Sensitive Stomach Help!

Dog Food Advisor Forums Diet and Health Sensitive Stomach Help!

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  • #54402 Report Abuse
    Dfwgolden
    Participant

    I have a 6 month old Great Dane puppy named Bane, I love him to bits and will do anything for him. So when I say I am desperate I mean it.

    My baby has had Patte type Diarrhea since day one. His breeder had him on Diamond . And he was mushy but not sloppy. We switched him to 4 health that did not agree with him and since then it’s been a down hill battle.
    We’ve tried
    4 Health
    Earth born
    Pro Plan
    Gravy Train
    Rachel Ray
    Raw (Prey Model)
    Pure Balance
    Whole Earth Farms
    Wellness

    It does not matter what we feed him he ALWAYS has diarrhea. We’ve done medication, pumpkin, yogurt, pro-biotics and other things. We’ve done chicken and rice.
    No matter what IT WILL NOT GO AWAY.
    Diamond makes it explosive and he threw up Gravy Train.

    It seems like nothing we do works. And even our vet is stumped.
    We cannot spend over $50 a bag, I live in the USA in Dallas Ft. Worth area of Texas. I am at my wits here I don’t know what else to do!

    None of my other dogs are effected by it. We have fed a rotational diet for about 3 years now and have had Great Success. But with Bane I don’t know what to do. Other than the diarrhea he is 100% healthy and growing like a weed.

    I just am tirred of picking up water.

    Any ideas?

    #54413 Report Abuse
    theBCnut
    Member

    This is going to take time, because his intestines are so irritated they need time to heal. Get digestive enzymes and leave him on them until at least 2 weeks after his stool stays normal. The enzymes will help him to get the most out of his food so you can feed him the least amount. Get The Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form and give it until at least 2 weeks after stools are normal, when you do decide to take him off it, taper off so if he starts to have stool changes you are ready to increase it again. THK Perfect Form has probiotics, prebiotics, fiber, slippery elm, and some other good stuff that will help to calm his intestinal wall. Get NutriSource Large Breed Puppy and slowly transition to it. NutriSource foods are usually easy to transition to, but I don’t want you to irritate his system any worse than it already is. Start giving him organic coconut oil. Start with just 1/2 teaspoon and slowly work up to 1 teaspoon per day for every 20 lbs of body weight. If you start seeing improvements within 3 days of starting THK Perfect Form, that’s great, keep going. If no improvement, he may need some psyllium or ground chia seeds for added fiber. Don’t expect this to totally clear for a while, but if it is going to help, you should start seeing improvements pretty quickly.

