Hi, I have received a phone call from the vet this morning with the results of Floyd's biopsys.  His pancreas was normal, (Floyd keeps getting bouts of Pancreatitus) - both his stomach and intestine came back with two bacteria's Lymphoplasmatytic and Helicobacter.  The vet is going to prescribe two different kinds of antibiotics and a human drug to stop his stomach from producing acid, these he will have to take for 2 weeks and also changing his food to a Sensitive variety.  It will be a wait and see to see how he goes, she has suggested that if this doesnt stop him from being sick he may need some Steroid treatment which in itself as he has been diagnosed with Pancreatitius may also cause problems.  I am just hoping something will work for him as he is only a baby..

Jane

hope you get it sorted now poor little mite

Hi Jane,

at least your vet has results on which to work from now.  The helicobacter virus (often associated with stomach acids and ulceration) should be relatively easily treated with disease specific ABs and antacid meds :)  Lymphocytic IBD is the most common form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease - not to be confused with the more easily managed IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

Steroids are generally necessary for the treament of IBD and of equal importance is strict dietary management.  There are various meds which can be given to countermand the side affects of steroid treatment - often meds are given (to us lay folk) in alarmingly high dosages but aggressive treatment is the best way forward.

Hopefully when this particular flare up has been eased, a balance of meds and careful analysis of foods which may upset Floyd's system will reveal what foods should be avoided.  Normally lower fat foods with reasonable fibre are required but IBD dogs often become intolerant to previously acceptable ingredients and a novel source of protein together with a novel bulking agent should to be investigated.

Wishing Floyd turns the corner soon,
best wishes, Teri

Hi Teri,

Thank you for that information that is really helpful, I've tried reading up on the Internet but it always seems heavy reading and hard to take in, but the way that you have just described it far more understandable, thank you very much.

Best regards

Jane

Hi Jane, hopefully it helps some way to get Floyd more comfortable and you less anxious :)

The sensitive diet he's to go onto - does it contain ingredients he used to eating?  For example chicken, lamb, rice, and any other main stream ingredients?  If so best to move towards a sensitive diet which has very few ingredients and those it has are "new" to Floyd (say pork/rabbit/white fish as proteins with possibly potato/tapioca/yams) or, if he's had wide ranging foods up until now, then a hydrolised version of something :)  Unfortunately the sensitivities of the GI system in an IBD quickly turn on bog standard foods which have seemingly been problem free before.

regards, Teri

Hi Teri, Floyd before he started being poorly which was just after the New Year, was fed on RC Junior, since then he has been fed RC High Digestive Low Fat (and allowed nothing else - we have followed everything the vet has told us to do) and still had really bad sickness attacks (he justs vomits bile).  When I spoke to the vet earlier she said the Sensitive variety that she will be putting him on will be white fish and tapioca variety, we also add the Lypex capsules which we sprinkle onto his food.  Initially when he first had his bout of pancreatitius he came home after 3 days, then had to be re-admitted a week and a half later with pancreatitus again but also diagnosed with colitis as well at that time, and that has been the only time that he has shown to have had colitis.

regards

Jane

Hi again Jane,

the tapioca / white fish (I think caiplan?) as far as I know is a prescription only diet and should hopefully be entirely novel for him :)

Re colitis - the word is merely an all encompassing description for regularly occurring and indefinite problems re loose / runny motions.  When coupled with sickness, especially regular bringing up of bile, it requires rapid investigation with firm diagnosis - thankfully something your vet has steamed ahead with :)

I don't know the ingredients of the RC diets you've been using - many dry completes, even those claiming to be "hypoallergenic" are something of a misnomer.  They can only be so if EVERY individual ingredient is hypoallergenic to EVERY DOG - unlikely ;)  With the diet your vet has chosen it is less likely that Floyd's system will have been exposed to those ingredients therefore all the more likely that his system should not flare up against them.

It sounds as though your vet is on the ball here - I hope all goes well and please update. 

Gentle hugs to your lad, Teri

hi jane, just wanted to send big hugs to floyd- he's ill like me! i'm in hospital for crohnes disease (another form of IBD) and am being tested for helicobacter. if they are treating floyd with the human helicobacter drugs you have to make sure he takes every does or it won't work so find something nice to put his pills in!

the IBD (assuming its similar to the human kind) is an inflamation of the bowel that can be linked to an autoimmune reaction (his white blood cells think theres something bad in there and are attacking him by accident). if he's only had symptoms since new year (and you'd have noticed before) they'll have caught it soon enough to deal with. steroids bring the swelling down so reduce the stricture (narrowed bit of bowel). avoid fibrous things as they are a nightmare to digest (i will never eat celery again! agony!). if he can't have the steroids i know that they can give humans immuno-repressors that should stop the auto-immune reaction, dunno if they have them for dogs but its possibly something to bring up with the vet.

good luck to floyd and you

Hi Jayne

any update on Floyd?  Hope no news is good news :)

Teri

Hi, Floyd had his first check up at the vets last Friday since his biopsy, the vet was very pleased with him, and was glad that she had carried out the operation, he has put on little more weight since his change of diet (now weighs 30.5kg he has always hovered around the 29kg mark) and looks fabulous for it, his coat is really glossy and looks the picture of health.  He finished his course of antibiotics and other medication last Friday, so we are keeping our fingers crossed now really to see how he goes. 
He absolutely loves his RC Whitefish & Tapioca variety, and has finally got a good appetite,  It was funny to see him the first time we gave it to him as he just stuck his nose right into and kept inhaling the smells.  I must admit he absolutely honks with this food, he enjoys it best soaked so that it provides a nice gravy and he likes it warm, which I suppose makes it smell more.  We have to wash his face after eating as he always comes to  give you big wet slobbery kisses, and if you are not careful you can walk round all day smelling like his food.  I will feel better and relax more when he has gone a couple of months without any problems as the longest he has gone in between bouts of sickness is 4 weeks so far and its 4 weeks now since his last bout which was a week before his biopsy.  Thank you for asking
Jane & Floyd

Hi Jane,

that all sounds so much better - everything crossed here for you both that Floyd's health continues to improve daily :) :) :)  The very fact that he's gained weight at all sounds fantastic and especially that his over all condition is looking the better for it too.

I sincerely hope his days of being sick are over - four weeks sickness free is very good going and will have allowed his tummy lining to heal itself with time to spare.  I'm so relieved for you :)

Thanks for taking the time to update,
Teri x