Weimaraner with Diarrhoea, Vomiting and Arthritis
Answered by: Kerry Hackett
Question from: Carol Pare
Posted on: April 16, 2007

I have a 10 year old long-haired Weimaraner, who is having some health problems. Her vet is stumped, as drugs don’t seem to be helping...as a matter of fact, they seemed to be making things worse. I have stopped all drugs and the Lakota I was giving her for her arthritis. It started last summer, diarrhea and vomiting, not really bad, but it keeps cropping up. She also wets her bed (and sometimes mine) when sleeping. She’s off her food, as well. I tried feeding her brown rice, ground beef (or chicken) and plain yogurt, which helped for awhile, but then she stopped eating that. She nibbled to keep herself alive, but no more. I switched her food to Sensitive Stomach formula, which she tolerates better, and she enjoys the occasional dog biscuit. She’s limping badly again since I took her off the Lakota ( She was hit by a car as a puppy, and hurt her left leg) but I was concerned the Lakota was irritating her stomach. It really helped her, so I hope it’s not this that’s causing the problem.

As it sounds as though your dog’s stomach complaints continued long after the Lakota was stopped, I am assuming it is not the cause of the problem, however, there are other arthritis based remedies on the market formulated especially for dogs; this might be something to check out. Next, have you looked into homemade diet recipes by such authors as Richard Pitcairn, "Natural Health for Dogs and Cats", "The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat" by Juliette de Bairacli Levy or "The Barf Diet" by Ian Billinghurst? You may find information in these works that will help you put together a well-balanced diet and in turn aid the health of her digestive tract. Assuming she isn’t on any pharmaceuticals at present, you might also look at herbs such as Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), Plantain (Plantago major), Calendula (Calendula officinalis), Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale) and St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) in equal parts and in a glycerite form to help heal an irritated digestive tract. The dosage for an average sized Weimaraner (70-85 lbs) would be 1/2 teaspoon to 3/4 teaspoon twice a day in her food. I would also suggest that you seek the advice of a qualified practitioner in your area who has experience both with animals and herbs in order to have an arthitis formula made up specifically suited to your dog and her health history. Such a person may be found through the Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association (www.vbma.org)

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