Paralyzed dog with constant diarrhea

Post any other problems here that do not fit into the categories above.
Post Reply
Rescuechick
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2012 12:03 am

Paralyzed dog with constant diarrhea

Post by Rescuechick »

Hello,
A few months back we adopted a paralyzed pup from Asia (we’re from Minnesota). We believe she was hbc. She was about 7 months old when we got her and has had diarrhea since. We have done every test we can think of (blood work, biopsy, fecals, EPI). She had giardia which we treated and is now negative and biopsy of intestine only showed inflammation. We have tried diet changes with pumpkin, chicken and rice, z/d, other types of kibble. We’ve had her on pred, metranidazole, trylosin, panacur, right now we have her on fluoxetine and Imodium per neurologist. Nothing is helping. I don’t know what else to do. It is very frustrating and time consuming dealing with this. And I feel so terrible for her. I’m wondering if anyone has ever dealt with this and could give me any tips or advice? Thank you.
User avatar
critters
Founding Member
Posts: 14362
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2001 7:00 pm

Re: Paralyzed dog with constant diarrhea

Post by critters »

Wow. It looks like you've tried some good ideas there. Even if she still had a subclinical infection it seems like panacur or something would've fixed it. z/d is a good idea, too.
User avatar
CarolC
Moderator
Posts: 13698
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 7:00 pm
Contact:

Re: Paralyzed dog with constant diarrhea

Post by CarolC »

I have no idea, but diarrhea in a paralyzed dog is NO fun, for sure.

You said you did EPI, did they also test for pancreatitis? Pancreatitis can be caused by diet or just stress, sometimes you don't know what caused it.

Fluoxetine can cause GI upset, did she have diarrhea before she started it?

Did you try probiotics?

A simple thing to try would be bottled spring water. I doubt it will help but it doesn't cost much. I had a co-worker with show dogs and she always took water from home with her when travelling because water in other cities would upset her dogs's digestion.

Did they have you fast the dog for a couple of days?

Would the sending rescue know anything about GI conditions that occur in Asia? Is there a contact in Asia you could email? Is there an expat forum in Asia where you could maybe post a question to see if any English-speaking people living there have encountered this in their pets, and what was it and how was it treated? I tried just searching for dogs + diarrhea + asia, and one example that came up was liver flukes. There may be any number of things that are more common in the country of origin, which vets might not look for at the top of their list here in the US. You could probably do a better search using the actual country of origin, like Thailand or whatever.

Shaving anyplace that is getting soiled will help a little with the clean-up and may reduce bathing. The vet can shave her if needed, under the tail, between the legs, lower abdomen, etc.

I would not recommend diapers for a female dog with diarrhea, you don't want the fecal germs contacting the female area where the urethra is and possibly causing a urinary tract infection. If you need to diaper then I would double-diaper, putting a disposable diaper on snug to the body to protect the urinary tract, with an ample tail hole cut to allow any loose stool to exit and not collect in the disposable, then a second diaper (diaper cover) over that to collect the diarrhea. Ideally the second diaper would be a little loose in the seat but comfortably cinched around the tail. There are a couple of brands of diapers with cord-lock tails, please let me know if you need links.

At Wal-Mart I've seen laundry sanitizer you can add to your wash. I haven't tried it. Here is some information on using a diaper pail, which might help. You keep it next to the toilet, put on your rubber gloves, carry the soiled bedding to the toilet, dunk it a few times in clean toilet water to remove the worst of the soiling, wring out, and put into the pail till you are ready to wash. I don't know if you have Pep Boys where you live, but they sell a black lid for about $5 that fits a standard 5-gal bucket and seals well but is easier to take off and put on than ordinary paint bucket lids. The lid is designed as a seat so mechanics can use the bucket to sit on. Much easier than struggling with a tight lid, and more attractive, too.

https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/?title=Diaper_pail

Wish I could be more help...I know your main concern is her, but you've spent a lot of money, too, and the constant cleaning and bathing is time consuming. I hope they can get her sorted out soon.
User avatar
CarolC
Moderator
Posts: 13698
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 7:00 pm
Contact:

Re: Paralyzed dog with constant diarrhea

Post by CarolC »

Sorry for the double post but I just thought of something. You said she had giardia, was treated for it, and is now testing negative. It may take more than one test to be sure it's really gone.
http://mountainviewvet.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/GIARDIA-in-Dogs-Mtn-View.pdf wrote: Diagnosis:Giardiais frequently diagnosed by means of a zinc sulfate fecal flotation examination, in which Giardiacysts and trophozoites may be identified under a microscope. If trophozoites are seen moving around on a slide smeared with a mixture of fecal material and saline solution, the canine will test positive for Giardia. However,because Giardiacysts and trophozoites are not always passed into the feces, a negative result for this examination does not rule out the possibility of Giardia. Consequently, for the diagnosis to be definitive, it is necessary for the veterinarian to periodically examine fresh fecal samples from the animal over the course of a few days.There are other tests for the detection of Giardiaalthough these are generally less expeditious and more expensive than a fecal flotation examination. An enzyme-linked immuno-absorbent assay, or ELISA test, may be used to detect Giardiaantigens in a fecal sample but is available only in certain veterinary hospitals and specialized laboratories. A direct immunofluorescent test may be used to detect the presence of Giardiacysts in feces but also requires that a veterinarian send samples to an off-premises laboratory and await the results.
This is 2012 but I think if it was outdated they would have updated it:
https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/03/19/giardia-infection-on-pets.aspx wrote:Definitive diagnosis of giardia must be done using a special fecal test. Unfortunately, this test isn't used as often as it should be. First, if you're trying to determine on your own – by sight – whether your dog or cat is giardia-positive, don't bother. This particular parasite is microscopic. You won't see any evidence by examining your pet's poop.

Secondly, in 2009 I read an article suggesting in-house parasite testing – which means stool tests that are analyzed at vet clinics rather than being sent out to laboratories – are yielding up to 30 percent false-negative results. This means vets are assuming certain pets are parasite-free, when they actually aren't.

I decided to test this theory, so instead of running my patients' fecal samples at my clinic, I began sending them to a local laboratory for a more comprehensive analysis. And right away the number of giardia-positive pets in my practice began to increase. I now believe national veterinary labs like Antech and Idexx, which use standardized equipment that returns consistently reliable results, reduce the amount of fecal in-house testing errors.

Third, some parasites, and giardia is one of them, aren't consistently shed in every stool sample. So if a cyst-free stool sample is collected for analysis, it might not show any evidence of giardia infection, even though the animal is indeed infected.

This is why I recommend any patient with a history of bowel problems be tested for giardia with an ELISA test. A fecal ELISA test is different from a fecal flotation test in that it checks for giardia antigens present in the animal's body. A fecal float test only checks for evidence of giardia cysts in a stool sample.
User avatar
critters
Founding Member
Posts: 14362
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2001 7:00 pm

Re: Paralyzed dog with constant diarrhea

Post by critters »

That's true. Giardia can be a sneaky one, but I'd think long-term metro or Panacur would fix it. Maybe it hasn't been done long-term? It's been at least 12 years since we fought that battle, and probably longer, so my experience isn't up-to-date.
Post Reply