My heart is breaking! Any advice appreciated. - Page 1

Long story- so please bear with me!  I bred and sold a puppy earlier this year that can't seem to catch a break.  He will be 1 year old in December and is a very beautiful large male with an American showline pedigree (please no firing squad!)

We held this male and another of his litter mates back until they were 6 months old.  They were healthy as can be and beautiful to boot!  We ended up parting with them after 2 other buyers were referred to us by another buyer.  We have 3 families who are all friends and who live on a cul-de-sac and all have males from this litter- Bailey, Reggie and Elvis. 

Elvis went to his new home and shortly thereafter began vomiting and having diarrhea every few days.  We fed Costco adult food and the family vet changed him to a large breed puppy food after he went to his new home and after the issues started.  He has since been changed to different food several times thinking he may have a food allergy, but he still continues to have these issues every few days.  Their vet has done some blood tests but didn't do a giardia test until about a month ago at my urging- and it was negative.  I had no idea this was going on because they didn't notify me.  They've always told me what a good dog he is and then during one conversation they told me they has been frustrated by an issue and explained.

I offered to replace Elvis and the family does not want to part with him because they made a committment- which is wonderful- of course.  I offered to babysit him for a week or two to see if maybe it was something environmental since it didn't happen until he left us at 6 months.  They hate to do this because even if a change does him good- they are afraid we can't pinpoint the cause and they still don't want to give him up. 

They are a great family and just decided to deal with it.  They have said it does not reflect on me and they would still recommend me to everyone- which makes me feel good for myself but bad for Elvis!  I have refunded half of their purchase price to help offset some costs and I may end up giving all back if we don't find a resolution because I feel so bad.  Even though they love Elvis with all their hearts I can't bring myself to believe that this has to be a lifelong issue that they will have to deal with.  No other pups in the litter of 9 have had or are having any issues.  The only other issue in the litter was an umbilical hernia and we had that puppy neutered and his hernia fixed before he left us.

Has anyone experienced anything like this?  I apologize that i don't have all the tests that have been done on him, however I do not feel their vet is one to jump in with both feet.  I do feel the vet is open-minded to other suggestions though, I'm just trying to get some.  I can try to get more information after the Thanksgiving holiday on tests that have been done- I'm just impatient!  :-)

Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 I feel with you and I wish someone knowledgeable  (and they are many here) will suggest a solution which will work, you seem a committed breeder and I like that. Good luck.

Ibrahim

They are just going to "deal with it"? Have they thought about how the puppy feels? 

Doesn't sound like a great family to me. They need a new vet.

 A giardia test on an adult dog is about as useful as asking a psychic what's wrong with the dog. Don't wonder if he has it; assume he does, and treat him for it.

Order Safeguard wormer for goats or buy it at a farm supply store (or get Panacur for dogs) and treat him for giardia. Longterm giardia can cause permanent damage, not to mention all the obvious misery. I can't believe a vet would rely on a negative giardia test on an adult dog! ARGH!!!

Get a new vet.

He could also have IBS/IBD, but try treating for giardia first. When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras (thanks, Sunsilver, lol).

Thank you everyone!  ShadyLady- their vet told them they have to deal with it and rather than return him to me, they chose just that.  The vet told them that some dogs have sensitive stomachs and there's nothing that can be done.  I don't want to do the vet's job either but if it makes him feel better I will.  That's why I wrote to you!

Would giardia only produce symptoms every few days?

 Typically, only every few months, but the lifecycle can produce varying symptoms. During an 'outbreak' it can be chronic; then mysteriously, the dog will seem fine for a while, only to relapse again weeks or months down the road. Some say a dog NEVER gets totally rid of it, but it will lie dormant and cease to affect the dog to the point of bringing forth symptoms.

www.beaglesunlimited.com/health/giardiasis-diagnosis-treatment-and-prevention

What family would want their dog sick and say "Its Ok we'll deal with it.  Sorry but that wouldnt be acceptable to me and honestly if they dont want to know whats wrong with the dog, what does that say. I would give back all the money and take the dog back. Here is something to think about.

I took in a dog last year that at age 5-6 was never diagnosed UNTIL I GOT HIM with an incurable disease which ended up killing him. Like the neighbors you mentioned, this dogs owners never took the time to find out what was wrong with their dog. He suffered so much for all those years because his family really just didnt give a shit enough to find out what was wrong with him. Ill never forgive these people for making the dog suffer for so long. The owner said he "took good care of the dog" but did he when he never went the extra mile to find out.

The dog needs a new vet. "Some dogs have sensitive stomachs and there's nothing that can be done" is a ridiculous thing for a vet to say. The poor dog is sick for a reason.

I would treat for Giardia first. If this didn't help, I would test for pancreatic insufficiency. This test (TLI/cobalamin/folate) also gives some information about possible inflammatory GI disease, which can can often be treated successfully.

Where is Elvis located? Have you seen him recently? If not, can you visit him and make sure he looks OK?

 Oh my gosh, people. When they said they'd "deal with it" I think they meant they'd take care of him whatever it takes. They took him to the vet. They have done other tests. The vet is a moron; not everyone knows enough to question the vet. I think the vet sucks; I think the owners are just uninformed. JMO.

I would do the following things:

1. Get a new vet
2. Do the following tests; cTLI (for Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency), folate/cobalamine (SIDO/B12 deficiency/other GI issues). Do these at the same time, it's much cheaper that way.
3. Find out what food they are on currently. Vets do not know crap about food.
4. Scope and biopsy the stomach and intestines to test for IBD
5. Get this dog on a good quality food, Orijen, Taste of the Wild, etc.

Depending on the results, the treatment is straight forward from there. I have a GSD who is almost 10 with severe GI issues. He started having issues at 18 months and I could not find a vet until he was 7 y/o to actually run tests on him. The only reason this vet knew to run them is because he went to school at Texas A&M where these tests are sent.
Tell these owners to do the proper tests and treat now. This dog will be continuously miserable until he is diagnosed and treated for the proper ailment. If my boy was tested and treated earlier, he would most likely be in better condition than he is now (and he is pretty healthy minus his flair ups 2-3 times a year).