[Janie M G]

I need help fast, please! I have a four year old French Bulldog, generally vey healthy. He had one attack of gastro inflammation a year ago and got over it just fine. About a week ago he started yelping in pain, went to the vet twice who ran all sorts of blood tests, sonogram, etc and determined Nikko has an inflamed and somewhat enlarged gallbladder. He put him on steroids, pain pills and antibiotic. Nikko has eaten just fine through all of this, and goes to the bathroom just fine. I feed him Acana grain free regionals and a liitle bit of Merrick canned grain (Grammy’s Pot Pie) free dog food in the morning. At night he loves cottage cheese and his Acana. Snacks are limited. I also put Great Life probiotic/enzymes in his canned food and I have also put Grissley Salmon oil in his food for his coat. I am wondering if the salmon oil, although just about 2 squirts per day, inflamed his gallbladder. I REALLY want him to get better and I want to avoid surgery if I can. The vet, of course, wants him on Science Diet food and I refused. It is bad food! Please advise me what to feed him to help his gallbladder and to avoid any problems in the future. I am scared for my little guy!

[Susan]

Hi Janie, gee poor thing, I would listen to vet I’m one for not listening & not using vet diets & now my Patch is very ill, I feed him a new premium food & we think he was allergic to something in the kibble & he got real bad acid reflux & it burnt his throat now he cant swallow, I think he got acid reflux or maybe the food he allergic to inflamed his throat, now he’s on home cooked turkey breast mince, 1 egg mixed thru & made into a meat loaf then baked in oven, then I boil pumkin & mix about 1 spoon pumkin to 1 cup turkey breast mince, that’s all he can eat…..either feed the vet diet just till he’s better or look up best cooked foods for enlarged Gallbladder…I’ve heard that very painful, I would stop any oils anything that can cause acid reflux, my mum had her gallbladder removed & she use to get real bad acid reflux &pain after eating & was put on a low fat diet.. What was the name of the Hills vet diet, look it up & see what % is the fat, fiber & protein as these diets are made especially for health problems & maybe try & find a different diet, even compare the Royal Canine vet diets & see which one has the better ingredients that’s what I do..or cook for him just till he’s better. He needs to rest the Gallbadder less food is best also is he over weight???

[Janie M G]

Thanks so much for the reply. He is not overweight, thank heavens, I measure his food and feed him twice per day to make sure he maintains a good weight.. I sure can cook for him until he is better. I made him boiled chicken and white rice this week and he will eat it, but long term, I need to find really good food for him. Frenchies seem to have a lot of gastro problems and cannot eat a lot of food other dogs can eat. I am careful with him knowing this, but I really have a bad situation considering how sick he has been. I will keep researching diets for gallbladder. Thanks again!

[Janie M G]

Patch is adorable! I sure hope he gets better. You might try Acana kibble, it is very highly rated and Nikko loves it, of course, when he gets better! Best to you and your baby!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Janie-
While I have no experience with dogs with gallbladder issues. In fact, I didn’t know they could have them! I ended up having my gallbladder removed a few years ago. I had about 5 or 6 “attacks” and couldn’t deal with it anymore. It is so painful. Does your dog have stones as well? My issues started after a fairly significant weight loss and then a VERY fatty meal one night. My best guess would be to keep the fat at a minimum with your dog and avoid any type of quick weight loss. I would definitely cut back on the salmon oil. Check the labels on the canned food before you feed. Many of them are packed with fat! I also would feed the prescription food and give the gallbladder a rest for a bit. Like Susan mentioned above, there are 3 or four brands of prescription dog foods that you could check out and work with your vet to choose the best one. And then maybe slooowly transition to a regular dog food, sticking with a low fat variety.

I tend to use lower fat foods as well as I have two large neutered male labs that tend to get chubby. I have fed Nutrisource senior, California Natural grain free pork, and there is also a weight management/senior Victor food that I may try that are all lower fat while maintaining a decent amount of protein.

Good luck with your dog. Let us know how it turns out. Poor thing!

[Bobby dog]

Susan:
Nice update on Patch. Very nice that you shared your experience with Vet and commercial diets and how they have impacted his health with everyone! Sounds like you have Patch on the road to recovery, good luck!

[Janie M G]

Thanks so much for the information! I am researching the best food as we speak!

[Author]

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