Can anyone tell me exactly what this is?
Are there dietary restrictions or recommendations?

Peritonitis is an infection of the peritoneum- which is life threatening- are you sure this is what you are talking about?

Yes, I'm sure. I do in-home pet care and have a greyhound who was just treated for this. She was in the hospital for about a week. She's home now, but I think she looks/acts terrible...just looking for more information.

If that is it, then she should be on anti-biotics, and someone should be monitoring her temperature, and keep in close contact with the vet. Any fever and back immediately, to the vet- even if she doesn't, but seems "punk" bring her back.

She's going tonight for a follow up.
Can anyone tell me what causes this?

Here is an article on it:

"The causes are numerous and varied. There generally is an antecedent of some disease or lesion in which the abdomen was involved. The animal goes through a lot of pain." http://www.seefido.com/canine-dog-health/html/peritonitis_in_dog.htm

Most of the articles I found were very technical. It obviously is quite serious.

Good luck and best wishes.

Mary Lou

Could be anything- from an organ issue (for instance, in people, a burst appendix causes this), disruption to blood supply to the mesentery. Any updates?

The owners took her in for a follow up last night. She did have a very slight fever, and there was blood in the stool.
The started her back on antibiotics and did a huge battery of tests. New bloodwork, and also testing for tick borne diseases.
The little girl did seem a bit perkier today, and she doesn't seem to be in any pain. Her stool today was still loose, but looked better than the last two days.
She ate willingly for me today, the owners prepared venison and brown rice, and she was eager to eat it. Then she settled on her comfy bed and was napping when I left.
Thanks for all the input, just trying to keep informed for the sake of this pretty dog.

Sounds like the vets are on top of it. She still needs her temp taken twice a day, and keep the vets on speed dial. Glad she is feeling better. Keep us posted.

Wish seemed to have a pretty good day yesterday. She's eating a little better now, still a bit lethargic, but not tiring quite so quickly.
Her mom is monitoring her temp regularly, and she's a good pet parent.
For the most part, she's just eating boiled, ground venison and brown rice. Anybody have any suggestions on something that might put a little more weight on her? Also, wondering about adding yogurt? I appreciate any input.
Thanks.

after an episode of peritonitis, i'd keep her on a bland diet like what she's on. especially if you're not certain what caused it to begin with.

UPDATE
It's not looking good for the little girl. Wish took a turn for the worse Sunday night, with a fever of 107. They immediately took her in to the "emergency room".
Last week's further testing had them trying on Friday to confirm or rule out blood or bone marrow cancer, or a tumor.
As of last night, Wish's liver and kidneys are failing and her abdomen is full of fluid.
She is still in intensive care and has been since Sunday night. Please send your good thoughts for these lovely people and their lovely dog, Wish. All that can be done is being done. Waiting on tests again to confirm the suspicion of cancer or a tumor, but I fear the worst.

Oh no, I'm so sorry. This sounds very bad, but I am hoping that it will change swiftly.

Best wishes for this dog and her family. I had a friend who lost her dog to this after she merely crashed into another dog playing racing games. It's a frustrating thing to treat if the cause is unknown.

How sad, sending lot of healing vibes. I hope they can do something to help her.

I am so sorry. Healing vibes coming to the pup.

Thanks for all your kind words and thoughts...I'll update again when I have new information. Keep those good thoughts coming.

Wish has been diagnosed with Lymphoma.
She came home from the hospital Friday, and I saw her yesterday.
She's extremely thin, but oh so happy and bright! Her attitude is excellent, and happily eating well. She acts so much better than she did last week, early.
I did suggest the owner join our group, and also suggested she ask for a dietary consultation.
Just can't get over the change! Hope restored! I know they've got a long road ahead of them, but we are all hoping for good things. Thanks for all your support and well wishes!

Wow, one never wishes for a diagnosis of cancer, but here's a case where it's good news! I wish them all the best and hope to see them around! I think they need a copy of Cinnamon Dog's book, too!

I'm glad to hear she's feeling better and that she has a diagnosis so that they can formulate a plan for her care. I hope she continues to feel happy and bright, and her family is able to treat her cancer without impacting her quality of life too much. There are certainly plenty of people here who can share experiences with her if she joins ODO.

Continued good thoughts for Wish!

All of your good thoughts and healing vibes must be reaching this girl! She's doing so well, hard to believe it's the same dog!
Wish is happy, bouncy and engaged with life again. She does still seem to tire a bit quickly, but what a change.
She has regained most of the weight she lost (of course 2-3 lbs. looks worse on a greyhound) I don't know how much she actually lost, but the ribs and hipbones are no longer as prominent as they were.
She's bright and comfortable, in fact, at this point, to look at her, you wouldn't even know she was battling lymphoma.
Currently, she's taking prednisone and metronidizole daily.
I guess I'm wondering if she may have been misdiagnosed??? Could she really bounce back like this? The owner said the diagnosis was "advanced lymphoma"?

Prednisone, as much as it can be an evil drug, is also a wonder drug. I know - I've been taking it daily for about 10 years. I was pretty much bedridden for over 2 months. Just taking a shower was enough to exhaust me to the point that I would crash asleep for hours afterwards. When they finally gave me prednisone it was just a few days before I was up and round and feeling like life had just started over again. So yes, she really could bounce back like this. Wonderful when its working, isnit it?

Lots of good wishes that the current treatment keeps her doing well for as long as possible.

Thanks Sherri. It does seem like a miracle! The vet did tell them that the pred could put her into remission...dare we hope?

I saw Wish on Wednesday and she greeted me at the door with a grin and that funny "Greyhound Bounce" that only that breed seems to do.
She's been doing so well, happy, perky, loveable...back to her optimum weight and loving our walks around the pumpkin patch in the cooler fall weather.
Yesterday, I knew there was something wrong the minute I walked in the door. Only one greyhound was bouncing. Wish stood to the side, head hanging, breathing labored.
I checked her color and her gums were very pale. She was obviously in distress.
I called the owner immediately, and he left work to rush her to the vet.
He called me a short while later, Wish's fever had once again spiked to 107. They made the decision to end her suffering and send her over the rainbow bridge.
A very sad day. Although I'd only known Wish for a couple of months, it was a tough day for all of us.
Thanks for all your kind words and healing thoughts. Wish was a happy and much loved girl. I feel blessed to have known her.

I am so sorry, that's so heartbreaking.

Oh, such an up and down you've been through. Peace to you and all who knew Wish at this time.

I'm so sorry for you and for her family.

Run Free Wish! Sounds like you were a very well loved doggie and I'm sure you'll be happier running and healthy.