    #54430 Report Abuse
    Susan
    Participant

    Hi, has the vet tried him on a vet prescription diet kibble yet like the Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal low fat or the Sensitivity Control….My boy was put on the Eukanuba Intestinal vet diet, it only has 1.75%-fiber 10%-Fat, he was put on the Intestinal Plus 4%-fiber first, he was still doing very sloppy poos after 2 weeks, then I had to order another bag, the lady made a mistake & gave me the Intestinal instead of the Intestinal Plus it was a blessing making the mistake as the Intestinal is only 1.75% crude fiber, as soon as he started the Intestinal 1.75%-fiber his poos were back to normal within 2 days, thats when we realised he needed less fiber, vet said she wanted him to stay on the Eukanuba Intestinal for 1 year but around 6 months when he was doing real well, I started trying other kibbles, I stay around the same fat% protein% & I tried to find a low crude fiber% as his Intestinal Vet diet but it was hard as the vet prescription diet only had the real low crude fiber, even when I give Patch Pumkin I cant give him more then a little teaspoon, if I give more his poos are very sloppy, he cant have too much fiber or fat..
    Have you ever done an elimaintion diet, thats the best way, I found that Patch was getting real bad diarrhea from potatos & itchy skin & Sweet potatos made his ears itchy when I did the elimination diet, Vet tried him on the Euknuba FP for his skin last December 1 week after just introducing 1/4cup of the FP to his Intestinal for the whole week, (I slowly introduce new kibbles I use to take about 1 month) he had real bad diarrhea as soon as he ate something he had to run outside & do water poo, so I took him straight off the FP vet thought it was from the higher fat% as it was 15% where his Intestinal was only 10% then 6 months later when I started the elimination diet, I realised it was the potatos in the Eukanuba FP as it was Fish & Potato giving him the bad diarrhea…the less you give the better, there has to be a food that stops his diarrhea, on the yahoo groups there’s a group called “IBDogs” & most of the dogs with real bad diarrhea are put on Prednidsone (Steroid) has he been put on a steroid yet, its for inflammed bowel, I never put Patch on the steriod as I got his diarrhea under control, he was put on the Metroniazole for 2 weeks & when he has had a flares, he gets put on the Metronidazole (Flagyl) for 2 weeks,
    Most of the kibbles that you have tried have they been grainfree, try & get a kibble with low fat, low protein, low fiber & not a grainfree kibble as some grain free kibbles are higher in fat & protein, try a limited ingredient kibble.. after trying about 6 different kibbles, I put Patch on the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal first then I realised it has Potato protein (he started to scratch) then I changed him to the Lamb & Oatmeal it has Oats & rice I found Patch does better on grounded rice & oats kibbles, the fiber is 4.75% I was a bit worried to try but it had been over 6months since Patch had a real bad flare, last December but I still do his Eukanuba Intestinal for dinner & the Wellness Simple for breakfast & lunch… I have to give Patch smaller meals thru the day he doesnt do well on 2 large meals a day.. Have you tried the Wellness Complete health Puppy Large breed Deboned Chicken & brown rice.. I was going to try the Large breed if the Wellness Simple didnt work, but there was too many proteins in it & it has brown rice, brown rice is higher in fiber thats what worried me.. try to get a kibble with just has 1 protein that’s why I tried the Lamb & Oatmeal & the Duck & Oatmeal cause there’s just the 1 protein but it has peas & Patch farts cause of the peas…. Less is best..
    Another kibble some of the ladys are using on the IBDogs is “Natural Balance” limited ingredients…try one that has the less ingredents some have more ingredients then the other limited ingredient kibbles… here’s the link to have look at the ingredients in the LTD kibbles, the Kangaroo has just Kangaroo & Potato & the fiber is 3% fat-10% there’s Bison & Sweet Potato but it has has peas, I wouldnt try a kibble with peas just yet, there’s the Potato & Rabbit that doesnt have peas or too many ingredients, have alook at all the Limited ingredients kibbes & pick one with just 1 protein that he has never had before the Kangaroo looked the best & had the least ingredients..the other one was the potato & Rabbit also didnt have too many ingredients to irratate his bowel..
    http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/product-category.aspx?…
    Or start an Elimination diet & don’t start with chicken as u’ve tried the Chicken & it didnt work, another protein like Lamb, kangaroo, rabbit, fish, one lady feeds her dog horse meat, if you can find a place that sells horse meat, cook it, not raw yet & dont do the boiled rice, Patch can have grounded rice in kibbles but not boiled rice, it irritates the bowel for some dogs, maybe try potato or sweet potatos instead of the boiled rice if he goes good then add another food.. or ask vet put him on a vet prescription diet like the Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal low fat alot of dogs do real well on the Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal or the Royal Canin Sensitivity Control its just Duck & Tapioca & no other foods, no treats etc then when he’s better after 6months try & find another kibble with similar ingredients to the vet diet he’s on..
    He would be so skinny as he wouldnt be getting any nutrition cause he’s pooing it back out…something is really wrong with Banes digestion, vet may need to do bi-opies to find what the problems is.
    I feel for you & Bane there’s a few Great Danes on the IBDogs group if you join they also may be able to help you out as they have & are going thru the same thing, also Coconut oil at this stage is a No No when he’s going real good then maybe introduce new things but sooooooo slowely cause 1 thing can make him have a real bad flare & then you’ll have so much touble getting them back to pooing normal again like last December, it took me nilly 3 months to get Patch back to doing nice firm poos again & on the Wellness Simple he does nice firm poos, I think he did better poos on the Duck & Oatmeal it had less peas cause they used the Potato protein & not as many peas in the Duck & Oatmeal…. Good-Luck have a look at the Natural Balance LImited ingredient kibbles…

    #54432 Report Abuse
    Naturella
    Member

    Dfwgolden,

    So, a few days ago my boy also got serious diarrhea, and I tried a few things myself – yoghurt, bread, pumpkin, boiled chicken and brown rice… Individually nothing helped, and my guy was also vomiting on top of it all… But, I had two packs of The Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form, and DO I SWEAR by it now! This stuff is amazing! My Bruno stopped vomiting, got his appetite back (I was feeding boiled chicken with brown rice, tossed in the blender with some of the chicken water, and blended until mushy, with a tablespoon of canned plain pumpkin and 3/4 teaspoon of THK Perfect Form per meal (a bit more of the recommended dose)). I then added canned dog food with only 3 ingredients – chicken, chicken broth, and garlic. Now he’s on that canned mushed up with brown rice and still with the pumpkin and Perfect Form. Tomorrow I will introduce a canned version of normal dog food that I plan to feed the kibble of and see how he does. But THK firmed up his stool from watery mucus/jelly to formed, almost normally-firm stools today! I am ecstatic, and will run to grab him a few more packs from the store down the street from me. If you can, try it out for a few days, maybe with the same or similar mush as me if you think that your guy will benefit from it, but whatever you put it in… That stuff should work! 🙂

