Murphy is a 40 French bulldog I started seeing in May 2024. He had just been to emerg for V+ and blood in stool, told IBD through U/S, was on raw, told to switch to hydrolyzed protein diet, and give Sucralfate and Omeprazole. Did what they were told but Murphy wouldn't eat it, became desperate to eat grass and gagging. He alsohad cervical disc surgery in Dec 2023 and has had incredible anxiety ever since, esp with car travel and needs to be drugged with Trazadone to go anywhere. She then tried Hills z/d canned and dry but has to handfeed for him to eat it. Skin and coat generally dry on z/d. No V+ since Feb incident. Stools never became D+, usually hard, occas softer by end of day, having at least 3 BMs/day. Some BMs look like baby D+ - green-brown meconium. Seems to not have the EN to go on full walks anymore, no wincing, just sits down and refuses to go further, O has to carry him. Used to go for long hikes, easily 4km. not very social with other dogs. Went to daycare for 6 mth ~2 yrs ago (2022), but eventually became reclusive, would just sit and watch so O stopped. Likes other Frenchies. Will become a bit reactive, tries to lunge at little dogs, Border Collies, serious dogs. Used to get along really well with daughter's Dogos (in California) in 2022 but no longer socializes with them on visits. Friendly with people, jumps and nips. Breath horrid , licks everything - stairs, blanket, feet. In the morning his tongue looks almost white its so pale.
PE was hard to really discern much as he was on Trazadone - tongue pale lavender, dry, normal size; pulses toned.
DDX: Prone to pancreatitis & gastritis, recently V+ blood flecks with bile, loss of appetite, bad breath & acid reflux, excessive licking, pale tongue, anxiety --> GIT inflammation, leaky gut, dysbiosis, with subsequent brain dysbiosis/inflammation = TCM: ShaoYang disharmony, Liver Blood deficiency, Qi Stagnation
Rx 30g Yi Guan Jian and 100g Chai Hu Ji Long Gu Mu Li Tang (essentially Halscion but we were out of it). Ultimately I want to get Murphy on a homecooked diet but I didn't want to stress O out more than she already was.
Seemed to do really well! No further borborygmi or tummy episodes but still not eating well first thing in the am so O handfeeding. Will eat all if handfed. Still BMs TID, poop colour improving (more tan, not so yellow), semi-formed, first poop firmed but by third poop pretty soft. Spirits have improved. Still occas puts breaks on on walks.
So I cont'd with Halscion and started him on a homecooked diet - 50/50 cooked chicken and veggies, slow transition off z/d.
Juen 27 recheck: Started V+ bile, usually first thing in am, one day entire meal in 3 diff piles, gulping, licking, ate grass and V+ grass, being picky with chicken or turkey, still handfeeding at least one meal/day, sometimes super low EN, but stools have been pretty well formed. Seemed to all point more to gastritis-focused GIT issue so I increased YGJ, lowered XCHT component, cont'd with diet as is.
July 25 recheck: bad mth, since last visit lots of V+, nausea, eating lots of grass, licking and gulping, so O gave Cerenia. Took 4 days before he would eat better. V+ yellow foamy bile again, needing to be handfed. I thought now more Damp than initially thought, Rx Adoptrex and switch to beef and veggies.
Aug 27 email: solid 4 weeks he was eating well but increase of Adoptrex from 1/8 to 1/4 tsp vomited overnight, so O kept at 1/8 tsp BID. Still not eating on his own in am, no V/D.
Oct 22 recheck: started V+ mid am a X days (thick bile with a small amount of blood specks), borborygmy, stools WNL, BUT now terribly itchy! He is getting out of bed in the night to scratch and lick his paws, axilla and inguinal areas all red, shaking his head and scratching his ears, army crawl to scratch his belly, now a real struggle to get him to eat even his supper now nevermind breakfast. Rec'd O stop O stop sweet potato and Adoptrex (just in case too drying) and pruritus did ease up a bit, started eating his am meal, eating on his own.
I rec'd SID feeding to fast him a bit and allow mitochondrial clean-up. O now seeming a bit of a hypochondriac??? REc Smack freeze dried pork, restarted Adoptrex.
Nov 26 email: diarrhea since starting Smack, although only pooping 1x day, drinks lots of water, but walking everyday 2km, and itching getting really bad again :( His chest, muzzle, eyes and feet all red again, goopy eyes!!! O decided to switch to Herring Smack before bringing him to me as she hates that he gets so stressed.
Dec 10 recheck: Stool became loose oh Herring Smack and wouldn't eat fish by 3rd day. Went back to eating Smack pork but D+ or loose stools. EN levels are great, no V+ since Nov, but so itchy! Stopped herbs Friday and very sl better for itch today, not as pink and not so itchy. Had been scratching his skin to raw, patches of hairloss, esp in armpits, goopy eyes. On PE, pulses weak, hard to find; tongue lavender, sl dry, a little swollen. Now I am thinking Spleen Qi deficiency, Dampness, Liver Qi Stagnation? So I started him on XYS and that backfired BIGTIME - itch X 10! His right eyebrow is now puffy/swollen and red, under carriage and penis bright red, inner ears are bright pink, and he just can’t stop itching.
So now I beg you to make sense of all this jumbo PLEASE!!!!
Happy holidays,
Corinne