14 year-old Shih Tzu With Recent Cushing's Diagnosis

Hi Julie,
So happy to read the good news about Hannah, and about your fabulous vet! I hope she is continuing to recuperate well and her appetite is improving.

Hugs,
Tina and Jasper

How are you both doing today?

Is her little mouth any better?

Mel
Xxxx

Hi Julie,

I have a minute and wanted to stop to say hi and tell you I still try to check on you and Hannah. I hope her mouth is feeling better by now and that awful ice and snow goes away soon. All of our rain is now ice too and Zoe went plop on the driveway this morning:(

Big hugs and thinking of you

Hi Guys,

Thanks for checking in. I've been trying to catch up on sleep and be a good teacher (I had a lot to catch up on because I have spent all of my time taking care of my girl), so I haven't been able to write.

Hannah seems to be doing well in terms of her teeth. She did have two bouts of diarrhea though and I'm not sure why. We were told she could be constipated. But Hannah is always the exception, right?! Just like they told me it's very rare for a dog to have a dentigerous cyst (which is what the growth was-a tooth that never came in when she was a puppy) at such an old age, as they usually show up around age 3 or 4. I like to think Hannah must just be young for her age! :D:p

Anyway, the diarrhea episode on Sun. was pretty bad, but I gave the Metronidazole and started her on hamburger and rice on Mon. She hasn't had a BM since Sun. She is acting normal now, otherwise. She is eating and is no longer on pain meds. I was worried on Mon. and Tues. because she wasn't really drinking water, but I was adding some to her food. She was still urinating, so I figured she was okay, but it still worried me. I saw her get one drink last night and my husband saw her get one drink today. Hopefully it will increase soon because I also worry about her crystals. These are the times I wonder how in the heck she could have Cushing's!

Anyway, we get a check up the week after next. She'll be on soft food until then. Please cross your fingers that things will normalize, especially the tummy issues!

Julie & Hannah

Hi Julie,

Molly's water intake goes Way down when she isn't eating that SO food. I know how worrying it is that they get plenty of water to keep the crystals down. Do you have any of the can SO food? I got some when molly didn't want to eat any dry and was having some diarrhea issues herself. I gave her just a tiny bit to help encourage her to drink.
Hope she gets back to normal with her water and her BM's. Poor thing, probably still feels a bit out of whack.

Hang in there. (I seem to be saying that all the time these days LOL)
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Post op is just so dang stressful:(

I hope our sweetie feels better soon. This to shall pass:)

Hoping for a good rest of the week for you and Hannah.

love ya

stopping by to see how things are going...........has she poohed yet? i would assume so.....hope she is getting balanced back out on that. i know it can take a few days.
hope both of you are doing okay hope to hear update soon.

How are you both? On poop patrol... Things looking better?

Mel
Xxxxx

Julie:
Sometimes when I take Tipper in the car with me for any period of time she is reluctant to drink. I always keep a syringe handy and if I see it has been long since she drank and her mouth is dry I use the syringe to hydrate her as the Cush dogs need extra water and use it up more than a normal dog. We had a 7 hr trip in the car to the eye Dr. and she would not drink and her mouth was so dry. So I got out the syringe and gave her water. She seemed happy to get it if that makes sense, but would not drink on her own. You can get a couple and keep them around they are useful. It all takes time to get adjusted to these Cush dogs new needs. Good luck and God Bless you both.
Patti

Hello Everyone!

Thanks for checking on us and helping with poop patrol! :D Hannah finally pooped on Fri. afternoon-5 days later! I drove her to a park she likes in the summer and she finally found a good smell and did her business. She also went yesterday, so hopefully we are back on track. I was a little worried because both stools were on the softer side, but they were perfectly formed. I'm thinking that when you only eat soft food (I have to keep it soft for two weeks, until her dental recheck) maybe that is to be expected. I'm glad she didn't have to strain to get it out after so many days.

