Monty's not well again

It's one thing after another with Monty at the moment and i'm not sure what to do anymore.

The last week or so he hasn't been eating properly and i put it down to a change in his routine and a bit of disruption in his life. However things haven't improved despite life getting back to normality and he's barely eating and is now looking incredibly skinny. I've dropped him down onto a basic diet of fish and pasta but somedays he won't even touch the pasta. He's also not interested in treats.

The only thing he will eat is grass.

His stomach is squelching and making horrible noises and he's quite quiet. He's drinking normally and has enjoyed his walks as normal.

However today when we walked him he produced a poo that was basically blood and looked like strawberry jam which cannot be right. He produced a normal poo before that and has produced a normal one at home since then but i'm ever so worried about him.

I'll ring the vet in the morning but i haven't got high hopes in them doing much. At the moment i really feel like he's not destined to have a healthy life and worry that he won't be able or be strong enough to have the op on his head in a few weeks.

Has anyone had any similar experiences or got any advice to offer as i'm at my wits end now.

No advice sorry, it would of been vet in the morning but you are already on to that.

Just (((hugs))) for you and Monty and I hope he picks up soon.

oh hun, sorry to hear this, it must be such a worry.

Blood in the poo can be a sign of intenstinal irritation - the grass eating can be a sign of that too - but it can also cause part of the problem.

I have still have problems with Stumpy's tummy from time to time - its much better than it was, but she has periods of colitis and when it sets in, it can be difficult to get her back on track. Stumpy's isn't always caused by food - with her its quite often nerves that will set it off, but then when it is sensitive, you have to be really careful what you feed her (and like Monty, she loses interest in eating).

I found that the pro-kolin paste usually works pretty well, but its quite expensive and once I've started a tube, I don't like to keep it. So I've now got a supply of canikur tablets which also seem to work quite well, and she really likes eating them

Funny but everyone recommended fish and/or chicken to me, but I didn't have any success with those. Stumpy seems to do best on minced beef - its pet mince which has bits of gristle and I think bone in it - but she seems to be able to digest that better than any other type of food. I've also added potato from time to time, but when her tummy is dodgy, minced beef by itself seems to sort her out quickest.

Fibre too is supposed to help as it regulates the speed the food goes through (I thought it was only for constipation, but apparently not!) and can help to line the intenstines. But of course you have to be careful about what type of fibre as if he has a wheat alergy, you don't want to be giving him something with wheat in.

of course all dogs are different and the beef might not work for Monty - I'm afraid its a bit of trial and error to start with, but you will eventually work out what he can and can't eat.

Aww bless him.

It does sound like bowel irritation, diverticulitis in humans can cause red/bloody poo. Did you save the sample to take to the vets?

I don't know what to suggest really, a low residue/fibre diet is often advised for people with inflammed/infected bowels, but I've no idea what this would equate to in dogs? Boiled chicken or fish and rice I suppose?

pro kolin always worked for my old boy, hope things improve.

Thank you Lynn, i really appreciate the support.

So did you have to trial and error with Stumpy's eating? I really want to get to the bottom (excuse the pun, the sense of humour is just hanging in there) of this.

The stuff he produced today was quite worrying and an eye-opener to really tackle these rear end problems. I'm just so worried that he's unwell or it's something that can't be helped.

I thought about saving the bag that i picked up but didn't think it would be much use a day later. I'll see what he does tonight and tomorrow and maybe keep a sample.

Boxers can be prone to colitis It sounds very much like it could be what is up with Monty. My two get the odd bout of it which usually starts with them not eating, then eating lots of grass and a grumbly tummy then the smelly mucous diarrhea with blood in it.

I find by keeping them on a diet with no extras added keeps it at bay with just the occasional flare up.

You could put it in the fridge, that's what we do with our samples at work over the weekend!

Oh dear, you must be so worried
Hopefully the vet can be some help
I know the boxer here has such a senitive tummy, just a whiff of something different and he has major tummy problems

Let us know how you get on at the vets. Prob an exclusion diet will help you know what he can cope with