Older dog with diarrhea and vomiting

[dgrap]

I have a 17 yr old dog that has been having problems with diarrhea off and on since December.  Up until this point he has been very healthy.  He has been getting us up a couple of times a night to go outside and if we don't respond he is having diarrhea in the house.  Sometimes there is some vomiting but mostly diarrhea.  Been to the vet several times and they have put him on medicine to calm his stomach and for the nausea.  It goes away and then comes back again.  I cook him rice with some chicken baby food and a little dog food mixed, but he doesn't eat much but wants his treats and people food which we are not longer giving him.  Even on the medicine he is still having loose stools but not going out as much.  I am very worried that he is dying.  The vet did blood on him and all his organs are functioning perfectly.  Though she did say that that doesn't mean there is no cancer present.  I don't have the money to do extensive tests or do I want to put him though so much.  Does anyone have any ideas on food or over the counter meds we could try?  Grateful for any suggestions.

[HaleyFeynman]

Hi, if anyone could help, u have a Jack Russell, he's 16 years old, he keeps having diarrhea too, and today including vomiting. I live in a  Singapore, is it due to heat or? Please tell me what to do, can I give him charcoal pills?

[ginger899]

Charcoal pills could be useful as first-aid if he had eaten anything toxic. But I can't say if they will help him or not. I also can't tell you what the cause of his darrhea and vomiting is. The best thing you can do is allow his digestive system to 'rest' for 24 hours. No food.  Only water, or maybe water with a little honey or maple syrup dissolved. Or if he looks a bit weak, you could allow him chicken broth only but no solid food.
A 24 hour fast is a little harder on an old dog, but keep a careful watch on him, and do make sure he gets plenty of fluids! That is very important.
If he isn't interested in drinking, then use either a plastic syringe with no needle, or a plastic turkey baster (safer than glass ones!) and gently syringe the liquid into the back corner of his mouth about a teaspoonful at a time until he drinks the syringe-full. He should swallow this. Do that very often during the day to keep him hydrated.
If he's drinking normally -fine. But don't let him guzzle too much water all at once or he could vomit it back and make dehydration so much worse.

After the 24 hour fast, give him plain boiled rice only and in small amounts. If he keeps that down -great. Keep him on that feeding every 2 hours or so, and if he's well, give him plain boiled chicken with it that evening.....and see how he goes.

If there's no improvement in 2 days take him to the vet. Not all 'old dog' ailments have to be terminal cancer. Old dogs get bad bellies just the same as young dogs do! And sometimes a good dose of medicine or something is all they need.

[HaleyFeynman]

Sorry, I mean I have a 16 year old Jack Russell, and lately he keeps having diarrhea and today even vomiting, I live in Singapore. Is it due to the weather? Can I give him charcoal pills? Please help, thank you very much.

[BabyBubbaBoo]

Wonderful post!

[Ghilly]

To briefly add something to my post above, you mention not having the money to put him through extensive tests and not wanting to stress him over it.  My honest opinion is that even if you did have the money, I wouldn't put him through the stress of rigorous diagnostics because at his age, even if he does have something, it's probably not going to kill him any quicker than his own life expectancy will.  He has lived an AMAZINGLY long life for a dog, so if it were me, I think I would just let him live it out being loved and catered to in the home he has always known.  

Ghilly

[Ghilly]

You have obviously been a WONDERFUL dog parent to have brought him to the age of 17!  That's a spectacular length of time to have a dog!  

What breed of dog is he?  Or, if he is a mix of unknown origin, how large is he?  What you have got to keep in mind here is that, if he is a toy breed, you are dealing with a dog that is the equivalent of about an 85 year old man, and the dog-to-human-years ratio goes up as the dog's size increases.  A medium sized dog his age would be the equivalent of a man of about 93, and a large breed dog would be the equivalent of a human in excess of 120 years of age!  Just like humans, as they age, their immune systems decline, and something that they could have fought off with one paw tied behind their back as a youngster can really take a toll on a very elderly dog and take much longer to get rid of.

I would ask the vet about maybe putting him on a diet of Hills A/D, which is a VERY mild, high-in-calories food used for convalescing animals.  It's great because it's easy on their stomach and they eat it readily because it's apparently pretty tasty to them.  It might also help to put some pro-biotic granules in with the food to help bring the gut's natural flora and fauna back into check, but this call will have to be made by your vet.  

I wish I could offer more encouraging advice, but at his age, you need to just cherish every day you have with him because, while this could go away and he could go on for another year or even two, an elderly immune system is a dicey thing and something simple could end up being a real challenge for him to overcome.

Please keep us up to date on how he is doing.  And give him a big, gentle hug from me and tell him what a lucky boy he is to have such a wonderful mom!

Ghilly

[Jerry_NJ]

Wow, 17 years old, you have done a wonderful job keeping a dog healthy for that length of time, regardless of what breed it is.

Bland seems to be the only thing I can suggest, and hope you are not feeding one of the "popular" dog foods seen on most super market dog food shelves.  No grain is one suggestion.  

Did the vet say anything about using one of the human diarrhea over-the-counter medications?  Those are even for humans take on the assumption that whatever is the cause will be cured.  I am not suggesting using any but it may be a low cost item that is easy to administer, if the vet agrees.

Wish you and your dog the best, and maybe someone else will have a more helpful reply.