No more raw for Sophie

[threedognight]

Well it was going great for the first week and I thought we had finally licked Sophies IBD; she was eating great, and had firm poo and no vomiting. Then yeaterday she had extremely bloody and mucusy diarea and vomiting. I got her to eat enough of her Blue Buffalo canned venison stew to take her antibiotics and she feels much better this morning but still not eating yet. I am keeping the other two on raw seeing as they are doing so well on it. I have ordered Sophie a bag of Natural Balance duck and sweet potato in hopes of getting a long lasting "well" period. She had the longest well time on BB fish & sweet potato(about 2 months).

[RawFedDogs]

Even healthy dogs that are newly switched will have occasional diarrhea and/or vomit particularly if they are on antibiotics. It's no big deal and easily fixed. You are making a big mistake putting her back on kibble which caused the problem to begin with. Prey Model Raw is the absolute best thing you can feed an IBD dog. It is much easier to digest than any other food there is. Even my wife who has IBD can eat any meat she wants but some veggies and most fruits give her real problems. You can't buy a kibble with no veggies.

Just because she has one bout of diarrhea/vomiting doesn't mean she is not doing well. Give it a chance. Don't panic at the first set back.

What did you feed her before her set back and how much did you feed? IBD dogs usually need smaller more frequent meals when switching. This is not a difficult problem to fix.

[threedognight]

This has been an ongoing problem. I know that I wont change your mind but you cant fix EVERYTHING with a raw diet. I agree whole heartedly that it is the best diet you can feed a dog UNLESS it is making them ill. Sophie isnt just having diahrea, she is pooping nearly straight blood and mucus. I have been stuggling for months to get this under control and the only luck I have had is with fish and duck. The kibble is NOT what made her sick, her body did, her problems are not the grains in the kibble, it is with her body attacking the protiens as they enter her gut like they attack disease. She is most likely most allergic to the protiens in chicken and I cannot afford to buy duck for her, nor can I spend my days fishing for her. I really wanted this to work for her but it didnt and I have to do what I can to make her as healthy and COMFORTABLE as I can. I am despereatly trying to keep her off of a prescription diet but that is where a lot of dogs with this disease end up. IBD is a terrible condition not to be confused with IBS.

[micdenver]

Hi,

I read you are giving your dog antibiotics. Because the antibiotics will kill the good helpful bacteria in their system you need to give them probiotics also. I'm currently giving Nutri-Vet from PetSmart because it was reasonably priced but there are lots of really good high quality versions out there and once my dogs are off the antibiotics I'll likely restock with another brand so that they are getting a well rounded set of probiotics. They suggest giving it for 4 weeks after the antibiotics end.

Good luck to you and your dogs overcoming the digestive issues.

Michelle

[attackofthebear]

It could have been a detoxification. I know my dogs went through a vomiting and mucus covered stools around three to five days after starting the diet. I dont recall blood in my dogs stools, but there might have been some. I would look up the detoxification process to see if thats what it was.

Dogs that switch to raw typically show signs of improvement first, then the symptoms return worse then they were before. That is because the body is dealing with them, fighting them. This is mistaken as a bad reaction to the diet, when in fact it is the main reason for going on the diet.


http://www.drpitcairn.com/books/pitcairn_book.html
The link goes to the book that explains a ton of information about detoxification. Dr. Pitcairn isnt my favorite holistic vet, but he is correct about this process. I recommend trying to find the book in the library or buying it if you want to. Based on what I have read, it was worth the buy.

[RawFedDogs]

This has been an ongoing problem. I know that I wont change your mind but you cant fix EVERYTHING with a raw diet.

No it won't fix everything but it certainly will fix IBD.

I agree whole heartedly that it is the best diet you can feed a dog UNLESS it is making them ill.

The raw diet is not what is making your dog ill. She was ill long before beginning the raw diet.

Sophie isnt just having diahrea, she is pooping nearly straight blood and mucus.

