Big Paws Only Dog Forums
BPO General Forum => General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws => : Anakalia January 21, 2009, 04:47:58 AM
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Koby's sick and we're unable to figure out why, although now I'm wondering if it's the food he's been eating.
He still has a ear infection, he's in a lot of pain. No medicine we've tried has solved the problem! Yesterday he was put on cephalexin for a week so we'll see how it goes. He's lost weight you can now see his vertibrae, hips and ribs (so sad!) and his coat is very dull and full of dandruff. He pukes at least 4 times a week. It's always just yellow bile no food in it. After numerous vet visits and tests, everything checks out and the Dr. can't figure out the problem, but he did tell me yesterday "You know he's almost 5 now, Great Danes don't live very long!" Very sad thing to hear.
Anyway he was eating California Natural, but they changed their ingredients and he started the booty blowouts again so we ran to the store and picked up a bag of Nutro Chicken, Rice and Oatmeal. His digestive problems stopped immediately and his poops were back to normal. About 2 months later we started seeing problems but never thought about the food being the issue. He's now eating 6 cups of food a day, poops 3-4 times a day and pukes up yellow liquidy bile! So do you think his problems could be related to the food he's on?
He's always had a problem with grains, he's allergic to wheat, corn and soy. I was thinking of switching to grain free for a "trial" run to see if he improved. Now the ONLY grain free I can get in my area is Evo, but I recently read online that Evo has way to much protein and can cause Kidney problems in dogs, so I need your guys opinion on this bit of info as well.
Sorry this is so long but I really need your help!
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Oh, Andi!
I am so sorry to hear that Koby is having problems again. :( I would probably try and switch his food, if you can. I don't know what else it could be. I've got Cabeza on Evo, so I hope its not too much protein! Dang. I need to read some more! Can you order some other grain free online and see if it helps?
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NICOLE!!! I missss you! :-* Thank you so much for chiming in here, I honestly don't know what to do next! I want my crazy, always gettin' into trouble, Koby back, but he's nothing like he used to be. He's not happy, no more spark in his eyes, he just lays on his couch all day, it's so sad. :'(
I did end up ordering a bag of Evo this morning, this website I ordered from ships free AND the Evo is cheaper than at my local petstore! Evo also has more calories/cup than the Nutro so hopefully this will help put some weight on him. I'll have to do more research on the high protein causing kidney problems. Maybe I'll just feed the Evo temporarily until I find something else. I'm keeping all fingers and toes crossed that changing food will help.
Thanks for your help Nicole, I really appreciate it!
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Andi, I am so sorry you are going through this H*LL with Koby :(
Have you ran a full blood panel test?
I agree with Jenn, antibiotics cause allergies in dogs as well as lower their appetite and make them weak.
I too would go with grain free food or something for a sensitive stomach
Dear Koby, please get better :-* :-* :-*
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I am no expert but Tink got very sick on a "bad bag of dog food" and was throwing up every day. My vet had me prepare and feed her a boiled chicken and rice mixture until her tummy settled down and then we switched to Innova and no problems since.
She could be sensative to her medication. Tink threw up a bile-like substance for two days after getting fixed. Her tummy was so empty.Even after drinking just water she would hurl. My vet gave her some anti-nausea medication and that did the trick and she was fine.
Sounds like she is going through a lot with the meds and new foods. Has she had a sensative tummy before?
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Not sure what steps you've already taken with his ear infection other than antibiotics. So forgive the obvious. Have you had his ear flushed? This procedure requires anesthesia but my friend had to have this done with her Saint and he was remarkably better the next day. Of course followed up with antibiotics.
And, trying not to be insulting to your vet, but have you thought about a different vet for a second opinion. The fact his vertebrae and hip bones are showing seems like the problem is something other than just the type of food he is eating. Like he is not able to absorb any nutrients at all. I guess your vet's comment about your Dane being 5 makes it sound like he has given up on him and is chalking it up to old age. While it is true these guys don't have particularly long life spans. 5 years is not that old even for a dane.
Sorry he is so sick. I hope you can find out what is wrong with your baby soon.