I have not put her back on Atopica (since the diarrhea episode last Sun.) because I am trying to do one thing at a time to deduce what could be going on. She is on Hydroxyzine three times per day and even though I know she is itchy, it isn't too bad. I think I'll make sure the stool stays consistent, and then we'll try the Atopica again (starting slowly with a low dose). The derm vet really didn't think that was a cause because she said they usually have diarrhea right away if they are going to have trouble, and she was fine for the first 2-3 weeks. We started really slowly and increased gradually, which is what I will do again.

Unfortunately, she is still wearing the cone. It has now been 5 months. :(:confused::eek: My poor girl. I think she's just used to it now. I do take it off when I am home and can monitor her, but I don't want her to destroy her feet or neck. She bites her front feet and scratches the heck out of her neck. I don't want her to create a wound. I did try the Hydrocortisone shampoo yesterday, but it doesn't appear there was a huge difference. I guess it will be good to see if the Atopica does anything different when I put her back on it, now that I've had over a week to watch her without it.

My husband and I hope to go up to the North Shore for a few days over our spring break (it is next week). My parents are close and will take Hannah and Izzy, but I'm like Addy--leaving Hannah causes anxiety. We went up to Duluth last Oct. and it took me a day to relax ,but it was wonderful. Assuming nothing goes wrong between now and then, we'll probably leave Saturday and come back on Tues. My parents are wonderful with them, and my mom is just as detailed as I am, so I know they are in excellent hands. I just worry that something will happen while I'm gone. With all the melting and refreezing we've had, our yards are terribly slippery, and my parents' yard is really bad. She got her monthly laser treatment yesterday and it sure seems to help keep her issue-free.

On another note, I have a dog behavior person coming over next week to help us with Izzy. My vet recommended this company when I inquired about what to do with my strange little girl. She is so hard to figure out and she bites us when she doesn't like something. We can't even pick her up. She's terrible when people come to the door and I don't trust her with kids at all. When my friends' kids come over, I have to keep her on a leash with me or lock her in another room. We are trying to have a baby, so we really need to do something.

It's not cheap of course, but I don't see any way around it. I think we owe it to Izzy too. I'm sure there are things we're doing wrong. Heck, I'm scared of her half the time! On their resources page, they recommend Jean Donaldson, whom I know Addy told me about, so I hope it will be helpful. I have a feeling there is a combo of Izzy being incredibly anxious and her realizing that her biting is getting her what she wants at home. (She doesn't bite at the vet-I think because she is still scared of them). If anyone has any other resources or tips, I'd love them.

Sending warm thoughts to all of you!

Julie & Hannah

I hope you can get away, for me just the one day was amazing so you will reap many rewards and you know your mom will be great with the pups. I know it is hard to relinquish control and the what ifs start up but Im sure it will all be just fine.

Jean Donaldson is wonderful so if the trainer is coming to teach Izzy from her perspective I think that is wonderful.Her book Culture Clash was an eye opener for me and I also have her Dogs are from Neptune and Oh Behave books as well. Pat Miller is also a good source but honestly, if they come at this with clicker training, you'll see progress. If I can get Zoe, who is sick with mulitple health issues to respond to allow me to wash her face, love her eye drops, allow me to muzzle her, let me reassure you, there is hope for Izzy and any trainer refering to Jean Donaldson and her techniques will hopefully give you good tools.

I feel for you with the loose stools and hope you find what is causing it. I did that with Zoe for so many years and every test always came back normal. Drove me nuts:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Enjoy your Spring break, Julie!!!

Hi Julie
Hope you and hubby had a lovely break away, recharge the batteries! i bet your Mom coped just fine, they usually do :D:D I have 10 days away in three weeks time, Mum and Dad will take care of Flynn for me, I am pretty sure he likes it better at their house as they are much more forthcoming with treats than I am :D

How did the trainer go with Izzy? Hopefully you got tons of helpful tips.

