Jenny and very Gurgling Tummy - any advice anyone please ?

[pp3460]

Hi again ......

just wondered if anyone could offer any advice please - Jenny has on about three occasions now had a very loud gurgling and squeaking tummy - all sorts of noises going on in there.  Wouldn't normally overly worry me but it is very loud and the third time now in  a matter of weeks.   I did wonder a few days ago I had been trying her on liquid Devils Claw for her arthritis - not every day, just now and again - and a few days ago because she didn't want her breakfast I gave it to her on an empty stomach, and so I put it down to this.   But she was very quiet and withdrawn all day and didn't eat anything - she became so lethargic at one point that I almost had her down to the vets - but she was sick after giving her a bit of water and she seemed to pick up after that.   And she ate boiled chicken and rice later in the evening and yesterday picked up enormously.   

Now today she's the same - and all she's had this morning is her 3 Florinef - which doesn't normally cause a problem.  She hasn't had any different food to normal recently and so I can't see it being that.  Of course, it could just be another stomach upset and I am the worst worrier going - but a little concerned and wondered if anyone else had anything similar with their Addison's dogs - I do appreciate it could be totally unrelated to her Addison's and also should it continue I will take her to the vets by the end of the week.   She has had a little bit of diarrhoea but no sickness so far today anyway and she was eating well yesterday.

It's just concerning me a little - wrong thing to do I know is Google - could be a million things, but just wondered if anyone had any advice they could offer please.

Thanks again as always.

[BrookeR]

My girl gets a crazy gurgling & squeaking noisy stomach when she eats some things that she has an intolerance/sensitivity to and gets diarrhoea. It also makes her off in herself.
You have said that she hasnt eaten anything different though. Are you sure she couldnt have got any food. With food problems they don't have to have eaten it in the last couple of days it can take a while to get out of their system. She hasn't eaten any plants in the yard that could make her sick?

I did notice that when we put my girl on cyclosporine for her impa she had the same problems. The very noisy stomach & feeling unwell. I knew it was common for them to be unwell when taking cyclosporine , but didn't expect the crazy noisy stomach from a medication. Perhaps the Devils claw has some thing in it that she doesn't agree with? Side effects I have heard for this can be nausea & diarrhoea. The herb also has contraindications when used with some drugs?

[pp3460]

hi brooke, well its a mystery really although I had forgotten jenny's been on acid sal for a few weeks - homeopathic remedy - for her arthritis which I think is like aspirin which would explain things - she's been to the vets today and he's given her a few days of human antacid treatment which should line her stomach and she's just had some chicken and rice .  i'm definitely stopping the devils claw though and the acid sal though think more likely to be the latter.  I did just worry also maybe 2 years of having steroids might have affected her tum but that's just me probably over - worrying as I do.      reassuring as always on here though to know im not going mad and someone else has experienced the same thing - I've never heard anything like the noises coming out of her bless her - went on for hours - and 3 times now in as many weeks so hoping that its just one of the treatments above.  never sure she's not eaten something nasty in the garden or outside of here but you never know for sure do you. she does occasionally go to eat grass in the garden, possibility she's taken along a bit of a nasty plant or something with it I suppose.
thank you so much though for your reply .  i'll keep you updated.
ps : I just read about the contraindications with some medication too - i'm sure a lot of people think it's entirely safe to use something because its herbal - I was the same once.   thanks again anyway.

[BrookeR]

 I think having a dog with an autoimmune disorder gives you permission to be a little crazy at times. It is so stressful & worrying about them makes you paranoid about everything. But it's because you care and there is no harm in that. Afterall, they need someone to look out for them.

I don't see that damage from steroids would cause that reaction of a crazy noisy stomach? My understanding is they can give stomach ulcers, but I would think you would know about it if she had one. As they get dark stools & can vomit up bloody coffee ground looking chunks & be quiet ill. But I'm only a newby on here, so I'm no expert. My girl has been on high doses of steroids for some time and we have almost weaned her off now. I know they should be on a gastro protectant when on high doses, but we tried a couple of times with her and she didn't respond well, so we went without. I would just always give the steroids with food so she wasn't having them on an empty stomach. She has never had a problem with ulcers.

I became aware of the many drug/herb contraindications when we put my girl on cyclosporine. Grapefruit juice can increase cyclosporine levels when taken with it, as can many other things. Not that I feed her grapefruit juice, but unless you knew you wouldn't think that could cause such a reaction.
Knowing the contraindications became important when we were looking for a gastroprotectant as everyone we looked at either increased or decreased cyclosporine levels. So this had to be taken into account with what dose we gave her.
I research everything now before we give her anything new. She has problems with food and airborne allergies too, which makes me even more cautious.

I hope things improve for you now. Write it all down though so that if it happens again you may have a chance of pinpointing what the offender was.

[pp3460]

hi and thanks for your reply - you're right I definitely have crazy over worrying moments - regularly ! and have calmed down a little more now, think it was probably more likely to be the homeopathic remedy or just maybe a tummy upset .......the vet did tell me the symptoms of ulcers just like you said.  i'm assuming you're in the States as I haven't heard of cyclosporine ........jenny is on Florinef here in the uk and has to be on them for life now but keep her alive so what can you do .......
I always prefer her to have them with food but sometimes she's just off food first thing in the morning but i'll be more careful in the future and see if I can tempt with anything - she's on antacid at the minute to line her tummy until tomorrow so will see how she is after then.   she still has an upset tum but hoping with chicken and rice that will settle soon.
it's such a worry sometimes isn't it but we love them so much we do what we can .......just wish they could talk sometimes.....
anyway thank you again I will update on here if there's anything new to report but am very grateful as always for this forum - has helped me hugely over the time I've been on here - very supportive.   
good luck with your girl too.  (I am going to make a diary note now like you say of the symptoms etc ...)