While that can be upsetting to someone not expecting it, it is really not a big deal. It is easily fixed.

The kibble is NOT what made her sick, ...

Oh, it is THE VERY cause of her problems.

her body did, her problems are not the grains in the kibble, it is with her body attacking the protiens as they enter her gut like they attack disease.

That is probably true but it is the plant proteins, not the animal proteins that cause the problem. Grains aggravate it also.

She is most likely most allergic to the protiens in chicken and I cannot afford to buy duck for her, nor can I spend my days fishing for her.

Most likely not. A dog being allergic to animal protein is like a cow being allergic to grass. It just almost never happens.

I really wanted this to work for her but it didnt and I have to do what I can to make her as healthy and COMFORTABLE as I can.

Give it a chance. You haven't done that yet. You tried it one week and then after one little incident, you panicked and stopped.

I am despereatly trying to keep her off of a prescription diet but that is where a lot of dogs with this disease end up. IBD is a terrible condition not to be confused with IBS.

My wife has IBD. I know all about it. Of course she is not on a raw diet either. hehe

[threedognight]

I have almost watched this dog bleed to death from the rectum and retch until she had no energy to stand so PLEASE stop trying to be her savior and my educator when you know NOTHING of mine or her personal battle with this. She is back on a grainless kibble, has finished her antibiotics and is doing great. I have continued to feed raw to my other two because it is working well for them. Just as I would not force a lactose intolerant child to drink milk just because its good for them; I will not force a diet on my dog that causes her pain and misery.
You have a lot of very good info and are very passionate about what you believe and that is great but you are crossing the line from passion into fanaticism. Most people if not all dislike being preached at and being talked down to. You will reach many more people with your information if you would sound a bit less like you are shoving it down their throats.

[RawFedDogs]

... so PLEASE stop trying to be her savior and my educator when you know NOTHING of mine or her personal battle with this.

I know more about your situation than you think I do. I know IBD. I know what it is and what it does. I also know the canine digestive system and how it works. I know that raw meat and bones are much easier on the digestive system than any kibble with or without grain. There is nothing you could feed your dog that is harder to digest than kibble. Difficult to digest things are not what you want to feed.

Do your own research and you will come to the same conclusion. If you don't want to be educated, fine. I am just trying to help. I understand your frustration with your dog. It can be very unsettling to have a dog with such serious problems.

I will not force a diet on my dog that causes her pain and misery.

There are a lot of treatments for a lot of physical ailments that may cause pain and misery and a raw diet may cause the same for your dogs temporarily until her digestive system adjusts to real food, and it will adjust. There is no physical ailment that a dog can have that will benefit more from feeding a diet of highly processed artificial food than from a diet of meat, bones, and organs. Artificial food just doesn't make sense anytime.

Do what you want. It's your dog but you are shooting the messenger. The message is correct.

[bellamicuore]

You have a lot of very good info and are very passionate about what you believe and that is great but you are crossing the line from passion into fanaticism. Most people if not all dislike being preached at and being talked down to. You will reach many more people with your information if you would sound a bit less like you are shoving it down their throats.

I have to agree with this. I think this exact same thing every time I read your posts. Great info, but it would be more helpful if you toned it down just a bit. Just my opinion.

[chunli27]

I completely agree. You are definitely very knowledgeable when it comes to dogs but you do sound very condescending at times. I understand that the raw diet is better for dogs, and yes...that is how nature intended them to be. But things have changed. Just because kibble isn't as good as raw does not mean that it is bad. I have had a few dogs and my last one passed away at 17, completely healthy, just from old age. Nature didn't intend for humans to eat deep fried, oil cooked McDonald, but they do. Now, if you are also on the Raw movement of only eating unprocessed food, then I suppose I cannot make a case haha.

Perhaps people will be more grateful for your knowledge and opinion if you didn't attack everyone. You seem to get very offended and defensive if someone does not have the same opinion as you on their dog's diet.

Threedognight...I'm glad that your baby is doing better and wish you both the best.