One of my pointers has had an anti gulp bowl for years, as she would literally inhale her food, then throw up almost immediately, and this bowl forces her to eat slowly.

Have you noticed any weakening in his back end? Both the pointers have weakened back ends, they're 14 and 15 now, and with my boy, he also has a tumour on his thigh, which has made the problem even worse, and they are both incontinent. I put pee mats down for when I'm out for more than a few hours. I work full time, but come home at lunch so they aren't left for long, but they have little control over bowels or bladders. It's hard work, but I know it distresses them after being clean and dry all their lives, so I don't make any fuss about it. Hootie actually poos in his sleep sometimes, there is just so little control left.

My girl also has separation anxiety since she's.developed 'old dog syndrome' to the point where when she woke in the night she would be confused and stand at the bottom of the stairs crying, so I've been sleeping in the sitting took with them for a while now, and we're all getting more sleep! it just struck a chord with what's going on with your boy, which made me wonder if the d&v manifests itself more when he can't find you, and like Becky said, even with a familiar face that he is comfortable with, you are his number one, and it could be a possibility.

As I said before, I'm just trying to come up with something that could trigger these bouts that isn't necessarily a medical problem, as you've had him checked out and getting nothing sinister back.

By here, I meant where I live, not speaking for the forum! Whoops!

I have an 11-year-old Doberman who has had recurring periodic bouts of diarrhea for many years. She's had both the usual standard tests as well as specialized tests many times, always with negative results. My vet has been very diligent about trying to pin down a diagnosis but is unable to come up with anything specific, so I guess we are calling it IBS.

In my dog's case, a course of metronidazole will work wonders. It usually stops the diarrhea in about two days. Of course, I complete the full course as prescribed. My vet knows my dog well enough these days that a phone call is all that is needed to get a prescription. She does not require me to bring the dog in each time.

I don't know what gravol is, so I can't comment. I've tried the pumpkin and found it neither helped nor hurt. Same with probiotics. I sometimes use rice and boiled chicken, which does seem to help a bit. My experience with taking psyllium myself was very unpleasant, and I would not give it to my dog. It gave me a terrible sense of bloating, but I can't say how it might work for others.

On finding a vet that makes house calls, have you tried a large animal vet? Sometimes, they treat dogs and cats, too, but may not advertise it.

I feel for what you're going through. It's hard to watch our dogs grow old. It's also hard to tell sometimes what is due to a physical issue and what is situational stress. Best of luck to you.

All good advice. Thanks everybody. He does gulp his food (when he feels okay) but often throws it up long after. Did not know that you could get "gulp" bowls.
I had thought of the large animal vet and will give them a call. Meanwhile, my daughter can't get him into the car herself but has access to metronidazole from work so will try that again. Reports are that he is leaking all over the place. Poor thing.
The experiences of both Tracy and Cheri really resonate. Had not heard of "old dog syndrome". Must read up on that one. Yes, he does have a weaker back end (hence his inability to jump into the car). I can get big waterproof sheets from work so will have to plan to move him upstairs when the weather gets cold and I can't leave doors open. I hope he can cope on the hardwood floors.....
Thanks again to all.