What else to do?

Rowan my male Siberian husky(2yr old) had diarrhea vomiting was tired and in pain and had low energy took him to vet ran tons of test  then told us it was stomach flu we took within 24 hr of his symtoms (symptoms).Vet gave us anti diarrhea med and said to let it run it course i trust the vet but it has been a week and he does not seem better.Here is what i have been doing withheld food 24 hr then gave him boiled rice and chicken and probiotics the med the Dr gave me and some pumpkin also Gatorade and made sure he is drinking.Here is how he is doing diarrhea vomiting better not completely gone but alot better his energy is low but he is restless pacing back and fourth patting heavily and it not hot the patting will not stop is hard and lots of drool and he is winning howling and talking all night and day.I am taking him back to vet today been talking with the vet everyday and he say like in humans it takes time to run the course a couple a days a go he gave a Rx of antibiotics and that's when diarrhea and vomiting got better but vet did x-rays and blood test last week said everything was OK and said it was stomach flue,but he seems so miserable i feel so bad and helpless i have no idea what to do.Is there anything else i can do.

[ginger899]

Your vet sounds very nice. But I would not be ready to accept the diagnosis of "stomach flu"
It sounds as if there is something else going on here.
If it were me....I would take him to a completely different vet for a second opinion. Take a stool sample with you. Also if he vomits, take a sample of that.

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Nikkie.....Was he by any chance running a fever? What was his temp.? Do you know?   Karla

[Misfits4Me]

Something else, what antibiotic did they give him?

[nikkie1580]

He had a low grade fever that did not last long vet gave him trimethoprim/sulfadizine(tribrissen) when i talked to the vet a few days back and he gave us a the Rx he thought that the stomach flu was caused by Bactria, took in a stool sample the next day waiting back test results. When we went to vet today he said he for sure thought it stomach flu cause by a bacterial infections that why he start to feel better after he started the antibiotics, it he said it had to run it course. We have been with him for years he has treat all are dogs and even our fosters, he is great you can call any time day or night any day of the week and he will meet us at the clinic if we can not pay right away he allows payments or even does it free of charge only charging fof supplies so i know he cares and has always treats our dogs in the best possible maner.I just do not know what else to do to make rowan comfortable until it runs it course.

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Nikkie.....Is your guy any better, today?  Your Vet does sound like a wonderful, caring man, but something isn't right here.....I will add that I have NO experience with the Doggie Flu, but I would think it would have run it's course by now!  Has it already been 8-9 days now? I'm sorry, but did your Vet know how long it would take? What did he say? If he's still sick, it doesn't sound to me like the antibiotic helped at all! Do you think it did?

Did this come on suddenly & quickly? ANything else that you can think of? I've been racking my brain and I do have some hints, but again, anything else? Is he still running a fever?

Please, let me know......Also, where do you live?  Karla

[nikkie1580]

Thanks he is better today,we live in California.We also got fecal test back today, vet was right it was a bacteria e coil we did a time line with vet to figure out how he got it, it is in their body up to 9 days before symptoms and then they are sick for 7-10 days after that (he never had a high fever and it was low grade for only one day)When we went back that amount of days it was the same time that we were at my family farm so vet think he might have had some cow poo as a snack i know gross but the vet is sure that what did it.And looking back he did get in alot of mischief that week we caught him in chicken coup not eating chicken but with egg running down his face and was chasing every animal on that farm.So eating cow poo sounds like something he would try.The vomiting and diarrhea improved but did not go away with antibiotics e coli can be resistant to antibiotics so love, rest and hydration is the best care until it passes the vet said it does cause lots of pain and stress to a dog so that is what  causing the pacing panting and howling and that so lovely non stop husky talk he is better and getting energy back vet said it will take a couple of weeks before he 100% back to his old self.Thanks again for your concern and thanks for all your help .

[nikkie1580]

And the stomach flu the vet said can be caused by bacteria worms and other thing i guess it is a caught all phrase vet use, when they determine the cause of the stomach flu then they treat it.

[seeana]

Hi i think where all the confusion is arising from is the name your vet calls his condition as far as i know there is no such thing as stomach flu  as such.... any influenza  bug will not respond to antibiotics.

I think your vet would be one of the few to call it that as it is so misleading.

He has got a food poisening  ! we can also catch it from chicken that is off processed meat or any bad food .really. Children have been known to die from this.
Glad he is getting better but boys will be boys and he sounds a real charecter bless him.

[nikkie1580]

I know that is why i asked the vet he said when  a vet says stomach flu is not a medical term it is not even a true influenza virus but it actually called gastroenteritis() is medical name for it) it can be cause by bateria worms anything.He said stomach flue is not really flu it used to describe the symtoms (symptoms) he was showing he said said Dr even use this in humans to describe their symtoms (symptoms). So in medical terms it is gastroenteritis caused by e coli, I do not know why he did not tell me this in the first place their was a lot of confusion on my part i know what  gastroenteritis is i do have a brain he a great vet but a little old  school in his ways,oh well as long as rowan gets better.He is a character he looks at you with those one blue and one yellow eye like he a angle that can do no wrong, but always in some kind of mischie,f we have found his hiding hole he puts anything he wants to hide in to bra's, shoes, Bones, remotes he does not eat them just hides them and oh how my late nights i have taken care of swollen face due to bee sting from him trying to make friends will a bee and when he thinks he being sneaky he army crawls on his belly to get what he wants,he sure is a handful we love him to piece and would not have it any other way .