Hope Miss Hannahs mouth is all healed up now and she is doing good :D
Trish xx

Hi Trish,

Thanks for checking on us! We are up north now. Heading home tomorrow. I have all week off for spring break. Hannah has her mouth check on Wed. She seems fine, in terms of her teeth. We have had some tummy issues so she is taking one metronidazole per day for now. I have decided she probably has done sort of stomach or intestinal cancer, between the strange diarrhea, tummy pain, and borderline anemia she's had the past several months. It's never good when I start internet research, but I do think it's possible. So that's my new worry.

They both need their yearly checkup, so I'll ask more about it then. I also have to decide if Hannah gets her distemper/ parvo vaccine, and if I should check her titers. Both vets seem to feel okay about just not vaccinating, but I'm not sure what to do yet.

The appt. with the dog trainer for Izzy is on Wed. afternoon. I am looking forward to it. I also got some books they recommended and have started reading.

Mom and dad say everything's going okay with Hannah and Izzy so far, so that's good. It's cold and gray with flurries up here. Very pretty, but I sure am ready for spring!

Julie & Hannah

My daughter told me I had to stop looking up stuff so I will tell that to you too. :) Oh Julie, it seems not that long ago when Hannah had back problems and Zoe was going splat on her face and it was warm out and things finally settled down and worked out somewhat. Now I am worrying Zoe has kidney problems and you are worrying Hannah has cancer.:(:(

Try to enjoy what is left of your trip. I know you are worried and it is hard. At least we did not get the awful snow storm.:):)

I am here for you and Hannah always, always here for you both. You have held my hand so many times, I get teary eyed thinking about it.:o

The grandparents usually are! Every time daisy stays with grandpa, I have to exercise her to get the extra weight off:)

I was thinking of you all day yesterday and wanted to come and ask how Hannah is and that I hoped you enjoyed your Spring break.

Zoe has a daily dose of metronidazole for 2 years now. I have cut the dose back usually I can get a way with a pretty small piece but I increase and decrease depending on her stool and stress. I hope it helps Hannah as it was the only thing that helped Zoe.

I am still waiting to see a robin but at least the snow has started to melt and Koko and I actually took a nice long walk this morning without my feet freezing.:):)

Let us know how Hannah is doing.

love ya

Hi Julie
How did Hannah's mouth checkup go this week, all healed up? Hope the other end of her has settled down a little too :)

What about Izzy's training, that would have been interesting! Get any good tips?

Trish xxx

Sending you and Hannah hugs, have a blessed Easter!

Hi Sweetie, thinking of you, Hannah and Izzy

Hi Guys,

Thanks for thinking of us! The mouth recheck went well. Everything is healing as it should. She peeked for about 1 second. The girls also had their yearly checkup last Tues. That went well too. I opted not to have Hannah vaccinated for distemper, parvo and whatever the other one is-some kind of flu??? Out of both vet offices where we go, neither thought she really needed it. We talked about titers, but the more holistic of the two vets said that unless I would need proof of vaccination she really didn't think there was a point. They both felt that since Hannah has had her vaccines for the past ten years that she should be fine. I'm hopeful that is correct.

I also talked with the vet about my fear that Hannah has some sort of stomach/abdominal cancer, based on her symptoms and my internet research. She said that if that was true Hannah would be losing weight and that a few days to a week of metronidaozle would not resolve her symptoms. She thinks it is more likely irritable bowel or something. That made me feel better for now. Of course now that I've been reading more on here, I'm worried she has a biliary mucocele, which I never knew about until about a week ago. This is why I need to limit my exposure to possible problems. It doesn't do anything good for my fears. :eek:

The training with Izzy went well. She basically confirmed what we though. Izzy is not mean; her reactions are based in fear. Since we adopted her and have no idea what her early life was, but can assume it was not good, and that she was not socialized, she just doesn't trust anyone much. We are to practice things like just calling her to us in a really cheerful voice, and then give her a treat. We also are going to make her sit, lie down or sit "pretty" before she gets treats, meals, goes outside, before we throw her stuffed toy, etc. In order to work on picking her up, we're supposed to approach her from the side and just get near her and give her a treat, then add touching her with one hand and getting a treat, then add the second hand before the treat. We've been good practicing the sit, down, pretty, but haven't done much with the picking up practice yet. Maybe I'll be better tomorrow when I get back in the routine and go back to work.

