BLV18
Posted : 10/11/2009 5:43:05 PM
I am very happy that I found this topic.
First of all, I hope your dog has recovered successfully and will be clostridium-free from now on.
My at the time 1.5 y/r wire fox terrier was diagnosed with a clostridium overgrowth back at the end of May of this year. I took him to the vet after he pooped nasty, black diarrhea during the night for two straight nights with diarrhea overall lasting for 3-4 days. He was put on flagyl for 7 days and it seemed to have cleared things up.
At the end of August he had his shots done and really didn't react well to lime and was depressed and down for good 24 hrs, though seemed to have recovered fully after that. What I have noticed him do for the first time, however, is a lip-smacking sound. Especially at night. I didn't give it much thought, although did make a note yet again, that this is something new and never happened before. Few weeks later he continued doing that more often, especially at night. And seemed uncomfortable, trying to find a better place to sleep, roaming around, drinking a lot at night as well.
What resulted in a second vet to the visit is a hiccup/grasping for air/trying to vomit-like motion which he was exhibiting, while being very playful. It's as if he was burping and hiccuping at the same time, you could see his stomach spasming. At the vet he was checked out, all was well (and in retrospect I'm very angry with myself for not telling them to check him for clostridium, instead of doing the stupid xrays every time) and I was told that this is most likely esophagitis (acid reflux) and he was put on sulcrafate for 2 weeks x3 daily + Pepcid AC x2 daily. That seemed to have taken care of the problem somewhat, but after about 3 weeks lip-smacking at night came back with a vengeance and I came home early in the evening to find that he'd thrown up all of his chicken and rice undigested. The following morning the black, nauseatingly smelly diarrhea reappeared along with throwing up of yellow bile (which usually happens when his stomach is empty). Back to the vet we went. Xrays (although we were there less than a month ago, but I guess it's the procedure), injection of fluids b/c he was dehydrated and prescription for flagyl (metronedizole) for 10 days this time.
We came home, more diarrhea and throwing up with yellow bile followed. For the first time since I got my baby as a 3 months old puppy I got to experience him looking depressed and lethargic.
As of Friday we're on the antibiotics and there's been no vomiting since, stool is getting better, but I'm only feeding him very liquidy oatmeal and white rice so far. He hasn't had any appetite or desire for water (had to inject fluids 3 times + I'm syringing him fluids throughout the day) since Friday. BUT, he has been much livelier and happier and today started exhibiting a desire to eat. I think we'll be ok, but:
The reason for such a long write up is the following .... I STRONGLY believe that an overgrowth of clostridium happens when the immune system is weak. And I think this is directly related to the shots, which lower the immune system, hence the bad reaction. I also think that when clostridium is present there's always another problem co-habitating with this one. In Dakota's case it was the worms that were compromising her immune system.
Right now I am still waiting for all of the blood work/fecal results to come in to rule out worms, giardia, pancreatitis, etc.
I will keep everyone posted, and thanks to the OP for sharing your experience with this.