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Now vet thinks we should run another test to see if Rudy has Addison's.
Do you mean Cushings Disease? If so, I had a German Shepard mix who developed similar symptoms to what you are describing at age 8. She wouldn't eat, seemed to be in pain, and seemed very disoriented. She also lost fur around her tail. Our vet initially told us that it was "old age" and suggested we put her down. We took her to a specialist, who diagnosed the Cushings. We put her on medication for it, and after adjusting to the medication, she not only rebounded, but went on to live for another 7 happy years. She had to stay on the medication and it was expensive, but totally worth it to see her happy and well again. She died last year from totally unrelated causes (a stroke). It is worthwhile getting an opinion from a specialty care vet if you can.
Here's an update. So canine cardiologist said heart is enlarged but that there's no tumor and that he doesn't need heart medication. Said the issues he is having has nothing to do with the enlarged heart. He thought it was Addison's so we took him to a vet that specialized in that. He got tested and they said no Addison's (we really thought it was that). We then took him to get tests done on his abdominal area since he wasn't eating. Tests showed that his stomach and intestines were heavily inflamed and that his lack of eating, weight loss, crying, short walks, and looking depressed appeared to be from pain from that. Tomorrow we find out if it's cancer but the vet thought he had an infection that is treatable and that he may have a dog form of colitis. My family and I spent $4,000 on this but Rudy is a good boy! It appears that it isn't the scary C so hopefully everything is treatable.
As of right now he has been told he has inflammatory bowel disease. Since he got that diagnosis, he has put back on a little weight, his walks range from 1 min-10min 2x a day, and he doesn't seem to be acting as depressed.
My mother is now making him his meals with ground beef, rice, baby food, corn oil, and some digestive kibble. His arthritis still seems pretty bad. His back legs basically are very weak. The weird thing is, before he was diagnosed, there was no diarrhea and no vomiting.
He goes back for more test results in a few days. He still seems in pain, but definitely not to the degree as he was when we didn't know what he had.
As of right now he has been told he has inflammatory bowel disease. Since he got that diagnosis, he has put back on a little weight, his walks range from 1 min-10min 2x a day, and he doesn't seem to be acting as depressed.
My mother is now making him his meals with ground beef, rice, baby food, corn oil, and some digestive kibble. His arthritis still seems pretty bad. His back legs basically are very weak. The weird thing is, before he was diagnosed, there was no diarrhea and no vomiting.
He goes back for more test results in a few days. He still seems in pain, but definitely not to the degree as he was when we didn't know what he had.
You might want to check with the vet about Rudy's diet, since he has IBD. My 9 year-old shepherd mix has it, and she is doing very well on a very strict prescription diet (Hill's Low Fat I/D). Her treats are also prescribed.
Her internist most definitely does not allow grains. So, rice is a huge "no" for her.
I almost forgot, my dog is also on a host of meds for her condition.
Regarding your dog's arthritis, I had an older dog (passed at age 16.5 years) who was much helped by glucosamine injections. He also underwent acupuncture treatments.
You might want to check with the vet about Rudy's diet, since he has IBD. My 9 year-old shepherd mix has it, and she is doing very well on a very strict prescription diet (Hill's Low Fat I/D). Her treats are also prescribed.
Her internist most definitely does not allow grains. So, rice is a huge "no" for her.
I almost forgot, my dog is also on a host of meds for her condition.
Regarding your dog's arthritis, I had an older dog (passed at age 16.5 years) who was much helped by glucosamine injections. He also underwent acupuncture treatments.
The vet was the one who told us to use rice along with that diet lol. I've told my mom about using the Hill's prescription diet. Right now the vet said to limit his kibble of any kind. He's also very picky with canned food. Yeah I think my parents will do the weekly injections for his arthritis.
The vet was the one who told us to use rice along with that diet lol. I've told my mom about using the Hill's prescription diet. Right now the vet said to limit his kibble of any kind. He's also very picky with canned food. Yeah I think my parents will do the weekly injections for his arthritis.
I'm no vet, but it is interesting that your dog's doc recommended grains, baby food, ordinary kibble in small amounts, and added oil. Yikes!
