What causes chronic diarrhea and thin organ lining in my Yorkie?

Hello. I am so sorry that Bailey is so sick. The next step is to ultrasound her abdomen. This will show problems like thickened intestines that can not be seen on an x-ray. If something concerning is seen, sometimes a diagnosis can be made just by looking at the ultrasound, but sometimes a biopsy may be required. Hopefully, with some additional care with fluids, anti-nausea medication & antibiotics, she will be feeling better soon. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Remi. In the bloodwork that was run, did it include GI specific testing such as cobalamin, folate, PLI and TLI levels. These are values that will give information such as the location of GI disease (small intestine vs pancreas) and treatment options. I typically do this planel in conjunction with an abdominal ultrasound. This information with the ultrasound can give insight into conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, food sensitivities or as you mentioned cancer. The anti-inflammatory properties of the antibiotic she was on could help even with a tumor in GI tract, but there are so many other causes of diarrhea that would respond as well. I think it is worth pursuing further bloodwork and the ultrasound. If you can get a diagnosis, then a treatment plan can be developed. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Kai! It may be best to sign up for a consult and show us the blood work and ultrasound reports. The tests that are pending also may be helpful so we will just have to patiently wait for those results. I would be sure she has been dewormed even if the stool tests were negative, have a B12, folate, TLI and PLI blood test done, have her tested for Addison's disease, try her on a prescription hydrolyzed diet like Royal Canin HP or Purina HA and then I would consider taking her to surgery or getting endoscopic biospies of her stomach and intestines to rule out IBD, lympangectasia and lymphoma. Tylosin and a probiotic is worth a try too. I think there are many other things to do before euthanasia. I hope this helps and I wish Kai the best of luck!

It sounds like it may inflammatory bowel disease but he would need biopsies of his GI tract to diagnose. You could try a hypoallergenic diet like science diet z/d ultra and talk to your vet about low dose steroids (budesonide is a good choice for GI issues) if you haven't tried this already. Also I would have him dewormed with a broad spectrum dewormer if you haven't already. I have had good success with this regimen in some of my IBD patients. It sounds like y'all have ruled out everything else. I hope this helps! if this doesn't work then I think intestinal biopsies are the next step.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to many conditions such as chronic pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an infection, among other possibilities. Other diagnostics that could be considered at this point include an abdominal ultrasound, fecal infection test and GI panel. This should be a good starting point for Jackson. Given the complexity of this case, they could check in with an internal medicine specialist for a possible referral. Best of luck!

Hi, and thanks for your question. These signs could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

There are many different causes for chronic diarrhea in older dogs, none of which are usually great news. The best and shortest list I can provide you is the following: lymphoma of the GI tract, inflammatory bowel disease, lymphangiectasia, liver disease, gastrointestinal parasites, and/or nutritional deficiencies like lack of vitamin B12. Since you have mostly ruled out GI parasites, I would recommend beginning to investigate the possibilities of some of the others I have listed. In order to do this, you will need to obtain some blood work with your vet (baseline plus the B12 test), then work out whether or not he/she can do ultrasound / endoscopy to rule in / out the other conditions I have listed. Hope this makes sense. Best of luck.