Dog with Irritable Bowel Disease

By Diane Tucker (Guest Post)

Our Maltese has IBD, we've spent $5,600 on her finding out (tests, surgery) getting her well. She can only eat Royal Canine Potato & Duck food, no table food or grocery store food ... she has been on steriods for 8 months but they have slowly been weaning her off ... she is great now but willalways be on this special diet.

By

Gina J.

Hi!
I absolutely agree with the acidophilus idea. I should ask--has your dog been treated at all with antibiotics? They will wreck a digestive tract! You can actually order probiotics for dogs--try Jeffers Vet supply on line. Most digestive disorders appear to be either caused by improper bacteria balance or actual toxins that have been ingested. To cover my bases, I would try feeding MEAT, which is what canines are meant to eat anyway, instead of grains, and you can also add a little dandelion root powder (to cleanse toxins from the bowel), aloe vera juice (to soothe the digestive tract) and the probiotics to refloridate the gut with the proper digestive bacteria. Good luck!

By

Jantoo

Poor dear. You'll want to be sure to get the name exactly right because the treatment for irritable bowel syndrome is different from that for inflammatory bowel disease. Good luck to you and your doggie.

By

junebug_000

You should find one hypoallergenic food and stick to it for at least 6 weeks. That is how long it takes to see how they will respond. Hill's Science Diet z/d Ultra or Purina's LA are both low antigen diets. You hope that once you find a food that your dog will be able to come off the prednisone. You have to watch the treats you give and rawhide chews too. You can add an Omega Fatty Acid supplement to the diet. They have natural anti-inflammatory properties, there are many formulations for dogs available.

By Guest (Guest Post)

Are you sure it's all grains? He might be able to eat steamed or boiled rice, with pressure-cooked or boiled chicken and/or lamb for protein. Some acidophilus and pro biotic complex powder sprinkled on the food might also be of benefit (that's not a prescription item). Your veterinarian can advise you if this suggestion is OK. Good luck.