Vomiting and Diarrhea since we brought him home

[Gina s]

Hello, I am new to this forum due to needing advice on this topic.  My golden doodle Winston will turn 1 on 21 March.  Ever since we brought him home at 13 weeks of age we have had issues with him vomiting about 1-2 times per week and mushy stool.  At first he had a few UTIs but the vomiting and diarrhea have continued. We thought it was him drinking water to fast and then throwing up.  Now that he's older, we have noticed that he vomits about 2 times per week and it is solid food, even after 6 hours of eating!  At one time, he had bloody stool so the Vet thought she saw a blockage on the X-Ray; Labs were normal.  The Vet went in and saw nothing causing a blockage :(.  He then developed tarry stools, so ulcer meds came on board.  Still vomiting and mushy stools.  He has not vomited since 11 March but has continued with the mushy stools. We have changed his food within the month.  Has anyone else heard of this? He has a barium study scheduled on his birthday.  Otherwise, he is acting fine (playing, eating, drinking, sleeping).  

Thank you.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Is it possible he is able to eat something in the yard  that seems ok, but really is not?  There are many ordinary plants that are irritable to poisonous to dogs.  Vomiting twice a week is not normal.  Have you tried feeding him from a bowl designed to slow down eating, so he eats more slowly? Raised his bowl up a bit?  Have you ever put him on a boiled chicken and rice diet for a month to see what happens?  This is a very bland easy to digest diet.  Look in the food group for more suggestions.  These are all just stabs in the dark.  Hope the barium enema is helpful but rules out anything awful.

Mushy stools are not that unusual in dogs. Even the occasional bloody stool isn't wonderful, but could happen because he chewed up a sharp stick. Vomiting twice a week is worrisome, though. 

Let us know how he does. Watch for Karen's reply to you, she is very knowledgeable and insightful. 

[Gina s]

Thank you for your comments. We don’t think so regarding outside. If he’s outside he’s monitored. On eating we give him 1/2c in the morning, 1/2c at noon, and then 1c at dinner time. He was throwing up with that routine but like I said he hasn’t vomited in a week. We haven’t tried the bland diets either as we were giving this new food the full 30 days. The idea of slow intestinal motility has been brought up.
We had a pug we had to put down 6 years ago who was 6 years old bc he went deaf and blind overnight (SARDS) and then went into kidney failure twice so our anxiety is up the roof right now!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would strongly suggest that you consult a Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist. This sounds like Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and GP vets are not equipped to diagnose IBD.
At the very least, I'd have a GI panel run and an ultrasound to check for thickening of the bowel walls. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Karen's suggestion about consulting a specialist is spot on.  In the meantime, I'd make sure he has an excellent probiotic. Proviable (order on Amazon) is the best pet one, but there is a human one that is okay for dogs and even better. It is VSL#3 (can be found at CVS pharmacies) and must be kept refrigerated. We used it when we adopted one of our doodles who had parasites, stress, and a very sensitive tummy. I would also transition to a limited ingredient kibble - Wellness makes one, unless Karen chimes in and says don't change his food for now.  She is extremely experienced in this area.  I would not raise the bowl - newest studies say that isn't a good idea because of the possibility of bloat.  I would get a slo bowl - I like the ones from Outward Hound (Amazon also).  They are no longer expensive, but some of the imitation ones are brittle.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is me chiming in with "don;t change his food for now". :)
Too many food changes complicate the issues, and if there is an inflammation present, he can become sensitive to yet another protein, which you don't want.

[Gina s]

Thank you for the information. I will bring up the probiotic to the vet on Wednesday when he goes in for his study. I am definitely going to buy the food bowl!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If the vet tries to sell you Purina's Fortiflora or Iam's Prostora, politely refuse them. They are not good probiotics and not worth the $. 

[Gina s]

Thank you I will.

[Gina s]

What is the treatment for IBD?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's very complicated. It depends on the severity and the location of the inflammation within the GI tract, and the type of inflammatory cells that are found. To accurately diagnose it, you have to do an endoscopy. Treatment always involves dietary changes and in 80% of cases, immunosuppressant drugs. Antacids, probiotics, and other drugs and supplements are also frequently used. It can be a very frustrating disease because it takes some trail and error to find the right combination of meds, supplements, and diet to get it into remission and keep it controlled. 

[Gina s]

Ok so I gave Winston his first dose of the probiotic yesterday and this morning he had a solid poop!  Is the prythat good! This is the first time in 1 year he has had one.. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A good probiotic can work wonders. I hope this continues.