bloss344

Would he add a small amount of livers/hearts to it? That would boost up the nutritional value a bit, chicken is low in some vital nutrients like zinc, iron and copper. What a nice butcher.

Did the Vet do blood tests to rule out liver and kidney problems? My old Kelpie lost a lot of weight and was off her food and finally when the vet did blood tests she has liver enzymes off the scale. She also has bad arthritis all over but especially in her shoulder and lowering her head into her food bowl obviously was painful. I raised her bowl up on a phone book and that helped. I also feed Tess very easy to digest food. Cooked fish, veggies and rice, and whiz it through the food processor to help digestion. Sounds stupid I know but works for us. Just throwing out a few ideas.

What Rappie said is so spot on. The only thing I'd like to add cos my Bob has the sensitive tummy from hell, is that perhaps the fat content in the chicken is aggravating the colitis. Bob can't tolerate much fat at all. I need to boil his meat, drain it and then rinse it again with hot water to remove even more fat. I know it seems extreme and perhaps I am a bit anal when it comes to this dog but it works for us. I tried him on a Fish Oil capsule recently and that was dynamite One thing that many owners of dog's with IBD/colitis find is these dogs often just can't tolerate fat in normal quantaties. I'm not saying it's not the chicken protein causing the problem, it probably is as chicken is such a common protein source but no matter what protein source you choose you may have to look at the fat content of Rafael's diet as well. The turkey breast is lower fat than the hindquater for instance, and you would probably want to remove the skin.

Devo, I was thinking about the chicken thing too last night. Although chicken is great for upset tummies, quite a few dogs are allergic/intolerant to chicken as it's used in a lot of commercial dog food due to the fact it's inexpensive. If your dog doesn't improve on the chicken and the vet says it's ok, you could try boiled minced beef instead. How is Devo today?

I was worming mine 3 monthly until Bob started passing tapeworm segments 4 weeks after worming. This happened a few times even though I was using the wormer from the vet. We wormed him for just tapeworm which seems to have cleared it up. Before that we were using the 'allwormer' type product. Perhaps they just aren't as effective now.

One of the girls in the Social class I go to, was doing Beginners Agility. Her dog wasn't overly interested and couldn't be revved up much with a toy, and tended to 'nick off'. During one lesson the instructor told the owner her dog was a 'waste of time'. Needless to say she doesn't do Agility at the moment. I thought instructors were meant to be helpful, not stomp on peoples confidence. I guess we can't be too critical though they are volunteers after all. :D

If you are trying to settle a tummy down with chicken and rice the norm is to use lean chicken such as the breast, remove all the fat and poach it. Oh, the rice should be well cooked too much mushier than you would use for yourself. It's just my opinion, but your pup has a tummy bug then you cook the food to remove as much bacteria as possible. Chicken can be very high in bacteria, not a problem usually but in this case I'd be cooking it for a couple of days at least. Did your vet suggest small frequent meals for a day or so, that might help. The colour ahhhh :D that's what I expected. That's because the food is moving through his intestines quickly, rather than at it's normal pace. It should slowly start to improve with the medication your vet has given.

Can you describe the colour? Lovely topic I know. Oh, are you cooking the chicken? Raw chicken on an already compromised gut might not be a good idea.

It's an awful age isn't it? Strong and willful and a who cares attitude. :D I might have missed something here but wouldn't it just be easier to make sure that there are no dishes in reach. That way there's no reward when he has a lick. And you become a much better housekeeper. My house has never been so tidy since getting Bob. He's over the counter surfing and stealing of inappropriate objects now, but I'm still tend to the tidy side. Do you by any chance feed him off your plate while you are eating?

Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth. I don't know much about it, except people on other lists I am on have tested for it when their dog had the poop symptoms. Untreated it can be the cause of IBD. There's other bacteria they can test for too like coccidiosis, and giardia.

Unfortunately there is no quick and easy way when it comes to an elimination diet, however I can say that once you get it all sorted out it's well worth it. I can control Bob's IBD without medication, and I know what may bring on a flare. I feel it's very worthwhile to be proactive in regards to diet with these dogs. Oh, has the vet tested for SIBO and other bacteria in the intestines? Good luck.

Usually the way to work out food allergies is with a strict elimination diet. One or two novel foods are fed for 8 weeks, with not a bite of anything else. Then very gradually new foods and supplements are added in. The good news is once you have eliminated the offending food, usually with tummy problems symptoms go away pretty quickly. Often dogs with tummy problems have food intolerances rather than actual allergies and this is why the elimination diet is used. My Bob is intolerant to beef, chicken, roo and needs an extremely low fat diet to keep his bowels under control. He also has an allergy to corn which causes ear infections.

