Antibiotic Responsive Diarrhoea (SIBO) - Page 2

Hi All Thanks for your replies & advice, and Blitzen, yes this is the same girl with the problems before, although it turns out that they were all caused by SIBO due to not absorbing any nutrients.  It has taken nearly 18mths to get the tests done & even then I had to bring up the subject of the illness with my vet & request the test!!  She was also tested for EPI (although not told to fast her ) & tested clear.

She has been given a three month course of antibiotics, as a previous two month course did not work.  Since going on them she has got so much better is now eating al her meals, putting on weight & her behaviour has improved so much, so is now such a lovley girl.

My vet has said that if the antibiotics don't clear it up he will do a bowel biopsy, but he did not suggest B12 jabs.  Reading your replies I think he should have, as her B12 & Folate were both low when he tested & as she had been on antibiotics for a month before the test (four months out of 8 months off & on with anitbiotics) I think the reading would originally have been even worse!

Lily, if you are interested in the name of the SIBO guru here in the US, please email me at blitzengsd@comcast.net  If I remember correctly, you live in the UK, but I think this vet does phone consults. I will get that information and email it to you if you want it.  

Who would have thought all that girl's problems would be attributed to SIBO? Good thing you did your homework or you might still be searching for solutions.

My 4 year old male has inflammatory bowel disease and chronic SIBO, diagnosed shortly after we purchased him almost two years ago.  SIBO can be a primary or secondary condition, often associated with IBD and EPI.  Initial treatment with metranidazole did not work, and with some dogs it is not effective.  Tylan has been the answer.  Along with low doses of meds for the IBD, he will be on Tylan indefinitely.  He also has very low cobalamin levels, so we give him weekly B12 shots as well.  SIBO and B12 issues are also often associated, but it is up for debate as to which came first.

He is on a very strict low fat, low fiber diet, primarily for the IBD, so we feed only Royal Canin IVD LF, a combination of canned and kibble, unfortunately available only from his vet.  We have been unable to find another source that meets the strict requirements for both low fat and low fiber.  Other foods are one or the other.

In order to try to manage costs, we buy powdered Tylan on the Internet, along with vegetarian gel caps, and make our own capsules.  There are numerous sources available for both.  We also buy liquid B12 and bulk syringes from our vet for the B12 shots.  Since the shot is given subcutaneously, not intramuscular, it is not that difficult for us or painful for him.  We have zero medical training, so if we can do it, anyone can.

Given this regime, he is doing very well.  We have eliminated all vaccines except rabies, which is required by law here in NC and unfortunately fairly common in the rural county where we live.  He had a bad flare after his last vaccine, so we will likely have to up his meds before the next one to try to prevent a reoccurence.

A very good source of information on SIBO and websites for products is the Yahoo IBD group - htty://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/IBDogs/

The archives there contain helpful resources from people who deal with it daily.  I have found it to be invaluable.  These diseases are generally manageable.  Good luck to you and your girl.

Website should be - http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/goup/IBDogs/

Thanks DoubleX,  hope your dog continues to improve.  Willow is doing really well at the moment, but will discuss all these options with my vet & hope they can help us further.

Blitzen, will email you now.