# Every time Antepsin is stopped, she goes downhill again.



## busytucker (Aug 16, 2012)

Our youngest dog Tia -- or Teapot as she is affectionately known -- eats most things she can including wasps, spiders, balls, tea-towels, toy stuffing etc. We try to be careful but it happens. 

About 6 weeks ago she went off her food & started eating grass & throwing up. Later that day she got diarrhea. By the next day after sicking all through the night, there were slight streaks of blood in the sick and the diarrhea and so we took her to the vet. They told us to starve her for a day then start the antepsin. It worked wonderfully and she soon seemed back to normal. However, when we stopped it, she went straight back to being very ill. 

This time they did an x-ray and it showed up what they thought could be perhaps bird bones in her tummy. I'd caught her eating a blue plastic ball earlier that day and, while the vet was still talking, Teapot threw up and showed us some of the bright blue pieces.
So, back on the Antepsin to see if she'd pass anything naturally.
Apparently her bloods showed a loss of protein. She was dehydrated and she went into hospital overnight to be on a drip.

Quick update to today: after throwing up what looked scarily like one of her own kidneys (I kid you not), she is now on the 5th attempt with the Antepsin. We examined the lump she'd thrown up and it broke apart quite easily. After this she did start to get better and ask for food even before we put her back on the Antepsin so we're hoping that whatever that was she threw up, was the reason for all this illness. If history is to repeat though, just like each time we stop the Antepsin after tapering, she'll go back to being very ill (even though any knock at the door brings out the jack russel in her and she barks like mad).

I'm getting really scared about her health. The vet says if it happens again it's time for a scope in the tummy to have a looksee. I wish they'd done that £700 ago but hey-ho, she's worth it.

Any suggestions? I'm staring to think of going to a different vet.. 

thank you for taking the time to read all this.


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Sounds as if you need more management of your dog. The vet seems to be following procedure in the kind of treatment/tests for something of this sort.

Believe me when I say I'm not having a go here as myself and OH were in exactly the same position as you are now.
If you let it continue you will either have a very sick dog or even a dead dog.
We have set up child gates to ensure that Muddy cannot gain access to things he shouldn't.
The last time he sicked up a sock we couldn't figure where it had come from, then we discovered him pulling them off the washing line 
Socks are only dried outside when Muddy is at work with OH now 

I know it's hard but you really do need to supervise your dog more and put in place protective measures, what ever they may be


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

Someone I know of has recently started muzzling their dog for the v same reason. They have everything in place at home to curb him eating foreign bodies and really didnt want to muzzle him. 

Since they have, his health has improved tremendously. He's a better weight, lovely coat and most importantly his tum is a lot happier.

Hope you find a way forward for that keeps your little chap healthy and happy


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## busytucker (Aug 16, 2012)

Thank you both for your replies. I guess it was inevitable that I'd be seen as someone who has no control over her dog and, in this case, I can totally see why. However, it's not the case. We are careful in the home and when we take her out she is always muzzled. She isn't eating things every single day, but rather every opportunity.

She's now 2 years old -- I should have mentioned that before, she isn't a pup.

We do of course watch what she is up to, we both work from home, but the fact is that stuff happens. It just does. For example, the ball I caught her eating was thrown over accidentally into our back garden by a neighbour's child.

We are not new dog owners. Teapot is our second rescue dog and we also have little Dobby who is also a rescue. Our first rescue dog suffered from Mega-aesophagus, had only one eye and was eventually blind in the one eye that remained. We had her from age 2 until she died at about 13 in January this year. We still miss her terribly. But, just to try to get it across to you that we are caring dog owners, we had to feed her upright and hold her upright for 15 minutes after every meal she had. She had to had several operations and we tried to give her a loving home -- she was a wonderful clever little dog. She took a lot of attention and care which we gladly gave.

With Teapot we feel it would be far better to try to cure her from the eating everything thing, than to completely corner her ever move. It's not about supervision. So, as I said, we do watch her carefully but stuff happens. 

I'm far more concerned about the current health problem than getting into who is and who isn't supervising their dog properly. 

As for changing my vet, I may yet. The important thing is my dog.


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

As I said I wasn't criticizing, Muddy our dog is 7 and still manages occassionally to eat something he shouldn't.
I do know how hard it is and accidents happen. We feel devastated when he does manage to get something, as anything could be the one that kills him 

I'm not quite sure what you are asking then? 