I've started adding the Atopica gradually again to see if that will help with Hannah's itching. We don't think it caused any of her stomach upset, but don't want to give it if she already has an upset stomach. I feel terrible that she still spends most of her life in a cone. Nothing has worked.

I'm thinking of putting her on a low dose of steroids to see if it helps. It's the last resort, but I don't want my poor sweetie miserable and itchy. She's been in the cone for 6 months. We've tried creams, sprays, shampoos, multiple antihistamines, Atopica....and a combo. of several...with minimal improvement.

On a side note, I saw this on pinterest last night. I REALLY want to do it, but it is pretty pricey. I thought I'd see if any of you have heard of it. You make a mold of your dog's nose or paw and make a necklace or key chain. I wonder if it would irritate their noses? I love the idea otherwise.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59568560..._type=handmade

Back to work tomorrow. I can't believe my spring break is over, but I am excited to see my kiddos. I have such a wonderful group of 3rd graders this year, after having four really tough years. They were just what I needed.

Now I just wish the weather would warm up so it actually feels like spring!

Julie & Hannah

Hi guys,

I'm writing to ask for positive thoughts. I found some kind of wound or infected looking area on Hannah's face. It's hard to see what exactly it is because of all of her hair, but its under her eye and above her lip. It doesn't look good. It's dark pink and irritated. I can't tell if it's a skin fold or cut. I'm sure they'll have to shave her face, and may need to sedate her to do it. I don't even know if I can be there because I found it tonight and need to make an appointment tomorrow. I'm very worried about my girl.

Please keep us in your thoughts.

Thanks,
Julie & Hannah

Oh poor Hannah :( I will be keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers, sending huge and loving hugs, Lori

Sending healing hugs and prayers too!

Julie,
Poor Hannah!
Hoping that they help tomorrow at the vets.

Julie, sending prayers and positive thoughts your way for little Hannah. I do hope it is nothing too serious and that she'll be okay.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hi Julie,

Squirt had something similar happen on her face a few years ago. I found it after it had ruptured and it scared me to pieces but her vet said it was nothing to worry about. It was a cyst that came to the surface. She told me it may happen again and it has but it has always healed back up nicely. That spot ruptured again last month. I don't notice it until that has happened; it isn't a bump or raised spot that I feel when I rub her face - but one day there will be a crusty area there and I know it has ruptured again. It acts almost like a boil - once the area has drained, it's fine.

I hope Hannah's is of no more concern than what happens with Squirt. Let us know what the vet says and know many prayers and positive thoughts are surrounding you both.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Hi Julie,

Checking in to see if there is any news of Hannah. I am hoping and praying it is something simple.

Hugs and prayers. Let us know when you can how things went today.

Checking in on Hannah and you. Hope all is going well today at the vets.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hi Everyone-

Thank you SO MUCH for thinking of us and sending lots of positive vibes. I hope it worked. The good news is the thing on her face is a little infection in a skin fold. The vet said she thinks Hannah had some moisture in there and then got a little infection. We are to start conservatively just with using the Chlorhexadine wipe in that area once a day. If it isn't looking better in a few days, then she would want me to try an oral antibiotic too. She didn't want to upset her stomach by introducing an antibiotic now, which I appreciate.