FWIW, my dog sees a well-known specialist (and academic) and she is very strict. Still, even his regular vet said my dog should be on a low fat/low fiber/prescription diet.
My dog really likes the low-fat canned Hill's I/D stew. Even I think it smells good and I'm a vegan! She wouldn't eat the regular canned Hill's until I started mixing a bit of the stew in with it.
B-u-u-u-t, I am not a vet and your dog is doing well.
By the way, Hill's Low Fat I/D dog food is also available dry. The only treat my dog is allowed to eat is Hill's Prescription Diet Hypo-Treats.
It took a while for me to find the right food since she tried a few others, and eventually turned her nose up at them all. They are, in case your dog tries Hill's and loses interest in that: Hill's Prescription Diet Skin/Food Sensitivities Z/D, and Royal Canin Hyrolyzed Protein (HP) for dogs.
Both brands are available in cans and dry.
Best of luck, and I also hope your dog's arthritis improves. If, as he ages, he gets to the point that he needs assistance walking up the stairs, getting into the car, or walking, you might want to try a special harness around his mid-section. That's what I did with my old guy.
I just had a thought, maybe your dog has mild IBD and that might be why he is allowed grains, added oil and small amounts of regular kibble.
At any rate, you'll have to get an okay from his vet before getting any sort of prescription food.
I'm no vet, but it is interesting that your dog's doc recommended grains, baby food, ordinary kibble in small amounts, and added oil. Yikes!
FWIW, my dog sees a well-known specialist (and academic) and she is very strict. Still, even his regular vet said my dog should be on a low fat/low fiber/prescription diet.
My dog really likes the low-fat canned Hill's I/D stew. Even I think it smells good and I'm a vegan! She wouldn't eat the regular canned Hill's until I started mixing a bit of the stew in with it.
B-u-u-u-t, I am not a vet and your dog is doing well.
By the way, Hill's Low Fat I/D dog food is also available dry. The only treat my dog is allowed to eat is Hill's Prescription Diet Hypo-Treats.
It took a while for me to find the right food since she tried a few others, and eventually turned her nose up at them all. They are, in case your dog tries Hill's and loses interest in that: Hill's Prescription Diet Skin/Food Sensitivities Z/D, and Royal Canin Hyrolyzed Protein (HP) for dogs.
Both brands are available in cans and dry.
Best of luck, and I also hope your dog's arthritis improves. If, as he ages, he gets to the point that he needs assistance walking up the stairs, getting into the car, or walking, you might want to try a special harness around his mid-section. That's what I did with my old guy.
I just had a thought, maybe your dog has mild IBD and that might be why he is allowed grains, added oil and small amounts of regular kibble.
At any rate, you'll have to get an okay from his vet before getting any sort of prescription food.
No he has it pretty bad. The vet said to just do a small amount of kibble because it could upset his stomach. He recommended baby food (the vegetable kind) for the fiber and rice and lean meat for his stomach and digestion. All of that mixed together. He didn't even recommend any kind of prescription dog food. Corn oil was recommended by a holistic vet popular in LA and not the vet who was the specialist.
No he has it pretty bad. The vet said to just do a small amount of kibble because it could upset his stomach. He recommended baby food (the vegetable kind) for the fiber and rice and lean meat for his stomach and digestion. All of that mixed together. He didn't even recommend any kind of prescription dog food. Corn oil was recommended by a holistic vet popular in LA and not the vet who was the specialist.
I take it that they have not placed your dog on medication to treat his IBD, either?
I checked your profile to see if you are near Orange County, and I noticed that you live in San Diego. Honestly, my suggestion would be to make the trip to OC and see a specialist at the Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group (VMSG) in San Juan Capistrano.
They are open 24 hours a day (regular appointments, urgent care and emergency care) and a lot of vets refer their tough cases to them.
My dog is doing very real now. BTW, VMSG always welcomes calls at any time from pet owners whose animals they have treated. There is always a vet on duty, and they also have trained techs who answer questions, but turn them over to the docs if It's something that's beyond their expertise. The techs also have to chart all phone encounters so that the docs know that you have called, and why.
It's quite reassuring.
Last edited by pacific2; 08-22-2016 at 07:42 AM..
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