Polling all owners of dogs....Strange month?

[Spit]

I have had a really strange month. I at first thought it was just me, but the more I talk to people/ friends and vets offices I am realizing it is not just me.

I have had dogs with a strange line of gastro problems. It will come on one day, hit a dog, the dog will either vomit it's food for the day or have diahhrea. None have been really bad and all but one have recovered the next day. It seems to hit them and go.

But the one that didn't recover had to go in for IV fluids and was at the hospital for a week. She is fine now, and they ran blood work, fecal, xray etc... it was ruled out to a gasto issue.

Since then I will get hit at least once a day with a dog that either vomits or has diahhrea.

It's driving me nuts! I have never had this problem. I am not the only one with the problem either. I have talked to several family and friends and the vets office is treating gastro issues triple. They said it's some type of allergy, but geez!

I have wormed, given antihistamines, pepcid, anti vomiting, echinacea, vitamin C and Probios. All seem to work, but nothing is preventing it.

Has anyone else had a month like that. I have several dogs, so when things happen I freak because I feel like they are all sick, but it's not a sickness. They still want to eat, drink, play and act completely normal and it goes away but I feel like I am missing something here.

So this gastro thing has me wondering..... Anyone else experienced this in the last month or so?


Candis and the Gastro Gang!

[NeoFluufy]

Yeah, my dog and my neighbor's dog has had the same thing on and off. They want to play, eat and all the normal things as well but have the gastro problems.

I was thinging that it was the weather going from cold to hot since there has been no diet change. They have been trying to eat more grass which we stop them from doing since it has no health benifit for them. If I find something else out I'll let you know.

[Pumba]

Have you tried varying the diet to a cooked chicken and rice to see if the problem goes away? That is one way to eliminate any food allergy and should clear up any restroom problems to. We did it for a week and the entire problem were gone. We were on a Cup of Rice and a cup of chicken twice a day. He is 80lbs. My dog ended up with a wheat allergy which is one of the most common bad fillers they use in dog food. So we switched to Innova EVO diet and all has been good since. The food is as close to a raw diet as you can get in a dry hard food.

[Spit]

I have actually done the bland diet thing and given I.D. Still with the same result. I have a friend that said it has something to do with the grasses. That there is a fungus that lives in the grass only certain times of the year. This year it may be stronger because of the weather. Anyhow.... we are just dealing with it. I have found that after a bout of diahhrea or vomiting that giving a few days of probios at least has prevented reoccurance.

Incidently I was actually contacted by 5 people off-list with the same issue and they are in different parts of the state.

Crazy!

[Spit]

1 year ago.... I posted to this list about Gastro problems. We are now less then a month from my post date and what do you know... I have the same problems again. This time they are strictly diahhrea issues and tend to last longer then 1-2 days. Its also just my dogs, not the dogs that stay here, visit or practice at my house.

So I found this article. Thought I would share. I have a stool sample being evaluated to see if this shows up in it. Anyone heard or dealt with this. Also my dogs show no other symptoms.




Seasonal Diarrhea - by P.J Gray
So your dog has diarrhea again? Remember last year when you went through the same thing about this time of year?

Many people, especially in parts of the country which have definite seasons, notice that their pets have diarrhea in the spring and, to a lesser degree, in the autumn.

After being plagued with this seasonal problem and doing some research, I’ve come to the conclusion that the most probable cause is a bacteria called Clostridium difficile.

Clostridium difficile is a gram positive motile bacteria that is especially fond of soil. Found virtually worldwide, the bacteria likes warmth and wet conditions. When stressed by unfavorable conditions, the bacteria forms spores which will tolerate extreme conditions which the living bacteria will not.

What makes spring and autumn the primary time for this type of diarrhea is that, after winter, the spring warm-up of the soil allows the spores of the dormant bacteria to form into fully active bacteria. Our dogs, who were inside most of the time due to winter conditions, are now outside, in/on that soil and are constantly being exposed to the newly “born” bacteria. After being cooped up, the dogs are playing, getting tired, and generally both stressing and building their immune systems. Bacteria and dogs meet! Result: Diarrhea!

This spore forming bacteria is a normal resident of the intestine that, under the right (or wrong for our purposes) conditions, starts to flourish and results in a watery diarrhea or soft, unformed stool. (We call them “cow patties”) When out of control, this bacteria produces a toxin that is the real cause of the diarrhea.

Under normal circumstances, the body’s immune system keeps this bacteria under control and at a level which doesn’t result in “accidents” in the house and difficult to pick up yards.

Mild cases of Clostridium difficile result in the unformed, watery stool that we see almost every spring and just can’t seem to stop with a single dose of antibiotics. A more severe case of this bacterial overgrowth causes diarrhea that contains blood and mucous, abdominal cramps and can also cause an abnormal heart rhythm.

All too frequently, this is when the discussion starts about problems with what we are feeding or problems with the dog feed. Often, people change the brand of feed that they are using thinking that the changing feeds will solve the problem. Unfortunately, this change of feeds won’t solve the diarrhea problem and may even make the problem worse. Changing feeds can disrupt the normal intestinal flora and allow the Clostridium an opportunity to flourish.

The overuse of antibiotics may well be one secondary cause of the proliferation of Clostridium D. in that the use of antibiotics may alter the normal intestinal flora and increase the risk of developing Clostridium diarrhea. Actually, limiting the use of antibiotics can lower the risk of developing Clostridium D. diarrhea.

Clostridium D., as the cause of diarrhea, is confirmed by the presence of a toxin in a stool sample. A positive culture for Clostridium D. without a toxin assay is not enough to make the diagnosis of Clostridium D. associated disease as the sole cause for the diarrhea since the bacteria is a normal resident of the intestinal tract.

Lomotil (registered trademark) or Immodium (registered trademark) should NOT be used as they may increase the severity and may be one cause of insuseption.

Individuals with Clostridium D. associated diarrhea shed spores in the stool that can be spread from dog to dog (or other species). Spores can live up to 70 days in an neutral environment and can be transported on surfaces to other individuals.

Ok, how to control this yearly menace. Maintain the normal bacteria of the gut through the use of a good probiotic (4 in 1 Probiotics or BacPakPlus) . Raising the pHlevel of the intestinal tract seems to help through the use of (Ox-E-Drops)

Realize that with summer heat and drier conditions, the bacteria won’t be as viable and not as much of a risk to your dog. By summer, the dogs have been out enough to have built immune systems and have raised their stamina so that they are not so tired and susceptible to the bacteria. With winter conditions, the bacteria are also not viable and are in their spore state just waiting for spring. Not only are winter conditions not as conducive to acquiring the bacteria outside, most dogs stay inside the majority of the time which doesn’t allow them as much exposure to the bacteria.

Metranidazole and Vancomycin are the drugs of choice - (using both) but, with extended use, also can make the problem worse unless you are double dosing your probiotics.

In order to keep this problem under control, always keep your dog on a good quality probiotic as well as a great quality dog feed such as the Wellpet line of holistic products; Eagle and Wellness