GI problems

Maybe not the most appealing of topics, unless your dog is sick.

Larsen, like many dogs, has a total disconnect between his nose (and mouth) and his rear end. He can (and does) have diarrhea, but his appetite and energy is very good.

He's had this diarrhea and GI problem for a few days now, with Monday being a nadir. He had no energy and no interest in playing. He woke us several times Sunday night and asked to be let outside. He vomited twice on Monday morning and was listless the entire day.

Here's the course of action that I took, and that is generally how to approach a GI problem:

• Crate that dog. Meghen Basel once told me that it is not good enough just to let the dog sleep, but instead, to crate him and really force some quiet time on the dog. Enforced rest is very important.
  
• Stop feeding him until his tummy stabilizes. For Larsen, in this episode, I just skipped breakfast, and then put him on a bland diet.
• Put him on a bland diet. A bland diet consists of a poached chicken breast or boneless thigh, chopped, and mixed 50:50 with white rice. (Lately, and as he has progressed, I've amped this up by giving him a 50:50 mix of kibble and the chicken & rice mix). Dr. Todd Jones of Peachtree animal hospital said that the rice had the benefit of soaking things up as it went through the intestine. Stop any probiotics or anything like that if you put your dog on an antibiotic diet. A bland diet is a bland diet.
  

It happened to be time for Larsen's bordetella booster, so I stopped by the Peachtree clinic and reported Larsen's symptoms to Dr. Jones. Ultimately, Dr. Jones gave Larsen a shot of antibiotic, and prescribed an antibiotic. The shot was to get the antibiotics into the bloodstream right away since I mentioned that I intended to compete with him this weekend.

The three keys, though, are to stop feeding him until his tummy stabilizes, enforce rest through crating, and feed him a bland diet until the diarrhea stabilizes. Antibiotics, if the doctor thinks they are necessary.

We forwent the bordetella booster and will revisit it this Friday. If Larsen improves and I elect to take him to Jonesboro on Saturday and JL Lester on Sunday, I'll get the bordetella booster. If his GI doesn't improve, we'll move down the testing road for worms, bloodwork, and the like.