First let me start with explaining that since October we have moved 2x's, I had a baby in November and we got a puppy in March.... (yea its a lot I know)
Mandi is 11 yrs old, a pit-bull/Jack Russel mix and a total momma's girl to the point that she has had really bad separation anxiety when I have left the house and there has been times in the past I had to work with a trainer to get her over her anxiety. She is much better now but all she wants to do at all times is be next to me.
So it all started last October when she started having really bad diarrhea ( I mean real bad exploding horrible diarrhea) and then vomiting started a few days later. I brought her to the vet and we came to the conclusion it was a raw hide she found under the couch and ate almost the whole thing and it must have upset her stomach. She didn't eat for 2 days. Gave her some stomach meds, rice, boiled chicken and it took about 2 weeks to get back to somewhat normal. About a month later the same thing started - no chewy involved this time, so we were stumped. Gave her the meds and same diet, took about a month to get back to normal. We moved again and about 2 weeks after we got here she started up again. She is a picky eater in general so it was hard to even to get her to eat the rice or the chicken. She went 5 whole days of protesting and NOT eating her food. So I gave her the high fatty puppy food my other pup was eating and slowly transitioned her back to her own senior food once she was a little better. Now she is refusing all food, puppy, chicken, rice, carrots, bread, pasta, even a dental bone- she has had diarrhea for a little over 3 weeks now, the vomiting stopped 2 days ago with these anti-vomiting meds she was given. But the diarrhea is so bad, she is now lethargic, no energy, not a happy girl at all- mind that the past 6 months even when she was sick and not eating she was never acting any different- she would play with the puppy and act like her old self (she would just stop in the middle of playing and have to poop). This is the 3rd vet I've been to since October and about $800 later and now she is saying she is allergic to the food she has been on and she needs to be on a high protein - either fish or duck diet with no grain. She had the D/D prescription cans to give her and none of it has helped so far. It has been 4 days and a lot of different meds and she still has diarrhea and she is so out of it and unhappy. She looks like she is in so much pain now and I don't know what else to do.
She has had blood tests - her organs are fine. Feces testing - no parasites. And none of the vets felt any obstruction in her gut. Just a swollen bowel.
I am stumped - anyone have any idea what is going on with my girl. Is it her just being stressed because of the move, baby and puppy all within 6 months or is it that she is really sick and no one can figure it out???? Please HELP!!!
Pancreatic problems can be diagnosed via bloodwork, TLI-PLI testing. Expensive, but possibly worthy if the vet is suspecting.
Tylan is a REALLY good alternative to Metro. I've yet to have a dog respond to Metronidazole if Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth is the problem.
If food allergy is suspected, why not try a hydrolized protein diet? If you have not done so already.
As much as I hate Pred, I would probably ask for a course in this situation. If it helps, your answer is likely an inflammed bowel. The cause is still unknown though. Food allergy is often due to the protein source and not the grains, so perhaps go with something with an unusual protein source (California Natural Kangaroo, Merrick Bison, Nature's Variety Rabbit Instinct, etc). The grain free diets will have the higher protein sources on Average.
So having experienced all the million stomach disorders in dogs, I would opt for a single novel protein diet, Tylan instead of Metronidazole (you can buy it in bulk at KVvet supply and put it in empty capsules), test for Giardia (use the blood test), and ask for Pred.
If the dog is allergic to certain proteins, the very last thing I would give is Chicken, beef, and maybe fish. I would go prescription hypo-allergenic, AT LEAST until you get control of the situation and can determine if a food allergy is indeed the problem.
I do hope that helps some!