Dog has upset stomach and no appetite

[LindaV]

Background

Last year my dog got constant diarrhea, vomiting and severe weight loss.
We had various tests and she has 4 masses in her small intestines, the vet feels she has cancer. We had samples taken under abdominal ultrasound and there was no sign of cancer cells but they say that isn’t positive proof she doesn’t have cancer. Only surgery would say for sure but I won’t put her through. She was very thin at Christmas but switched to another vet who prescribed Cerenia (nausea), Prednisone and Metronidazole(diarrhea). Few weeks ago her bloodwork and visual inspection showed she had some anemia and we added Rx vitamin drops.

So we have been giving her pills for nausea (Cerenia every other day) and we missed a dose. Just like when she was only given a week at a time, once she is off the Cerenia for 2 days she throws up. She threw up last night and has had no appetite since. Will only have a small bite to two of food. Even when she lost weight and was so thin, her appetite was always good and we lost another dog in July who’s appetite stopped and she had a huge tumour and was in full system failure so we had to put her down.

I took her to the vet and she got a shot for nausea and everything else about her seems normal. Her bloodwork shows red blood count near normal so the vet doesn’t think there is much bleeding if any. The vet also believes we should give her Cerenia daily and pills to increase her appetite until she is eating better with no nausea.

She got a shot of Cerenia and we will give her oral doses after 24 hrs, but she doesn’t seem better. Maybe it’s too soon. She walks around with her head down, goes outside and just stands in one place, just seems so unhappy. I’m wondering if there is anything anyone here would suggest to help her feel better or just leave her rest until tomorrow? I just feel so bad I want to make her feel better.

Any suggestions?

[hazelrunpack]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. How is she today? Sometimes it does take a day or two for the anti-nausea drugs to kick in.

Depending on where you live, have they tested for blastomycosis? I believe it can cause tumor-like lesions, although I'm not sure if it can appear that way in the intestine.

Also, are you anywhere near a veterinary teaching hospital? We had a dog that was eventually diagnosed only after we got a referral to the VTH at the U of Minnesota. They see so many tough cases at the teaching hospitals that they often can diagnose things that regular-practice vets miss. Although they can be a bit more expensive, having a diagnosis was worth it to us, and once on proper treatment, our dog improved. So if there's one within driving range, that might be a good place to visit.

Best wishes for you and your girl. Please keep us posted on how she's doing.