I look at it this way... if it was you or one of your children [if you have them] then what would you do? If he's simply eating too fast and that's what is causing this you need to find a way to slow him down. The occasional vomit is not usually a problem, sometimes they just overeat or feel a bit off. Dogs will occasionally vomit once and that's it, seems to make them feel better, but there can be a variety of more serious reasons as well.

If it's daily then definitely speak to your vet. What stood out to me was the fact that your dog obviously is fussy/refuses food. This was Bob's first symptom of IBD/food intolerances. He would just not eat and I'm talking about a 3 month old puppy who is growing and should be hungry. Don't be fooled into thinking he'll eat if he's hungry until you have explored all other avenues.

My Bob used to vomit in the mornings until I started giving him a couple of bikkies at bedtime to keep something in his tummy. I feed him twice a day as well. Some people with this problem split daily meals into 3 giving a small one before bed. Obviously if it doesn't settle down off to the vet.

Dogs do get 'tummy bugs' just like us. Not the same ones as us though so we can't pass them back and forth. Best thing is to have Devo checked out by the vet, he'll give Devo something for the nausea and pain if there is any, and probably check out other causes as well such as liver problems or pancreatitis. Let us know how you go.

Erny, I am so sorry. There's nothing I can say to ease your pain. When I Blossom went to the bridge someone sent me this poem. I still find it very special. I Stood By Your Bed Last Night Author unknown I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep. I could see that you were crying, You found it hard to sleep. I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear, "It's me, I haven't left you, I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here." I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea, You were thinking of the many times, your hands reached down to me. I was with you at the shops today, Your arms were getting sore. I longed to take your parcels, I wish I could do more. I was with you at my grave today, You tend it with such care. I want to reassure you, that I'm not lying there. I walked with you towards the house, as you fumbled for your key. I gently put my paw on you, I smiled and said "it's me." You looked so very tired, and sank into a chair. I tried so hard to let you know, that I was standing there. It's possible for me, to be so near you everyday. To say to you with certainty, "I never went away." You sat there very quietly, then smiled, I think you knew ... in the stillness of that evening, I was very close to you. The day is over... I smile and watch you yawning and say "goodnight, God bless, I'll see you in the morning." And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide, I'll rush across to greet you and we'll stand, side by side. I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see. Be patient, live your journey out ... then come home to be with me.

Erny my thoughts are with you today.

Good points: 1. Very, very friendly 2. Always improving training methods 3. Offers lots of different things, eg: obedience, socialisation, agility, flyball, rally-0, trialling. 4. Small classes 5. Uses positive methods Bad points 1. Lack of communication between office bearers and members 2. Lots of instructors who don't instruct 3. Fairly long waiting lists for obedience classes

Wandering Jew which is considered a weed can cause problems like this. A lot of dogs are allergic to it. Perhaps she came in contact with it on a walk. There's a lot of different grasses and plants they can be allergic to though. It's a very extensive rash isn't it? Poor baby. Good your seeing some improvement.

Oooh that looks really painful and possibly infected. Off to the vet and hopefully with treatment you'll notice a difference within a few days and some relief for your pup. Then you can work on finding out what is causing it. As far as food allergy goes, just changing food for a few days won't help. You need to do an elimination diet for at least 8 weeks to get any reliable results. However food allergies are not all that common and usually it's a contact or environmental allergy. Good diet however will help with the healing process.

Do you think it has a 'chilling out' effect. Bob stresses terribly at Obedience to the point where he freezes and won't move around the other dogs. Do you think it would be worth trying for that?

No question is stupid, and it's great that you are doing research before you get your puppy. Most, if not all dry food is designed to be fed as the whole and total diet. Pet food companies do a lot of research in regards to feeding, and it's in their interest for dogs to receive the best nutrition. Good nutrition means longer life, and a dog who looks good, and that means they will sell more food. A lot of people do however add extra's to the dry food and although it's not necessary, up to 25% will not usually affect the nutritional balance of the dry food. Thre are a lot of choices out there and it's usually best to be guided by your pup's breeder initially. A lot of people here feed dry food, some raw food and some cooked food, whatever suits their dog. Oh don't expect not to be confused by all the various opinions you will get on canine nutrition.

Thanks for the info IR. I found it really distressing too to watch my dogs struggling while the vet dripped, dripped dripped the stuff into their noses. Inj for us.

Mine both got KC a week or so after having the nasal stuff vaccination and then my old dog got KC anyway a month later at the kennel. Last year we had the C5 injection and no KC even after a few days at the kennel. Is the nasal delivery more likely to give them a mild dose of KC?