I also brought in a stool sample because I had noticed her stool was darker for the last several days-sometimes even more like two colors (one on the outside and one on the inside). The other vet told me to take pictures for a few days and see if it maintains the same color or changes. Since we went in I brought the actual sample from about an hour before, and the vet looked and said she did think there could possibly be some blood in it. She said Hannah could have some ulcer or something going on and that it wouldn't hurt to treat for it and see if things improved.

I got Sulcrafate to give twice a day (an hour before or two hours after eating) and Famotidine (generic Pepcid AC) to give once per day (30-60 min. after the Sulcrafate).

Since I have to give Denamarin on an empty stomach too, it's going to be a little tricky. I'm going to have to give Denamarin at 5 a.m., Sulcrafate at 6 a.m., then feed her and give Hydroxyzine and Atopica at 7 a.m. I'm going to do the Famotidine at night with her supper. It's going to be a fun week! I already set my alarm at night to give her Hydroxyzine between 11:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.

Because of Hannah's on and off borderline anemic blood results for the past several months, I was worried right away when I saw her stool darken. It doesn't look black, but it's dark brown with a lighter color inside. It is so well formed and a good consistency; she hasn't had any straining or diarrhea for a month, but now there's some new issue.

Of course the other vet warned me months ago that she could be anemic from some slow bleed or tumor, which is why I panicked. The vet I saw today said she would really expect Hannah to be acting sick and not eating, drinking, or acting normally if it were a tumor. She has also been holding steady at 12 lbs., and the vet said she'd be losing weight. She is acting normal too, and she got a full check up today and I know her gums are a good color.

I'm hopeful this will all work out. She's getting so many drugs for the next week that I'm going to have to write it down and check it off to be sure I do it correctly. The vet will call me next Tues. to see how things are going.

Thanks again for checking on us. It means so much to know you're all here!

Julie & Hannah

make a chart like I did for all of Zoe's eye drops. Whenever you give a drug write down the time on the chart.:):)

gotta run, having terrible storms, have to drive home to the pups. I'll check in again later.

glad to hear it is a minor issue on the face. hoping she does not have an ulcer.

love ya
((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))

I'm very glad the face was nothing worse and hope the new meds get the digestive track straightened. I have Squirt's and did have Tasha's meds all over the counter sorted into times to be given. That way I could look and see what was needed when and be sure I had given them then...most of the time. There are always those days my brain is on the fritz and anything is possible on those days! :D

oh my you are going to be busy for awhile with Hannah's timetables.
I'm glad this wasn't anything more serious and that it is able to be treated without adding something else to her medicine wise. Although hmm, managed to do that anyway. Still, knowing Hannah, it would have resulted in another bout of the runs for her. Poor thing.
Oh hmm, we never thought of an ulcer before did we? Those are treatable and can clear up at least. It would be good if you didn't have to worry about her going anemic all the time, so really hope works out and clears it up completely.
You are awesome with Hannah, julie!
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hi Guys,

I wanted to give an update on Hannah. Her skin fold infection looks a little better from what I can tell, but it's hard to see it well, as it's covered by her fur. Her stool has resumed a normal color, so I'm encouraged by that. I'm concerned, though, that her other meds may not be getting absorbed because of the sucralfate and famotidine. With everything else she takes and the directions for those drugs, it makes it really difficult to get everything in.

She's been really itchy the past couple of days and I think it's could be because the Atopica and Hydroxyzine are too close to the Sucralfate. So I'm going to try to spread it out the last few days (we go until Tues. morning). That means I'll probably be getting up at 3:00 to give Denamarin, 4:00 to give Atopica and Hydroxyzine, and 6:00 to give Sucralfate. Then I can feed her at 7:00. Right now, she has been getting Sucralfate and then getting the Atopica and Hydroxyzine an hour later. I think it's preventing absorption.
The Denamarin has to be on an empty stomach, so that is tough too. And the Atopica is better with food, but not necessary. I feel like I can't win.

