe that could be an issue? Just a thought. Get better big guy :)

I guess everytime Gibby goes thru this I put him on Chicken ( or beef ) with rice...and he does great right away.......so I can't think that  rice would be making him ill......do you?  I mean, do you think he would get rid of his reflux/nausea when I switch him to chicken/rice while he is sick to begin with?  He always gets  better when doing it....and so there fore figured I would home cook for him. Gee he is a big dog......and honestly can't afford to feed him only meat to begin with....not to mention how hard it is to keep his weight up.  I do have him on BilJac frozen only one meal because it IS so hard to keep his weight on him.   He has done great for one month doing this, and out of the blue it starts. 

dyan

Gee he is a big dog......and honestly can't afford to feed him only meat to begin with....not to mention how hard it is to keep his weight up.

You shouldn't be feeding him ONLY meat if you are home-cooking.  And just increasing the amount of food a bit usually will have you being able to balance the weight.  That's why I cook by the *week* and scoop it out in portions (so I can adjust it when I need to).  Different dogs have different weight requirements.

Luna and Billy weigh pound for pound nearly the same -- and Luna eats easily 50 - 60% MORE than he does.  Billy would gain weight looking at pictures of food, and I can't keep weight ON Luna  Just different metabolisms

But by adding more veg you can add more bulk -- and things like sweet potato and white potato are a bit carby and can help you bulk up. 

Have you tried giving him something just before bedtime if morning is a time for increased stomach upset?

Honestly I think it is a mistake to assume it's food -- it could be other stressors (anything from the weather to other physical things).

I've suggested it before, and I will again -- truly if it were my dog I'd be looking at TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine) -- acupuncture treatments are included IN vet visits and generally herbs are WAY cheaper than drugs and rarely is there any sort of "testing" -- it's just treatment.  The whole exam process is SO different and it can really pinpoint a problem area that other vets miss entirely (because they rely on things like bloodwork to hunt and peck to find an answer where the TCVM practitioner is literally finding answers by looking at the body, feeling the pulses and even things like the color of various points on the tongue and coat color/texture).  http://www.tcvm.com -- there's a locator on the left. 

Dog digestion is pretty complicated and so often one part of the digestive process or the other is influenced by other organs -- not just by whatever food is fed on the day.

I know it's been something you have shied away from in the past -- but truly, for something like this it can wind up being a far far easier way to discover and treat a problem. 

Thank Callie...  

I think you might be mistaking me for someone else...I hadn't even thought about another kind of vet......its never been suggested that I remember.

BUT BUT BUT..............You guys are not going to believe this. I was really frustrated and depressed when he got sick because I have been feeding him home cooked......kind of bland...and when he got sick...where do I go from here???   Well...on the way to a funeral that we had to go to today...I told DH that I only gave Gibby one spoon of vitamins today...because just maybe THEY were the culprit......well DH said " what do you mean you only gave him one spoon....thats all you were supposed to give him!"  OH GOSH......the last two days I had given him 3 scoops of vitamins ( they are new to us..just got them at the end of last week...granual form....he is supposed to get 3 tsp..for his weight...which is ONE SCOOP.    I got confused the past two days and was thinking he needed 3 spoons...and gave him 3 scoops!!!    That is like 9 tsp. in one day...for two days.  I would have gotten sick....maybe ( hopefully ) that is what made him sick.  He is fine today....although that shot didn't wear off until about 12. But he has been playing and eating like usual.    Gosh I'm stupid and very very hopeful that is what got him sick after this time of feeling good.

Oh Callie...I have been giving him 1 cup of chicken ( chopped ) to maybe 1 c of either white potatoe, sweet potatoe, oatmeal or rice...and another 3/4 cup of chopped or steamed veggies....three times a day.

See Luna gets about 1 1/2 cups and Billy gets one cup -- at 30 pounds twice a day.  But it doesn't go strictly by pound weight and BOTH of them are older than Gibby.  Tink (2 yr) gets about 3/4 c. at 15 pounds.  See what I mean?  She's young and I just don't want her to be a typical fat pug.  You have to tailor it to the dog -- it so depends on individual metabolism.

calliecritturs

But it doesn't go strictly by pound weight and BOTH of them are older than Gibby.  Tink (2 yr) gets about 3/4 c. at 15 pounds.  See what I mean? 