    BCnut, I was going to ask how long to give THK for, but you answered my question before I posed it. Lucky for me, 1 packet lasts him about a week, maybe more when I go down to his recommended dose (1/2 teaspoon/meal).

    #54433 Report Abuse
    Kristin C
    Member

    Dfw – when you say rotational what do you mean? Ever tried just plain white rice and boiled chicken to reset his digestion? I did this with my 5 month old pup after it was coming out both ends for weeks. Turns out a raw diet worked best for her so I switched both my girls to raw.

    #54619 Report Abuse
    Julie L
    Member

    All of the above are very good suggestions so I’ll add another. My doodle has a very sensitive stomach along with being a picky eater. I thought I tried everything! I went to the pet store and the owner put me on a kibble called “Wild Calling” not to be confused with the other. In about 2 days my dogs poo was like little tootsie rolls (no more “ugh I hate to clean up soft stool days”) I started her on the Elk,whitefish and she actually likes it. I then went to just whitefish (not so good) then to Turkey (loved it) beef (loved it) duck, salmon lamb (so so).
    Here’s what I’m trying to say. Wild Calling is a “rotational” kibble with out any ill affects. Right now thru the end of the year if you buy one 4# bag you can have another free. If your dog doesn’t improve, bring it back to the store for a full refund. I’ll quit touting WC now but I went thru a 18mo before I found what was right for Ellie and now new puppy Molly.

    #55297 Report Abuse
    Hildie V
    Member

    Mine used to be the same as a puppy and it wasn’t until I switched her to NRG dehydrated that she became normal.

    Kibble is hard for them to break down. By the time it reaches you it has been handled a lot, cooked at high temperatures, and totally altered from it’s natural state.

    I would suggest feeding homecooked food, raw, or dehydrated where all you do is add water and soak to fluff it back up

    I bet you if you tried this, and added a spoon of pumpkin, you would see huge improvements. When switching to any new food do it gradually. Start off small and over about a month slowly increase until the diet is completely switched over to the new one a month later.

    #55567 Report Abuse
    Barbara
    Member

    I was wondering after reading some of the comments about digestive enzymes if it is okay to continue using THK perfect form for any length of time just to keep stomach issues from reoccurring? I am talking like 6 months at 1/2 dosage for 2 of my 3 dogs (one is a lab and the other a Husky mix both about 75+ lbs) they each seem to have a loose stool maybe a few of time a week still. I had been using it full dosage for about a month when I switched them off of Taste of the wild because of diarrhea even when I was switching them slowly…I think part of it was I first went to Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural which was too rich for them. I like Victor the best of the dry dog foods I have tried but want to keep switching the protein. 4 to 5 star Dry is about 2/3 of the their diet plus canned Kirkland’s ND Turkey and pea stew is 1/3. They get good human food toppers a couple of times a week also. I just want to be sure it is okay to continue to have them be on THK perfect form at 1/2 dosage since they both can have sensitive tummies occasionally… Thanks!

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by Barbara.
    #55571 Report Abuse
    theBCnut
    Member

    If they are still on it and getting loose stools a few times a week, I would think that maybe it isn’t doing as much as you think and want to try them without it for a while and see if things remain the same.

    If you took them off of it and they are having loose stools a few times a week, then yes I would put them back on it for a while. It won’t hurt. The only thing is if something else happens, it might not help more. For that reason, I would want to eventually get them off of it. Some insults to the intestines really do just take a while to heal. I read an article today that suggested giving plant based digestive enzymes on an empty stomach for a few days to help heal any injury to the intestines. Give at least 1 hour before feeding or 2-3 hours after. Oh, and keep up the probiotics, those are very important. There are some in PF so while you are giving that you may not need to give more, but after you get them off it, give probiotics about 2 times a week.

