Tummy Troubles

 Warning: This blog entry talks about dog bodily functions. It may not be appropriate for younger or more sensitive readers

This past Wednesday he had quite the tummy upset. Lloyd came home from work, opened the door, and about keeled over from the aroma wafting through the house. Lloyd carried Dieter out onto the deck and got him all cleaned off and then took his kennel outside to get that cleaned off too. I'm grateful I missed out on this event: I can handle a lot of things, but poop isn't one of them! I've dealt with barfy cats for ages--furballs, and worse--and pee-incontinent old cats. But did I mention? I don't do poop well.

Lloyd called the vet and they said: give him Kaopectate and give him rice--no puppy food or dog treats until things settle down. Luckily I have a collection of syringes, left over from ministering meds and pushing fluids in elder cat Lucy. Those work like a charm to get the Kaopectate down the dog. He said it didn't taste too bad at all.

But the rice. Yeah, not so good. Dieter attempted to eat a bit of it, but it sort of flew out of his mouth like confetti. I guess it got to be too much for him, because he flung some of it from the bowl around the kitchen. Then he picked up the bowl, trotted into the family room, and flung the rest of the rice in there. "Wheee. Did somebody just get married? Is it ok to fling cooked rice?" I got recruited to help clean up the rice. I did the kitchen while Lloyd got on his hands and knees and picked all the rice off the rug and put it back in the bowl.  Dieter stood and supervised. And waited until Lloyd had pretty much all of it up and flung the bowl again. Dieter got a time out for that one.

The poor little guy--we still don't know exactly what, if anything, he got into. We took in a poop specimen to the vet and it was clear--no worms or parasites. They prescribed Pro-Pectalin and Metronidazole, told us to keep him on rice (and to make it more palatable, we could add boiled ground beef to it), and keep an eye on him. Tarquin the cat was happy--"Finally: that irritating dog has some leftover food that I want to eat."

I'm really hoping it isn't canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). I did some reading up on it--while also trying to convince myself that isn't what Dieter has. I found some good info on the AKC site. Breeds that havean increased risk for developing IBD include the German Shepherd, Boxer, Shar-Pei, Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier and Rottweiler. They also note that it isn't well understood what causes of IBD; however, it appears that it is an immunologic reaction to some kind of stimulation, such as allergies, parasites, bacteria, or an immune system problem.

Some of the most common symptoms of IBD are:

• Persistent loose stools
• Frequent, smaller stools
• Straining and diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Vomiting
• Low grade fevers
• Lethargy

Several breeds may be at increased risk for developing IBD, including the German Shepherd, Boxer, Shar-Pei, Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier and Rottweiler. - See more at: http://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/your-dogs-health/disease-information/inflammatory-bowel-disease.html#sthash.XJ4yJ3Gg.dpuf

Several breeds may be at increased risk for developing IBD, including the German Shepherd, Boxer, Shar-Pei, Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier and Rottweiler. - See more at: http://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/your-dogs-health/disease-information/inflammatory-bowel-disease.html#sthash.XJ4yJ3Gg.dpuf

Several breeds may be at increased risk for developing IBD, including the German Shepherd, Boxer, Shar-Pei, Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier and Rottweiler. - See more at: http://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/your-dogs-health/disease-information/inflammatory-bowel-disease.html#sthash.XJ4yJ3Gg.dpuf

Several breeds may be at increased risk for developing IBD, including the German Shepherd, Boxer, Shar-Pei, Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier and Rottweiler. - See more at: http://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/your-dogs-health/disease-information/inflammatory-bowel-disease.html#sthash.XJ4yJ3Gg.dpuf

Well, Dieter's a German Shepherd, so he fits the profile there. And diarrhea, yup! But the other symptoms? Not at all--in fact the day he had the mega poop, he was still his usual playful, wacky self.

So I'm hoping maybe he was just being a goofy puppy and ate something that he found outside, which disagreed with him. I'm also hoping he learned his lesson, but I think that's too much to expect.

He's back on his puppy food and we're keeping a watchful eye on him.