Dog Diarrhea Medication Greenville SC

Q. My 3-year-old Standard Poodle seems to have an overly sensitive digestive system. He gets fed a high quality natural dog food twice daily: dry and canned food with a little water or chicken stock or cooked with pork liver, and ground turkey or chicken on occasion. He's been to the vet four times with blockages and/or vomiting without blockage. He had a bloat problem at 2½ years old. He takes over-the-counter acid indigestion pills daily. The last time he went to the vet for vomiting there was no blockage, and it was cleared with a bland diet, but nothing showed up on the X-ray or the stool and blood sample. Do you have any ideas? When he feels fine he is an active, athletic, happy dog, and I'd like to keep him that way.

Some dogs with chronic or recurring vomiting, loss of appetite and diarrhea have inflammatory bowel disease. This occurs when the wall of the intestine is infiltrated with immune system cells that then interfere with digestion and absorption. It can only be diagnosed by taking a biopsy of the intestines, usually using an endoscope. However, in some cases, veterinarians will suggest a trial treatment of steroids to see if there is a positive response.

Another unusual condition that can cause vague GI (gastrointestinal) signs is Addison's disease. This is caused when the body's immune system attacks its own adrenal gland, causing...

Author: Jon Geller, DVM

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