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| Please bear in mind when reading topics pertaining to health issues, that most of these questions were answered by helpful Maltese owners with no formal education in veterinary medicine. When in doubt seek a professionals advise. |
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Colitis?
by Jan
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
DISCUSSION:
Jan, my Sugar Bear has colitis, gastritis and GERD. We took her to a Vet that was an Internal Medicine specialist. They have done an endoscopy on her, taken tissue sample and the whole 9 yards. She is on Science prescription diet now and she is fed in small amounts (1/4 cup...A.M. & P.M.) When she does have an episode ( maybe once every quarter) she is given Tagamet and Reglan. I have seen her scream in pain intermittently for up to 48 hours straight! She is not fed ANYTHING else!! If you so much as feed this dog one little thing out of the way it will throw her into one of her attacks. (The kids, grandkids and visitors have been warned. ) It breaks your heart not to give her treats but it is far worse to see her in such pain. You also have to watch what they may eat outdoors! The Vet told us that the only other solution would be steroids. We do not want to do that unless we absolutely have to because of all the side effects of that drug. It is a very serious thing. If your baby has not had an endoscopy done with tissue samples I would certainly recommend it, to rule out any malignancy and precisely identify the problem. The fact that it is getting worse is worrisome. I wish the best for your poor baby and hope you can find something to ease her pain. Let us know how she does.
Zee
Jan, I also have a maltese with special dietary problems. She is on UD and I make her treats with the dry food. I do grind it up in a blender, add lots of hot water and mix in garlic and onion powder ( vet said it was O.K.) and then press it into a cookie sheet and bake it until crisp. She goes crazy for those treats as I also cannot let her have anything but her UD food by Science Diet. It smells terrible to make in the house so I bake it outside on our grill.......it sure does smell up the neighborhood but what we will do for our "Babies", right!!??
Marilyn
I've never personally had a dog with this problem, but I've seen a few with it and I know how heartbreaking and upsetting it is to deal with. I'm so sorry for both your poor babies. I have no real advice other than to be very strict about the diet, and if nothing seems to be working, you may want to consult a specialist or maybe even holistic/alternative therapies. I agree about the scope and biopsy. They are unpleasant procedures, but sometimes can give more information and pinpoint a problem. I hope she is doing better soon.
Aimee
My thanks to everyone. My baby is doing much better on the new medication. I hope she continues on this road. Have warned all the neighbors again to please not feed her anything and explained the problem. I live in a condo and she is very popular with the older citizens and they always want to feed her. I hope they will understand. I am moving this Summer and will have more control over the situation. I appreciate all the help.
Jan