digestive issues in 14 year old dog

[khill1222]

Hi guys. My dog is 14 and has lost the use of her hind legs. She has developed some digestive issues since no longer walking. (she does have a cart but her time in it is limited) The doctor has prescribed Tylan powder and said she could stay on it the rest of her life. Wondering if anyone has experience with Tylan. She has been on and off it since September. Everytime I take her off she has problems again. My concern is having her on antibiotics indefinately.

[CarolC]

I wish I could comment on the medication itself, but I have not tried Tylan powder. In fact I was unfamiliar with it and looked it up on the Foster Smith website (looks good?). I can understand not wanting a dog to be on antibiotics long term, but if it's working and she's a senior dog I wonder if the benefits might outweigh that? It's nice they gave you something that works. My paralyzed dog, Dolly, got diarrhea from "bacterial overgrowth" and they put her on 10 days of amoxicillin and it worked wonders. That was not long term though, so I see what you're saying. I just looked at my old post about it and got a laugh from the title but it wasn't so funny at the time.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18753

I noticed she is on Previcox, and that can cause GI symptoms. You might want to look up Previcox in dogs and see if you think that has anything to do with it?

You mentioned previously that you think the digestive issue might partly be caused by things not getting moved through her system as well due to inactivity. I would think some added fiber might help with that. My down dogs have all done really well with Science Diet w/d dry kibble. The canned variety of w/d did not work as well. With the w/d dry they have good stools that pass through as they should, and they are not soft and do not make a mess in your pet's bed, the carpet, or your pet's coat. It's been a godsend. Personally I do not recommend just adding fiber sprinkled into the regular diet. I know of a dog who bloated with just a small amount of added fiber, though I know it is sometimes recommended. I guess you could ask your vet. But if you want to try to make the stools able to transit her system in a more regular way by adding a little more fiber and low fat in the diet, the w/d would be a good thing to try. If it does not work for your dog, Science Diet used to take back the bag and refund your money. I don't know if they still have that guarantee, you could ask the front desk staff at your vet and find out for sure. Also, some vet clinics will give you a ziploc bag with some to try instead of buying a whole bag. It's prescription so you have to get it from the vet.

[khill1222]

Ok. Thanks for the info. I do not think it is related to the previcox because she has been on that for 3 or so years and the problems have been in correlation with the inactivity. She was on the prescription stuff from the vet but it was too expensive and she was not interested in eating it....I have her on Merrick dry food right now which is supposed to be really good ingrediants. I also feed her urgent care a/d wet food from the vet when I cant get her to eat. so far she never refuses that but i am sure it doesnt help her bowels push everything through like the kibble does. I may just say screw it and put her on the Tylan powder as she is 14 and most likely at the end of her life. Any suggestions for added fiber? I have tried vegetables and sometimes I mix bran in with the wet food. She is so picky now. Ugh. This dog used to eat anything she could find....

[khill1222]

She was on the digestive care a/d food hills science diet from the vet. I see the other you are talking about. My only concern with that one is it is Low fat and she has lost so much weight. 60 lbs a year ago and now only 36....mostly all her muscle from not moving and trying to figure out these tummy issues.

[critters]

Many vets make sample packs of the common RX foods in a zipper baggie, so you might ask about that. Is she constipated or is it diarrhea that she's having trouble with?

[CarolC]

Some people have added plain canned pumpkin (no spices) to the diet.