    #55576 Report Abuse
    Barbara
    Member

    Thank you BCnut for such a quick reply. Maybe I should I have been giving PF ahead of feeding as suggested in that article? I was following what it stated on the package…also I mix it with yogurt into their food. I will take them off of PF and see how they do. I was considering doing that but knew you would help me. btw I also have a border collie/flat coat retriever mix he is wonderful and one of the smartest dog I have ever had. Very fussy eater though only eats when he wants to and always expecting something special (meat) with it. He is the only one I have ever given chicken or turkey necks. He has no stomach issues like the others. He will be 14 yrs old in Jan and still runs fast for short spurts and is very playful with some dogs. He has a little shaking in his hind quarters but Swanson’s Mobility Essentials and Green Lipped Mussel seem to help. He expects to go to the off-leash dog park every morning and follows me around staring at me until we go. I know you enjoy your Border collies very much and I am sure they love living on a farm. Thanks for your help.

    #55578 Report Abuse
    theBCnut
    Member

    No, the PF should be given as stated on the package, because it has severeal different things in it, not just the digestive enzymes. If you want to try the thing with feeding digestive enzymes on an empty stomach, you’ll need to get something different. If you keep seeing issue, I would consider it.

    Border Collies and BC mixes are amazing dogs, aren’t they! I have one that’s picky too, but ever since I started feeding a rotational diet, he has never missed a meal. Knock on wood! And both of mine have the “meaningful stare” down to a science. There is never any question as to what they want. We joke about them having ESP, because we always know what they want. And Gideon has started doing the Lassie stare, the one that says “I want you to follow me!! NOW!!”

    #55580 Report Abuse
    crazy4cats
    Participant

    Hi Barbara-
    I think our dogs have had similar issues and we also feed pretty much the same foods if I remember correctly. I also have used and still use in a rotation in addition to Perfect Form, Gastriplex by Thorne and Vetriscience’s Vetri-Pro BD. You could give one of these on an empty stomach as they are tablets or capsules. My dogs stools are best after I feed them THK or raw nuggets as toppers. One day a week, I feed them lightly cooked turkey with the SSLL dinner mix, with no kibble at all and their stools are great. They tend to be softer when I use canned as a topper. Good luck, I know it is frustrating.

    #55582 Report Abuse
    Barbara
    Member

    Yes they are amazing!! He is my 2nd BC mix but when I have a choice I will adopt another one. Even though I love all dogs I did not get to choose the lab and the husky mix (even though I do love them also). The owners who originally adopted them, one a friend and another a relative had to give them up and begged me to take them. At the time I took the Husky I had a Golden retriever mix she lived to be almost 16, I still miss her terribly after 7 years. One day I will have another Golden but I will always have a BC or BC mix if I have any say…

    #55583 Report Abuse
    Kristin C
    Member

    So, not on topic, and I’m a bit so slow:) I guess your member name stands for Border Collie nut BC? My beagle/Aussie mix, who is FAR more Aussie has the “meaningful stare” down pat. I text my husband regularly on how we read each other’s minds.

    I will add that we feed rotational, and she has never turned away from a meal, maybe that’s the beagle in her.

    #55584 Report Abuse
    Barbara
    Member

    Hi Crazy4cats, Yes we do feed them similar dry and canned foods. Thank you for your advice about feeding. I will try to feed them a little more lightly cooked meat and poultry and a little less canned which should help. My BC mix is very fussy unless I add some “real food” topper anyway. I’m glad your feeding method is working well for your dogs. Thanks!

    #55586 Report Abuse
    theBCnut
    Member

    Hi Kristin

    Yes, I’m a Border Collie nut. I used to have a beagle, and not only did he never miss a meal, he often found extra meals for himself, including a 25 lb box of dog biscuits that I got for my GSDs, the whole box! I think when I got home from work that day there was less than 2 lb left and when I went to grab them, he lunged for them too. He was as big as a very respectable watermelon and had vomitted all over the place from over eating then went back for more. He never had any loose stools or any other issue from his overindulgence, except that I always double checked to make sure his crate was locked after that.

    #55611 Report Abuse
    Kristin C
    Member

    Too funny! My beagle/Aussie girl, Sadie, has lost 4 lbs since we got our chihuahua mix (who has been a handful). But she’s got a rock solid stomach, there’s nothing I feed her that bothers her. How many dogs do you have? I’m thinking about going for a third. We have a brunette and redhead, going for a blond next! Sorry, this is so off topic.

    #55624 Report Abuse
    theBCnut
    Member

    I’ve got 3. My red head has a sensitive stomach. There that was On Topic. 🙂

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