# Odie is still sick



## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

It looks like my poor girl is still sick. She was doing really great when she was on the antibiotics (her poops were looking more normal) but now that she's off, she has diarrhea again. To give some background, I took a fecal sample in and the vet thought she had a Clostridium overgrowth, which is a bacteria. She was put on antibiotics for one week. She was doing so good that she was able to sleep in bed with me again, but for the past two nights, she's whined to get up in the middle of the night so she's been sleeping on her own. 

Now, what's interesting is that one (or both, it's hard to tell) of our cats has diarrhea. Does anyone have any idea what could be going on? They did a parasite test on Odie's fecal sample to test for worms and there was no sign of that. Going to call the vet soon.


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## michele (Jan 12, 2009)

oh poor Odie,i have no idea why it's come back,maybe the vet will put her on stronger antibiotics.Keep us updated.xx


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## Alula (Feb 3, 2013)

Poor Odie: ( I really hope you guys get to the bottom of it, upset tummies are no fun, let alone when you only weigh a few pounds!

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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

michele said:


> oh poor Odie,i have no idea why it's come back,maybe the vet will put her on stronger antibiotics.Keep us updated.xx


Will do, thanks. It sounds like they're very busy today and her vet is only working a half day so hopefully I'll hear from him soon. It's so strange that one of the cats (or both) would have it too, I'm wondering if it's something they're passing back and forth if that's possible.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Alula said:


> Poor Odie: ( I really hope you guys get to the bottom of it, upset tummies are no fun, let alone when you only weigh a few pounds!
> 
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I know  No fun at all. The good thing is that she's still eating and drinking normally thankfully so she's still getting the probiotics.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Heard back from the clinic. I'm going to take a new fecal sample for both Odie and the cats in and they might send it away to a full lab. If they have the same thing, all three will be treated since it will likely be something infectious if that's the case. Good grief! Now I have to watch the litter box like a hawk. 


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## Chiluv04 (Dec 19, 2013)

So sorry to hear about Odie. This much be so stressful on you guys. Hope to hear some good news soon.


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## I<3Charlie-chi (Feb 25, 2011)

Hope they all feel better soon xx


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## Jayda (Jun 15, 2012)

Oh goodness, I know what it like to watch the box like a hawk. I hope you can get to the bottom of this and everyone feels better soon.


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

Sorry to hear that Odie is still sick :-(. i'll be waiting for what the test results are. I hope its something simple to clear up


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## Zorana1125 (Oct 24, 2010)

Poor you and poor Odie! I'm so sorry to hear she's not feeling well again! Hmmmm I'm trying to think of what it can be??? And ur cat has it too??? Is she still on probiotics?? What is she eating? Anything change since all of this started? 

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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

man thats rough. So sorry! Did she have to have an IV for dehydration?


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I just googled clostridium. Got the following info. This bacteria can be aquired from other dogs from kenneling. Also raw meat? The chronic glostridium comes every 2-4 weeks. I would ask for a culture and sensitivity of the stool. This would provide the best antibiotic for her. Since she's had this for awhile---and now maybe the cat's have it, it would be worth the $$!!


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Poor Odie and now the cat too! I hope you'll discover what's causing it soon.


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## fizzy n kirbys mum (Jan 17, 2005)

KrystalLeigh said:


> I took a fecal sample in and the vet thought she had a Clostridium overgrowth, which is a bacteria.


Did you get a PCR test done? If not I'm guessing that's what the vet will do next.

Sorry your little one ( & maybe the cats) are poorly xx


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## MaddiLovesDogs (Jan 16, 2014)

Any news?

Our thoughts are with you guys!


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## debrawade10 (Oct 10, 2013)

I'm so very sad to hear this Krystal...I'm sure it is exhausting worrying about sweet Odie.
It sounds like you are narrowing it down, hopping and praying for a positive outcome!!


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Thank you so much everyone! I have an update and it seems that I may have been right with my beef allergy suspicion. Unfortunately Odie's regular vet wasn't working today, but his colleague called me and we chatted for quite awhile. She took a look at Odie's sample and the overgrowth of Clostridia is still present. She explained again that Clostridia is a normal bacteria to be present in a dog's digestive system, it's just when it gets out of control that it becomes a problem, which has happened with my poor little girl. 

She reviewed all the notes from Odie's previous visits (her abdominal pain posture and other things) and she thinks that's it's possible that Odie has a food allergy which is aggravating an irritable bowel type condition. If that's true then it makes sense that the inflammation and biological changes the allergic reaction causes (and lack of good gut bacteria) are keeping her body susceptible to a bacterial overgrowth. She recommended that I put her on a limited diet and mentioned that it could take about three weeks or a month for her body to return to normal after an allergic reaction so we are doing one more round of antibiotics to help her get ahead and are continuing with the probiotics too. 

