OK, finally heard back from the vet, his blood test showed a very slightly raised white blood cell level, just a or 2 above the normal range. He said something about, and forgive my spelling but it sounded like "eno sin o phils". Everything else was in the normal range.

He wanted me to bring Sandy in for an X-Ray, later in the conversation he wanted him in for the day for hospitalization to give him meds and food intravenously - it all seems a bit extreme to me. I'm going in without Sandy to pick up some antibiotics and a wormer and then assess. He wanted to sell me some gastro pet food but I told him I already had some - which I do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eosinophil_granulocyte

Curious what he's looking for on an x-ray that would be related to this presentation?

Eosinophils?

What IV meds? What is his suspicion? X-rays for what?

A wormer? I thought the fecal was negative?

Did Flagyl (metronidazole) come up?

I'm lost. "In the hospital for a day on IV meds" because of what tentative diagnosis?

 Quote: Tracy Collins

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eosinophil_granulocyte

Curious what he's looking for on an x-ray that would be related to this presentation?

No idea here. Eosinophils are activated with some diseases, infections, and allergies.

I wish I had even a glimmer of what the vet was suspicious of or looking for.

I'd ask for a Giardia ANTIGEN test. Or treat with Flagyl anyway. Regular Giardia tests are famous for false negatives. But I'm not a vet either.

Unless there's a lot more your vet's not saying, a teeth cleaning and an x-ray seem out of bounds as treatments (or diagnostics) for diarrhea.

If he has gastro intestinal issues wouldn't an ultrasound be better than an X-Ray? I'm not a vet either but come on! Can you say cash grab? LOL
Dentists have been saying that oral health is very important to your overall health and vets are now jumping on that bandwagon. It's not like his teeth are rotting though, they are showing a bit of tartar on a few, most are very white.

I forgot to mention earlier I have been giving him brown rice and ground turkey, virtually no fat in that stuff because I boiled it and no fat when it had been in the fridge overnight.

I'm supposed to fast him (he's not going to like that again) and I might have been doing one thing wrong, he told me tonight small meals but Sandy was hungry so I gave him a full bowl of rice and boiled turkey. The vet said that small meals are better because the gut isn't working as much BUT Sandy was so hungry when I did that he was unbearable to be around.

He got fed breakfast, so I'll skip supper and breakfast tomorrow and then start feeding him again and give him his meds tomorrow afternoon on a full tummy. PC 1st Nutrition have a salmon and potato formula which I might try him on, give him a few kibbles to see what happens. Wouldn't it be something if he was allergic to rice after all this?

My prescriptions tonight were metronidazole for 7 days, drontal plus, the antibiotic I think but just 1 pill and 5 probiotic chews = $55

 Quote: Angela Zebriskie

My prescriptions tonight were metronidazole for 7 days, drontal plus, the antibiotic I think but just 1 pill and 5 probiotic chews = $55

Metronidazole is Flagyl, so this is what several of us have been hoping and expecting to hear the vet say.*

Many vets will treat for giardia in the face of all the possibly-false negatives of the tests along with persistent symptoms.

JMO!



*

 Quote: Tracy Collins

I'd ask for a Giardia ANTIGEN test. Or treat with Flagyl ...

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

Many vets will prescribe a course of Flagyl (metronidazole) for on-going diarrhea.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

... But you are describing what might be giardia symptoms. ... Was any suggestion made to treat for giardia?

"The vet said that small meals are better because the gut isn't working as much BUT Sandy was so hungry when I did that he was unbearable to be around. "

Small frequent meals.

It's the large-amount-at-once that triggers diarrhea.

I would stick with the overcooked rice and turkey diet with the meds and not add any kibble.

" Wouldn't it be something if he was allergic to rice after all this? "



So unlikely that it wouldn't even be on my radar.