advice please, problem with rescued/rehomed dog - Page 2

Good idea Q-Man about the photos!

Molly, kudo's to you for being the person you are.  I would get the idiot's vet involved to tell her the dog is imanciated.  I don't believe her vet told her he was OK.  There is something wrong here;  I bet she did not even take him to the vet or did not get a weight.  I would also change his diet.  Add some yogarts, cottage cheese, ground beef to any kibble he is eating;  Give him as much as he will eat and still maintain a decent stool. 

Unfortunately, I don't think anything can be done from state to state unless you just go pick him up;  get back into shape and rehome again.  Obviously this person is not going to do this dog any justice.    So sad to see him back down to what he was when he was rescued.  Best of luck  Nan

Molly:

It is possible that the vet they are taking him too are not fully aware of all the other conditions that go along with EPI.  Molly my 5 year old gsd started losing weight last year - (67 lbs to 46 lbs) in just a few months.  I had been taking her back to my vet every 2 weeks and getting very little help.  I was told to increase her food and increase the enzyme or change the food.  Eventually she started urinating on herself and her heart rate dropped to 60 bpm and she became very lethargic.   I finally went to a specialist and during her exam she was rated as being in extemely poor body condition.  If the enzyme is not working, no amount of food is going to help.  The specialist suspected that she was in a SIBO flare up  even though my vet tested for it and it came back negative.  We put her on Tylan powder (you can order from Amazon without a presripton for about $44).  We increased her feeding schedule from 2 x per day to 5 x per day and increaed the qty of food.  We put her on Royal Canine Low residue can and dry) and began B12 shots every week.  She immediately began gaining weight.  She is now 71 lbs and has been this weight consistently for 6 months.  I have been able to eliminate the tylan for now and switch her to a non presription food (I find Natural Balance low calorie 50/50 with their chicken) formula works best for her.  I have not added Tylan to her food in 6 months and I only have to use a 1/2 tsp of enzyme.

While this was going on for months, my vet just told me that some dogs don't respond well to the enzyme and that there is nothing else that you can do but to switch foods and increase the amount enzymes.  I am wondering if this vet is under the same opinion as mine.

I agree that TOTW is not a good food for an epi dog and would start by changing that,however if this dog is eating stools - ravenously then he is not absorbing anything.  I would suspect it is a combination of things - like sibo, low b12 and epi and a food to high in fat.

Can you speak directly with the vet?  Maybe he does not know enough about EPI and all the other conditions that can complicate things. 

I hope this dog gets the help he needs soon.    Good luck and if you nee any more information regarding what worked for my dog, please let me know.

Oh, also if they do start increasing the food, please tell them to be careful.  The original amount of food that the specialist had me feed her was too much for her and she bloated during the first week.  Luckily I got her to the er before her stomach flipped so she did not require surgery.

Cheryl

But remember, regardless whether the Vet. knows the dog's prior history, the condition the dog is in should raise concern for any Vet. to take action. From what we've been told, the Vet. simply said the dog was fine and in good weight. If the dog is in the condition per photos when Molly 1st got the dog, it is obvious something is wrong.
Now, if the Vet. decides to treat the dog, then yes, the prior history is extremely important.

Thank you all so much for your advice especially about things that could be improved or done differently in caring for this EPI dog.  I have passed this information along and hope that she will take it and the dog to a different vet, one that knows more about EPI and other digestive issues, and I have offered to pay for that vet visit myself.  I hope the owner will agree to this but even if she doesn't, this information will hopefully give her some things to think about and maybe try.

molly

Molly, one word:

Hessel.

Better to piss of this person than to put the dog's well-being at risk. Clearly, she's not successfully managing the dog's situation, and he needs help.

The owner knows I would take the dog back, I have offered several times.   This person continues to claim the dog is fine, and the vet supports her and her care of the dog.  She says she posts pictures on facebook and receives nothing but compliments, including from myself, about him - of course these pictures are from months ago, and the more recent ones are head-shots or pics of him from an angle that his body condition can't be seen clearly. 

I'm at a loss to understand why someone doesn't see the ribs sticking out or hip bones protruding and know there is a problem.  I am hopeful that they will make some of the changes recommended on this thread.  She has now told me that she did follow the initial recommendations I made to her on the day I saw the dog in this condition - feeding more food, more times/day, and adding canned food as well.  So that is good and a good start.  Now I'm thinking he needs a different food, maybe different enzymes, and a different vet - will keep working on it as best I can until I'm confident the dog is being cared for correctly again.

the dog was in good shape until only a few months ago, as I did see him then and his weight was ok.  So something changed, probably his needs and not her care of him - she just didn't notice him failing as she should have, I'm guessing.  and if the vet indeed told her he was at a good weight, then the vet failed him too - this person is someone who listens to the vet and doesn't question for herself.  molly

I guess I'm harrassing them now - got a call from state police - the husband is a cop so I guess he feels that he can intimidate and bully and threaten me to stop communicating with his wife about the dog.  Multiple e-mails yes, but harrassment - ??? - I didn't know offers to help, information about getting the dog back into a healthy condition, offers to take the dog back (not threats to come get the dog) - pay for the vet visit with a specialist, was harrassment? anyway I don't plan on stopping communication until I am confident the dog is back on the right track.  Last resort is I'll contact animal control, SPCA or whoever has the authority to go take a look at the dog and seize it if necessary.  I can file complaints against this cop, and against the vet who told the owner the dog is in good shape - really would rather not go that route, but will if I'm pushed into it.  Not giving up because some asshole cop (who lives in the same household as the emaciated dog and also didn't  "notice" or do anything about it) threatens me with harrassment charges.

With EPI dogs it is a constant balance of keeping track of food amt of enzymes stools and watching for SIBO and low B 12 levels.  One little thing can throw everything off balance and stool eating certainly does not help at all( I have one of those and I have to be vigilant about picking up the poop).  Good Luck, I hope she listens for the dog's sake.

Lyn