Question:
I have a 6 year old male St. Bernard that is very sick, at the UC Davis Animal Hospital, and have not conclusively figured out what is going on. I am hoping someone may have suggestions or questions I should ask the vet, or other testing possibilities. I am not confident we are taking the right course.
Over the last 3 weeks he had been eating less and pretty much would not eat for the last couple weeks. Has gone from 160+ lbs at Christmas to 125 lbs now. He is drinking excessive amounts of water and frequent urinating. He was also straining to have a bowel movement with no success. He had been given some steak bones prior to all of this too. The only thing different in his daily lifestyle was increased exercise. My husband, who is a runner, recently had shoulder surgery and started taking 5-7 mile hikes since he could not run during recovery and took "Theo" with him. After about the 5 hike we noticed a real decline in Theo's behavior, appetite, and the other symptoms started. He was examined by our local vet all last week, blood test, xray's, ultrasound, and even went into stomach with camera with no luck finding anything-with the exception of a high calcium level. The vet at
UC Davis ran all the tests again including a bone marrow test with no difinative cause. He has no swelling in lymp nodes, has no fever. Vet suspects Lymphoma even though we cannot fine it. They are now going to give Theo a dose of Elspar saying if it reduces the calcium level it will definately be Lymphoma. My gutt is telling me it is something else, either a blockage from eating bones, effects from dehydration from the hikes as I have read that that can cause calcium to rise and consipation - but could it get this servere? If the espar does not lower the calcium, does anyone have a clue as to what to do next? Thanks for any help.

Answer:
have they taken an xray of his intestines....that would be a good course of action...

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Yes they did and everything looked normal. However, my local vet said without physically opening him up and exploring he could not definately say there was nothing blocking his intestines even though nothing showed on the x-rays.

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Harley had an obstruction, a small one, you can see it, even I did. Did they take an xray of sm and lg intestine ?

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That I don't know, but will put on my list to ask and confirm. I did ask the UC Davis vet if her tests had absolutely ruled out a blockage before I consented to this dose of elspar and she said she had.

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if theo is having bowel movements now, even if he,s straining, then perhaps there is no blockage... but no poop after two days and the dog is eating? that raises big red flags...

you say this started after the hikes. what if theo ate something on the path... a dead creature who might have a disease, a bad mushroom, who knows?.. very strange... i really hope you come to the bottom of this and your big boy gets better

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He keeps straining to have a bowel movement, but is not eating and has not eaten for over a week other than a few bites I am able to get him to take by feeding by hand. They are giving him fluids/nourishment at the hospital. I thought about poision too, however, he has had no signs of vomiting which I am told would be a sign of that. Please respond with any thoughts, I really appreciate any input.

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Has he been checked for diabetes? Also, I am not sure where your husband took him hiking but is it possible he got bit by something? Either spider, tick?

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Did they check potassium levels and sugar in his bloodwork. When Capone started his downward spiral of addisons disease that was the first thing that showed up. Then he stopped eating.

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Vet called this morning to say elspar seems to be lowering calcium level and Theo is feeling a little better and ate some this morning. I came to see him (Davis is 4 hours from where I live), but can't see him until 6pm. Looks like it might be lymphoma, but I still have questions/doubts (maybe just in denal), but all of you have given me some good questions and suggestions. Thanks, will keep you posted.

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