could my apartment be making my dog sick?

[Jen W]

Dory just turned 2. In her first year she was never sick. Then when she turned one I moved to a new apartment. A month later she got sick (diarrhea and puking). A few months later she got sick again. At first I figured it must be that she has a sensitivity to duck, since the first time she got sick was after trying out the duck variety of her food and the second time was after she had a duck wrapped pork chomp. So I told everyone not to give her duck and considered it done.

But about a month ago she got sick again and now again this morning she is sick. I know she hasn't had any duck or anything unusual. She hasn't gotten into anything to account for "dietary indiscretion" as the cause of her sickness. And it's the same symptoms every time - middle of the night diarrhea that turns bloody on day 2. A bland diet for 5 days clears it up.

When I realized she was never sick the fist year I had her when I lived in my other apartment I started wondering if my apartment could be making her sick. It's a brand new apartment, I am the first occupant, but maybe the carpeting? The water?

Has anyone heard of something like this? I just can't figure out what's causing it and of course the vets are of no help at all, only wanting to prescribe her an antibiotic without any proof that she has a bacterial infection.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's very unlikely that there could be anything in your apartment that is causing Dory's health problems. If there were, you'd be experiencing symptoms, too. And very unlikely that carpeting or any other inorganic substance could cause diarrhea, especially bloody diarrhea. And since the water, carpet, etc are there all the time, the symptoms wouldn't be coming and going, and bland diet wouldn't fix it. 

Most chronic illness in dogs doesn't show up during their first year or so. This is one reason that no dog should ever be bred before they are at least two years old. 

It's more likely that Dory has developed some type of digestive disease, and just a coincidence of timing that you moved into a new home around the same time.

Another possibility might be that one of her preventatives is causing the problem, since it seems to be occurring on a monthly cycle. Have you noticed this happening after she gets flea or HW preventatives? Or is there any other pattern you can see? Daycare? Groomers? Certain treats or chews that she only gets occasionally? 

Has your vet done any fecals or run any bloodwork? 

[charlotte bednarsh]

Just wondering what tests your vet has conducted?  Does Dory go to the dog park, or have contact with other dogs?  Have you asked around to see if any other dogs are sick.  I would think it is unlikely anything in your apartment is making Dory sick, so would look for other variables.  And if your vet doesn't seem to be helpful, I would check out a new vet or see if there is a vet teaching hospital nearby, as they may have more experience with this issue.  Keep us posted.  Definitely looking at the treats or food might be helpful.  Between my doodle's first and second year, I went through several foods until I found a food that didn't seem to upset his stomach, and am still very careful regarding treats and so forth.  Of course, I'm assuming the vet checked for giardia and so forth.

[Jen W]

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jen, your comment didn't post. can you try again? 

[Jen W]

Weird. I hope this posts.

The more I think about it the more I think it can't be the chemicals in the carpet b/c if anything the chemicals would dissipate over time and Dory is getting sick more frequently now than before. Plus to Karen's point I don't only occasionally have carpet, it's always there but she isn't always sick. There is a woman on my floor with 2 poodles who says they are sick more living here than ever before, but not sure how much I lead her into that answer with my less than objective questioning.

Dory's last heartworm preventative was on the 15th and she hasn't been to daycare, the dog park or groomer in two weeks. No new treats recently either. Her last fecal was less than a month ago and came back negative for parasites.

Looking through my phone I can see that she got sick on May 7, June 30, August 11, October 25 and now November 24 (I know this b/c of frantic texts to my BFF that read "OMG! Poop on the rug!") but these dates don't correlate with anything else on the calendar (such as groomer appointments).

She hasn't had any bloodwork done. I suppose that is the next step?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

When she gets sick, do you notice any of the following just before or during the bout of illness?

Very loud stomach gurgling or rumbling

Lip smacking 

Loss of appetite

Reduced stool volume

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Jen, I am so sorry Dory is having these problems.  I can't offer any advice, but send wishes for you to get a firm  diagnosis and treatment plan.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Ditto. I'm very sorry that Dory is sick Jen, we are thinking of you and hoping that you are able to figure out what the problem is!

[Jen W]

Her stomach gurgles sometimes, frequently actually, but it seems unrelated to when she is sick. It seems more like a post dinner belch.

She does lick/smack her lips when she is sick but does not lose her appetite. I don't think there is a reduction in stool volume either.

Dumb question: to get bloodwork done do I just call the vet and ask for bloodwork? Or do I need to ask for specific tests?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, it's a good idea to get a full routine blood panel done any time there is an undiagnosed chronic illness, but the specific test that might point in the direction of a digestive disease is called a GI panel, and it measures cobalamin, folate, and something called TLi. Those things aren't included in the normal bloodwork vets typically run. Your vet may not even know what it is, as GP vets don't generally order them. It has to be sent out, takes about a week to get results, and it's extremely expensive. But you might ask your vet about it.

The other thing you might try is to switch her to an LID food that utilizes a single novel protein, i.e. one that she has never eaten before. If the digestive issues are due to a food sensitivity, a 12 week food trial might help. 

[Jen W]

I am once again thinking Dory's issue is environmental.

When her stools returned to fairly normal for a few days on the bland food diet, I attempted to transition her to the Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal limited ingredient food. The diarrhea with bright red blood came right back so I made an appointment with an internal medicine specialist vet who ran lots of tests (including testing for Addison's) all of which came back normal.

I left the vet's office and drove straight to my best friend's house in Minneapolis, 5 hours away. Within 3 days Dory is totally normal. She has fully transitioned over to the kibble and this morning had her first truly normal poop in 6 weeks. Whenever we come up here she recovers and whenever we go back home she gets sick again. I have no doubt that when I leave here on Tuesday she will be sick again in a week which is just what happened last time.

Other than the fact that we take fewer structured walks at my friend's and spend more time free playing in the park chasing balls and frisbees, her routine is exactly the same here as at my place.

It doesn't totally make sense b/c I lived in my apartment for 7 months before she got sick (though maybe there was a slow build up of something over time?) and there have been periods when she hasn't been sick even after it started (though recently it's been non stop since Thanksgiving).

Is this just another red herring or an answer? Regardless, when my lease is up at the end of March I plan on moving, though it occurs to me that if it's something in my couch I'll just take the issue with me.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jen, I'm certain that your apartment isn't causing Dory's issues. Medically and scientifically, it just doesn't make sense. 

There is nothing that could be in your couch that would cause Dory to have bloody stool, unless she's eating the stuffing. 

Did the IMS put her on any meds when you were there right before you went to Minneapolis? If so, that could be why Dory was "totally normal" within 3 days; because the meds helped, not because you went to Minneapolis. :) 

Did the IMS run a GI panel? It measures cobalamin and folate, and would have been sent out to TAMU and taken about a week to get results.