Puppy Problem

vwman_3

I have got a problem with my 14 week old Doberman puppy and to be honest I am at my wits's end knowing what to do.

We have had the pup for 6 weeks or so, and since we have had her she has had terrible problems with her poo, it's ranged from very runny to solid then back to runny withn blood and mucus in it, she only poo's after food, not all the time.

She has been to the Vet's 7 times in all in this period, (plus twice for her jabs) and after tests was diagnosed with the following Isopora, Campylabacter,Clostridia, Proteus.

She has been on medication for these but has little or no effect.

She has a very healthy appitite and is putting weight on, (She is on Burns dog food at the moment) and is very, and I mean very active, but looks very skinny, her ribs stick out and her hind quaters look terrible.

All her weight seems to go to her belly.

The vet advised us to rest her from dog food and put her on pasta and rice, with chicken and fish, however she get's really ill on pasta and she will not touch rice, she appeares to be allergic to pasta.

She has seen 4 different Vet's at the practice and they do not seem to have a clue what to do other than tell me to feed her on Hill's, she has been on 5 types of anibiotic and even spent 28 days on a human antibiotic, with no effect.

She has been wormed 3 times by the Vet's.

To date we have spent just over £500 on vet's fee's for this treatment, she is not covered by our pet insurance.

Has anyone got any suggestions, the only thing I can think of is to take her to get a second opinion at another Vet's.

Thanks for reading

WeirdoMagnet

Poor girl. It must be horrible for her, and not helpful for toilet training progress.

Have you spoken to the breeder? Are the rest of the litter OK? I'd ask around and find a really good dog vet, and get an opinion from them. If it were me I wouldn't like the pup to be taking all those drugs for no improvement to be seen.

Burns is a good food, and normally results in consistent, firm 'droppings'. But if her food has been chopped and changed, that can upset the gut, so best to stick to one type. Vets do seem very keen to prescribe Hills, rather than get to the root of the problem!

She may have an intolerance of some kind - could be gluten?

Let us know how you get on.

Georgie

vwman_3

Georgina wrote: »

Poor girl. It must be horrible for her, and not helpful for toilet training progress.

Have you spoken to the breeder? Are the rest of the litter OK? I'd ask around and find a really good dog vet, and get an opinion from them. If it were me I wouldn't like the pup to be taking all those drugs for no improvement to be seen.

Burns is a good food, and normally results in consistent, firm 'droppings'. But if her food has been chopped and changed, that can upset the gut, so best to stick to one type. Vets do seem very keen to prescribe Hills, rather than get to the root of the problem!

She may have an intolerance of some kind - could be gluten?

Let us know how you get on.

Georgie

Thanks for the reply

I have spoken to the breeder and they are at a loss as to why she is the way she is, the only other pup that was in the litter is fine and still with the breeder.

I am thankful for one thing in that she is toilet trained, and she only poo's at her normal time after food, it's not a case of pooing all the time.

In herself she seems fine and full of beans ie playing, running etc.

I think that if she has not shown an improvement in the next week then I will change Vet's, but keep her on Burns and give that a chance to work.

WeirdoMagnet

It's good that she's fine in herself, and that you aren't having a problem with the toilet training.

Another thought - do you use any shop-bought treats? Some of them are really highly flavoured and coloured - personally I don't use them. You can use your Burns biscuits as treats - the more you can eliminate from the diet the better.

PJ1

Hi,
I really don't know if this will help at all but it might. I had a GSD pup a few years ago who was exactly as you described and was given lots of antibiotics. Eventually he started to go downhill and ate less and less. I was advised by a friend to try feeding him only on live yogurt for two-three days. I did this and the improvement was spectacular, he never looked back.
The other thing it might possibly be is an inability to produce the enzymes needed for proper digestion (for meat content of dry food) It is possible to obtain a food supplement that substitutes these enzymes for the dog. I'm afraid I have no idea where you get it though, I imagine it would be through a vet practice.
Also as a side issue I now have another GSD who I put onto Burns dog food and it made his poo's runny so changed to a James Wellbeloved copy (much cheaper and no additives as JW has been taken over by Pedigree and not sure if they will continue with additive free formula) Anyway, he is brilliant on that and everyone at dog clubs comment on his shiny coat and how well he looks. HTH

~cleo~

live yogurt is very good for stomach problems - my chihuahua goes through similar to this every few months for a only for a day or two though - and i feed her chicken and rice and a spoonful of live yogurt and it really works shes back to normal in a day or so ~ also royal canin do a sensible version of their food for sensitive digestions

vwman_3

Thank you all for the advice, I will give the yogurt a go, I take it you can get it from Tescos/Asda's or the like.

As she has had a dicky stomach I have only given her treats such as cooked chicken or the odd piece of white fish.

Once again thanks, and I will let you know how we get on.

penny_pincher_7

i had the same problem with my bichon frise pup a month ago, nothing was working until the vet gave me this paste to shall i say reset her tummy and digestion.....its along the same lines as those yoghurt drinks we have but its in the pure form as pups dont need the dairy i have forgotton the name but it worked for mitzi within a day honestly, also the vet said to get this same stuff from live yoghurt she would have had to had about 2 litres of the stuff daily, it was only cheap, easy to dispence and came in a syringe if you can find out the name of the stuff you can get it online cheaper HTH

penny_pincher_7

probiotic was the word i was thinking of and this was the stuff she prescribed for mitzi.....it really is brilliant ...i hope she is ok, i know how upset i was xxxxxhttp://www.vet-medic.com/Product_Info.aspx?pCode=PROT6

tiamai_d

I'd try James Well Beloved, Wainwrights (from pets at Home) or Pets at home own brand (which is made by hills). It will take a few weeks to see if the new diet is having any effect though. if her poo's are the same then just stick to what you know and what you feel is doing her best.

And instead of yogurt (in case she is lactose intolerant) try a pro biotic powder mixed into her food. Does the same job as yogurt but no risk of her being upset by the dairy.

I'm sure you get one from pets at home (and other stores) call Pro-C pro biotic. Or ask for something similar!

Remember that lots of dogs look scrawny as puppies, and some adult dogs just look thin. My own border collie cross had a skinny bum, it was horrid looking, now at 1yr old it has grown into him! So long as she is happy and has lots of energy you shouldn't be too worried.

Cut out the treats though, they can be an unknown source of irritation to the gut, use some of her dry food instead. Plentiful supply of fresh water at all times etc.

Sorry, chicken is fine. As are hide chews mostly - meaning try her and see!

vwman_3

Thanks all for the help, unfortunately my pup is very ill now, I took her to a second Vet's yesterday and he did some blood tests, I wanted a second opinion and it looks like she has something called EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency), why the original Vet's didn't pick this up weeks ago thereby avoid the poor dogs suffering god only knows.

Basically her pancreus does not produce the enzymes needed to break down the food in her body.

She will have to be on medication for the rest of her life, which although is not the ideal solution, but the alternative does not bare thinking about.