New to this - Jake has passed

[molly muffin]

Oh my gosh, the poor guy. To be in that much pain and sent home. Horrid. Glad you had a good vet ready to jump in.

Is he eating better now?

[Jakester]

Hello and sorry it's taken so long to get back here but things were very stressful for awhile. Jake had another surgery to remove excess tissue that suddenly appeared under his tongue. This was the reason he wasn't eating. So while he was in surgery they placed a feeding tube in his esophagus so we could pill him and feed him in order for his mouth to heal. Well it's been almost 4 weeks and the little bugger pulled out his tube and his appetite is still not the greatest but other than that he has lost about 13 pounds and looks great and feels great. Just need to teach him how to use his new tongue!
As for our cat he has never returned. We feel as though we traded one life to save another. It has been a struggle, but we will prevail. God bless all the animals and humans who love them.

[molly muffin]

Oh no, I'm so sorry your cat never returned How very sad.

How is Jake doing learning to eat with his tongue now? I'd think once the pain and issue was gone that he would do much better.

[Jakester]

Hello again,
It has been 2 months since Jake has eaten a full meal. We thought having the tongue tissue removed that he would eat again but no go.He is now getting mirtazepine to increase his appetite but it doesn't seem to help too much. He did have a feeding tube for 3 weeks after the tongue surgery but he pulled it out . I don't know if anyone has been down this road but am hoping for some feedback. He was also prescribed Ursodilol just before he stopped eating so I just stopped giving it to him to see if maybe that is upsetting his belly. Again if anyone can help please help!

[Squirt's Mom]

Good to hear from you again but sorry to hear Jake is not eating well. There is an herb called Slippery Elm Bark that has the potential to help. I have used it with many dogs, on myself and my family with success. The brand I use and trust is NOW. Here is a link so you can see what the NOW bottle looks like and compare pricing. You want loose powder not capsules! The pic is in the upper LH corner of the page:

https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...HdTGD6wQ2SsIEw

Here is a link to dosing info as well a bit of info on the herb itself. The link is from a cat site but the dosing info is valid for dogs too.

http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/

And some general info on SEB:

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/slippery-elm

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/is...es/5455-1.html

Let us know how your sweet boy is doing!

Hugs,
Leslie

[Jakester]

Thank you Leslie, I will look into that product. I also want to ask for advice on stopping all his meds. You see Jake started out at 22.5 kg and now weighs 16.5 kg in two months. I guess I question his Vetoryl dose now because his intial weight when starting was 29 kg. Yes he was a big fellow!!! So his dose is still the same, 30mg twice daily. And I have read on here that people have stopped the Vetoryl until there pups feel better. Should we go that route?
Our vet has offered to have all 3 vets on staff reevaluate Jake and his on going not eating problem for free on Monday and thank the Lord for that because we have spent almost 12,0000 over the last 2 months to still be at our wits end.

Should we stop the vetoryl and thyroid meds?

Thank you,
Robin

[Carole Alexander]

Hi Robin,
I've been following along your thread. Since you are going to see the vets shortly for a thorough evaluation of his situation, I would consult with them before stopping. When was his last stim test? What were his cortisol numbers then? This is an enormous weight loss from 29kg to 16.5kg now. I would stop if he's not eating as Vetoryl cannot be absorbed without a full meal... Vetoryl can be stopped and restarted with no harm. But, if you wait until he's seen by the bevy of vets, they could check his cortisol level; that would be helpful in developing a treatment plan going forward. Best to you.

[Jakester]

Hi Carole,

Thank you for your response.
We have kept him on his Vetoryl , Thyroid and Gabapentin but have stopped Ursodiol and Mirtazepine. We have also decided to stop all human food and syringe feed him recovery food only. Hopefully this will settle his tummy and get his calories back up.
I can't remember when his last stim test was done locally. There has been so much going on. I do have test results from OVC from Guelph.I will take a screenshot of tha test and upload to album.

Robin

[molly muffin]

The unsocial is to help stop th

The gallbladder buildup. So I would keep giving that. You don’t want a blockage. I know it is hard to have to give them so many meds and poor guy has so much going on. I’d have a chat with the vet and work up a doable plan for him.

[Jakester]

I have contacted the vet and let them know that we have stopped the Ursodiol. Also if he doesn't have a gallbladder anymore why does he have to be on it. My vets all say he is a mystery. No one seems to know what is happening . Very frustrated 😭. I just want my baby to feel better.