My dog is NOT related to me...

[jgivens]

This weekend was spent in Atlanta with my granddaughter who turned four last Thursday. While I was there she asked me how Mommies give birth to puppies and I had to explain that dog mommies have puppies, human mommies give birth to babies, etc.

On our way back from Atlanta yesterday afternoon, our son called us from home and said that we had better make an appointment for our 9-month-old yellow Lab puppy with the vet--that she was having diarrhea and she was not getting any better.

We took her to the vet this morning because she was starting to have blood in her poop. The vet looked at us sheepishly and said, "Okay, lots of people have a problem with this, but I have to tell you that we have to talk about her poop. I hope this doesn't gross you out." My husband was quick to explain that discussion of the quality of poop was a hot topic at our house and why this was so. Thankfully, he did not tell her how familiar we all are with the Bristol Stool Chart.

We left the vet's office with Flagyl, Imodium and some "special" canned dog food. Diagnosis? Colitis!!!! I had Enterolab do a genetic panel for my children's and grand children's sake--not for my dog!! Maybe my granddaughter is right and our puppy and I are somehow related The poor dog, I really feel for her. Thankfully, I think her problem is acute and time-limited. I have all kinds of sympathy for her.

[tex]

Jane,

I have to admit the subject line for your post made me wonder where it was going.

Labs seem to be one of the species that commonly have food sensitivities. Are you aware that your dog may have to avoid gluten (and possibly dairy products, and/or other grains) for the rest of her life?

Tex

[ldubois7]

Hello!

Tex is right.....my lab is on a grain free food from Tractor Supply called, Call Of The Wild. He has done very well with it.
You may want to look into that.

Linda

[JLH]

We avoid “big 4″ foods of gluten grains (wheat, barley, rye), dairy, soy and corn in our dog food.

[JFR]

My dog eats grain free too. He eats a raw meat and veggie diet, pretty much like me, except my meat is cooked.

Jean

[desertrat]

Have you given your dog the Flagyl yet? Don't! One of Flagyl's side effects is....diarrhea! Yep. My dog, Gabby, is in the same boat. Vet prescibed Flagyl, called it a wonder drug for dogs.

Well, I didn't take his advice. I put Gabby on a totally grain free diet. Organic meat, rice, pumpkin and veggies.

What a difference. She acts like a puppy again (she is 10 yrs old). No D.

Please try the diet first. You will know soon enough. It took Gabby only three days before she didn't have D.

Of course, if things change, I might try Flagyl as a last resort.

Plus, if your dog is having D, and Flagyl can cause D, then how will you know if it is working?

Try the diet first.

Mandy

[desertrat]

P.S.

If you do try the Flagyl, I would be interested in what you find. Did it help your dog? Did it cause D?
Thanks!

Mandy

[mzh]

Flagyl does work for D most of the time. And FWIW, our greyhounds and our kitty are all eating gluten-free (grain-free kibble). Our cat, 18 y/o Amber, always did a lot of was vomiting a lot - until we switched her to g-f. It was a like a miracle cure for her! G-F canned as well for her.

[jgivens]

Actually, I had been thinking of putting both dogs on G-F diet after I had read Tex's book. Today, the vet merely surmised that our dog might have colitis, because she seems to be fine otherwise--hungry, drinking, and ready to run with our 3 y/o Golden Lab mix. Labradors are hard to diagnose when it comes to digestive distress because they (and our dog, Hope is certainly no exception) eat everything--rocks, wood chips, pieces of fabric, etc. We were afraid that she had eaten something that had done damage to a vital organ. G-F diets are easy. We KNOW how to do them!


She has not had any diarrhea since shortly after she took her first Imodium and some Flagyl. We'll see if that continues to hold tonight.

[JFR]

My dog has thrown up a few times these past 3 days and I was thinking that maybe it was the treats I have been giving him since they have cheese in them and he has been getting a lot more than usual as we work on not barking when he hears someone in the hall (I live in an apartment building). Then last night he threw up a large piece of fabric from an old toy he had been dismembering. I am pleased to have an explanation because I didn't want to have to replace these treats since I have a lot stockpiled. He will remain grain free but I am glad not to have to worry about dairy free as well.

Jean