Update:8mo old with severe wt loss/raw diet questions

[momtomav]

So we came back from our 1 week vacation, Maverick did okay while we were gone (my in-laws did not use the Gave/GABA calm). His weight has not changed at all. The good of that, is that he has not lost any, but at the same time... he is almost 9 months old and is only 37lbs! After speaking to his breeders and finding out that his brothers are at 65lbs my concerns and fears are growing as weeks pass and his weight is not improving. However, not to be too graphic... his stool is finally firming up. It is not "normal" but it is firming up...yet no weight gain.

He is still taking: 375mg of Metronidazole (2x/day) (for inflammation), 1/3 tsp of Tylan Powder (2x/day) (for small bowl over bacteria growth), 10mg of Prednisone (2x/day) (for inflammation/allergy), 1 capsule of Proviable (1x/day) (as a probiotic)

What we changed: as of today, I took him off all chicken and he is only on TOTW (fish). He's up to 4 cups/day (per our vet).... hopefully if the chicken is a contributing factor to his weight loss we will see changes SOON.

I'm thinking about giving this a try for a few days, then start decreasing the steroids. As some have previously noted these may be contributing to his problems, if the theory of "colitis" is correct.

I have some obvious concerns... what if as we decrease the steroids and his loose stool begins again and he loses more weight? He CANNOT afford to lose another pound!
Also, while I was on the trip I started reading "Give Your Dog a Bone". Some people have already provided some input about a raw diet. This seems a bit scary with an already very sick puppy. Any suggestions how to get him from the medication to the raw diet safely, if the kibble does not work? How long should I wait until I start the raw diet?
Raw is still something that we are still discussing, but it is in the running for options and I want to know everything I can before we move forward.

Thank you for all the information and healing ((vibes)). I am still new to this site and feel this has been more than helpful with our struggle.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

Well just something to be noted here that overfeeding can CAUSE diarrhea and given that TOTW is a high quality food 4 cups a day is A LOT on that food. My 80 pound HIGHLY active German Shepherd only eats 3 cups a day, 4 seems like an awful large amount given that your pup has issues with the runs. Personally I'd recommend probably 3 cups, but broken up over 3-4 meals a day otherwise you may end up back where you started giving that much food. Also have you tried Prozyme at all?

Was there ever a diagnosis on what the problem is? Also I wouldn't compare him to his littermates. He's an individual and he may very well just be smaller than them. So my best advice is don't compare him to anything else other than himself. Weight loss doesn't take very long, weight gain can take longer. When my boy lost 10 pounds from being sick he lost it in about 2 weeks, it took him a good 4-5 MONTHS to gain it back so don't expect to see weight piling on overnight either. It's a slow steady race.

Good luck I hope everything improves.

 

[Mama's Boys]

Sorry to hear that Maverick still isn't well. What about reconsidering the Boxer Colitis/ HUC treatment option that EAO76 mentioned in your previous thread? I know she's had some experience dealing with this with her rescue work, so maybe it's time to bring up the Baytril treatment option with your vet again.

I too agree that 4 cups of food sounds like a lot. I agree with the previous poster that overfeeding can certainly cause loose stools.

Good luck...I know how frustrated you must be. Hugs to poor Mav.

 

[momtomav]

Thanx for the input. I spoke with my husband about dropping Mav back to 3 cups of the TTOW. Especially after this afternoon, he had a horrible bought of diarrhea. And I feel guilty that it’s from over feeding. Even though the vet said that he will be fine, since he's not absorbing enough nutrition, so feeding him more may help his weight. But I think you guys are right and so we are dropping the amount.
We have an early morning appointment with the vet to check his kidneys and liver, to make sure that the steroids are not causing any damage. The vet said that the chicken can stay in his system, causing the problems to continue, for up to 4 weeks. So, it's going to be some time before we can tell if the chicken is really a cause of irritation to the unconfirmed colitis.
To answer BxrMommieNAZ question, no, we have been treating for all "hypothetical" diagnosis. Every test keeps coming up normal. Which may be one of the most frustrating part of this. We don't even know what we are trying to treat.
The Baytril treatment is very risky, if he doesn't have HUC we can be risking severe cartilage damage. I told the vet that I don't want to add any more medication for a diagnosis we don't know that he has. However, if this doesn't work, we will have to biopsy and they will test for HUC. If it is positive we will have to start the Baytril, despite the risks.
I will keep you posted on how our visit goes tomorrow.