So now I have to decide what to feed her. I'm thinking that beef is the culprit, but not certain. We stopped feeding any beef just after she started getting sick. She's been eating Primal duck, Acana Wild Prairie, Acana Grasslands and some Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken and then of course her raw turkey + organs or raw chicken necks. 

Does anyone know if duck, chicken and turkey would be in the same allergy group? I'm thinking I should REALLY limit the protein source just to make sure. Anyway, sorry for the long post! I'm so happy that we finally have a plan in place and that there's an end in sight!


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

I'm not a pro by any means, Krystal, but it seems like she is getting a lot of variety...maybe too much to where on top of this allergy issue, her stomach is just really confused. Maybe feed her only 1 kibble and/or 1 raw source for the time being. After she's feeling better, maybe two raw sources. Again, no idea if this would work, just an idea.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

No duck is not in the beef category. I feed duck or rabbit because they are not in the chicken or beef category. I definitely would pick one and feed only that one until her stools return to normal then gradually try different meats. Adding a fiber rich food like pure pumpkin should help to firm up the stools.


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

I agree that it sounds like the Vet recommended a limited ingredient diet for Odie, so I would just stick with one food for now and when she gets better you can add things in one at a time. Sounds like your on the right track !!! Give beautiful Odie some kisses from me.


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## Zorana1125 (Oct 24, 2010)

Lola has issues w food too, she gets really pukey and she does the best on duck! I don't know if u wanna try some of the limited ingredient kibble? I know wellness makes a simple solutions line

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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I would definenately add some probiotics, since she is getting/had antibiotics. They willl help the good 'gut' stuff come back.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Zorana1125 said:


> Lola has issues w food too, she gets really pukey and she does the best on duck! I don't know if u wanna try some of the limited ingredient kibble? I know wellness makes a simple solutions line
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Interesting! I think I do want to try a limited ingredient kibble. I know that if I take away snacking during the night that she'll be puking on top of everything else. I'm going to look into what foods are available here and will probably make a new thread to get opinions! Thanks Z!



susan davis said:


> I would definenately add some probiotics, since she is getting/had antibiotics. They willl help the good 'gut' stuff come back.


Thanks! We've been giving probiotics since the first vet visit and she has enough for one month but I'm going to order some online.


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## zellko (Jul 3, 2013)

Wishing Odie the a speedy recovery.


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## Angel1210 (Mar 14, 2011)

I know this is very frustrating for you. I agree with picking one protein source and see how she does. What about a food with fish as pthe main protein? 

Don't forget to also keep an aye on her treats! There could be something in there adding to the problem.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Could you go fully raw whilst figuring out what her allergies are? That way you know exactly what she is eating. Or possibly some of the good wet foods, they typically have fewer ingredients than even limited ingredient kibbles, plus fewer synthetic additives. I would want to avoid kibble entirely if she were mine, even the really good ones have too many possible allergens in them.
I hope she feels better soon, poor girl.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Angel1210 said:


> I know this is very frustrating for you. I agree with picking one protein source and see how she does. What about a food with fish as pthe main protein?
> 
> Don't forget to also keep an aye on her treats! There could be something in there adding to the problem.


We have since stopped all treats! She seems to do really well on the duck (she had no symptoms when we were doing the Primal duck before) so we're going to stick with that for now. I know orijen does an all duck dehydrated raw treat so I'm going to pick some of those up. She's wondering where the treats are!



Wicked Pixie said:


> Could you go fully raw whilst figuring out what her allergies are? That way you know exactly what she is eating. Or possibly some of the good wet foods, they typically have fewer ingredients than even limited ingredient kibbles, plus fewer synthetic additives. I would want to avoid kibble entirely if she were mine, even the really good ones have too many possible allergens in them.
> I hope she feels better soon, poor girl.


I am doing some research right now on what good quality canned foods are available locally and am going to start a new thread to get some opinions. She loves her Weruva canned food, which is human grade, but unfortunately they only have chicken and beef.  The only reason I wanted to find a limited ingredient kibble is for snacking. She still throws up in the morning if she doesn't snack during the night, so it would be a few kibbles just for that. I'm not sure if I can get any raw duck, but I would love to incorporate some if I could get it! I will definitely be feeding more raw in the future as we slowly try different proteins.


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## debrawade10 (Oct 10, 2013)

Maybe the best option right now is a great kibble without beef or grain....the really important issue right now is to get her healthy. The switching would be so much easier later. 
I hate thinking of you two going through this!


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## MaddiLovesDogs (Jan 16, 2014)

So glad to hear it's something manageable! We've been worried for Odie! 

Wishing her a speedy recovery!


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