Hi, Im in desperate need of some help regarding my dog with IBD.He was diagnosed with IBD in july 2006.After switching numerous brands of kibbles then trying prescription can soft food, his stool continued to be water.In Nov i decided to start cooking his food, well that was good until the end of january 2007 when his stool went back to being water.I decided to try the Raw Diet 2-weeks ago and in the first 5-days his stool was near perfect. On the 6th day it went back to water. I spoke to my Vet today and the best answer he had was "well looks like he gonna have to deal with this the rest of his life." This poor dog is only 4.5 yrs old. He onced weighted 135 lbs but is now down to 90 lbs. So PLEASE if there anybody that might be able to help, it would be greatly appreciated. I have also tried the rice diet but same results. Thank you Steven D

I'm so sorry.

I saw an article (new book) about IBS/IBD recently.

I can find it and other saved info tonight and tell you what I dig up.

Can you tell me what you are feeding? Poultry?

Connie
I spoke to you and Alice back in Nov 06 about starting the Raw Diet. I started the diet 2-weeks ago and started feeding him turkey necks mainly. I try to also add some boneless/skinless chicken breast and a little bit of turkey burger. But fair to say his meal in the last 3-days pretty much consist of just turkey necks.Ifeed him 3-times a day so his meals are in small portions.Today was approx 2-lbs of turkey necks and still his stool is water. THANKS Steven D

I'm sorry I didn't remember.

However, I do have a new (since then) book with a lot of material on IBS/IMD, and I want to review the chapters tonight.

Did you start fish oil, and in what amount?

What besides turkey necks does he get? Any organ meat, produce, probiotics, etc.?

My cat has it also. It was determined to be vaccinosis, in his case, and actually a rather common form of it. I have never found a kibble that doesn't cause him to have watery, bloody diarrhea. I settled on The Honest Kitchen Prowl, and he's 90% normal, unless he sneaks something else. Apparently, it damages the intestinal lining and causes allergen-type reactions in dogs and cats who would otherwise not be allergic. The key is finding what's triggering it. I would definitely try a grain-free diet, since grains are common triggers of allergies in "normal" dogs. How about THK Embark or Force? Embark is turkey based and Force is chicken based, but both are grain-free. Pumpkin helps mine, too, and of course wild salmon oil is a great multi-purpose anti-inflammatory. I use Prozyme also, which seems to help as it helps the digestion of things that may trigger a recurrence of symptoms by providing amylase, cellulase (?), and lipase. Dunno if it's one thing in particular or the combo, but it took me years to dial this in. Good luck!

No more shots for this pooch if you can help it! I just read in the article "Vaccinations in Veterinary Medicine: Dogs and Cats" by Dr. Don Hamilton, DVM, that "...the more compelling theory of the mechanism of interaction between a vaccine and the body suggests that vaccines 'protect' against the acute disease not by preventing the disease but by changing the form of the disease to a chronic disease. For example, the panleukopenia virus of cats (same virus family as parvo) induces an intense, repidly progressive malfunction in the digestive tract, leading to vomiting and/or diarrhea. In adult vaccinated animals this translates into a chronic state of diarrhea and occasionally vomiting. This disease is known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and autoimmune disease of the intestines occuring at near-epidemic levels over the past several years. No other reasonable explanation has been proposed for the proliferation of cases of the disease. Parvovirus affects the intestines, producing severe diarrhea and vomiting. Thus, the correlation between the parvo/distemper vaccines and IBD."

Also, the other nagging issues you mention with this dog are largely immunologic in nature. While they may have begun at the breeder's, it's the immune system of this dog that is the issue and will provide the best long-term relief from these symptoms once it regains it's strength. Rather than take the conventional "germ theory" and "treat the symptoms" approach to these ailments, if it were my dog, I'd focus on improving overall health and letting the immune system return to work by giving it every possible help-raw food, no more shots, and try to minimize toxins like dips, flea baths, etc. Also check into Ester C for boosting of the immune system, or Mega C Plus, available on Wendell Bellfield's website for the treatment of viruses and maintenance of similar illnesses.

Sorry for the novel! This is a horribly frustrating disease; good luck.

This may or may not work with dogs, but a friend of mine who died of cancer, his mom also, used to buy aloe vera from healthfood stores and it aided in his ability to eat. He said sometimes it was the only thing he could keep down long enough to be able to eat something else. He said it calmed his upset stomach from all his meds and coupled with plain active culture yogurt really helped him on bad days.

I'm not really a holistic type of person medically speaking, but I think the verdict's in on the benefits of aloe vera for the whole body internally and externally.

Anyone else have ideas about adding aloe vera to this pup's diet?

Yes, I DID read about aloe, researching this!

This link
http://www.doghobbyist.com/articles/IBDChat.html
discusses it. It's Lew Olson, LMSW-ACP PhD
"Holistic Approaches to Managing IBD in Dogs"


I'm still reading stuff...... I really didn't know there was so much material on IBS/IBD. But I saw this aloe post and I had just read the aloe suggestion on the link. It warns about quantity, BTW.

great stuff, Connie...they also seemed to think fennel might be beneficial, too.

One of my dogs has Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He is also allergic to MANY things, including - but not limited to - wheat, oats, and chicken( or any feathered creature for that matter). I too had many years of struggle to find a good food that would allow him to gain weight and not have horrible bouts of the runs.....

The final solution was: almost 3 mos. on Metronidazole combined with adding Prozyme to his new food. The new food is actually Science Diet's Response FP, which stands for fish and potatoe, as these are the primary ingredients. I was reluctant to start with this diet, as I am not a fan of SD, in general...BUT....I cannot say enough how awesome my big boy is now doing.

I weaned him off of the Prozyme after about a total of 7 or 8 mos. on it, and still he has the most solid, regular stools a dog owner could wish for, LOL!!! He has now gone more than 1 year since having a gastric attack. He has also gained so much weight that I am actually going to have to start reducing him from 5 cups to 4 a day! His ribs are now getting a layer that is a little too thick!

So, I would say that you should investigate all of the possible contributory factors, such as allergies, EPI, etc., and work closely with a reputable vet to help you get your dog some relief. Plus, I can attest to the fact it is no fun cleaning up after a sick GSD....

GODD LUCK!

Here's an informative article:
http://www.geocities.com/ibdogsintl/yourdogarticle.html


Here are three items that come up over and over in the material I'm reading.

1. Apparently many dogs thought to have IBS/IBD may actually have undiagnosed Giardia Protozoa, which is tricky to diagnose and presents with a lot of false positives. That might be something to keep in mind and to ask the vet about, especially if there has been no endoscopy.

2. Every authoritative article and book (so far) has said that this is a highly individual disorder, and that what works for your dog may have zero to do with what works for another dog. (I do see frequent mention of plain canned pumpkin -- not pie filling, of course -- that helps calm some dogs' diarrhea.)

3. The support and suggestions of others in the same boat is invaluable.

There's a link to a Yahoo support group on the lower left of this page:
http://www.geocities.com/ibdogsintl/

Here's a page of "Helpful Hints":
http://www.geocities.com/ibdogsintl/tips.html

OK, that's as far as I've gotten, but I see mention of the benefits of anti-inflammatory Essential Fatty Acids, and I want to read about that, and whether (as with most conditions that benefit from EFAs) it's Omega 3s that are most beneficial.