# Inflammatory Bowel Disease?



## Harper (Jan 3, 2019)

Hi there! So, I am super frustrated and not sure what the "right" thing is to do for my boy. Since he was about 12 weeks old he has been super picky with his food. We added milk on top of his kibble ( breeder recommended) to help him eat it and to put a little weight in...we didn't continue that for long since it caused GI upset. He has always struggled with weight....very thin with ribs and hip bones prominent. I have switched around kibbles in hopes to find the right one for him. Intermittent trouble with loose stools and gassy, also red rash skin on belly. He was diagnosed by his vet with IBD based on diarrhea and blood work done (B vitamin levels were very low suggesting malnutrition). She put him on Royal Canine Hydrolized Protien kibble, he hated this. He has been on that for about 7 months and really hasn't gained any weight....... he is 16 months old and weighs 42 lbs barely. I went to a small pet food shop and the guy said to put him on Annamaet 24% Option. He said no need to integrate the food, just make a complete switch. Well now Harper has really bad diarrhea and is going non stop when he's running outside. Although his trashy skin has gone away! I am just soooo frustrated. My gut tells me (no pun intended) that he really doesn't have IBD, just has sensitive belly. But I can't seem to get him acclimated to any diet. Maybe I am switching around too much and just need to give this switch time? Help please!!! (Photos below)


----------



## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

Switching around food too many times can cause ulcer and other issues. So once u find one brand which works stick to it. Switching between brands always requires careful transition. Same brand, different protein is normally ok, but with a puppy and stomach issue history, better to be overly careful.
Get as soon as you can raw goat milk (we use primal) and give him that. If you only find the powder version, that should be fine too. Wait 4-6 hours, cook some sweet potato, remove the skin, wait until it is lukewarm and give him that (i put that in a kong, my boys love it, that is one of their favorite treats). For the next meal, get some ground turkey, cook it, give him that. Once u see the issue clearing up, start adding kibble (gradually, start with just 10% of what his normal portion will be, gradually removing the turkey). Turkey is also a helpful item for keeping him low while the healing process is ongoing.
It will take some time, so be patient, even if it means for several more days he won`t eat his full amount of food. 
Suggest not giving him any commercial treats. There are some which are 100% turkey or salmon, freeze dried, in my experience even sensitive stomach can deal with those. I give mines every evening 2 pieces of baby carrot too, that is there post dinner snack, they love it. They also get a piece of cooked salmon once a week, again in a kong. I add pro and probiotics for every kibble meal they get. 
Hopefully this helps, i know it is devastating to see your baby suffering. Let me know if any other questions please.


----------



## Harper (Jan 3, 2019)

Thank you so much!! I have heard raw goats milk is good. I will try to get some today or order it ar least. I will keep you posted on his progress!! Many thanks again for the help 😊


----------



## tegee26 (Apr 25, 2018)

Harper said:


> Hi there! So, I am super frustrated and not sure what the "right" thing is to do for my boy. Since he was about 12 weeks old he has been super picky with his food. We added milk on top of his kibble ( breeder recommended) to help him eat it and to put a little weight in...we didn't continue that for long since it caused GI upset. He has always struggled with weight....very thin with ribs and hip bones prominent. I have switched around kibbles in hopes to find the right one for him. Intermittent trouble with loose stools and gassy, also red rash skin on belly. He was diagnosed by his vet with IBD based on diarrhea and blood work done (B vitamin levels were very low suggesting malnutrition). She put him on Royal Canine Hydrolized Protien kibble, he hated this. He has been on that for about 7 months and really hasn't gained any weight....... he is 16 months old and weighs 42 lbs barely. I went to a small pet food shop and the guy said to put him on Annamaet 24% Option. He said no need to integrate the food, just make a complete switch. Well now Harper has really bad diarrhea and is going non stop when he's running outside. Although his trashy skin has gone away! I am just soooo frustrated. My gut tells me (no pun intended) that he really doesn't have IBD, just has sensitive belly. But I can't seem to get him acclimated to any diet. Maybe I am switching around too much and just need to give this switch time? Help please!!! (Photos below)



FWIW our 19-mo old male V is an extremely picky eater. He only eats one meal a day and only on occasions two. And our V only weighs 48-lbs. But the good news is he is very propositional and shows no ribs, etc. We simply chalked his overall weight to being the "runt" of the litter as they say.

To that end, we also feed Annameat, and I have worked very closely with their CS team over the past 10-yrs with my 13-yr old lab that was having seizers and sever ear infections. They were great to work with back then, and long story short, the food we were feeding him, along with the type of protein, was causing most of the issues. Fast forward to our V, again we have worked closely with the CS team at Annameat. And due to only one meal a day we have to pack as much punch into his diet as possible. From our experience, Option 24% is a great food and the best selling product in their line. However, recently they expanded the "Option" line to include Option "Extra" and Option "Ultra". 26% and 32% respectively. We have our V on the Option Extra simply because the Extra is all our local distributor carries and the Ultra is a bit harder to find.

Not trying to push Annameat, but like others have mentioned on this forum before, a good quality protein source with high quality additives is critically important. And from my experience, the big box store brands are not the best. Or try selecting a high quality food from the Dog Advisor site?

Discuss the other Annameat products with your local store and/or give Annameat a call directly to discuss. The rep Kit is AWESOME and he has helped me immensely through the years. They truly "get it" and give real sage advice. This way you don't have to switch "foods" per se, just up the protein and calories.

http://www.annamaet.com/products

HTH and keep us posted.


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

If you don't see improved results, after trying what was mentioned in the above posts. You might want to consider a veterinary internal medicine specialist. I know some owners with dogs struggling with IBD have used them.


----------



## Harper (Jan 3, 2019)

Thank you all! It's so hard to see him not well. But now at least I have some direction. I will keep updates coming 😊


----------



## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

As usual, Gab offers great advice. Let me add that the IBD you see might very well be caused by incomprehensibly stupid advice of giving cows milk (dogs are lactose intolerant!) , and then to "Just" change the food w/o any transition. Before you panic, I would try a steroid and maybe Flagyl to quiet down the distress, and switch to and stay with a high quality food (Like Annamaet or Nature's Variety Instinct Original).


----------



## Harper (Jan 3, 2019)

Update: Harper is feeling MUCH better!! I took Gabica's tips on the goats milk raw and turkey/sweet potatoes and this settled his GI system. My vet recommended probiotics to try over the kibble I am using. He seems to be thriving now. Thanks all for your help!! Love this forum. It has been truly invaluable to me in helping with my baby!


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

That's awesome


----------



## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

This is great news. High energy dogs’s challenge seems to be their tummy. Once u find the right method for your dog they will thrive. They are sometimes different, so it may take some time.


----------

