I'm curious as to what his Rowdy's regular diet consists of? Do you see a holistic veterinarian at all? It seems like his condition is pretty severe for a 10 year old dog, perhaps he has an allergy to something that is causing the stones plus the mottled liver. Soy is a common allergen and it can really mess with the intestinal bacteria.

The IV recommendation could be a good one, but there is no reason why you can't do subcutaneous fluids at home yourself, if your vet is willing to teach you. It doesn't hurt the animal at all and really gives them a boost. Animals that aren't eating often aren't drinking enough too, which puts great strain on the kidneys, and considering your dog had a giant stone and other problems in the kidneys lack of fluids could quickly send him downhill. Animals that are dehydrated don't have an appetite, and animals that don't have an appetite get more dehydrated, a scary cycle.

I think any holistic veterinarian would have recommended the bed rest and fluids (maybe not 24/7 fluids) in this situation. If you do allow the dog to run around, he can cause internal damage which might not show up until much later. He will be more apt to get infections too from small tears he might make while running about. You can confine him to the room you are currently in, it doesn't mean you need to shut him away by himself. In the clinic where I work we've seen dogs come in with their intestines hanging out because whoops, the owner didn't want to confine the dog. Then they are back to square one. If you are giving this dog pain medication, his body will not know he needs to slow down from running and walking, and so he won't be able to protect himself from damage. Sometimes after-treatment care is a pain, but, it will enhance
quality of life later on.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Lara!
Thanks for your concern. As I said, Rowdy is VERY picky and won't eat the homemade food that I make for the other dogs, so he eats mostly canned food. But I'm going to try to upgrade his diet. I have a few ideas. He never eats soy, though. I know that can be hard for dogs to digest.
I do see several holistic veterinarians, and I greatly value their input. In fact, I took Rowdy back to the chiropractor today.
I also got the biopsy and stone results today. The biopsy indicated a mild form of inflammatory bowel disease, and the stone was calcium oxalate.
He has been drinking and urinating normally ever since the surgery, so I don't believe that he's been dehydrated at all.
Don't worry--I wasn't letting Rowdy "run around." He's a 10-year-old dog--he knows how to pace himself. I just couldn't see isolating him in one room. I think IBD can also stem from psychological problems, and that would have really made things worse.
He's doing better today.
KP

KP-

I hope your pup is feeling better today. Poor baby! My dog lives to eat and if she slows down I immediately start to worry.

Now I'm going to give you a bit of unsolicited advice. Try to stop worrying about Rowdy missing his first family. He is probably adjusted to being with you by now. In fact, he might sense that you feel sorry for him and that might bother him. Dogs adjust much easier than we would. I have a feeling that you are Rowdy's family now.

>>>KP's Response:

Thank you, Rhonda! I will try to do that.
Rowdy is doing a little better each day. He saw his chiropractor again today and got some more cold laser therapy along his spine, so I think we've turned a corner--at least I hope so.
KP

KP, you are so caring with your dogs! You are such a good person. I'm so glad Rowdy has someone as dedicated as you.

I don't think I could have left my dog in isolation either!!

My dog sometimes doesn't want to eat. I see that a couple of days go by and he doesn't eat. It was getting me worried, but my situation was no where near as serious as yours.

What I figured with Pepper is that he likes company when he eats. So when we sit down at the table to eat (or sometimes sit in front of the tv), I'll give him his bowl of food. I also liven up his food with slices of fresh fruit or little bits of peanut butter. And he eats!

He also likes it when I make eating a challenge. I make him sit and reward him with bits of food. Then I make him sit... and I go hide a little pile of it... he finds it and eats!

I wish Rowdy's problem was as simple as Pepper's (Pepper just was bored with eating alone). But again, I'm really glad that Rowdy has such a good companion!

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Jaclyn!
Thanks for your kind words!
That's very inventive, what you did for Pepper! I'm so glad you figured it out. We really do have to tailor things to the individual dog. Rowdy is a bit like that too--usually, I have to sit with him or he won't eat. My goal is to get him so healthy that he'll eat whether I'm there or not!
KP

I have to agree with the others...you are a wonderfully caring dog mom and person...I wish the world had more of you.

I am grappling with my own dog issues. My 4 year old poodle is diagnosed with low thyroid and crystals??? I take herbs myself for low thyroid so why can't my dog? I'll have to do some research. Also the crystal thing. I don't like how my vet says "we need to put her on thyroid" so fast...that stuff you have to take the rest of your life!

I only wish I could teach my dog inversion yoga to help! LOL

I hope your dog's health issue resolve themselves quickly.

