Puppy Upset Stomach/Green Diarrhea

[Mmasco]

Hi Everyone! First time Basenji owner going through a bit of a rough time when it comes to diarrhea! Our Basenji, Brody, who is 9 weeks old randomly started to have diarrhea and slept much more than usual last Sunday night. Once we noticed him struggling to go we immediately took him to the animal hospital. He was put on an anti diarrheal medicine, given a hydration pack, and we went to rice and boiled chicken diet. He is eating "fine" but still showing green very wet diarrhea 5 days later!

We stool and blood tested him along with Parvo and still NOTHING is showing up!

His energy is near normal though does have moments where he seems lethargic!

We never changed his food from the breeder (Candae- all life stages multi-protein) dry kibble; he has never been interested in treats (so far) and hasn't been eating grass!

Any suggestions on what's going on? He's seen 2 different vets and same results- they don't see anything going on that makes them nervous.

[tanza]

Have you spoken to his breeder? Did they test stools for Giardia and even if they did, Giardia can be present and not show on a stool test? and also did they test for worms? Was he wormed before you brought him home? How old was he when you brought him home?

[Mmasco]

Hi Pat,

Test came back negative for Giardia! NEG for worms but they did give a pill for it just in case. We bought him home at 8 1/2 weeks.. Breeder lived down the road from us so they were comfortable with us at 8 wks. We have been in contact with them since this started.. Nothing being reported with his brothers and sisters 1_1604688185097_Screen Shot 2020-11-06 at 1.42.37 PM.png

[Mmasco]

[flbasenji]

So sad that this little guy is having troubles!

He is already failrly anemic according to his bloodwork. That would explain his lethargy at times.

Is he getting any supplements or anything in addition to his food? Any added calcium? What anti-diarrheal is he getting? What hydration pack? Have they checked his ionized calcium? It may be elevated even though total calcium is within the normal range.

I would get him to a specialist, internal medicine, asap.

[Adina]

Hi,
So sorry to hear your pup is having serious troubles. Puppies really can be so sick and hide their pain. I want to suggest a potential problem that many may not want to consider. I am not anti-vaccines but there is an evidence based link to anemia as a result of vaccination in some children and in dogs. This may or may not be the case but it could not hurt to dose a commonly used natural remedy called Thuja. natutalpathic vet and or online should be checked as to the dosage on a puppy. I have used it myself on a dog before and it help with lessening some of the symptoms. The dog version is sold on Readily Amazon and In many stores and in health food stores. Here is an article about thuja as used for this.

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/homeopathic-treatment-vaccine-reactions/

I hope this helps. Anemia is serious and the vets should be trying to find the cause. Consider as well that some external exposure to something could be causing anemia as well. ...chemicals used on the yard, household floor cleaners..etc.

Household cleaners can cause anemia as well. Here is a link.

https://www.dogster.com/dogs-and-cleaning/dog-safety-health-cleaning-products-not-safe

Good luck,

Adina

[elbrant]

Buy a can of pure pumpkin (not pie mix, just puree). It's in the baking isle (in U.S. stores), generic brands cost ~$1. Give your little one a teaspoon of it on a daily basis. See if that helps. It usually clears up diarrhea and soft stools quickly. It won't hurt and it should help.

[Mmasco]

So he’s been on metronidazole since Monday per the vet (.07ml 2x a day) and it’s been causing him to throw up and hasn’t done much for diarrhea issue! Anyone have experience with this? I want to take him off it ( he’s been on it for 5 days) it seems to be making things worse not better

[flbasenji]

@mmasco So sad that this little guy is having troubles!

The metronidazole I've used has always been in pill format. It seems you are using a compounded liquid. Does it require vigorous shaking prior to administration? Perhaps too much of the medication has precipitated out.

If he's not absorbing iron, it could cause him to have anemia while also having green (usual darker green to almost black) stool. Too much calcium could interfere with the absorption of iron.

Has his bloodline been tested for hemolytic anemia or pyruvate kinase deficiency?

If it's not possible to have an internist check him out, your regular vet might find it helpful to consult with an internist at a specialty practice or a veterinarian associated with a university vet school program. I would want to have followup as quickly as possible. His hemocrit level is not far from needing Epogen (or similar) injections.

He is already failrly anemic according to his bloodwork. That would explain his lethargy at times.

Is he getting any supplements or anything in addition to his food? Any added calcium? What anti-diarrheal is he getting? What hydration pack? Have they checked his ionized calcium? It may be elevated even though total calcium is within the normal range.

I would get him to a specialist, internal medicine, asap.

[tanza]

@mmasco - Would you share his sire and dam? That might be a clue to what might be going on? I agree that his needs to see a Specialist. As noted is the Metronidazole in pill formula? I have always used the pill form and never had issues with throwing up? And I wonder about the Vets not thinking anything would not raise red flags? Obvious that something is going on with this pup. Let us know how he is doing

[Zande]

Poor little guy. Obviously some kind of veterinary intervention is needed and it is worrying that the vets don't seem to know what is going on. There have been a few cases of sick puppies from last winter's crop, so I am with Tanza on this, please can you let us know, if not the breeder, then your location and if possible the parents of the pup.

[JENGOSMonkey]

I’ve been watching this thread with great interest, but haven’t chimed in because I don’t have the experience to solve your problem. Hope your little guy is doing better and gets the care he needs. Please, give us an update when you have a few minutes.

[kkitchens01]

Hi, sorry to hear your little one is having a tough time. Have you considered that he might have a food allergy? Long story short our Basenji ended up being allergic to beef. Once we eliminated all beef she started feeling better, no digestive issues, loved eating again, energy, stopped loosing her hair, etc.

I hope he feels better soon!

[bark]

My heart aches for your sweet pup. The famous holistic vetdr. marty goldstein, https://drmarty.com/ now retired has great book on natural healing that provides some suggestions. I tried slippery elm and it worked, more information here, https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/care/slippery-elm-for-dogs-safely-treat-irritation/

In the gastrointestinal tract, slippery elm acts directly. Think of it as a natural Pepto-Bismol (Pepto-Bismol itself should be used with caution because it contains salicylate, a.k.a. aspirin). Slippery elm’s mucilage content coats, soothes, and lubricates the mucus membranes lining the digestive tract. Slippery elm is an excellent treatment for ulcers, gastritis, colitis, and other inflammatory bowel problems. It is high in fiber, and so helps normalize intestinal action; it can be used to relieve both diarrhea and constipation. It may also help alleviate nausea and vomiting in dogs suffering from non-GI illnesses, such as kidney disease. A syrup made from slippery elm bark (see recipe below) can be used to help heal mouth ulcers.

Slippery elm is said to relieve inflammation of virtually any mucus membrane, and has been used in the treatment of inflammatory conditions of the lungs (bronchitis, asthma), kidneys, bladder (cystitis), throat (tonsillitis), and joints (arthritis).

This wonder herb also contains many nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fat, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, calcium, and several trace minerals) that can be beneficial for dogs recuperating from any illness, and it may stay down when other foods are not tolerated.

Externally, a soothing paste of slippery elm powder (mix the powder with a little cold water) can be used as a poultice for hot spots, insect burns, rashes, scratches, ulcerated areas, or other shallow wounds. Native Americans used slippery elm bark to stop bleeding. It forms a natural bandage that can be left in place for several hours, if you can convince your dog to leave it alone! Moisten with water to remove it.

I used it with applesauce (unsweetened). Good Luck and keep us posted on his progress.

ariadne scott
on basenji # 5

[tanza]

@mmasco - Any update to Brody's condition? How is he doing?