I have a Yorkie, he is 16 months, and weighs only 3lbs.His name is Elton,
and he is very adorable. Every few months he has a bad case of the runs.
We keep taking him to the vet, and they keep tellig us to do the same
thing. He has to fast for24 hours, and then feed him a diet of rice and
boiled chicken. Most of the time this works. This time nothing is working.
We took him to the vet today and she checked for parasites, which he did
not have. When he is feeling better we have to take him for a blood test
to see if he has liver problems, or he could have IBS. Is this common with
Yorkies? Does anyone have any advice. He is my baby and i am heartbroken
seeing him this way.

jbone wrote:
I have a Yorkie, he is 16 months, and weighs only 3lbs.His name is Elton,
and he is very adorable. Every few months he has a bad case of the runs.
We keep taking him to the vet, and they keep tellig us to do the same
thing. He has to fast for24 hours, and then feed him a diet of rice and
boiled chicken. Most of the time this works. This time nothing is working.
We took him to the vet today and she checked for parasites, which he did
not have. When he is feeling better we have to take him for a blood test
to see if he has liver problems, or he could have IBS. Is this common with
Yorkies? Does anyone have any advice. He is my baby and i am heartbroken
seeing him this way.

Poor pupper! And of course he is your baby! I have no knowledge about
Yorkies except that they are darling. But I have always heard that any
doggie can have IBS. If I were you, I would follow through with the
blood test.....and I might consider taking him to a second vet for a
second opinion. I'm also wondering about the possibility of his eating
something in your yard that upsets his system....an allergy to a plant
of some kind?

I do hope he feels better soon.

+Jeri

"jbone" said in rec.pets.dogs.breeds:

We took him to the vet today and she checked for parasites,
which he did not have.

Did your vet check for giardia? It often doesn't show up in
standard fecal tests, so may need to be screened for
specifically.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

thank you all for your help. i will look into all of your suggestions.

"Rocky" wrote in message
...
Did your vet check for giardia? It often doesn't show up in
standard fecal tests, so may need to be screened for
specifically.

Are there specific tests for giardia now? A few years back, DH got it. The
tests came back negative but when the symptoms continued they acknowledged
that the test wasn't very accurate. (And this was for humans.) They
treated him - with the thought that the proof would be in the success of the
treatment. And it did work. Miraculously well.

Also, would giardia be so on and off? She said it recurs every couple of
months in her dog. My only experience was with DH and it very definitely
was not on and off.

But, yeah, like you I'm thinking parasites of some sort. It really is
random for them to find them in a sample. Or maybe some coincidental
feeding of some "special treats" that they're not seeing the connection on?
The fact that it is not only chronic but seems to be getting worse would
definitely have me concerned. I think I'd be looking for a specialist very
soon. At 3 pounds, this dog cannot afford to lose any weight.

~~Judy

"Judy" said in rec.pets.dogs.breeds:

Are there specific tests for giardia now?

When Rocky had it about 7 years ago, the giardia test was the
standard fecal float, but used a different test kit which
screened for the teeny giardia parasites - they're much smaller
than your run-of-the-mill parasite, so special attention had to
be paid.

Plus, many vets prescribe metronidazole (Flagyl) when they're
not positive what the agent is - it's a broad spectrum anti-
parasite but doesn't always catch the giardia buggie.
Fenbendazole (Panacur) is apparently more directly geared to
giardia.

Also, would giardia be so on and off? She said it recurs
every couple of months in her dog.

Rocky's giardia was on and off - low grade infections can be.
Initially, I thought it was the food he was eating because his
diarrhea cleared up temporarily when I switched foods to one
fairly high in corn, but it was a coincidence. His wasn't as on
and off as the every couple of months the OP mentioned, but it's
still worth checking out.

I have a RR here going through the same thing, so I suggested
that a stool sample be taken in to the vet.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

"Rocky" wrote in message
...
"Judy" said in rec.pets.dogs.breeds:

Are there specific tests for giardia now?

When Rocky had it about 7 years ago, the giardia test was the
standard fecal float, but used a different test kit which
screened for the teeny giardia parasites - they're much smaller
than your run-of-the-mill parasite, so special attention had to
be paid.

Plus, many vets prescribe metronidazole (Flagyl) when they're
not positive what the agent is - it's a broad spectrum anti-
parasite but doesn't always catch the giardia buggie.
Fenbendazole (Panacur) is apparently more directly geared to
giardia.

DH had it so many years ago that I can't remember much about the test or the
drug that cleared it up. I remember that the test they did at first came
back negative and that they *later* admitted that it wasn't particularly
reliable - particularly if it had already been an extended illness. Can't
remember what the drug was except that it came with the warning of not
drinking any alcohol whatsoever - including using mouthwash. Whatever it
was, they said that the proof of the diagnosis came with the success of the
drug. And it still took him quite a while to put his lost weight back on
and get back to normal. (And the ultimate push for the doctor to give him
the medication came from a forest ranger in the area that DH had been
hunting. Said they had had several cases.)

Rocky's giardia was on and off - low grade infections can be.
Initially, I thought it was the food he was eating because his
diarrhea cleared up temporarily when I switched foods to one
fairly high in corn, but it was a coincidence. His wasn't as on
and off as the every couple of months the OP mentioned, but it's
still worth checking out.

Huh. I did not know it could do that. That's useful to know. DH 's
infection was rather overwhelming and dramatic. Definitely no on and off.

If it were MY 3 pound yorkie, I'd give the vet about one more shot at
figuring it out and then I'd find a specialist.

~~Judy

I am a new pet owner so I am not to familiar with all of this. How do I go
about finding a specialist? A client of mine gave me the name of a vet
that practices holistic medicine on dogs, do you think that is worth
checking out? I really appreciate all of your advice.

"jbone" said in rec.pets.dogs.breeds:

I am a new pet owner so I am not to familiar with all of
this.

First, ask your regular vet for whatever test you think
necessary. I am not a vet, but if I were you, I'd have your vet
do a complete check for intestinal parasites - including
giardia, also known as "Beaver Fever."

How do I go about finding a specialist?

The best way to find a veterinary specialist is to ask your
regular vet.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

That was easy. We actually think that he has eaten something that he should
not have, but we are looking into all of our options.