[contauri]

Hi all, my mom’s dog is very sick and has been to multiple vets, as well as the emergency vet, more times than I can count. This all started in February. My mom’s Boxer is 8 years old and had been on medication for hypothyroid. She was a healthy weight and had no issues until she suddenly turned her nose up at food. At first, it was sporadic, then she consistently refused to eat. Watery diarrhea. Multiple vet visits and 15 lbs down they finally discovered she had a blockage, it was a wad of takeout paper napkins. They removed that, and she finally started eating for about 3 days post-surgery. Then she suddenly threw up her food on day 4 and refused food again. Watery diarrhea starts up again. Multiple vet appts after this checked for post surgical leaking or infections, but that’s not it. She is down another 10 lbs, and is nothing but a walking skeleton at this point. Emergency vet did ultrasound and more blood tests, ruled out cancer and post-surgical issues, and the only thing they discovered was that her bowels were massively inflamed. Sent her home with IV fluids and daily shot of dexamathasone.

She’s been put on a massive amount of medications in this timeframe = started with amoxicillin, metroniadazole, vitamins, then probiotics. After surgery put on more antibiotics, then onto anti-nausea meds, then prednisone, then metoclopramide, then anti-diarrheal. Now she’s on a steroid shot in homes to heal the inflammation in her intestines and get her to eat. She’s also now on Cerenia for vomiting, although she rarely vomits (and rarely eats). All she does now is drink water, has watery diarrhea, and looks interested in food but won’t touch it.

We’ve been told at this point to consider euthanization as a option, since nothing we do will convince her to eat. She’s not strong enough to even jump up on the bed anymore. We are at a complete loss and figured posting this in case someone has any new insight. Thanks for reading.

[anonymous]

I have no words of wisdom. I am so sorry for what you are going through.

[Patricia A]

So very sorry for what you are going through and for your poor Boxer. So the obstruction was cleared but she was on “massive amounts of meds”. Antibiotics could of caused the inflammation . Just maybe you can ask the vet if it is okay to go off the Cerenia and see if after a few days she’ll eat a little boiled chicken n rice. Don’t know if she’s on any other meds at this point but it obviously seems not to be of help. Please keep us updated. Prayers for her to get well.
Cerenia Side Effects for Dogs
Like all conventional drugs, Cerenia does have potential adverse reactions that dog owners should be aware of.

While studies show that most dogs react fine to the drug, the following side of effects of Cerenia have been reported over the last 10 years:

Lethargy and drowsiness
Lack of appetite
Excessive drooling
Diarrhea
Pain at the injection site (when it comes to the injectable form of Cerenia)

[Christie B]

I don’t know if you still look at this feed… but my 10 year old German Shepherd is going through EXACTLY the same thing as your boxer. Have had all the same tests and almost exactly the same meds. Was wondering what happened with your moms boxer and what they finally equated to the diarrhea and weight loss. Please let me know. We are seriously considering putting him down without a diagnosis. We have spend so much money on vets and specialists trying to find an answer or diagnosis. He looks so sad, and it breaks my heart.

[contauri]

Christie-
I’m very sorry to hear that your dog is going through this as well. My mom’s boxer passed away in her sleep back in May. The steroid injection seemed to help her, but unfortunately she was massively underweight and her organs were failing her, and the the steroid was just too strong for her to handle (she had bad joint pain and difficulty walking while on it, but she did start eating again slowly). But she didn’t get better fast enough, any kind of stress or visitors caused her to relapse, and eventually she just couldn’t fight anymore.

Unfortunately they never positively diagnosed her, but the vet hospital did say they believe it was either a really bad case of IBD that was misdiagnosed, or it was undetected cancer – likely of her GI system. The steroids combined with an IBD friendly food seemed to help, but it was not enough for her at that late stage. IF the first vet had done an endoscopy rather than major surgery, they think they might have been able to positively diagnose her. I read a lot about IBD in dogs and the complications and frustrations that occur due to it, and it sounds eerily similar to the issues of our boxer… but we won’t ever know for sure.

I’m sorry I can’t be of more help. I wish the best for your dog, I know it is really hard to see them suffer so badly. And I don’t want to say it, but I will because we felt so guilty after our dog died, but don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t find a solution to this. You sound like you’re trying very hard to help your dog fight this, and it’s rough. Hang in there and I will keep your dog in my thoughts.

[Christie B]

Thank you so much for replying to my post. I will check into the IBD. I’m so sorry to hear of your dog passing. It’s so heartbreaking to lose one of the best members of your family. I’ll keep you posted. Again, thank you!

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