Yep..and I am trying to get the feel for what he needs and adjust....I actually have him to about 3cups of something per meal now....and have made him patties of turkey, cream cheese. wheat germ, egg and oatmeal that I have been giving him about 2 per day with one being before bed time.    I almost do think we are finally getting him to look like he has a little meat on his bones......but he really really is thin...... I wish I were like him to eat and eat and be skinny!!! 

ummmm -- if you are trying to avoid **allergens** -- Dyan?? wheat???? oatmeal??? stay away from the grain!!

calliecritturs

ummmm -- if you are trying to avoid **allergens** -- Dyan?? wheat???? oatmeal??? stay away from the grain!!

I wasn't thinking allergies...so I wasn't trying to avoid anything Callie...except kibble in general.

Hopefully now that the vitamin issue is resolved he'll be good as new :)

Also, the sucralfate can be given without mixing it with water..it won't do as much for coating the esophagus, but it will help with stomach irritation in simple pill form.

I can sympathize. When the Elf had her nasty stomach issue (right before the megaesophagus issue), we did the slurry sucralfate routine and even she wore more than she drank.

grab01

Hopefully now that the vitamin issue is resolved he'll be good as new :)

Also, the sucralfate can be given without mixing it with water..it won't do as much for coating the esophagus, but it will help with stomach irritation in simple pill form.

I can sympathize. When the Elf had her nasty stomach issue (right before the megaesophagus issue), we did the slurry sucralfate routine and even she wore more than she drank.

I'm not giving Gibson any of the vitamins for a couple of days.... he gets good food...read a thousand different places that if they are eating food with a variety of vitamins they really don't probably need any...but of course we can't be sure so I am going to be giving them to him....but I think he had a over load of them for a few days............      So far so good and I am extremely happy ( but so mad at myself for being stupid )  that we figured THIS out..... hopefully it is IT. 

Thanks for the info about sucralfate...I see that the megaE dogs get it on a regular basis ( having had Bubblegum that had MegaE, I am on the forum and they write what meds their dogs are on in their signatures....but I don't know how it given to those dogs, liquid or pill form. )  BUT I didn't give him any more since yesterday....and worse......the VERY EXPENSIVE Cerenia....never gave him any of those....what a waste of money that was..... You know I have 2 pills of 160 mgs from Bubblegum left because they didnt' help her...and she just threw them back up.....and now I have 4 of the 60 mgs....never opened.   Thats about over $100...wasted.....  YIKES!  But of course, I'm THRILLED that I didn't have to give them to him...and if he does get sick someplace along the line I will use them up.

dyan

BUT I didn't give him any more since yesterday....and worse......the VERY EXPENSIVE Cerenia....never gave him any of those....what a waste of money that was..... You know I have 2 pills of 160 mgs from Bubblegum left because they didnt' help her...and she just threw them back up.....and now I have 4 of the 60 mgs....never opened.   Thats about over $100...wasted.....  YIKES!  But of course, I'm THRILLED that I didn't have to give them to him...and if he does get sick someplace along the line I will use them up.

Please keep in mind that some meds should not be stopped as soon as a dog is feeling better - I would chat with the vet before stopping any prescription unless they specifically suggested that you stop the meds once he felt better.  Additionally, I hope that you're not planning on just saving drugs to use at a later date without vet supervision - that's just asking for trouble in so many ways: overdosing, underdosing, covering up a symptoom of something far more serious than nausea, med interactions, expired meds, etc.  Since the meds you have from this most recent round are unopened, you might want to see if your vet can take them back instead.

Both Callie and I have suggested seeing specialists of one sort or another several times.  I'm thrilled you got a second opinion, but like Callie, if I were in your shoes I'd be looking for more help than just another vet that says "there's nothing wrong, take these meds".  Of course I'm also the first to question this type of answer because I want my vets to truly listen to what I have to say and look at the big picture, not just a symptom at the moment it's happening.

 I'm sorry you went to a funeral mass; you have my condolences.

dyan

I asked the vet if bloodwork or any other things could find anything out as to why this is happening. She said we could do xrays and bloodwork....but those tools at this point are like "hunting" and he does'nt have any of the symptoms for things like Megaesophaugus...or Pancreatitis..or things like that.