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She could be sensative to her medication. Tink threw up a bile-like substance for two days after getting fixed. Her tummy was so empty.Even after drinking just water she would hurl. My vet gave her some anti-nausea medication and that did the trick and she was fine.
Sounds like she is going through a lot with the meds and new foods. Has she had a sensative tummy before?
Koby's had sensitive tummy his whole life! It used to be really really bad, until we realized he had a sensitivity to so many grains. He's also had icky waxy ears his whole life, before the ear infections we would have to clean his ears 1-2 times a week because they'd be all gunky and gross.
I didn't think about him being sensitive to the antibiotics! You guys are brilliant! Most of his meds were topical, this is actually the first time they gave use pills, but he's sensitive to everything else why not the meds? He's my special bubble boy. If he's sensitive to the meds how in the heck are we ever going to get rid of the bacterial infection!? I know I'm just full of questions today. :)
OH funny side note! Tony is flipping out over the cost of Evo. The 14yr old lab next door has been fed Pedigree her whole life so Tony thinks that's what we should be feeding. He's not too happy with me right now! ::)
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Ask your vet for some anti-nausea meds. They really made a difference with Tink and should make the antibiotics go down easier. Make her some doggie chicken noodle soup and hopefully she will perk up.
My vet had to give Tink some IV fluids to keep her hydrated because she couldn't even keep water down. Keep an eye on her and don't let her get dehydrated or you will have a slew of other probs.
As for hubby - he will get over it, they always do.
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Not sure what steps you've already taken with his ear infection other than antibiotics. So forgive the obvious. Have you had his ear flushed? This procedure requires anesthesia but my friend had to have this done with her Saint and he was remarkably better the next day. Of course followed up with antibiotics.
And, trying not to be insulting to your vet, but have you thought about a different vet for a second opinion. The fact his vertebrae and hip bones are showing seems like the problem is something other than just the type of food he is eating. Like he is not able to absorb any nutrients at all. I guess your vet's comment about your Dane being 5 makes it sound like he has given up on him and is chalking it up to old age. While it is true these guys don't have particularly long life spans. 5 years is not that old even for a dane.
Sorry he is so sick. I hope you can find out what is wrong with your baby soon.
We were supposed to get the ears flushed yesterday, they were going to sedate him. Once we go there he took a look at the ears and said they were too inflamed he didn't want to try it at this time. He did use a gentle wash to break up some of the crud, then gave me the antibiotics.
Honestly, my vet is the best around, I've been to many of the other vets in my area and they're just in it for the money, this guy really seems to care, he tells it like it is. I think his statement was just because now that Koby's getting older there's more chance for health problems. Koby's always been on the thin side because of his intolerance to so many foods, if he loses a couple lbs. it's really noticable. We've done bloodwork, x-rays, just about everything, all tests come back negative.
Thanks for all your help and opinions, I really appreciate it!
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I have had Clifford on Evo for about 4 months now. He was getting ear infections and had very dry skin with big flakes of Dandruff before the switch. He still gets a bit of a gunky ear, but his skin and coat are fantastic. Hopefully it will help you too. Good Luck!
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OOOH! I THOUGHT OF SOMETHING ELSE ANDI! Put him on some good probiotics! If the antibiotics are indeeed causing tummy woo, (that is a technical term, btw) then a good probiotic will help. Cabeza was having ear problems and a weird unidentified stink, so we started him on probiotics and plant enzymes. They really helped! No more stink or ear issues!
I just bought mine at my local feed place.
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Athena had suchbad food allergies her poop was just brown water and she too would vomit bile at times. I finally went to Nutro sensitive stomach which uses herring for the protein source. Poop back to normal and no more vomit. I also think some probiotics is a good idea along with some boiled rice to settle that poor tummy. Hoping Koby is feeling better real soon.
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How's the Evo working for you? Just a suggestion but I talked to my vet when I first got Hades about feeding Evo and he gave me this idea. He had said I should try mixing the Innova Evo with the Innova Large Breed Puppy. Right now I feed 25% Evo with 75% Innova Lrg Brd Puppy. Once Hades is 1 1/2 he'll be eating 50/50 and then at two and older he'll be eating 75% Evo and 25% Innova Lrg Breed dog food. The vet told me to try this because it wouldn't be so much protein and my vet said the 25% of the Innova Lrg Brd dog food gives a minimum amount of other ingredients that aren't protein related.
