Miniature poodle vomiting regularly

[zyama]

Have a miniature male poodle 2+ years young - 10.5 pounds. Since almost the very beginning he has a vomit about once a month. Always at the same time (7 am or about) - 1st thing after wake up on empty stomach. Mostly with yellish or light brownish foam and mostly with a few tiny splashes of blood. Went to vet about it a few times. Undergo a few cources of antibiotics. Sometimes it gave a relief for a couple monthes, sometimes - did not. In March all of a sudden it became much more frequent. We rushed to vet again. She prescribed 5 different medications, including 2 antibiotics. It did not help. Vet suggested hospital because pancreatics enzymes went high - we brought him there. He spent 2 nights on IV. Has been discharged on a bland diet. It has happened 2 weeks ago. We feed him now a small portions 5 times a day (rice with ground chicken) plus Pepsid 1/2 tabs twice a day. He is very hungry all the time and today in a morning he vomited with blood again. Please help.

[zyama]

Thanks a lot. Your idea about Vet school is a brilliant one (I don't know where to start with that yet, but this is just a technical problem - armed with Internet I can find anything). My vet meant Fairfield Vet Hospital - this is the place where my dog spent 2 nights and I can't say nothing wrong about them, but nothing good either. Bills, as I said , are high and yet no diagnose...Actually, hospital's internist told us that the test for pancreas enzymes is way too sensitive, so it may be not a problem (???). However, as you said, they treated him the way they usually doing for pancreas problems. Now i'm in a search for the appropriate diet food - we're still on a bland diet (boiled rice or small pasta with boiled ground chicken). My doggy absolutely does not eat anything from can, so it should be either dry, or, probably, ny wife should start making food for him herself. Checking many brands over Internet, but have no idea so far. Thank you again. Best regards.

[Jaybay]

Sounds like they're treating him as if pancreatitis were the problem.  No food and IV support are typical treatments.  It makes since since the enzymes are elevated and the symptoms match even though she has a normal ultrasound and x-ray.  

The good news is that his pancreas isn't swollen.  We ultimately had to put down our dog who developed pancreatitis because the swelling got so bad it blocked the flow of bile from the gallbladder.  Then his gallbladder started swelling and we had to stop his suffering before it decided to rupture.  We fought the good fight, and so did he, but lost the war.

As for finding a GI vet, hop over to the vet-moderated forum here called "Holistic Care for Pets".  Look for the link on the right side of the page.  If I remember correctly, Dr. Cheng did some residency work at a "human-style" vet hospital in New Jersey.  At any rate, she should be able to recommend a facility closest to your location.  A university with a strong veterinary program should also be able to help you.  Is your vet giving you no help with a referral?

[zyama]

thank you very much for your detail response. However, the situation I have is more strange than even I tried to describe. During those 2.5 days at a hospital not only IV has been performed - the whole idea was to keep him out of mouth feeding for at least 48 hours. Plus doctor continues with antibiotics, antinausea, etc, - all through IV. They did abdominal X-Ray and ultrasound and found no visible problems. His pancreas was normal, not swollen. But there is no diagnoses - may be IBD, may be that... We're thinking about endoscopy now. I've tried to find gastroenterologist vet, but there is no such thing. At least in NJ...

[Jaybay]

I'm really sorry to hear your dog has pancreas trouble.  There can be various underlying causes for pancreatitis and since your dog seemed to respond to antibiotics, it's possible his pancreas is infected.  That may be due to a structural problem either within the pancreas itself or further down in the pancreatic duct.  If imaging studies have not been done, it's time to take a look to see if there is a tumor or psuedo-cyst (pocket of infection) present.

In addition to the severe nausea, pancreatitis is also an extremely painful condition - for both animals and humans.  You might ask your vet if there is a medication you can keep on hand for flareups.

I'm sorry to say there isn't much to be done for pancreatitis (particularly the chronic variety your dog appears to have) other than treat the systems and starve the dog until the flare is over.  Your vet was absolutely right to put your dog in the hospital, withhold food, and provide supportive care with IV fluids.  Sometimes dogs have to have nutrition support provided via IV as well for stubborn long-lasting cases.

You will have to watch diet very closely.  Keep fats to an absolute minimum.  The pancreas has to secrete more enzymes to break down fats.  When the pancreas is infected and swollen, these enzymes can't be released either very well or at all.  That means the pancreas is slowly digesting itself and getting even more swollen in the process.  It's a vicious cycle that makes this condition so difficult to treat.

All is not necessarily lost.  My aunt and uncle had a mini-schnauzer who developed chronic pancreatitis at age 7.  While she had periodic hospitalizations and had to be on prescription food the rest of her life, she lived to be 18!

Having gone through this with one of my dogs years ago, I know how tempting it is to want to feed your dog more food.  His life depends on you resisting that temptation.  Since he's back to vomiting in the mornings, withhold food for at least the rest of the day.  You could possibly try a little plain rice in the evening.   Hydration is important, but in severe cases dogs can't even keep down water.  When that happens, your dog must go to the hospital for IV support.

You and your dog are in a terrible position.  I wish I could be more optimistic about the future, but I think you need to prepare yourself for eventually having to say goodbye - perhaps sooner rather than later.  Please stay in touch and let us know how he does.  We're all here for you any time you want to talk.