  Jessie used to swallow like Gibby and want to eat grass; not nearly as often but she would do it a few times a month. We never thought anything about it. Since she has been diagnosed with low grade chronic pancreatitis and we've kept her on a simple, low fat diet she hasn't had anymore of those episodes in ten months. You know, she didn't vomit or have diarrhea when she was diagnosed. The vet did bloodwork to check her kidneys because she had wet several places in the house the night before. It turned out that her kidneys were fine but her amylase and lipase were very high. That's how we learned about the pancreatitis. The vet thinks the pain from her pancreas is what made her wet. She never acted like her stomach was tender either, even when the vet palpitated her abdomen. It may be helpful to have bloodwork done on Gibby. If it's normal, then you would have less to worry about. Has he had bloodwork done since he's been having this problem? Sending healing vibes; I hope he doesn't have anymore of these episodes.

stardog85

Please keep in mind that some meds should not be stopped as soon as a dog is feeling better - I would chat with the vet before stopping any prescription unless they specifically suggested that you stop the meds once he felt better.  Additionally, I hope that you're not planning on just saving drugs to use at a later date without vet supervision - that's just asking for trouble in so many ways: overdosing, underdosing, covering up a symptoom of something far more serious than nausea, med interactions, expired meds, etc.  Since the meds you have from this most recent round are unopened, you might want to see if your vet can take them back instead.

Both Callie and I have suggested seeing specialists of one sort or another several times.  I'm thrilled you got a second opinion, but like Callie, if I were in your shoes I'd be looking for more help than just another vet that says "there's nothing wrong, take these meds".  Of course I'm also the first to question this type of answer because I want my vets to truly listen to what I have to say and look at the big picture, not just a symptom at the moment it's happening.

Dr told me to give him the first pill not before noon the next day because he had just had the shot and it was good for 24 hours. She then said and if he is fine then you can save the rest for another time if he needs it.

I am positive that this vet listened to everything, and took a lot of time listening to me and checking the dog. Gibbys symptoms are usually gone before I can even get him to the vet, and this is the very first time that he showed any by doing his swallowing thing, and that was after we were about ready to leave after being in the room for at least 30 minutes.   I  asked about the bloodwork and further tests as a start to see where to go from here.    But after I see that I gave him all those extra vitamins after he has been so symptom free I have to give this a try.

jessies_mom

 I'm sorry you went to a funeral mass; you have my condolences.

Thank you Janice!

jessies_mom

Jessie used to swallow like Gibby and want to eat grass; not nearly as often but she would do it a few times a month. We never thought anything about it. Since she has been diagnosed with low grade chronic pancreatitis and we've kept her on a simple, low fat diet she hasn't had anymore of those episodes in ten months. You know, she didn't vomit or have diarrhea when she was diagnosed. The vet did bloodwork to check her kidneys because she had wet several places in the house the night before. It turned out that her kidneys were fine but her amylase and lipase were very high. That's how we learned about the pancreatitis. The vet thinks the pain from her pancreas is what made her wet. She never acted like her stomach was tender either, even when the vet palpitated her abdomen. It may be helpful to have bloodwork done on Gibby. If it's normal, then you would have less to worry about. Has he had bloodwork done since he's been having this problem? Sending healing vibes; I hope he doesn't have anymore of these episodes.

Janice, you said that Jessie used to do these things but not nearly as often as Gibby but a few times a month.   Gibby doesn't do it a few times a month.   He goes for months before doing it at times.....   for a while he did it on couple Saturdays which is which is why I gave thought to the fact it could be stress related because we go out on Friday nights.  He might do it a couple of times in a couple of weeks and then not at all for a month or two.  And he did it as a baby, not too long after I got him I saw him do it.   He has not had any bloodwork about this problem....

 I'm wondering.....what were her symptoms that they came up with pancreatitis?  Was Jessie wetting and THAT is why you had her checked? 

I am asking because of the pain part of the conversation....you said she wasn't in pain when checked by the vet, but yet he thinks it was pain that made her wet.  I had Gibby checked by 3 vets for this issue.....they checked him carefully for pain....they all said that he showed none...and now my friend with Freeway said they found her in much pain from the pancreatitis that they found with tests.