cavvysavvy Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I have a little fella who used to suffer regularly from IBD, but has not had an episode in over 12 months....Until now!!! In the last two months I have changed his food over to the Black Hawk, which he seems to like, but I am again having trouble with diarrhoea, and he has had it for the past 3 days and is very listless. As a result I am thinking of putting him back onto a prescription diet for good to save any future hassles. I have previously used Royal Canin Intestinal. Does anybody know of any other suitable foods that I can try, he was not a fan of the Hills I/D at all. Any help is appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 If he truly has IBD (not just a sensitive tummy) I'd be suggesting something hydrolysed like Hills z/d to see if you can get the disorder under control with no medication. Once the symptoms are under control, you can experiment with adding other foods back into the diet in a controlled fashion, to see what he can deal with. Your vet should discuss this with you at the time of IBD diagnosis, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedazzledx2 Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 (edited) If he is listless and his demeanour has changed I would suggest a vet visit. It could be a little more sinister than just a change of food. My BC used to have chronic gut problems and years ago I was advised by the vet to keep him on low dose cortisone I did a lot of research and changed to a raw diet and he is (touch wood) fine now and going strong at 12 years. I have re-introduced Advance bickies for the occasions I need to feed them fast food (take away for dogs!) and his system copes fine now. If he had diarrhoea I would look at the diet but other changes would have me concerned. A good probiotic can help too...I used Protexin but I'm sure there are others people may recommend. Edit for spelling I have a little fella who used to suffer regularly from IBD, but has not had an episode in over 12 months....Until now!!!In the last two months I have changed his food over to the Black Hawk, which he seems to like, but I am again having trouble with diarrhoea, and he has had it for the past 3 days and is very listless. As a result I am thinking of putting him back onto a prescription diet for good to save any future hassles. I have previously used Royal Canin Intestinal. Does anybody know of any other suitable foods that I can try, he was not a fan of the Hills I/D at all. Any help is appreciated Edited May 4, 2011 by bedazzledx2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 You could try the grain free range from Canidae? My last dog constantly had loose stools but improved massively on a grain free food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Z/d is still out of stock here in Vic. You can get cans but that's all for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 I thought the stock issue had resolved and that it was no longer a problem any more. I hope I'm right. Am about to run out of the Z/D Kibble soon and need to replenish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavvysavvy Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 I also read that long term cortisone use can cause pancreatitis. But what is classed as long term? My dog has been on the drug for just over a month now? I have given him some ensal to alleviate the diarrhoea, but he is still moping around and sleeping too much? He is eating the chicken and rice ok though, so he still has an appetite. Do you think its worth a trip to the vet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedazzledx2 Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 See my earlier post! The cortisone protocol my original vet (changed now) advised was for life ;) Thats what got me into researching alternatives and for my dog it works fine. At the time we didn't have the variety or alternatives in dry food that is now available so raw suited us. If you are using Pred then it is usually a course that you reduce the dosage as per vet instructions as it finishes. I wouldn't think a month is too bad but wouldn't want it to be the only course of action in the long term. I also read that long term cortisone use can cause pancreatitis. But what is classed as long term? My dog has been on the drug for just over a month now? I have given him some ensal to alleviate the diarrhoea, but he is still moping around and sleeping too much? He is eating the chicken and rice ok though, so he still has an appetite. Do you think its worth a trip to the vet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 (edited) My tibbie girl, last year, started to get troubled with constant bowel upsets. Lot of vet work done to try to isolate the problem. IBD? Food intolerance? All the digestive friendly kibble was tried. Often made it worse. Certainly made no difference. Trial & error, vet support & lots of advice from breeders....and a 'natural' diet came out as best. I've stuck to it & the problem has not shown itself any more. When I'd thought it looked like being here for life. No processed food (& that includes any kibble), chicken breast fillet, sweet potato, fish a couple of times a week, plain yoghurt, sprinkling of physillium, chicken neck for teeth. Interesting side-effect. Since Annie's been on that diet, the groomer has remarked, 'What do your feed this dog? Her coat is so healthy.' Edited May 5, 2011 by mita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavvysavvy Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 My tibbie girl, last year, started to get troubled with constant bowel upsets. Lot of vet work done to try to isolate the problem. IBD? Food intolerance? All the digestive friendly kibble was tried. Often made it worse. Certainly made no difference.Trial & error, vet support & lots of advice from breeders....and a 'natural' diet came out as best. I've stuck to it & the problem has not shown itself any more. When I'd thought it looked like being here for life. No processed food (& that includes any kibble), chicken breast fillet, sweet potato, fish a couple of times a week, plain yoghurt, sprinkling of physillium, chicken neck for teeth. Interesting side-effect. Since Annie's been on that diet, the groomer has remarked, 'What do your feed this dog? Her coat is so healthy.' If I were to use a raw diet, then what would this encompass, He already eats plenty of chicken necks with his kibble. Are the vegies raw also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I thought the stock issue had resolved and that it was no longer a problem any more.I hope I'm right. Am about to run out of the Z/D Kibble soon and need to replenish. Ours is still not with the wholesaler. Some science diet is filtering through but Z/d - not as yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavvysavvy Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 I have a little fella who used to suffer regularly from IBD, but has not had an episode in over 12 months....Until now!!!In the last two months I have changed his food over to the Black Hawk, which he seems to like, but I am again having trouble with diarrhoea, and he has had it for the past 3 days and is very listless. As a result I am thinking of putting him back onto a prescription diet for good to save any future hassles. I have previously used Royal Canin Intestinal. Does anybody know of any other suitable foods that I can try, he was not a fan of the Hills I/D at all. Any help is appreciated To follow up, Just took my dog to the vet to be checked, just to be on the safe side. Going to wean him off the cortisone and change his diet over to royal canin intestinal to see how he goes. His stools are still a little loose, but improving. The vet seems to think he has an intolderance to the protein in food. So hopefully all goes well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 My tibbie girl, last year, started to get troubled with constant bowel upsets. Lot of vet work done to try to isolate the problem. IBD? Food intolerance? All the digestive friendly kibble was tried. Often made it worse. Certainly made no difference.Trial & error, vet support & lots of advice from breeders....and a 'natural' diet came out as best. I've stuck to it & the problem has not shown itself any more. When I'd thought it looked like being here for life. No processed food (& that includes any kibble), chicken breast fillet, sweet potato, fish a couple of times a week, plain yoghurt, sprinkling of physillium, chicken neck for teeth. Interesting side-effect. Since Annie's been on that diet, the groomer has remarked, 'What do your feed this dog? Her coat is so healthy.' If I were to use a raw diet, then what would this encompass, He already eats plenty of chicken necks with his kibble. Are the vegies raw also? No, the chicken is very lightly cooked in a dry pan (just a bit browned on the surface) . The sweet potato is diced & cooked (not over-cooked) in the microwave. The vet & breeders strongly recommended the addition of sweet potato, plenty of it. As the vet pointed out, it's highly nutritious.....being a staple food for the brawny, strong rugby players from the Pacific Islands! I even keep some of the cubes of cooked sweet potato in the fridge & my tibbie girls eat them instead of treats (to my surprise!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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