Unknown Gastrointestinal Issues - Anyone Else?
My seven year old, 50 lb doodle started experiencing a bunch of gastrointestinal issues out of the blue last week. It started with him being unsettled, pacing, laying down and immediately getting back up. The next day he threw up (not completely uncommon for him, he’s always had a sensitive stomach but this settled down about 1.5 years ago when we switched to Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach dry kibble). His energy level completely plummeted.
It was pretty obvious he was in pain so I took him to the vet and they ran basic bloodwork and took X-rays but everything came back normal. He’s scheduled for an abdominal ultrasound next Wednesday at another clinic, which was the earliest they could book him in.
He is currently taking Gabapentin for pain management and Sulcrate for nausea. Since going to the vet the first time he now refuses to eat his dry kibble (he’s the kind of dog that’s never missed a meal in his life). I’ve switched him to the wet food version and he’s eating about half the daily amount he should be. I’m also throwing in some boiled chicken and rice.
More troublingly he stopped drinking (took him back to the vet to check for dehydration - he was fine) and he seems to be getting by with extra water mixed into the wet food as the vet advised.
Today I’ve noticed that he’s not using his back legs as actively as he used to. He’s been on the Gabapentin for four days so I don’t believe it’s due to that anymore.
Has anyone had a doodle go through something similar? I realize it could be caused by just about anything right now, from an ulcer to cancer, but I’m spiralling a bit in my helplessness until he can get that ultrasound.