>BTW, Rocko's healed up nicely after his operation, and gets his stitches out
>today.  (He'd swallowed a rubber band about 2 weeks ago.)  He looks a little
>thin, but his appetite is fine.  Could he still be recovering from the stress?
>He'd had intestinal inflammation (and a bacterial infection) from the blockage,
>and his stools are a bit soft, but fairly normal looking otherwise. (I wouldn't
>classify it as diarrhea.)  Maybe it's the bacteria's effects, slowly going away
>as the antibiotics take effect and the colon returns to normal?  Just
>wondering.
 
        If Rocko's appetite and activity is good, and all he does is look a bit
thin, I think he's probably on track here.  You always have abnormal motility
following intestinal surgery, and the antibiotic therapy will change the flora a
bit.  Both of these actions result in soft stools and a negative weight gain for
a while.
 
        But it is still a good thing to keep track of, and if it goes on much
more than a week following withdrawal of antibiotics, check it out with your
vet.
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 576-2453/2454                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
[Posted in FML issue 0974]