Colic Breakthrough?

[Guest]

My 13 year old Jack Russell has been suffering from Colic since he was about 3. Though I have been back and forth to the Vet to try and cure this problem, I have been told that unfortunately it can only be managed. Those of you who know what Colic feels like will know that the stomach pains are very painful, and if you think anything of your dog, it's distressing seeing them go through this condition.

My Vet had advised me to use "Buscopan" (an anti-spasmodic) to help alleviate the stomach pain. This did help, but it was not a cure.

Just to relate to you a day of colic; it generally starts very early hours of the morning where Rocky (my dog) starts with very loud gurgling noises coming from his stomach. He normally goes outside at this time and eats some grass, (obviously trying to stop the pain) when he comes in he is very mopey and is off his food, normally he can'y wait for his breakfast. It doesn't matter what I try and tempt him with, he will refuse everything. The gurgling in his tummy at this point is very loud and I think the noise as well as the discomfort is also a factor as he tries to run away from it. Around about 10.30am he will start to lick high up on his forpaws (he can't get to the area that is hurting), by this time I have given him a Buscopan and at this point will give him som Gripe Water if the pain is still evident. By 1pm the gurgling has generally stopped and he starts looking for food, by 5pm you would never know that there had been anything wrong with him. He will be colic free for about 3 or 4 days.

I have tried all sorts of variatios of his diet, but have eventually settled on boiled rice with chicken and vegetables. He also has a chicken neck (raw) to keep his teeth clean. He also gets 1 cup of Eukanuba dried biscuits for "Seniors".

According to my vet I am doing all the right things, after numerous tests it has showed that he is not suffering some nasty Stomach Ulcer or Colitis.

Last Friday, he has an unusually bad bout of Colic, he was still suffering from a gurgling stomach at lunch time. After giving him a dose of Gripe Water, I could literally feel the gas let down as he lay on my lap (excuse my language) farting his brains outs. That night I decided to put a little Liquid Parafin in with his chicken and rice. I have continued doing this every meal time for the last 10 days and to my utter disbelief he has not yet had another bout of Colic. I find myself laying awake in the early hours of the morning listening for his stomach to start grumbling, as yet it has not happened. I am gently holding my breath hoping that after all these years I have found a cure to end this painful problem for my pooch. He is even acting different, he has more energy and his eyes are brighter and his nose is cold and wet. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is the end of his bouts of Colic. If it is, I can't believe that something as simple as a teaspoon of liquid parafin has been the miracle I have been looking for.

Has anyone else had problems with constipation and their dogs. It would be interesting to know how many dogs out there suffer from this painful problem, unbeknownst to their owners.

Zoe

[Cavandra]

Poor little dog

I have only used parrafin oil for obvious constipation. Normally for any tummy/bowel upsets, I use mashed cooked pumpkin, yakkault, acidopholis yoghurt, or red cordial........all fix problems from diareahea to constipation!

I am interested to know if he has suffered Colic the whole time you have fed that brand of dry food? That is one of the imported brands that uses ethoxyquin as a preservative. Ethoxyquin is used to make Rubber!!! As far as I knew it is a banned substance here, but imported brands get away with it by calling it preservative number xxx, who knows what.

Cabbage,potatoes,onions, grains can all cause "gas".............I would be avoiding all forms of grains (which every processed dog food contains! ie wheat etc) and feed a natural BARF diet, avoiding all processed & packaged foods, and cut down the rice........Brown rice is better, but still something that canines would not eat in the wild. They are carnivores :-))

Cheers

[Ashka]

Rocky it's great that you have found a way to help your dog.

I know there are vitamins etc that humans cannot digest when Liquid Parafin, a laxative,is given. I've searched but I can't find the info. Google has let me down for the first time

It may be safer not to give it too often.

Edited March 25, 2007 by Ashka

[Jed]

As it comes on at approximately the same time, I wonder if it is his food. Is there one thing which he has consistently eaten?

Perhaps might be better to try him with sunflower or corn oil instead of the parafin. Not sure what happens if you give a dog parafin every day. Hopefully - nothing (except no more colic!!)

[Steve]

Can you give me an idea of what he has been fed? Id try some other oils with a more food base such as giving him a can of sardines in oil or some cod liver oil before I settled for parafin.

[SoL]

I've really only used parafin to fix sweet itch and coat problems on horses so the idea of using it as a food additive is a bit alien to me. I would go with caution on this idea. Maybe try one of the above suggestions re using a more food-based oil. Good luck and I really hope your pooch is pain free.

[Cordelia]

Just to clarify here.... constipation is NOT colic.

Using liquid parrafin over long periods to relieve this problem will eventually cause weakness in the muscles of the bowel and your dogs (like people) will become dependant on the oil to be able to evacuate his bowel.

You seriously need to look at his overall diet and change whatever is actually causing the constipation.

Using Buscopan to STOP the spasms in the bowel and then using parrafin to CAUSE spasms is not the way to help your boy. Check the gripe water too... the more old fashioned ones used to have alcohol in them.

Using cod liver or giving sardines in oil (small amounts) every second day should be more benficial to him... but i still advise changing his diet... start by getting rid of the rice... he doesn't need it and it can act as a binding agent. Not good in a dog suffering long term bowel issues.

[Cavandra]

It is recomended that Cod Liver Oil is not given through summer months, due to already high levels of Vit D from the sun.......it should really only be used in Winter. Through hotter months Salmon oils etc can be used safely.

