Hi again,

I am concerned about your dog. THere are a number of possibilities for what may be going on - trauma, clotting disorders, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, and colitis are all possibilities. These are all things which require medical attention and medication in order to improve.

Since his gums are pink and he is active alert and has a normal appetite, you may be ok to wait until morning to take him to your regular vet instead of the emergency hospital tonight.

If your Basset were to come into my hospital and I did not have to consider costs of tests at all, in order to determine what was wrong I would start with a physical exam and then a number of tests:

- fecal analysis to rule out hookworms, whipworms and coccidia http://www.petplace.com/dogs/intestinal-parasites-in-dogs/page1.aspx

- an ELISA test for Giardia. Giardia used to be hard to diagnose, but this test is fast and easy and accurate.

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/giardia-in-dogs/page1.aspx

- a fecal culture (sent out to a lab) to check for Clostridium or other unusual bacteria. This test takes 3-4 days.

- fibre trial - I would start the dog on metamucil. I usually suggest 1 tsp per 10 lbs body weight given 2 or 3 times a day. Do this for at least one week.

- medication trial:

I would try metronidazole (http://www.petplace.com/dogs/metronidazole-flagyl-toxicity-in-dogs/page1.aspx) as a first line treatment but there are a number other drugs that can be helpful too:

Panacur (fenbendazole, http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/fenbendazole-panacur/page1.aspx) ,

Tylosin (http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/tylosin-tylan/page1.aspx )

and even steroids (prednisone http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/prednisone-prednisolone/page1.aspx )

Now, as for what you can do for your dog. I suggest the following:

1. For tonight, you should WITH-HOLD FOOD! Do not offer anything for 12- 24 hours. This gives the intestines a chance to rest and heal.

2. When he is fasting, he can have lots of clear fluids. So, water is fine, but also unflavoured pedialyte, Gatorade, apple juice diluted 50:50 with water, or chicken or beef broth diluted 50:50 with water. Give the fluids in small amounts frequently. For a dog this size that means about 1/4 cup an hour.

3. After 12-24 hours if the diarrhea has stopped, you can start your dog back on a bland diet. For patients that I see, I recommend a mixture of 75% cooked white rice, and 25% low fat protein. For the protein you could use extra lean ground beef, boiled with the fat scooped off, or chicken breast boiled with fat scooped off or even scrambled egg cooked without fat in the microwave. Feed small frequent meals. For a dog this size, I would suggest 2-3 tablespoons every 3 to 4 hours.

4. After 1-2 days on the rice mix, you would gradually change your dog back to the normal diet and food. So, on day 3, give the rice mixture, but bigger meals, spaced further apart. On day 4, mix a little tiny bit of the normal food in there, and decrease the frequency so it is down to 3 meals or so. And so on.

5. Keep your dog as quiet as possible - just out to relieve himself and back in.

I'll give you a link to further information:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=677

http://www.dogsworldwide.com/articles/infofile/if_bpn10.htm

So, my suggestion would be to try fasting tonight but giving lots of clear fluids.

I would strongly recommend taking your dog to your family veterinarian first thing tomorrow morning. Many clinics are only open until noon on Saturdays, and this will be much more expensive to treat if you end up at an Emergency clinic on Sunday!

I hope that helps you. If this has been helpful, please hit the green "Accept" button and leave feedback. I will still be here if you have further questions!

Fiona