She has also been drinking/urinating a bit more the past couple of days. Hannah can easily hold her urine for 8-12 hours, and sometimes doesn't even want to go out to pee more than 3 times per day. The last couple of days she has urinated at 3:45, 6:30, and 10:00 p.m. And last night she barked at me to go out at 6:30 and 10:00, which is unusual for her. She held it from 10:00 last night to 8:00 this morning. But then went out again at 12:00.

I realize this may not be that abnormal for some dogs, but it is different for Hannah. She has had quite a few drinks today too. 6:00 a.m., 7:00 a.m., 8:30 a.m., and probably three more drinks between 9:00 and 1:00. She's also been barking at me more often after her supper, which usually means she wants more food.

I'm sure you're guessing that this has led me to wonder if Cushing's (if she has it) is getting worse. Maybe her cortisol is rising? Does that fluctuate in dogs who are not medicated for Cushing's? I've never even had Hannah's measured because no vet has thought it was worth it considering her lack of strong symptoms.

I've also wondered if something is going on with her kidneys. Her BUN was slightly elevated the last time she had blood work (early March), but my vet said it could be due to her being a little dehydrated. It was in the morning and she really hadn't had much water. The other values were normal. He seems more concerned with BUN/Creatinine ratio, and that was fine and always has been.

I'd like to get some blood work done, just for my own knowledge and peace of mind, but I don't know if this is the best time, considering all the meds she's been on. But maybe it doesn't really matter. I'm sure my vet can tell me. I'm thinking the Denamarin has probably been absorbed because it has usually been two hours before the Sucralfate.

I searched to see if Famotidine or Sucralfate could increase drinking and urinating and found nothing. Do you guys have any thoughts? It's hard for me to know what "normal" is, as Izzy doesn't drink much at all. Some days I don't even see her get a drink. I thought Hannah's drinking had decreased after going off of the Urinary SO and being on the ID. But it seems to be increasing.

We've had snow again for the last several days, and I have been able to see her urine is usually yellow, but this morning it was very pale yellow, so it was obviously more dilute. But then at noon it was more yellow, but she'd still been getting drinks.

What do you think I should do? Blood work? Urine sample? Watch and wait?

It seems like we just go from issue to issue these days, as I know many of you do too. We fix one thing, just to start worrying about another.

Julie & Hannah

That is a lot to cope with Julie, the med schedule is hard. How long does she have to take the Sulcrafate?

I wondered about the Atopica. I did a cursery look and found a study, not 100% sure of the source though. It does mention increased drinking and urinating as a side effect but since every thing a dog experiences durring a trial is reported, I am not 100% sure.

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/atopica-side-effects.html

Zoe was on a skin antibiotic 3 times, I forget the name , a senior moment:rolleyes: at any rate, all 3 times she bloated up, drank more water and peed more but it was not a known side effect:confused::confused:

Guess who is licking her paw whom has not licked her paw since last what, October?:eek::eek::eek::eek::rolleyes: And while we have not had the snow you have had, we have had cold and wet which is to continue all next week. Welcome Spring:(:(:(

I guess, Julie, we do take it one day at a time, post our one good thing a day, and we all hold on to each other really tight. Zoe and I started this journey here, 3 years ago. I am blessed to have kept her going these 3 years despite all the bumps in the road. You have kept Hannah going as well, sweetie, with all her bumps in the road, our little Hannah keeps on going.

So they will keep going on together and we both will take it one day at a time. Sending so much love Julie, to you and Hannah. And where is our bad girl Izzy?:D Just kidding, she is not a bad girl at all. I hope her training is coming along. I have total faith in you that she will be a brilliant student. I'll bet when all is said and done, she will be in possession of her Canine Good Citizen Award:):):):):):)

Today Koko had to deal with a running, snarling dog (it was attached to a leash, thank goodness). I crouched down and let Koko try to chew on a treat, I would not give it to him, just let him chew on it, try to get. He never even barked or pulled, just looked at the other mad dog and came back to chew on his treat:D:D:D

love you sweetie

Hi there,

So, I have had to take pictures of Hannah's poop each day to see if things are getting better. Talk about poop patrol!!! :eek:

Anyway, things were improving, and now today, we've taken a big step backwards. It was about 50% dark again. I'm not sure why. Yesterday morning there was a two hour break between the Sucralfate and food and the directions say "1 hour before food or 2 hours after," so I'm not sure if that did something? She did have it 1 hour before last night's and this morning's meals though.

