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[GrimmGSD]

B-12 was 193
We are no longer on Tylan because he vomited every time he had it. We are currently on Flagyl. When he paces and whines, then his stomach does gurgle and sometimes he burps. I thought about trying a heating pad, but I'm not sure he would stay still long enough for it to really help. I might try feeding meals more often, but it would be temporary. I am a teacher so right now I am working from home due to COVID-19, but I will go back in August. Grimm will not be happy about that....

[Olesia711]

Thanks for getting back to us.

First, NO... do not use a heating pad for his tummy...

You can either try adding the slippery elm now (give 2 hours AWAY from the Flagyl/Metronidazole)and/or call your vet and ask if you can give a little Pepcid AC (which is not a fix but it may help his tummy feel better) and i am guessing 10mg of Pepcid AC is fine... BUT please ask your vet what he recommends as the dose..

Since you are home now, DEFINITELY feed smaller portions of food, but break it up into multiple mini meals (for now). If you can do 4 smaller-size meals a day .. that would be great... even 5 since your pup is having tummy issues.......... Of course this would be temporary.... but usually VERY helpful.

For one of the extra meals, what you can try is give real food.... small portion.... like mashed sweet potato with minced defatted & skinned chicken breasts.. or try giving minced (skinned & defatted) pork loin... and check to see if this is eaten with more enthusiasm........

WHOA.... that B12 is LOW!!! could be a big part of why such a poor appetite. With poor appetite & low B12 it can take anywhere from a few weeks to many months before you see good weight gain ... a lot of times what we see with these dogs in the beginning is 2 steps forward and 1 step back.... but then...once you find the right balance of things you'll be amazed at how they bounce back....

Also.... with the antibiotics.... since it sounds like he cannot handle Tylan.... and is now on Metro... if the metro doesn;t work.... or doesn't work well enough.... your vet can always try amoxicillin or a tetracycline drug.

[Barb]

Hi Jill,

Glad to hear there is some improvement. Slow and steady. Our Kolby was like that , especially at the beginning. Try not to be discouraged, especially with the eating. Kolby always acted like we were trying to poison him with the enzymes. He did not like them at all. But eventually, he got used to them and ate......thrived actually at his target weight of 85 pounds. We could only stabilize him on Royal Canin Gastrointestinal, which I didn't want to use, but it did the trick. One thing we discovered before he got sick (he developed an aggressive form of cancer around the holidays this past year.) was that he loved the canned version of the Royal Canin (naturally, it was the most expensive) LOL. He thoroughly enjoyed it for the last 5 months he was with us. So your adding the wet food is probably a really good idea. It's a good enticer.

Let us know how he does. It sounds like he is turning a corner.

Barb