Once these objects are out of her stomach, is she still ill? 
Muddy is fine once he sicks the offender out


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## busytucker (Aug 16, 2012)

I posted the fact that she eats anything because it could be a factor in what's wrong but it isn't necessarily. It might perhaps be Crohn's or Colitis. We even thought it could be poisoning -- we had our lawn sprayed with a supposedly non-toxic weed killer about 2 months ago. Since the blue ball incident we haven't caught her eating anything untoward, and the illness started _before_ she ate the blue ball. We're still hoping that the odd thing she threw up was the culprit but we are still waiting to see if she goes downhill again when the Antepsin is stopped.

I posted here in case anyone knew of anything similar and what it turned out to be and how it was treated. It seems the Antepsin is only covering the symptoms as it coats the tummy and protects it. It's when the Antepsin stops that it all returns. It's very scary not knowing. I also wondered if anyone thought I should change Vets.

And don't worry, I really didn't take offense. I would have seen my post in exactly the same light which is why I felt the need to give a bit more background into who we are.

thank you everyone and please accept my apologies if I'm not great at putting this across well


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## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

you may get some answers with the scope,...Mavis for a while was ill off and on and her next thing was to be the scope to have a look at her stomach lining to see if this was the cause...sometimes the lining can thicken or perhaps ulcers


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## PennyGSD (Apr 16, 2012)

I'm afraid I don't have any experience with this, although I do have a dog with lingering chronic pancreatitis and we seem to have the same issue with vomiting. Fine for 5-7 days, then goes through spells of being sick every morning straight after breakfast, gets Zantac for 2-3 mornings, comes off the Zantac and is fine again for 5-7 days then it all starts up again. The only advice from the vet is to give Zantac whenever he seems to need it, and keep his diet as low fat as possible.

I'm not suggesting your issue is the same - pancreatitis would have been picked up in the blood tests I'm sure - just wanted to give some sympathy for what you're going through as you're obviously far more concerned about the issue than your vet, which is exactly what I'm encountering.

I suppose vets will always try the least intrusive option first, but your dogs sound exactly like mine. Fair enough you always go for the least intrusive, but mine always, always end up needing the most intrusive, so you end up sighing about the additional trauma you've been through to get there, when quickly whipping them in, knocking them out and exploring would actually have been the least intrusive!

What does your vet say about the recent 'kidney' incident?


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## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

PennyGSD said:


> I'm afraid I don't have any experience with this, although I do have a dog with lingering chronic pancreatitis and we seem to have the same issue with vomiting. Fine for 5-7 days, then goes through spells of being sick every morning straight after breakfast, gets Zantac for 2-3 mornings, comes off the Zantac and is fine again for 5-7 days then it all starts up again. The only advice from the vet is to give Zantac whenever he seems to need it, and keep his diet as low fat as possible.
> 
> I'm not suggesting your issue is the same - pancreatitis would have been picked up in the blood tests I'm sure - just wanted to give some sympathy for what you're going through as you're obviously far more concerned about the issue than your vet, which is exactly what I'm encountering.
> 
> ...


Mavis was the same and my vet advised me to give her zantac twice a day for a week to 10 days...this did seem to help when her stomach flares up because of her pancreas issues...


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## busytucker (Aug 16, 2012)

The vet agreed with me that the 'kidney' could potentially have been the problem and we're waiting now to see what happens as we taper her off the Antepsin over the next week. Our vet is a lovely girl but that isn't quite enough, and you're so right, I'm far more concerned than she is.

I'm going to speak to her when we take Teapot back and make a list of the suggestions I'm seeing here, pancreatitis, ulcers etc. I'd like to make sure that all bases are covered so that our little dog can get back to having a normal life. thank you all. x


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## Sherry99 (Apr 26, 2014)

Hi, searching the internet last night I came across your post about little teapot. My dog seems to have a very similar condition and we are getting more and more concerned as the vets can't find any reason. Did you manage to get to the bottom of Teapots illness? How is she doing now?


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

GI symptoms and a low albumin level could suggest bowel disease. Maybe a blood test for folate and vitamin B12 would be helpful.

Scope or ex-lap to have a look-see may be helpful too.

Speak to the vet about your concerns. Tell them how worried you are and ask for more tests. If you are still concerned then by all means ask for a second opinion.


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## jazzypad1 (Oct 31, 2011)

PennyGSD said:


> I'm afraid I don't have any experience with this, although I do have a dog with lingering chronic pancreatitis and we seem to have the same issue with vomiting.


Have you tried Dorwest Tree Bark Powder? (it's slippery elm and white popar)

Tree Barks Powder for Dogs and Cats - Dorwest

My labrador has chronic pancreatitis and this has made an enormous difference with his digestive issues. You can use it on a permanent basis if necessary - probably worth a trial.


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