# IBD(?) Dog Struggling... Need Help!



## jiujitsuchick (Sep 29, 2008)

Denali is just over a year and has been diagnosed with "IBD" after a battery of tests. I honestly think they ran out of things to look for. Our two other dogs eat raw and do just fine on it but Denali is having issues. We have switched him back to his kibble that was working before (sort of) and its really not helping. Prior to the kibble he was eating chicken, tripe, and sheep kidney or some combination of the three. Anyone with an IBD dog doing the raw thing? We could use some advice...


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Can you tell us:

The dogs symptoms

Exactly what you were feeding him

Exactly how MUCH you were feeding him (in ounces/pounds)

His current weight and activity level


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## jiujitsuchick (Sep 29, 2008)

Symptoms:
Excessive thirst and urination (will drink a full bowl in one sitting, will urinate for a full 2 minutes when outside)
loose "pudding" stools, multiple squats per poo, multiple times per day
Occasional water-poop

Feeding: 
Chicken (mostly), tripe, sheep heart, liver, (small amounts) and beef kidney; we rotate the organ meats in and out. Organ meet is usually only given in 1 oz. amounts. He also gets vitamin E and L-glutamine with breakfast. Our other dogs get salmon oil, but Denali doesn't because it tends to loosen the stool.

Amount:
Denali needs to gain some weight (about 10 pounds) so he is being fed 3% of his ideal body weight (80 pounds) three times a day, again the bulk of that is chicken. When he reaches weight he will be fed 2% of his body weight twice a day. I can get the exact menu if you need it (I should really have my boyfriend giving this information, he remembers numbers better than I) We do recalculate weight once a week for our dogs. Especially for our pupply that is gaining like crazy.

Current Weight: 
70 pounds, moderate activity level. He is kenneled during the day while we are at work (but we do go home for lunch) and then he is out and about all evening (outside and inside, playing)


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

Hi there,

There is a group on yahoo groups called k9kitchen. There is a moderator there named Caroline who I consider to be a god when it comes to IBD and diets. There is a wealth of info to be read there if you search IBD. A lot of it will center on novel, low fat foods that are likely to be cooked, not raw.


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## Fee (Jul 4, 2004)

There is also an IBD group list which you could ask:
[email protected]
There won't be too many dogs fed raw though with IBD, mostly GI-diets cooked or commercial and novel proteins are very important. Good luck!


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Has your GSD been tested for EPI?

Exactly how did they diagnose IBD?

Have you tried a main protein other than chicken?

To me the urination problems sound more like a problem with the diet formulation than IBD. My Max does this when he has too much sulfur in the diet.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: jiujitsuchick he is being fed 3% of his ideal body weight (80 pounds) three times a day,


So are you feeding 2.4ish pounds per meal or per day?


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## Fee (Jul 4, 2004)

Dogaware has a good article on IBD (supplements and diet etc.)
http://www.dogaware.com/

Has your dog had a scope to diagnose IBD? Do you give probiotics?


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## TANDB (Dec 12, 2005)

What cut of chicken are you feeding? backs, quarters? Recently I got chicken backs that had quite a bit of fat and skin left on them. I noticed one of my dogs can't tolerate all of the extra that is left on, he gets very soft stools. I cut alot of it off before feeding and he's back to normal. Could it be to much fat or not getting enough bone?


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

How's Denali doing?


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## BJDimock (Sep 14, 2008)

Given that you've tested for EPI, you might try some yougurt or probiotics.
They can have amazing results and have become part of the vet practice I work in first resort.
Other things, such as Tylan powder and the beloved Flagyl, help with IBD.
It is absolutely possible that your dog is allergic to chicken. Many dogs are.
On a farther note, I had a foster that was so high drive that she would exit her crate and drink a full bowl of water because it was there. If I refilled it, she would drink it again, because she could. (This lead to excess urination and soft stools, and only got better when we became a working team, and she found a job.) She was also very thin until she became a working guide. Then she was focused enough to slow down.


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