Sometimes, it's not what you think!

[Natasha]

Here is a good reminder to think out-of-the box when it comes to your doodle's health.  AND to make sure that you have a vet who is doing the same.

 

I know a number of our members have expressed concern with things like paw licking, itching, tummy upset, etc.  We started having some similar problems. Then Rouser started throwing up these cigar-type things. That was followed up with two bouts of severe nauseau and throwing up of his food, etc.

 

We had no idea what was going on. At first, everything could have been explained as isolated incidents. Then the vet became concerned that we were seeing a pattern. We all paid attention to the signs, etc. We ruled out a blockage (two xrays - nothing found), ran blood tests (all was well), did fecal tests (fine), elimination diets (he would get better after 7 days of chicken and rice + taking an acid reducer and anti-nausea meds only to have everything kick back up 3 or 4 weeks later), etc.

 

We brought in one of the "cigars" and our vet said that, yes, it did look like his hair wasn't passing through his system. Why so much hair was building up remained a mystery. If there wasn't a blockage, it was possible that Rouser had a deformity or that his system was working properly, etc. We were looking at a potentially very serious issue.

 

Long story short - we had mentioned to our vet that we would catch Rouser eating this long, wispy grass that we have - but that he didn't eat our regular green grass unless he was already VERY nauseaus. At first, that didn't mean anything to our vet.  However, our vet is a friend and so I showed her the grass when she came over for dinner one night.  We learned two things that night that we just hadn't noticed before (the grass is in an area that we don't visit):

 

1) The grass (that's about a foot long) has these barbs all the way down the shaft - which is pretty unusual; and

2) At the end of the grass, the wispy part actually looks like Rouser's hair. Well, it falls off of the shaft and there was a ton of it sitting at the base of the grass clump. 

 

Here is what our vet deduced.  For whatever reason, Rouser was eating the grass. He was mostly eating the wispy part which would collect in his stomach and he would then need to throw it up to get it out. Unfortunately, he would also eat some of the grass shaft and the barbs would create little tears in his esophagus (going down and back up).  The throwing up process would make his system very acidic which was doubly irritated by the little tears in his esophagus which wasn't getting a chance to heal. Nauseau would set in - and you get the picture of the cycle we were dealing with.

 

OK - so why the itchiness (he would lick his paws a bit, sneeze a bit, had some spots around his arm pits and genitals that he was constantly trying to get at, etc.)?  Our vet said he was probably allergic to that grass or it was just irritating him in some way.

 

SO - we removed all the wispy grass last month (Sad - I love that stuff, it made the yard look so pretty).  For the first time in about 6-9 months, we've had a month without any tummy upset and the itching is subsiding.  I suspect that we might get some of the sneezing, etc. back when the pollen sets in (he would come in last spring with green pollen all over his nose, sneezing incessantly and looking at me like I could do something about it. How about this - stop sticking your nose in the green stuff!)

 

We're still monitoring and hoping for the best, but it looks like we found our culprit. 

 

If you have an issue going on, watch your dog. See what he/she is doing throughout the day. Think about what he might be getting into. Explore, explore, explore. You never know what you might find.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Wow, this is pretty interesting. I'm so glad it turned out to be something that was easily correctable.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thank you so much for sharing. We do need to look at everything we can think of when we are trying to get to the bottom of a health issue. I am so glad you were able to solve Rouser's.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm glad you were able to figure out what was causing Rouser's problems. Hope he does great from here on out!

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Thanks for the "heads up" and glad to hear you discovered the "culprit". Our neighbors have that grass and Lucca tries to eat it. I am definitely going to keep him away from it.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Interesting. Is this related to the evil foxtails that gave Graciedoodle so much trouble?

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Good question but I think not. I would love to know the name of the grass though. We just took an old 35 year old hedge out that was so brittle it was snapping off every time you would just look at it. We planted Mexican Feather Grass which is an ornamental grass. Though I don't think there are any barbs but I am going to check tomorrow. It is green and up towards the ends it is yellowish and feathery. Very pretty to see gently blowing in the breeze. Gracie doesn't give it the time of day so that is a good thing!!

[Natasha]

Hi Nancy - yes, it is Mexican Feather Grass. If you rub your fingers down the grass (so, starting at the feathers) you will see that it is jagged (that's the best description I can come up with - you can feel that it catches on your skin a little bit).

I have no idea WHY Rouser loves this stuff so much, but he does.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Wow, thanks for the heads up Natasha. I just told my DH about your experience and told him to keep an eye on Gracie Doodle to see if she shows interest. We have had it for 4 months now and the clumps are pretty substantial in size now. She really doesn't give them a second glance but I will be very aware if she decides to show interest. Hope Rouser is feeling much better. Hive him a kiss from Gracie Doodle!

[cheryl & oliver]

thanks for the heads up, yes we all should be aware of what these guys do and get into everyday. Glad that you were able to help Rouser...

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Wow! That is quite a story and I'm so glad to hear it had such a happy ending! A great reminder that things are not always what they appear to be!!

And Rouser, boy, in case no one has told you, Honey- you're a DOG not a COW!! :)

[Natasha]

Yep - sometimes he's brilliant and other times I wonder how he missed the "obvious" gene.

[Camilla and Darwin]

That is really interesting. I'm glad you figured out what it was, and I hope Rouser starts feeling better.