My Sister's 9 month old mini schnauzer has been ill since just after Christmas.  It started with really bad diarahea (spelling?) and also vomitting.  They saw the vet and the vet gave an injection to clear the gut and also gave some medicine to prevent further vomitting.  My Sister thought it was something that he had eaten.  The vet advised a bland diet of rice and fish/chicken and things improved.  It's worth saying that the dog's demeanour was fine and he still wanted to play and go out (and eat).  After a few days on the bland diet she then introduced his normal food and the same problems occured. This time there was blood in his stools and more vomitting.  So back she went and another injection was given and some large pills were prescribed.  After a further week on the bland diet, the food was reintroduced and exactly the same thing has occured again.  She has also stated that since he has been unwell, he seems to be scratching excessively at his beard and biting his paws.  The vet has prescribed a bland diet for 3 weeks and my Sister is going to change his food.  He is fed on Eukaneaba at the moment (I think the puppy sort).  The vet now thinks it could be a food allergy that has developed.  Does anyone recognise any of this enough to offer advice please.  The poor thing has lost a lot of weight.

Yes I do, not so much the scratching although i know of other people with dogs that have done this with food allergies.  But the vomiting and runs, my cocker was like this, advised by vet to put on chicken and rice, soon realised what he was allergic to - chicken - he didn't stop for days, he was fine in himself though, just couldn't hold anything in.  He's now on nutro lamb and rice.  It's best to find out what the dog is allergic to, so that you can avoid it at all times.  There are some very good foods out there, once you know.

Nikki xx

Hi,
Does sound as if it could be an allergy.  My dog lost loads of coat and also chewed his legs, which the vet said was allergy.  I'd heard a lot of good things about hypo-allergenic diets, so have changed him onto Wafcol Potato & Salmon - and he's been fine since.  This food hasn't got any cereals in it, and it's also good for dogs with digestive problems - my friend uses it for her dog who has got colitis. 
  Hilda

Thanks alot, I will pass these on to her.

I forgot to mention that the runny poo was bright yellow in colour.  Today it has been reddish brown (probably blood again).  Sounds awful sorry.

Hi there, just an up-date, he has been on the bland diet for another week and the symptoms have just got worse.  He is trying to eliminate and can't, when he can it's as before very runny and yellow in colour. Lots of wind, lots of licking himself, lots of loud gurgling sounds in his tum.  Thinking now it is colitis but how do vets diagnose this.  She is taking him to the vets again tomorrow.  I did a search on CD but there is so much advice I am not sure where to start.

Hi I am sorry to hear things are still not going so well for your sisters dog, and the only other thing i can suggest is whipworm. My friends dog had almost the same symptoms and in the end the vet treated her for whipworm, and although she had been worming as recommended, the problem with this type of worm was that re-infection is very easy and they had to treat her weekly and then fornightly and then once a month for 3 months. Also she had to be very good at cleaning up after her's and pouring disinfectant in the area she had toileted, and although this all sound's a lot of trouble and maybe a bit extreme, it worked and her dog has never looked back since. I hopes this might help and if not that your sister does find a answer soon, Emma.

What is in this bland diet?  If it is chicken and rice he could be allergic to either of them.  The only way to determine a food allergy is to start an elimination diet or get the dog allergy tested by having a blood test; the vet will draw off a sample and send it off to Yorktest for analysing.

Your dog could have a number of things such as Giardia, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), colitis however proper diagnostic checks must be makde and colitis is a "condition" which is a symptom of other things and therefore can be treated. 

The bland diet has been either chicken and rice or non wheat pasta and white fish.  Harvey seems to do better on the chicken and rice.  She has just returned from the vets who is saying that it could be Giardia or it could be colitis.  She is running a test on faeces and will have the results on Friday.  In the meantime, Harvey is to continue on the chicken and rice diet.  If that wasn't enough, the vet did a rectal exam and has determined that Harvey has an enlarged prostate - and he is only 9 months old.  The vet says that she has to consider castration.  Should my Sister have requested a blood test do you think?

I sent you an e-mail but i wasn't sure if you would get it.  I took my dog off of all dog foods and started boiling him raw veggies, peas, carrots, green beans, lima beans, potatoes, corn (off the cob), I mix it with a speciality dog food called DUCK AND POTATOE.  I have also done ALOT of research about giving a dog herbs instead of prescription meds that can cause kidney and liver failure.  I've bought books, talked to vets, researched on the internet.

I've discoved one herb that has made a major difference in him its called BORAGE OIL.  If you have any questions, please e-mail me   dsmcgregor@earthlink.net

Thanks Shonna, I will pass to my Sister.