u/Other-Bother-6762

Hey guys,

My wee rescue gal has been on prednisolone for almost three weeks now - her specialists currently have a working diagnosis of small-cell gastrointestinal lymphoma at its earliest stage, but there remains a genuine diagnostic grey area with severe inflammatory enteropathy/IBD.

She has had various violent vomiting episodes over the last seven months, which what has led to this diagnosis, thanks to endoscopes. Her last episode was 8th August and we've had no vomiting since. I am concerned that her weight has dropped to 6.3kg (from 6.9kg earlier a few months ago), but in the last couple of weeks it has gone up to 6.4kg.

She is hungry CONSTANTLY and has started scavenging for the first time ever. She also continues to have endless lip licking/smacking and occasional neck extension/swallowing. I do wonder if the constant hunger is adding to this?

Current diet:

Transitioned onto SPECIFIC (Dechra) CID-LF Digestive Support. Fully on the SPECIFIC food from approximately Friday 7 August. Feeding four smaller meals per day as recommended by the vets.

Basically - does anyone have any experience dealing with the above/any wisdom? The lip smacking/licking is what I'm most concerned about and I'm pranging out that the steroids aren't working. They are reluctant to endoscope again as she had mild aspiration on her last testing.

Mixed breed
7 years old
Occasionally extreme vomiting episodes over last six months
Body score 5/9
Otherwise happy in herself
Recently had ultrasound, endoscope

My 7 year old dog has been prescribed 7mg daily of the above (she’s 6.9kg) to urgently bring down inflammation in her gut while we try and find out whether it’s severe IBD or very early gastrointestinal small cell lymphoma.

I’ve seen all the horror stories about this drug here on Reddit and now I’m petrified - should I be pushing for a different drug?

Mixed breed
7 years old
Occasionally vomiting over last six months
Body score 5/9
Otherwise happy in herself
Recently had ultrasound, endoscope

Letter below:

The additional staining performed on Birdie’s stomach biopsies has raised some concern that the changes may represent small-cell lymphoma, which is a slow-growing form of cancer affecting the gastrointestinal tract. However, the results are not yet complete, and there is a genuine grey area between severe inflammation and small-cell lymphoma, even when biopsy samples are examined in detail.
We are still waiting for one further test, called Ki-67, which looks at how actively the cells are dividing. This should help us interpret the biopsy findings more confidently before making a final decision about Birdie’s diagnosis.
In the meantime, as Birdie is currently clinically well, we recommend starting treatment with:
Prednisolone 5mg (Steroid): Give ONE and a HALF tablets ONCE daily,  until otherwise instructed. This is a steroid medication and can caused increased thirst, hunger and urination. When used long term this can rarely cause diabetes in some patients. 
Our aim would be to reduce the dose gradually over time where possible, depending on Birdie’s response and the final biopsy results. I have put a prescription up for Birdie, and my colleagues will be in touch tomorrow to arrange for collection. 
Prednisolone helps to reduce inflammation in chronic enteropathy (IBD) and is also commonly used as part of the treatment for small-cell lymphoma. Starting this now means that Birdie is receiving appropriate treatment while we wait for the final result. If the completed results support lymphoma, we may also recommend adding another medication called chlorambucil.
We also spoke about prognosis, and how the type of lymphoma we are more concerned tends to typically be slow growing. Reassuringly, Birdie is also currently feeling well, her blood protein levels is normal, and her imaging did not show an obvious mass or other major abnormalities.
The term “remission” in this situation usually means that Birdie remains comfortable, her gastrointestinal signs are well controlled, her appetite and weight are stable, and her blood results remain satisfactory. In people, repeat biopsies may sometimes be used to confirm remission, but this is more difficult in veterinary patients, particularly when the original imaging was normal.
I know this uncertainty is difficult, but there are still encouraging features in Birdie’s case, and we will take this one step at a time. I will contact you again as soon as the Ki-67 result is available so that we can discuss the final interpretation and the most appropriate next steps together.

Hey guys, this is a super embarrassing one to write but I really need some help.

My dog first got unwell in January 2026 after taking anti-inflammatories prescribed by the vet. Fast forward six months and we’ve been through repeated vomiting episode episodes, emergency vet trips, endless scans and endoscopes. It appears that she’s likely to be a dog with IBD and we are currently trialling different diets.

However, after these six months of constantly monitoring her, her getting so unwell at times that I’ve had to rush her to the emergency vet hospital in the middle of the night and endless vomiting episodes, my nervous system is completely shot.

I am completely utterly unable to relax and get really upset at home when I’m with the dog alone. I’ve had her for five years before this six month period and never felt like this. I feel hideously guilty because I hate being at home with her.

I’m completely mentally unable to not monitor her and even lipsmacking from her can set me off into a panic attack spiral.

I am in therapy and have been dealing with CBT to try and manage but in the last week while she’s been in hospital for endoscopes after yet another episode I’m feeling really helpless.

I don’t even really know what I’m looking for in terms of advice - I just feel so guilty for feeling so angry and tense all the time.

Hey guys, this is a super embarrassing one to write but I really need some help/advice/reassurance.

My dog first got unwell in January 2026 after taking anti-inflammatories prescribed by the vet. Fast forward six months and we’ve been through repeated vomiting episode episodes, emergency vet trips, endless scans and endoscopes. It appears that she’s likely to be a dog with IBD and we are currently trialling different diets.

However, after these six months of constantly monitoring her, her getting so unwell at times that I’ve had to rush her to the emergency vet hospital in the middle of the night and endless vomiting episodes, my nervous system is completely shot.

I am completely utterly unable to relax and get really upset at home when I’m with the dog alone. I’ve had her for five years before this six month period and never felt like this. I feel hideously guilty because I hate being at home with her.

I’m completely mentally unable to not monitor her and even lipsmacking from her can set me off into a panic attack spiral.

I am in therapy and have been dealing with CBT to try and manage but in the last week while she’s been in hospital for endoscopes after yet another episode I’m feeling really helpless. I feel utterly ridiculous that I’m struggling so much with this, she’s my responsibility and this is part of being a dog owner.

I don’t really know what I’m looking for even in turns of advice, I just feel like a horrible owner because I am so tense all the time.