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Really worried about Poppy

Poppy Ruby

Active member
Hi all, i have a 5 month old Tri Colour called Poppy. She is an absolute dote but unfortunately very small. We have here about 10 weeks and she only weights 2.5kgs. She hasnt gained any weight since we got her. She has had diarrhae for most of this time and has been to the vet on numerous occasions who has changed here diet but the diaarhae hasnt gone away.
She was at the kennels last weekend and was looked after by a King Charles breeder who started her on some goats milk. I tried this at home and she looked like she started to put some weight on but the diaarhae persisted. I have been back at the vet this weekend and she has told me no milk and she is now on a perscription dog food. The food smells absolutely gross, looks really bland. We cant get her to eat anything. She is surviving on about 40g of food per day which isnt enough esp with the diaarhae. She has been on the new z/d food for a couple of days so i am hoping for once for her to have a normal poo!!
I am really worried for her is looks so tiny and frail. The vet has said that she should be double her weight. Sorry for the long ramble...has anyone any advice. The vet has suggested when she goes in to be spayed that they carry out a biopise on the intenstines.
L
 
Sorry to hear she is poorly, i hope she starts to pick up soon.

this may be no use at all, but when any of mine are under the weather & have an off tummy, i try them with chicken & rice, just little bits.

hope you are ok, you must be so worried.
 
I think your instincts are right- you know something is not right with her. My advice would be to go see another vet asap and start fresh. Any dog with chronic diarrhea is not good, let alone a tiny pup. I think this sounds very serious since she has not gained a pound in 10 weeks. I would go see another vet, like, yesterday. Keep us updated.
 
I'm assuming she has had her stool checked for parasites, bacteria, etc. Have they tried any medications with her? My breeder swears on canned pumpkin and baby food chicken for diarrhea. I also agree with the advice to go see a different vet or if you have a specialty service near you, you could see a vet who specializes in internal medicine.
 
She has had no tests yet, vet has here on the Hills z/d awful stuff. The pellets are huge, she has been eating James Wellbeloved.
This evening we gave her her bowl with a mix of her james wellbeloved and the z/d and she removed all of the z/d from the bowl and ate the rest.
I know that we all in the house need to relax more about the feeding as i am sure she is picking up on our anxiety.
She seems to really like carrots. The problem is the food is so bland and trying to entice her to eat it. Is there anything you guys add to the dry food to make it more appealing?
Going to persist and let her have some more goats milk and see how she goes. Searched the garden cant find any runny poohs...she has eaten some food today may eat nothing tomorrow:(:(
 
If I were you I really would see another vet. My sister's dog was a buffet of parasites as a puppy - bad stuff: worms, giardia, coccidia, and her local vet said he was fine and told her to give chicken and rice. She tried everything, probiotics, raw, etc. Then FINALLY, after many weeks of trusting that vet and thinking things would resolve themselves, went to a new vet and got the tests and meds she needed to kill the parasites.

I really hope you'll try a new vet. Some vets really are just not very good, while others, the ones we stay with and keep our pets well, are wonderful.
 
Hi,

Just a thought on how to make her meals more appealing. When ever we have a roast dinner Leo gets some home made gravey mixed in his dry food for a treat. The gravey is made with veg water and meat juices. I dont know if that would be too rich for your little ones tummy but Leo practically licks the bowl for a long long time after its empty:lol:

Good luck

Mel
 
I'm so sorry to hear about your stuggle with your little lady. Well done for trying so hard to get her well, I know how frustrating it can be. I can't really add to the advice already given. I would recommend seeing another vet because it has been going on so long. Ask for a stool sample to be taken for analysis (to check for parasites). Also, out of experience, if she'll eat the JWB food then keeping her on it is prob the best way to go. Getting them to eat anything when they have a dodgy belly can be quite a challenge so sticking to what she will eat is good. Also, if she is eating there is prob no need to try to entice her (she's already doing it!). The general rule with food is little and often when they have diahorroea, so instead fo having one/two big meals maybe have four or five smaller ones through out the day.

I really hope you get this solved soon, please keep us updated.
 
Thanks for all of your comments, have just been onto the vet again. She is booked in next week for a scan and to have her bloods done.
We have to try as best we can keep her on the z/d for the week. All great in theory getting her to eat it is something else.....
She wants her off the goats milk asap, so i'll do my best. Its going to be a tough week. I will let you know how we get on.
 
I'm trying to understand why she hasn't had a fecal test done yet. In my experience that is usually the first thing done when a dog has diarrhea. Maybe the vet has always suspected something else, but this seems to have been going on for quite some time. A fecal is really simple to do - even with a diarrhea sample. Maddie had horrible parasites once with pure liquid and sometimes bloody stool. I was still able to get enough of a sample for them to use even though it was almost like water. Would you feel comfortable asking for your vet to do a test on her stool?
 
Good news, Poppy had here first real pooh today:jump:
This is something to celebrate, her first since we got her. She has starting eating the z/d food, so heres hoping.

Talked to the vet today, she is having a full work up when she goes in on Wednesday. She does seem a lot bouncier today:rah:
 
:rah: Poppy did a proper poop!:rah: Thats a really good start & im glad she is eating, ive been following your thread, my girl often has an upset tummy but not nearly as bad as Poppy tho she often turns her nose up at her food so i would imagine you feel like doing a little dance! I hope it continues & that she gets stronger,good luck for weds
 
The saga continues. Poppys pooh is now normal but she has eaten 1 bowl of food in the last 48 hours.:(:(
She is in with the vet all day tomorrow, so :xfngr: the scan picks up something. She had been doing really well and ate her food 3 days in a row, and now nothing. She looks soo thin and frail.
 
Good luck....this must be such a worry for you.....sending hu:xfngr:
and best wishes

Mel
 
Got Poppy back from the vet, not good news:(:(

She had bloods, faecals done and an ultrasound. She is anemic and low in protein. She has a small liver and they suspect a porto systemic shunt. Because her liver was soo small they found it difficult to confirm. So they ran bloods while she was fasting and then gave her some fatty food and ran the test again. This will tell whether is is able to absorb/digest the food. We get the results of that next week.
If that confirms the PSS then she will be referred to UCD for further ultrasound and possible surgery.
If its not that then they are looking at Inflamatory Bowel. The bowel was inflammed and they expected this due to the amount of diarahea.
What it did confirm to the vet who was shocked when she saw her is that she is in no condition for spaying or even for a biopsy.
So for the next week we are sticking with the z/d food as it has gotten rid of the diarahae and she is on Flagy.
Possible problem now with the insurance. I insured her the day we got here, i brought her to the vet 5 days later because of the diarahae. The vet said that they insurance may look at the history and say that the illness was existing at the time of the insurance date so we wont be covered. It cost €500 for today and it will cost over €2000 if she has to go to UCD. IF the insurance doesnt cover it, not sure what we are going to do:(:(
 
Im so sorry you're having such a terrible time and now the extra worry of insurance:(

You never know. Call your insurance and see what they'll cover then at least you can go forward knowing what to expect!

Good luck

Mel
 
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