Update..URGENT Input needed - Page 1

I got a call yesterday about a 8 month old Shepherd.  This puppy was fine until about two months ago.  Then it has some diarrea so they brought him to the vet and the vet I guess gave the standard treatment(s).  Well the dog didn't get better so they took it to a different vet who put him on antibiotics.  Appearently that did not work.  Until two weeks ago they said the dog was otherwise acting fine.  About two weeks ago, he started vomiting as well and then started loosing weight.  At this point they took him to a specialist. The specialist did an ultra sound and said that the internal organs had fused together?!

Is this possible.  I did not not what to tell her and could offer no explanation.  I ....I can't visualize this.  The vet specialist doesn't think it could be genetic because he thinks that if it were the dog would not have lived to be 8 months old....the vet thinks something caused it but WHAT?!

Has anyone on this vast database anywhere ever heard of such a thing?  The only thing I could ask was were they sure? I thought maybe the previous vets did not properly diagnose and treat the original cause and two months of constant bowel irritation has caused severe swelling?

God forbid if this is a genetic problem.  The dog was scheduled for surgery this morning and they were going to try and separate the organs.  The vet said he would probably still die of malnutrition. I told her I did not know anything but that I would post it to several Shepherd boards and let her know.  If the dog does make it, there's got to be some kind of diet that can be given for the dog to live a normal life.  The dog is just a family pet.  They said money was not a concern in his care but they did not know what to do. 

If anyone has any insight, no matter how obscure please let me know.

Thanks

I had a bitch who had fused intestines (born 1994)  She originally suffered with a lot of diarraoh and vomitting, and after failing to solve the outwards signs with normal treatments surgery was the only option.  She ended up losing about 1/3rd of her intestines but went on to have a happy healthy life.

Beepy,

Ok...how? Did the vet ever say?  The vet specialist said he'd never seen it (relayed via the caller).  How old when this happened?  Was there a specific name for the condition?  Did you feed a special diet after?

Thanks

wow, sounds almost like a type of autoimmune problem.  immune system attacks the organs but stops due to antibiotic treatments, and the organs heal back together.  just my rambling though

How would this cause fusion though?

The vet never gave it a name - he was pretty horrified at what he found, especially as some of the intestine was all but dead by the time he opened her up.  I have a memory of being told that she needed in excess of 30 joins.  He said that it was like they had gone "sticky".  She would have been about 4-5 months when this was found, but she had been poorly from the first day I got her and I just perservered with her.

Once she had the operation and got over healing - that tummy must have been uncomfortable - she slowly started to gain weight and looked fab.  She didnt need a special diet as such, but we did find that the "FAT" levels needed to be kept down.

They said that her stomach contents were also pretty acidic, again something not found before in other dogs.  We found that a mix of skimmed milk and arrowroot, made the night before, given 1/2 hour before the first meal of the day, really helped her.  Something the vet was a bit unsure about, but recommended from an alternative therapist, and we continued this for about 6 months, until it became obvious she didnt need it any more.

Ok Thank you.  I got to talk to the husband today and found out it was the SAME vet the whole time except the specialist.  I had thought she had said different vet, I guess I didn't understand her accent. 

They did stress this WAS a normal pup prior to this, normal growth, no health issues, brought to vet within 24 hrs of getting from breeder with good report.  I questioned them about what they were feeding etc, and they feed top of the line, natural food.  They said they would call me after the dog had surgery.  Their normal vet is the one that told them the dog would probably still die of mal nutrition after surgery and I told them not to accept this.  Especially after talking to them more today and finding out it was the same vet they kept going back to and that THEY wanted to see a specialist, not that the vet referred them to one early on.

I am still not sure how to answer their question on if it is genetic...I see lots of people have read this but few response so it must not be something common.  I would hate to tell them it is genetic if it isn't, but if it is, they need to let the breeder know.

I would think that the organs became fused, because something attacked the lining of the organs, kind of like an infection of the lining of the heart, the antibiotics stopped whatever was going on, and the organs healed together.  but I am just reaching here.

I probably wouldn't say genetic, more likely a strange infection, or even a fungal infection, where do these people live?

Uh...North Georgia somewhere....I forgot where....but I know north GA.  I am not sure if I will be able to but I'd like to see what the vet gave the dog, how much and when. When they call back, and I hope they do because it means the dog lived through surgery and they are ready for nutritional help.  I will see if I can question them about where the dog had been.  They had mentioned the dog had participed in formal obedience classes...I'll see what more I can gather.  I don't want ot pester them.

are we talking about intusseception (telescoping intestines?).. happens in pups.. caused by foreign object, often a bad case of worms... a pup from my last litter had it.. lost about 1/3 of his intestines and is fine, getting ready to compete in agility.. gets B12  injections...

Sounds like it to me... ....