CockersOnline Forum

Cocker Specific Discussion => Health => Topic started by: Finvarra on September 12, 2017, 08:58:25 AM

Title: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: Finvarra on September 12, 2017, 08:58:25 AM
Hi folks, we are currently in the Aurvergne in France travelling around in the Moho. Dylan's has just been sick and had very squittery diarrhoea this morning. He was loose yesterday afternoon, and ate only a little of his dinner.  This seems like what happened last year when we were in the far north of Scotland and he had the same. I starved him for 24 hours and then fed chicken and rice, but the symptoms recurred, so I did the same again, after phoning the insurers helpline for,advice. Again the symptoms recurred, and we chasing a vet because they are few and far between up there and cover different towns. When we finally got to a vet in Gairloch he couldn’t see us as he was fully booked, but gave a tube of Canacur to put on his food to restore his gut bacteria, which did the trick.

He has been having his normal food at the same time of day, although for the whole trip he has been eating less than normal. He is fine in himself.

I am going to starve him today and get some chicken and rice for the next couple of days. I am quite concerned that last year’s episode is repeating itself. I have a tube of canacur with me, but I think it is too early to give him that yet. It is quite remote here so finding a vet may be tricky. My French isn’t that good either!

His pooh is yellow and has some mucus. Any advice appreciated. We are on mobile mifi so I will look in when I can.

Lesley and Dylan
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: Joules on September 12, 2017, 09:08:34 AM
If he is fine in himself, I would probably do the same as you: starve him for a day, make sure he has plenty of water (bottled in case it is the change of water upsetting him) and then go onto chicken and rice for a few days.   ;)

Is it hot?  That could explain why he is eating less.

Hopefully it will be flushed out of his system quickly.  You could add some live yogurt to his chicken too - that is good for soothing a sore tum and restoring the gut bacteria too.

Hope he is better soon - it's a nightmare when they are ill and you are away from home  :-\
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: MIN on September 12, 2017, 12:50:26 PM
Oh bless him. the squits are bad  enough at home let alone while travelling. something must trigger it and the only thing I can think off is the water or does the travelling unnerve him a bit. hope it sorts itself out and does not ruin your trip
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: Mari on September 12, 2017, 01:18:17 PM
What is canacur? Is it probiotica for restoring normal gut flora? If so then there is no reason not to give it :) It is a better option than yougurt. Hopefully resting the intestines for a day and then many small meals of chicken and rice will do the trick :) Hope he feels better soon!
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: bizzylizzy on September 12, 2017, 02:04:38 PM
No more to add other than that I boil up the chicken (or any other lean meat or bones)  then give the liquid aswell, might just encourage him to drink more, especially if the weather's warm.
Hope Dylan's feeling better soon and that it doesn't spoil the holiday.. 
  :bigarmhug:
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: ejp on September 12, 2017, 05:43:12 PM
I would start the Canacur now, and definitely bottled water. We have a filter jug in the van for Daisy as she is prone to a guppy tummy. Light diet and I hope he feels better soon.
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: its.sme on September 12, 2017, 06:45:41 PM
I would feed little and often, the less work the stomach has to do the better it should cope.

I'm not sure about bottled water, is the sodium or other levels higher than normal ?

Hope Dylan feels better soon.
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: Darwin on September 12, 2017, 09:40:18 PM
I tend to use scrambled egg. It has a binding effect. One egg is equivalent to 2 oz / 50g of food. One egg, no milk for one minute in the microwave seems to work  We've always found it works after an unset tum.
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: Mudmagnets on September 13, 2017, 12:51:06 AM
I give mine cooled boiled water, if you cannot get bottled, it may be a good substitute. as well as boiled white fish and rice.
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: PennyB on September 13, 2017, 06:28:51 PM
I also use white fish and mashed potato for mine too or a good standby is tinned chappie (stinky but does the trick)
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: Finvarra on September 14, 2017, 10:25:19 AM
Hi folks, sorry for the delay in replying to your helpful posts, have been out of Internet coverage due to mountains! We found a pharmacy attached to a supermarket and the pharmacist spoke English. They also had an extensive veterinary stock, and he he was clued up on animal health. I think the pharmacies here are more comprehensive than at home. Anyway, he gave us some tablets for his symptoms. He sicked up the first dose, but since then has kept them down. It,s a four day course. I am also giving canacur, and so far no more sickness. He hasn't,t done a pooh yet, but has only had one day so far on chicken and rice. He seems happy in himself.

I never thought about the water, the water here in France is fine and drinkable, but maybe I will boil it first. Although the first time he had this we were in Scotland. He has always been a good traveller, never any car sickness. As for the weather being too hot, the rain has been lashing down for days and it is cold! I packed mainly light things as it is supposed to be quite warm at this time of year, doh!!! It's wetter here than Scotland  :lol2:

I'll scramble him some eggs too, and introduce his normal food gradually once I am sure his tummy has settled.

Thanks everyone,

Lesley and Dylan

Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: MIN on September 14, 2017, 02:12:57 PM
glad to hear things are settling down. As for the weather, if it makes you feel better, the rain here is also nonstop. In fact nonstop does not even come close    :016:
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: bizzylizzy on September 14, 2017, 02:21:50 PM
Same here in Germany, been lashing down since Tuesday...... >:(
Hope it picks up for you soon and that Dylan's n the mend!
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: ejp on September 14, 2017, 03:58:14 PM
We are on hols 'down South' but appear to have brought the rain with us, sorry folks!
Glad your boy is on the mend. X
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: Ambler54 on September 14, 2017, 04:56:11 PM
It could be the water.Live in Cornwall, soft water, been touring Yorkshire in MH Rosie absolutely refused to drink the water, even when boiled so resorted to bottled, think it was because it is a hard water area and it definately tastes different.Glad the tum is settling down very worrying when you are away from home.
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: Joules on September 14, 2017, 07:21:12 PM
Glad he is on the mend.

It could just be the change of water - not necessarily anything nasty in it, just different - that upsets him.  Maybe give him bottled water next time you go away and see if you can avoid the upset tum  ;)
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: Finvarra on September 16, 2017, 01:37:50 PM
He finished the canacur tabs Thursday night, and the ones from the pharmacy yesterday. Had some chicken and rice yesterday, plus scrambled egg, and am giving boiled water. His poohs were beginning g to firm up, but today his first one is like Mr Whippy, soft and yellow with a bit of mucous at the end (sorry if you're eating).  I managed to find a vet surgery in a village, no vets there, but I got a tube of the canacur paste. If there is no improvement today I will start to use it.

If he doesn't,t improve soon I will try and find a vet. I am learning the French for everything related to the digestive tract and pooh  :005:. Never did that at school  :005:

Poor dog, I really thought he was improving. This will be his first day back on regular food so will see how he goes, fingers crossed. His last episode was in Scotland, so he is used to the water there.

Mari, sorry, missed your question. Canacur is some sort of probiotic that replenishes the gut bacteria,
Comes as a paste with a syringe, or tablets. I bought some tabs online after the last episode, and carried them with us in case, which is just as well.

Lesley
Title: Re: Diarrhoea and sickness, we,re in France, advice please!
Post by: Mari on September 16, 2017, 02:47:15 PM
I hope he keeps getting better! Not fun to have a sick dog, especially when you're not at home. Good idea to bring the probiotics on your trip!