acid reflux in addisons toy poodle

[Marcia NYC]

My 13 year old dog (she is a recent rescue) has recently been diagnosed with Addisons disease. We got her thru a very critical part of the disease, but now we find although she is hungry she appears to have some sort of possible acid reflux. She wants to eat. We have been grinding up her food to thin it out (a mix of hills lowfat ID, boiled chicken, pumpkin & warm water to thin it out) the texture is like baby food. But if we let her eat for more then 10 seconds she starts to back up (we call it moon walking) till she hits a wall, then she braces herself and begins to make huffing noises and frequently regurgetates....HELP, she needs to eat to get strong so we can control her addisons!! Any suggestions would be helpful. Shes taking her preds, pepsid and one other medicine thats supposed to help with  the reflux, but its not working!!!

[Jo CIMDA]

Hi Marcia

The most effective drug that I know of to treat gastric reflux is Omeprazole Dose: Dogs : 0.5 - 1.5mg/kg/24hrs for a maximum of 8 weeks (BSAVA Small Animal Formulary 6th Edition) . 

You say she is taking preds.  Is she also on Percorten (DOCP) or Florinef?  I do hope so.

Jo

[Penel CIMDA moderator]

What does the vet say - do you think it's possible she also has Megaesophagus? it sounds like it could be that.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/10/29/megaesophagus-disorder.aspx

[Jo CIMDA]

Hi

The link that Penel has given is very good.  I have known dogs with MegaO to be fed with the front two feet on the bottom stair to enable the food to travel down the throat easier.

Jo

[Rebecca]

Hi I am a new member, my Bearded Collie (female aged 2.5yrs) has developed scabs on her nose that just won't heal, vet prescribed steroid cream and antibiotics for 2weeks these'd have made no difference and I am wondering if is could be DLE and if anyone has experience of this and best treatment? Thank you

[Jo CIMDA]

Hi Rebecca

I am sorry that your girl has a sore crusty nose.  Yes, it certainly could be DLE, but to get a confirmed diagnosis the vet will probably want to do a biopsy, and to be honest the results often don't come back as conclusive, so personally, I would want the vet to treat speculatively rather than use a general anaesthetic and do a biopsy that may not show a conclusive result.

Some AI skin diseases can be successfully brought into remission without using very high doses of steroids. Doxycycline and niacinamide, along with Natural Vitamin E, and Omega 3 & 6 supplements have been very successful with some AI diseases.  I have known many dogs to be successfully treated in this way.

See the information below and have a chat to your vet about starting your girl on this regimen.

I hope your vet will work with you.

Jo


Here is an example:

: Manual of skin diseases of the dog and cat by Sue Paterson Table 11.1 

Doxycycline/niacinamide

Doxycycline: 5-10mg/kg twice a day
Niacinamide: Dogs over 10kg 250mg 4 times a day

Natural Vitamin E 400iu twice a day (see ref. below)

I would also give fish oil (Omega 3) and evening primrose oil (Omega 6)

Manual of Skin Diseases of the Dog and Cat by Sue Paterson
Essential Fatty Acid    Dosage differs with individuals   
EPA 400mg/10kg    (Omega 3 -  e.g., fish oil etc.)
GLA 100mg/10kg    (Omega 6 – e.g., evening primrose oil etc.)

•   Natural Vitamin E (400-800iu/12hrs) encourages new cell growth.  (Ref: Clinical Immunology of the Dog and Cat by Michael J Day). 

See this link:

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952581


Below is an extract from my seminar notes for AI skin disease.


Discoid Lupus Erythematosus – DLE  (Cutaneous Lupus)
Discoid lupus is an autoimmune skin disease that causes depigmentation, and ulceration and crusting of the lips, nose and nasal planum, with loss of the 'cobblestone' appearance. It also affects areas around the eyes and sometimes the ears, often causing hair loss in these areas. Although the dog is not systemically ill, this condition is very painful, especially if the dog 'knocks' its nose and, as always with severe pain, this can make the dog very depressed.


A combination of tetracycline or doxycycline and niacinamide (Vitamin B3), and 'steroid sparing' supplements such as essential fatty acids and natural Vitamin E in therapeutic doses.
   
There is a group of five antibiotics that go under the heading of 'Tetracyclines'.  From this group, there is a choice of using one of the following:  Doxycycline, Tetracycline or Minocycline.  These antibiotics are not used for their antimicrobial properties but for their anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effects, and the ability to suppress antibody production.  Any one of these three drugs can be used in combination with niacinamide (vitamin B3) for the treatment of immune mediated skin diseases.  It should be noted that food or dairy products can reduce the amount of tetracycline absorbed by 50% or more.  To maximise bioavailability it is recommended to administer the drug two hours before or after food. Unlike tetracycline, doxycycline is not affected by food or dairy products to the same extent (no more than 20% reduction) and this is thought to be insignificant. Doxycycline is also more convenient to administer because it is given only once a day, therefore Doxycycline is  preferred.

It takes 1-3 months before positive results are seen and treatment is likely to be continued for 6 months or more. Doxycycline with niacinamide seems to be a good treatment choice as it avoids the use of steroids and other stronger drugs.