Help/suggestions Needed For Gsd

[ely2008]

Hi all,

I am hoping someone out there may be able to help me with a propblem concerning my shepherd. Elysium is 3yrs old and over the last 5-6 weeks hasnt been her self at all. she has always been a picky eater and it has always been a battle to get and keep weight on her. The last few weeks have been difficult! Anyone who is close to there dog knows when something is wrong and this is just what i thought with my girl ely, knew something wasnt quite right but couldnt put my finger on it! Then she began having a problem with loose bowl movements with a horrible yellow colour(among over behavioral changes, lack of energy etc) . Straight away i took her to the vets who run tests and cleared her for gastro, diabetes and pancreatitis. he put her on antibiotics for SIBO but with no real improvement(her bowel movements are now green and slimy, she is still very quiet and not wanting to interact with the other dogs and has even stopped following me around!) She has been having a diet of chicken breast and plain rice(split over x2 meals instead of one),i have even given her yoghurt as a shepherd breeder of many years suggested.all to no avail. The vet got me to take in a poo sample today and we wont get the results until after the weekend. any suggestions would be helpful

thanx

Edited December 24, 2011 by ely2008

[persephone]

Is she drinking plenty?

maybe giver some probiotics, to help with her gut , and if she is so flat , what's her temperature?

If she is getting worse, I would suggest you take her back to the original vet, or at another vet clinic tonight, rather than have her perhaps need emergency treatment over a weekend.

She is possibly dehydrated, and very lacking in electrolytes etc after a restrictive diet and continuing diarrhoea.

Hope things take a turn for the better soon!

[Rebanne]

second vet opinion. 6 weeks of illness is too long.

[persephone]

if you're around Adelaide, maybe try the clinic out at the roseworthy Uni campus? Uni clinics are usually good - they have heaps of facilities ,and lots of people in the know

LINK HERE

[persephone]

second vet opinion. 6 weeks of illness is too long.

yes, and only now testing a faecal sample?

[ish]

Has she been tested for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI)?

[ely2008]

Thanks for replies. ok ely has had probiotics and she is still drinking her usual amount of water. I agree that 6 weeks is way too long for her to be unwell and im so worried about her, she is my baby, i dont like it if shes feeling off for a day! Last vet visit, her temp was only up by half a degree, vet said thats fine. Shes still losing weight and condition though even with the bland diet and antibiotics etc. I did mention to the vet about shepherds having pancreas problems as it had been suggested to me by a long time shepherd owner, his reply was lets rule out the common problems first,all good and well but my baby is still unwell! forgot to mention in my first post that she has also been cleared for parasites. Persephone, we are at munno para and i had forgotten about the roseworthy campus, at the moment she is going to a vet at lewiston. If i cant get any answers on the weekend i will take her up there.

Thanx again

[persephone]

not wanting to interact with the other dogs and has even stopped following me around!)

This is a real concern.....

I hope that you can get another opinion very soon, and that your girl is on the improve again.

[Stitch]

Don't forget to give the dog Lectade to drink.

It will provide lost electrolytes and rehydration the dog needs.

I have found it to be very useful when you have nasty situations like this.

Available at vets, pet barns and produce merchants it is invaluable and very safe.

[ely2008]

Update on my girl Elysium.vet did fecal testing and it ruled out all the more common things.Her temp was elevated and she has lost 1.6kg in the last 2 weeks.she is having a diet of chicken and rice, the vet doesnt want to change this at the moment because anything else may further upset her. Ely was then given xrays and a full blood panel. The protein levels in her blood were a little high and her xrays showed intestinal thickening and a build up of gas.

The vet has put her on antibiotics and prednisone to try and eliminate a couple more possibilties. at this stage we are looking at four of them IBD,lymph adenocarcinoma, lymphadenitis and another one which i cant remember the name of but is in the same catergory of disease. we know all of them need surgery and biopsy to confirm diagnosis and that is why he gave her the medication to see if we can get a bit more improvement before we subject her to surgery.

I am hoping one of you may have had a similar situation or perhaps know something about any of the diseases.

thanx in advance

elysium's mum

Edited December 23, 2011 by ely2008