When my Rottie had her acute pancreatitis episode and I had to feed the I/D food, she really didn't like it. I would take boiled white rice and baby food. She liked that quite a bit better. It's also usually cheaper than the prescription food

Ask your vet, but as long as the diet is bland (I used turkey or chicken baby food) then this would probably work ok. I also used chicken breasts that were either broiled or cooked in the microwave. I'll still do this if she has a bout of vomiting.

Just think of it as the BRAT diet they use for kids.

Again, if you have any questions that you think I might be able to help you with, just let me know. I'll do my best :-)

Sheila how is Thor today? So does the Vet think that the Metacam could have created some bleeding in his stomach or intestines and what will you do for treatment if you can not use the Metacam?

Is this something that if taken with food can stop the troubles?
I don't know much about NSAIDS and was wondering.

I hope Thor is doing better today, give him a hug and an ear rub from me.

 Quote: Sheila Buckley

Thank God....the whining that I have been ignoring was just replaced by flinging his bowl across the floor. I guess he's feeling better because that's the boy I love.

This is a good sign, and gave me a chuckle when I read it!

 Quote: Joyce Salazar

Is this something that if taken with food can stop the troubles?
I don't know much about NSAIDS and was wondering.

In humans it often times help. We usually recommend that any NSAID be taken with food. It can also help (in humans) to take an acid reducing medicine like Prilosec or Prevacid (both OTC now). There are also stronger prescription medicines. Don't know if this is an option for dogs or not.

It can also help to reduce the strength of the NSAID and/or the frequency it is given. If there is something available with an enteric coating that is also a big help.

I don't know if Metacam can be crushed and put in food, you'd need to ask (Connie? Betty?). My Rottie is on Novox and that's how we give it to her and haven't had any tummy troubles.

If this were one of my human patients, though, I definitely would not try any of these until the stomach is healed and with a dr's ok. If there is an ulcer present it can be very painful and taking an NSAID will be especially miserable. Tthink of it like pouring alcohol on an open wound. Continuing to take an NSAID before the stomach is healed is only adding fuel to the fire, so to speak. It would only continue to erode the lining of the stomach including the ulcerated area and making the possibility of an acute GI bleed very possible and life threatening.

I would imagine that dogs are probably like humans in the respect that some are just more susceptible, for whatever reason, to developing GI problems from NSAID's.

There is also a bacteria called H Pylori that can ulcers in humans. If present it can be treated with antibiotics. Don't know if this bacteria can occur in dogs or if there is another bacteria that could do this to them. We can diagnose it with a blood test or by taking a small biopsy during an Endoscopy.

Please keep in mind that my expertise is in Human GI nursing , not dogs. The information I have provided is based on almost 20 years of experience in this field, nothng more, nothing less.



I'm also talking about gastric upset and gastric ulcers, NOT HGE . There are similar conditions in humans, but it appears the treatment is far different than what is done for dogs.

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Here Decoy, Decoy, Decoy!

What about using something like Tramadol in the meantime to help with his arthritis pain?

Tramadol would be a better choice, but I would hesitate to use anything oral until the stomach situation clears up. Something injectable would be preferrable for the time being IMO.

Tramadol would definitely help with the discomfort, but it's not an anti-inflammatory, so it wouldn't have that effect - just pain relief (just an FYI).

 Quote: Joyce Salazar

Sheila how is Thor today?

Much better. Thank you. His food intake is up to 2 and a half cans today and he finally had a BM which consisted of 2 formed soft logs (where else is this a topic of conversation..lol) the first black and brown combo the second just normal brown. That is a really good sign and if no black tomorrow and continuing to be acting like he is starving I can begin transitioning him back to his regular diet....SLOWLY...I think I will begin with Stella and Chewies patties. I've used them a few times and like the product,plus they are easy; and from there transition back to his RMB diet.

The Metacam is a liquid and served up with his food. He probably won't be returning to it in the near future. Tramadol is an alternative that was mentioned but it will be at least a week before I would add it to allow him to heal further...however; if he were in a lot of pain that could be considered.

His problem isn't really so much pain as it is the inflammation which causes deficits in his range of motion so the Metacam was ideal because you could reduce it to the smallest possible dose that gave results.

He has arthritis in his spine which I began treating with mega doses of fish oil back in August following my vets instructions (no worries it doesn't have the same blood thinning capacities in a dog ) The results have been tremendous he has regained 40 pct of a 60pct defecit in moving his back legs straight back which was the main area he was having problems with. He also was able to get up without stiffness and had a general overall improvement in mobility.

I started the Metacam about 3 weeks ago as an adjunct to the fish oil because stiffness was still an issue after strenuous exercise.....even at 11 his energy level is high so when I tried reducing his activity I started getting behavioral changes, whining, pacing etc....so talked to my vet and decided on the Metacam...which was Fabulous. I had an eleven year old shepherd with absolutely no stiffness. He was flying everywhere and really content and focused when we would train. Oh well hopefully we will come up with something else but for now I just want his stomach to heal.

I am so happy to hear that Thor is making really good progress Sheila.

I am wondering why we don't see more use of MSM(methylsufonalmethane)
with treatment of inflammation in dogs? It is used widely with horses with much success.

It is a good anti-inflammatory and when given gradually, will not cause much if any gastric upset.
To my knowledge there is little to no side effects. It seems to me that it would be a good consideration over regular NSAIDS that seem to cause so much trouble with bleeding.

But it does seem like no one ever recommends it, and it peaks my curiosity as to why?

Not trying to get off topic.
It sounds like Thor is gearing up to get back to his regular diet, so that is very promising.

My dogs get Stella and Chewies too from time to time and they love it. I think that would be a good transition to his regular raw diet of RMB's.

Continued healing and best wishes for Thor and you too Sheila.

I'm so very glad that Thor is doing so well! I can only imagine how frightening all of this was for you.

Give him a big hug for me and JD!

 Quote: Joyce Salazar

I am wondering why we don't see more use of MSM(methylsufonalmethane)
with treatment of inflammation in dogs? It is used widely with horses with much success.

It is a good anti-inflammatory and when given gradually, will not cause much if any gastric upset.
To my knowledge there is little to no side effects. It seems to me that it would be a good consideration over regular NSAIDS that seem to cause so much trouble with bleeding.

But it does seem like no one ever recommends it, and it peaks my curiosity as to why?

That's a good question! I use it with Missy in conjunction with some other joint supplements and it seems to work very good. Very little stiffness/soreness for a fairly active almost 12 y/o dog.