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Soliel!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I appreciate it.
Regarding your poodle, I know that kelp is very good for the thyroid--all my dogs and I take it. I take it in capsules, but I just add the powder to their food. They like it.
Your dog can definitely take herbs (in smaller doses). I give my dogs herbs all the time. I wonder if cranberry would help with the crystals. Or else D-mannose, which is extracted from cranberries. It's great for the urinary tract. Do you know what the crystals are made of?
KP

I agree, too! Rowdy's lucky to have you.

I think you may be a little harsh on Rowdy's surgeon for recommending isolation and Elizabethan collar. I agree with you that it would be horrible treatment, but I think that vets probably come across lots of people who let dogs play in traffic or tie them in the backyard after surgery, where they either get injured or so bored they chew their stitches. As long as you're carefully supervising Rowdy's activities after surgery, he'll be fine and much happier.

It's too bad, but vets probably see many caretakers that are far less conscientious, so they recommend what they think will be safe for the worst people who probably still won't get it.

Unfortunately, vets begin to believe everything they say.

>>>KP's Response:

Thanks, Bob!
Yeah, that must be correct--vets are gearing their advice to the least responsible people. I wish they would tailor their instructions a bit more to the individual. It would only take five minutes to ask a few questions about the home environment and the dog's personality.
KP

My mother-in-law's dog recently had surgery to repair a torn ACL. The post-surgery advice sounds like what you were given. My mother-in-law walked her dog outside to do her business on a leash and then limited her mobility. My husband and I are convinced that at some point this slowed the healing process. I mean, for the first week or so I could understand it but after awhile I think she needed to start using the leg in order to regain strength.

KP, you sound like someone who really cares for their dog. I love mine more than anything- all rescue and many with health or behavioral problems. Alternative medicine can be a benefit in many situations (generally when combined with more traditional approaches) however it has never been as fully supported by any reliable research as traditional medicine has that I have read. I'm not sure why you would have hesitated to allow them to do a biopsy knowing that the result could have been cancer and you could then start chemotherapy, radiation or another cancer treatment and perhaps catch it in time? I am very glad to here it was not cancer though and that Rowdy seems to be improving everyday. I don't understand why you said you couldn't do those things to your Rowdy- the vet is not doing it to cause Rowdy unhappiness- the instructions were given, as was pointed out in the first post, to protect him. Sometimes looking at something from a medical or scientific way can help us understand the true meaning behind it. Believe me I realize this is terribly difficult when your baby’s life is on the line. And about the IV fluids for a couple of days- would you rather have had Rowdy depressed or alive? Obviously you would rather he be alive and well- I’m not trying to sound rude- I do hope it isn’t coming off that way. It just seems like a lot of people in the animal rights community (I’m an activist too) have turned to ‘holistic’ medicine without any empirical evidence of it producing long lasting, healthy results and at the same time shirking traditional medicine. I was wondering if you could give any insight to me on that?

>>>KP's Response:

Hi Bethany,
Thanks for your questions and comments. I've been using holistic medicine since the mid-1980s and I find it more effective at achieving true health (rather than just suppressing the symptoms) and much less invasive than conventional medicine. The only reason why there aren't as many studies on holistic medicine as on conventional medicine is because pharmaceutical companies cannot get an herb or a homeopathic remedy patented and thus make money off it. That doesn't make holistic medicine any less effective. Often, animals die because veterinarians withhold information on possible treatments simply because there have not been enough studies done. But if my dog is dying, I want to hear the anecdotal evidence. For example, treating dogs with congestive heart failure with L-carnitine and coenzyme Q 10, which I wrote about a few months ago--this has saved dogs' lives, but most vets won't even mention it because there haven't been enough studies. I find that tragic. No one is going to fund studies on a natural substance that can't be patented. Do you see what I mean?
As for the biopsy, we already knew that he didn't have cancer. He had an ultrasound and extensive blood work--cancer wasn't a concern. It was definitely going to be inflammatory bowel disease, and finding out exactly which type it was would not have changed my treatment options or preferences, so he got a hideously long incision on his abdomen for nothing.
I know that the vet's take-home instructions and other advice weren't designed to make Rowdy unhappy, but I think that the vets sometimes fail to take into consideration the individuality of the dog and also the spirit of the dog. Medicine not tailored to the individual can be cold indeed. I know Rowdy the best, and I know what will make him feel better and what will make him depressed. And depression can harm the immune system, which is already damaged in inflammatory bowel disease, so I need to keep his spirits up!
I don't think the desire to use holistic medicine is any greater within the animal rights community than in the mainstream community, but I wish it were even more widespread. Many holistic modalities, such as acupuncture, are ancient--how much emperical evidence do you need? I see the results of holistic treatments on my dogs and on myself every day. I don't need to read it in a journal article in order to be persuaded. Seeing is believing, in this case.
KP