I have a wonderful friend who has been emailing me the pics I text her because my phone is refusing to email them to me. This morning she made me a "poop collage" of sorts to keep track and to email my vet. She was laughing about it, but I thanked her profusely. I'm going to attach the picture so you can take a look. There is such a huge difference from Mon.(really dark) to Sat. (normal). Then today's looks bad again. I don't get it. :confused:

And now I start worrying again...:(

Julie & Hannah

So Thursday, she looks a bit constipated then Friday there is mucus or fat, I would venture to guess mucus in that stool and then Saturday it is dark again then Sunday it is better.

Did she have any different food at all? This might be coming from the large intestine, not sure why a stomach ulcer would cause mucus in the stool and Friday that sure looks like mucus.

Did they run a stool sample?

Hi Addy,

Thanks for looking. Friday there was a lot of snow on the ground and I had to carry the poop home in a bag before dumped it out to take the picture. So it isn't mucus; it's wet from the snow. Saturday it looked good-that's more her normal color. Sunday (today) is when it is darker again, after gradually improving all week.

She's only been eating ID food for about 8 weeks. That's what she gets for treats too. They did not run a fecal on her when I brought in her stool last week, but they have been run on both dogs within the last couple of months because of their issues. They were normal.

The vet said the only way to check for blood is to put the dogs on a totally vegetarian diet for three days before testing. She just assumed there could be blood in it and wanted to treat for a possible ulcer, considering her upset stomach issues (she thinks maybe irritable bowel).

I texted her today and she wrote back, which was nice. She didn't think the way I've given the meds would do anything. She said there could be a possible flare up in her GI tract and wants to see what it looks like tomorrow. I'm supposed to call if it's dark. She mentioned that I could start metronidazole if I needed to. I'm not sure how I'd know, as we've only used it for diarrhea. I decided to wait to see what happens tomorrow. It just makes me worried there is something worse going on...

Julie & Hannah

Okay, it sure does look like mucus:o:confused::confused:

Hard for me to have opinon about starting metronidazole since you have never seen this color stool before. With Zoe, I journaled everyday for over 2 years so I knew the pattern prior to a flare up.

Koko will get that color stool when he eats a twig or piece of mulch but I know what it is from and then it clears up.

I see that color with the office dogs stool here and there but they are always eating stuff they should not.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Maybe give the ulcer medication a bit longer to work and wait to see what vet has to say.

Hi Julie,

I looked, and you're right the color has gone back and forth a couple times, but I think what I would do is take one of the dark stools in and just have them check it for blood, or anything else they might find, so you'll know what you need to actually be treating for.
Could this also have anything to do with her water intake? If less water is taken in some days are they darker or lighter, that kind of thing. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hi Julie,
Since I have been on constant poop patrol for Jasper for months now, I thought I would take a look. :rolleyes: Jasper's poop consistency and color has varied and fluctuated also. He has had poops that look EXACTLY like all of your pics. I re-read your posts, and you said that Saturday was normal for Hannah in both color and consistency, right?

For me, I always feel that the darker poops seem like things are improving for Jasper, as when they are lighter, a lot of times the next one comes out soft, or diarrhea with mucous. Did your vet say that the darker poops were a concern for Hannah? I realize that what they eat has a lot to do with the color, but Jasper's poops vary from day to day in color also. I didn't know that this was necessarily a concern. :o

Hugs,
Tina