[Pamela P]

Hello Dog Lovers,
I have a cockapoo, 9 yrs old, and he has been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Disease with Secondary Lymphangeictasia. That means that he wasn’t able to absorb the fluids and they accumulated in his gut. The vet told us to switch him to Royal Canin Low Fat Diet. She also put him on Prednisone, which helped with the swelling, but the alarming thing was his low blood protein levels. She added Cyclosporine which has helped him get protein levels back to normal. So right now, he’s on a Low Fat Diet, 20 mg of prednisone and 100mg of Cyclosporine daily.

My question is to anyone who has tried natural remedies for IBD. I have been reading that there are 4 natural herbs that can help inflammation in the intestine that causes IBD. These herbs are: Marshmallow Root, Licorice Root, Slippery Elm, and Plantain Leaf. Has anyone used these with good results? How did you use them? Were your pets able to live without being on meds? Please help….it’s hard to find vets that will attest to the efficacy of non-conventional meds! I don’t want my dog to have to take meds for the rest of his life (and cyclosporine is SO expensive!)! Thank you so much!!

[anonymous]

Quote: “it’s hard to find vets that will attest to the efficacy of non-conventional meds!”

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/herbs-and-supplements/

I am sure you can find a homeopathic vet that will sell you supplements without even examining your dog!

They are in business just like traditional vets and need to make a profit too 🙂

Before you go down this road know that some supplements can interfere with the absorption and the effectiveness of prescription meds. Not all supplements are benign and with humans they have caused harm. There is no way of knowing exactly what is in the supplement. Most are just purified water and such.

I’d stick with the regular vet, maybe he can lighten up on the dosages of prescribed meds as your dog becomes stable.

Good luck

[anonymous]

This article was written in 2015 I’m sure the numbers are even higher now.

http://time.com/4072487/supplements-cause-more-than-23000-er-visits-a-year/ (excerpt below)

“Dietary supplements in the United States require no safety testing or FDA approval before being sold and marketed. Providing reasons for the use of the ingredients—citing historical use, for instance—is considered enough. If supplements are found to be unsafe, the FDA can remove them from market”.

BTW: Supplements are not medication.

[Joyce B]

Pamela P: Join the Facebook group “Holistic Dog Care (#FeedFresh)”. You’ll find folks who have used natural remedies for their dogs’ ailments with success. Many of them are very knowledgeable. I don’t know about your dog’s condition specifically, but I personally have used Slippery Elm for my dog’s nausea when he was ill and it was a lifesaver for his appetite. (You have to give it 2 hours away from any meds as not to block absorption.) Best of luck in your quest to help your dog!

[Pamela P]

Thank you, Anon101 and Joyce B for your responses! I know that I’ll have to do a lot of research before delving into the world of natural remedies, but I’ll start with that Facebook group. I’m also asking people in my area about holistic vets. Thank you for your well wishes! I’ll update this post if/when I see results! 🙂

[Susan]

Hi Pamela,
I have a dog with IBD & have tried natural & went thru a Holistic Vet & Animal Naturopath with Patch…
Have you joined the “Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disorder IBD” on facebook?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/11164787803/
I use the Slippery Elm Powder made into a slurry, go to health food store buy slippery elm powder not the capsules. Some Health food store have Slippery Elm & Marshmallow Root together
add 1/2 a teaspoon into a cup, boil the jug & slowly add the boiling water & stir quickly till you get a thin paste/slurry you pull up into a syringe 4ml & give 20mins before a meal.. I cover the cup with foil put in fridge & take out when needed again, it turns into a jelly then boil the jug & slowly add boiling water & stir till you have a slurry again & use then I throw out & make a new batch the next day..
Slippery Elm powder sooth the esophagus, stomach & bowel, good for nausea, acid reflux, rumbling grumbling gasses going thru the bowel -loud noises.. also helps firm poos..
Also sweet Potato is excellent I boil sweet potato cut into small pieces & I freeze them, then take out in morning to thaw, I mash 1 piece of sweet potato & I mash on a plate put in microwave for 8 secs to warm & I give to Patch when he’s whinging or has his bad acid reflux or I give as a treat.

Do you follow “Rodney Habib” on face book, he’s really good to follow & put you on the natural tract instead of feeding vet diets, he’s always testing dog food, treats etc..
What I did with Patch vet said to stayed on a vet diet for 9-12months so everything can rest & heal then when Patch was doing really well vet said now start introducing fresh healthy foods & introduce a better diet feed a grain free diet as grains made Patch reacts & have a flare..
also strengthen the gut, a healthy gut strengthens the dogs immune system.

If you want to try something natural that’s getting great reviews from people who have a dog suffering with IBD look at “Adored Beast Gut Soothe”
“Adored Breast Healthy Gut”
https://www.adoredbeast.com/collections/all

Julie Anne Lee – “Adored Beast Love Bugs” – Probiotics & Prebiotics

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