It's somethingg to try if the Evo doesnt work for you. I love Evo but just found that both of my dogs got VERY thin when they were on Evo alone. Roxi currently is eating 50/50 with the evo and innova dog food and its worked great for her. The 75/25 seemed to make her poop very soft and runny so we went with 50/50. It's just an idea. :)
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BritnyLe that is the cutest puppy in your picture!!! What kind of pup is it? Pitbull?
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BritnyLe that is the cutest puppy in your picture!!! What kind of pup is it? Pitbull?
Actually the one on the right is my 2 year old American Bulldog/ Border Collie mix, Roxi. The one on the left is my baby, he's the puppy. He's gonna be 5 months on the 24th. LOL
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I know alot of members swear by the probiotics.
I give Lily enzymes and probiotics with every meal and even when I switch foods she has no reactions from changes at all :)
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Wow, I can't believe all the help you have all given me!! You guys ROCK!
I bought the Evo, but I'm going to hold off on feeding him that and give him some chicken/rice for the next week or so. He's got digestive issues at the moment and I'm convinced it's the antibiotics. I ran out and bought some Probiotics so he started those today, hopefully that helps!
Koby actually seemed happier last night, so I'm hoping the antibiotics are working. Tony came home from work with Buddy and the two played for about 2.5 seconds, which is a heck of a lot better than Koby just sleeping on the couch 24/7. I'm sure he's in a lot of pain because of his ear, so I'm hoping once the infection goes away he'll be back to his crazy self!
Thanks again for all your help, I really appreciate it! ;D
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Are you using anything specific for his ears? I've had really good luck with Liquid Health K-9 Ear Solutions. This is the cheapest place to order it (that I've found, any way):
http://www.vitacost.com/Liquid-Health-K-9-Ear-Solutions?csrc=GPF-765462900120
Slag almost always has one ear that is waxy, and if I don't keep it cleaned out I'm afraid it might become a problem.
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Are you using anything specific for his ears? I've had really good luck with Liquid Health K-9 Ear Solutions. This is the cheapest place to order it (that I've found, any way):
http://www.vitacost.com/Liquid-Health-K-9-Ear-Solutions?csrc=GPF-765462900120
Slag almost always has one ear that is waxy, and if I don't keep it cleaned out I'm afraid it might become a problem.
We've been using Vet Solutions Ear Cleanser. It works great, but the process of getting the solution into the ear then cleaning it is the problem. Koby fights us every time, he's gotten to the point if you even touch his ears he'll back away and then go try to hide!
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Tina we've tried everything when it comes to treats and ear cleaning! He's gotten to the point were he'll spit out the treat then ignore us for hours! lol When we actually do the ear cleanings he just gives us this look like "I'm so over this crap, leave me alone!" :)
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Man, that sucks.
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Just a quick update on Koby. We cleaned out his ears today and they both look fantastic! No redness or irritation and the infected ear had a lot less "gunk".
Now we seem to have another problem! Last night he started ummm....pooing blood. I took him off the antibiotics yesterday morning because his diarrhea hasn't gotten any better, he's been on probiotics for 4-5 days now. I've been feeding him oatmeal/boiled chicken. Today his stool looked bloody/mucus-y but his poo was firmer. (UGH I talk about poo way to much!) I have a call into my vet, hopefully I can get in first thing tomorrow morning. I'm thinking the antibiotics killed off all his good digestive bacteria, but it's just a guess. He's been more energetic he's still eating and drinking normally so once again I'm stumped!
This post was supposed to be quick! ::) Sorry!
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In the posts there has been mention of probiotics. There is a human product called KEFER. The have a vanilla flavor that your dog would probably like. One can find it in the health food or natural section of nicer groceries ie Kroger, Publix, Harris Teeter. It has more beneficial bacteria than any other product I have seen. Antibiotics are wonderful but do have severe side affects . (Even short courses)The natural flora balance in the body is disrupted. Try the Kefer. It just may help his sweet belly feel better. The one thing you can be 100% certain of-the probiotics will NOT hurt anything.
Prayers are with you.