ALSO another point about CLO is that it should NEVER be given to pregnant bitches, as it causes birth defects in the first trimester..........hardly relevant to the topic, but worth filing away.............

[Hounder]

Poor little dog :D

I have only used parrafin oil for obvious constipation. Normally for any tummy/bowel upsets, I use mashed cooked pumpkin, yakkault, acidopholis yoghurt, or red cordial........all fix problems from diareahea to constipation!

Sorry, had to ask. What does red cordial do??

[Cavandra]

Sorry, had to ask. What does red cordial do??

LOL

Parents use red cordial in young kids for stomach/bowel problems. i dont know why it works however :D

[Steve]

You cant over dose on vitamin D and you dont get birth defects from vitamin D I think you may have it confused with vitamin A which is also in cod liver oil and yes too much does cause birth defects .

Red cordial ?

http://baliforfamilies.com/bali_belly_and_raspberry_cordial.htm

http://health.centreforce.com/health/berries.html

[Cavandra]

You cant over dose on vitamin D and you dont get birth defects from vitamin D I think you may have it confused with vitamin A which is also in cod liver oil and yes too much does cause birth defect

YES Steven that is correct, and COL given in summer supposedly also causes itchy skin from heating up the blood. there are other fish oils that are more suitable during pregnancy & summer months

[Cordelia]

supposedly also causes itchy skin from heating up the blood.

Huh?? Can you provide links for the studies done on that?? Would be interesting as I've never heard of it.

[Cavandra]

supposedly also causes itchy skin from heating up the blood.

Huh?? Can you provide links for the studies done on that?? Would be interesting as I've never heard of it.

I am not sure of any links for you to read on this, and I havent experienced it myself, as I dont give it in summer, I use Salmon oil or flax seed oil mainly. I can only go by what Dr Billinghurst (bathurst clinic) has suggested. This thread also came up recently on a show list, and breeders had made comment that COL does cause itching due to "heating up the dog" as a side effect of giving in hot months. I would presume it to be a similar side effect of allergy dogs when they eat foods that ellevate their skin temp.........Ironically COL & Zinc can be excellent in treating skin conditions!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cod_liver_oil

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2004...e_superfood.htm

an extract of the 2nd link...It also explains the benefits & probable birth defects & what nots..........

Now that I have told you all this good news about cod liver oil, I need to comment on the research surrounding its possible toxicity. Over-elevated serum levels of vitamin D are a possibility if you combine summer or southern sun and cod liver oil. So if you are spending a lot of time out in the sun during the summer months, it's probably best to cut back on the dose. If you are unsure, you should test your blood levels of vitamin D.

If you sunbathe regularly and have found that your vitamin D levels are within the normal range, do not use cod liver oil unless you are willing to test and retest to determine that your blood levels of vitamin D have not gone too high. We do not know enough to say whether or not sunbathing and cod liver oil work synergistically or antagonistically. If you decide to get lots of sun and also use cod liver oil, please send me your vitamin D tests for my continued research. Cod liver oil use is safe in most of the US and all of Canada in winter but it should not be combined with other sources of vitamin D without careful testing and monitoring.

[Cavandra]

http://www.provet.co.uk/petfacts/healthtips/codliveroil.htm

Another iste from UK vet site.

Cheers

[Steve]

Cavandra is right and there are some adverse affects from overdoses of vitamin D and you do need less in the summer assuming your dog is getting exposure to the direct sunlight . And advising someone to give a suppliment is against everything I ve been preaching for years so obviously I shouldnt have said cod liver oil . I certainly should have waited to hear what is already being fed as some dog foods [ commercial] have too much vitamin D anyway . Ive never heard of over heating of the blood with this but I believe its possible as it certainly is with some carbo hydrates . I didnt mean to give excess amounts over a long period of time but thank you for pulling it up cavandra and telling me to pull my head in.

However as stated by Drs. Foster & Smith, here

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&articleid=710

quote

Vitamin D toxicities, as with Vitamin A, are extremely rare. A dog fed Vitamin D in excess could have abnormal amounts of calcium deposited within the heart, various muscles, and other soft tissues. This is rare and we have never heard of it happening in real life situations. Suffice it to say that Vitamin D plays a major role in skeletal growth, muscle control, and nerve functions. Deficiencies are fairly common and toxicities are rarely, if ever, present.

End quote

[Cavandra]

I am just wondering if plain "Colic" is an accurate diagnosis. It seems strange to me that he didnt develop it until 3y/o, you would think a baby puppy would especially suffer with it & maybe grow out of it.........There are some other disorders that do have Colic as a symptom, and can be treated. I know of a dog with Pancraetic insufficiency, who is on drugs all its life & is currently 12, and doing fine.

http://www.isabellevets.co.uk/health_advic...ficiencydog.htm

It might be worth getting another diagnosis, and perhaps it might bring some comfort in his senior years.

[Cavandra]

I didnt mean to give excess amounts over a long period of time but thank you for pulling it up cavandra and telling me to pull my head in.

Please dont pull your head in Steve, tossing around of ideas & opinions is always good.

[Steve]

Yep I know its the best way to learn as long as you listen with an open mind and say so when you are wrong. thanks again

Julie

[Trishm]

Have you just tried giving him a biscuit or something similar just before you go to bed, the theory being that the tummy gets too empty and the digestive juices cause the upset.

My whippet suffered from this problem randomly, it might be once a week, twice a week, or maybe once a month, I tried all sorts of things, and then tried giving her something to eat last thing at night, so that there is something in the tummy, and have not had another episode for about 2 years now.

Good luck,

Trish