 

[momtomav]

So we went to the vet and he gave Mav a B vitamin shot. This is just to help his body absorb nutrients, artificially, since we are pretty sure his body is not able to hold onto enough B vitamin naturally at this point. His weight is still holding steady at 37lbs. He is pretty optimistic that this change in diet, along with the occasional anti-inflammatory is going to be the key to controlling his, unconfirmed colitis.
We did drop him to 3-3.5 cups per day of TOTW and we started the first round of decreasing his steroids!!!! I'm so excited about that and I'm praying that he responds well.
We also took a blood sample to run a full CBC, besides checking his blood count we will see if he's leaking proteins and if the steroids are stressing his kidneys or liver. That test should be in by tomorrow.
We also picked up some "Oven Baked, Salmon Jerky". I checked the ingredients to make sure NO chicken. We feel like he needs a "happy treat", instead of just giving him pieces of kibble when we leave in the morning or when he's just being the amazing dog that he is and we want to spoil him!
Thanx again for all of the support. This site has been the best!

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

So we went to the vet and he gave Mav a B vitamin shot. This is just to help his body absorb nutrients, artificially, since we are pretty sure his body is not able to hold onto enough B vitamin naturally at this point. His weight is still holding steady at 37lbs. He is pretty optimistic that this change in diet, along with the occasional anti-inflammatory is going to be the key to controlling his, unconfirmed colitis.
We did drop him to 3-3.5 cups per day of TOTW and we started the first round of decreasing his steroids!!!! I'm so excited about that and I'm praying that he responds well.
We also took a blood sample to run a full CBC, besides checking his blood count we will see if he's leaking proteins and if the steroids are stressing his kidneys or liver. That test should be in by tomorrow.
We also picked up some "Oven Baked, Salmon Jerky". I checked the ingredients to make sure NO chicken. We feel like he needs a "happy treat", instead of just giving him pieces of kibble when we leave in the morning or when he's just being the amazing dog that he is and we want to spoil him!
Thanx again for all of the support. This site has been the best!

That's great! Also if you have a Costco near you they sell duck jerky that is just dehydrated duck pieces that is great too.

Good luck hope things continue to progress well.

 

[momtomav]

Great news!

Hey! We have great news!!! Mav weighed in today at 40.1lbs at the vet. This is the most he's weighed since Thanksgiving! I know we are not out of the woods yet, however we are very confident that it is a poultry allergy that has caused all of this chaos. Who knew how many things had chicken in it. Even his toothpaste has chicken flavoring! We were literally filling him with chicken from every angle, I feel soo bad.
However, his energy levels continue to increase... we even played at the tennis courts today. Next steps are to continue to decrease his amounts of medication and keep the weight going up.

Everyone has been very helpful. I am very thankful!

 

[Caney Creek]

Hey! We have great news!!! Mav weighed in today at 40.1lbs at the vet. This is the most he's weighed since Thanksgiving! I know we are not out of the woods yet, however we are very confident that it is a poultry allergy that has caused all of this chaos. Who knew how many things had chicken in it. Even his toothpaste has chicken flavoring! We were literally filling him with chicken from every angle, I feel soo bad.
However, his energy levels continue to increase... we even played at the tennis courts today. Next steps are to continue to decrease his amounts of medication and keep the weight going up.

Everyone has been very helpful. I am very thankful!

So glad to hear! appicon Hope he continues to improve. Do keep us updated