Regurgitating dog with diarrhea and under active intestines

[ArtTherapyAshley]

My 2 year old golden doodle ( golden retriever and poodle mix) went from extremely healthy to extremely sick in a matter of hours last week.  We woke up to him vomiting his food from the night before, and then continuing to vomit or regurge bile/fluid for the rest of the day.  He also had diarrhea.  We took him in and they gave him an iv under the skin and sent him home.  He declined and became very lethargic.  Now, after 5 days, he has been in the hospital the whole time and it seems his stomach and intestines are not draining the fluid, but we are not sure why.  We have done x rays, multiple ultrasounds, an endoscopy, biopsies, and even exploratory surgery, and everything is normal except the villi in the intestines don't seem to be a lively as usual and the intestines in general are under active when the DMV took them out.  There is no blockage, and they are swollen a bit, but mostly filled with gas and fluid.  

We have two days to let him recover from surgery and see if the new biopsies show anything, but if we can't find anything, we will have to put him to sleep.  Please help, we are so upset and confused with what is going on.  He seems to be the best right after they drain the fluid from his stomach, but then as it fills back up, he becomes lethargic and sick, continuing to regurge liquid an uninterested in eating or drinking.  Te vet is now saying maybe mother nature will turn things around, which seems to be our only hope for him at this point.  Any help is appreciated.

[TwoBitsMom]

I am so sorry to hear about your dog....I hope you find out what is wrong with him soon.....You will both be in my prayers.
Besides Addisons disease...can you tell us some of the other conditions they have ruled out....?  
Connie

[Ghilly]

I'm so sorry that you are not seeing any improvement nor can the vets seem to bring about any resolution to this.  I'm praying that you can get that appointment at UC Davis.  Veterinary colleges are excellent places to go when it seems like all else is failing.  They have state of the art equipment and vets that are up to date on all the latest technology and who have lots and lots of experience with cases that many local veterinary clinics and hospitals never see during their time in existence.  Hopefully they'll bring about a breakthrough for you.  

Ghilly

[ArtTherapyAshley]

An update:  Leo continues to have the same problems, recurring water or bile, getting dehydrated aftervabout 4 hours after being taken off the iv fluids...  This is now compounded with recovering from surgery, which has taken it's toll on the little guy, but he seems to be handling that well.  At Davis, they put him back in ICU, on an iv drip, on antibiotics and a motility drug for digestion.  They also put a tube down his nose and continue to drain out the fluid in the stomach that is not moving. He hates it, but I am thankful for that tube because the fluid that doesn't move seems to cause him to slow down and also to regurge.  He won't regurgitate if there is nothing there!  

The main problem seems to be in the small intestine, we think.  One biopsy came back and said possibly a food allergy.  The small intestine has seemed to have stopped moving, and I think that is what we need to figure out... Why and how to help.  They will start Leo on some food tomorrow in hopes that that will kickstart the intestines.  

Thanks again four your thoughts and prayers.  We are hopeful, but also know that he cannot live on an iv, it wouldn't be fair to such an active dog. We will be reevaluating on Monday or Tuesday.

[Ghilly]

Thanks so much for the update!  We'll continue to keep Leo in our thoughts and prayers.  

Ghilly

[Misfits4Me]

Ashley & Leo......I've been wondering about you both......Maybe there's a silver lining in there somewhere. :)  I'm still praying for his recovery and I'm delighted you got in at Davis....Thank you for the update & hang in there.......Karla  

P.S. Since you mentioned a food allergy: Would you tell me what you feed him? (Including treats)  I could at least do a background check on his food.....

[ArtTherapyAshley]

Hi

We feed the dogs Costco brand dog food and mix in chef michaels with it.  I give them enzymatic chews fir their teeth and just about any treat that I see....  I feed them table food as well, although not anymore if he pulls through this, since one of the possibilities is food allergy.

At davis, they have him on an iv, a bunch of drugs including a pain med, and a tube in his nose to drain the fluid from his stomach and also to feed him a liquid diet.  So far he has kept the liquid diet down and is more interested in eating, which are good signs.  We wont know much until he can eat on his own and be off the iv and not vomit.  They still don't know what it is and were honest in saying that they might not ever know.  He is not happy about the feeding tube, he tried to get it out during a walk yesterday and when the tech wouldn't let him, he peed on her.  We all think that's a good sign and pretty funny since Leo would normally never do that.

We are nice again hopeful, but we also know that so far it has looked better when he is on the iv and not good just hours after it is taken out.  The vets say that they think time will help him the most at this point, whether it's fighting an infection, recovering from surgery, or restarting his intestines.....