How do you know

SteveL · #1 11-08-2009, 07:10 PM

Ok. I see a lot of posts with people talking about what there dogs cannot have and I am trying to figure out how they know. I have been fighting loose stools on and off since I got Rocky. How do you know when:
You need to go grain free
You can't feed a certain meat ie chicken
What are the other signs and symtoms I should be looking for.

BxrMommieNAZ · #2 11-08-2009, 10:16 PM

Well when I gave my boy a piece of beef, within a couple of hours he had whelts on his head that lasted over a week...it was kind of obvious LoL. When I had gone through every food known to man only to have him have a fountain coming out of his rear end and then went with a gluten free food and the problem cleared up almost immediately I finally put it together. A lot is simply trial and error. Then I had him good for awhile and went to feed a food, the only different ingredient than what I had been feeding was Rosemary so figured out he was allergic to Rosemary. Trust me, it was not an overnight find. It took awhile (months) to figure out some and sometimes new ones popped up also.

Some signs, rash, diarrhea, vomiting, blisters, whelts, redness, itching, chewing, just to name a few.

SteveL · #3 11-09-2009, 09:18 AM

Well I am still battling soft stools with Rocky. He was showing signs of improvement and took a turn backwards. He is on a 20 day dose of Flgyl (sp?) and eating California Natural. Part of the backturn is my fault. I ran out of food and no one in town had the Chicken & Rice Puppy. The woman at the store said it would make no difference if I switched to the lamb and rice cold turkey. I didnt think she was right but I was I had my back against the wall. Well he went from peanut butter to pudding. How long can I expect it to take for his tummy to recover? I hear a lot of success stories from TOTW but I cannot find any reviews. I dont want to keep changing his food. I guess I may be just too stupid too own a dog.

BxrMommieNAZ · #4 11-09-2009, 09:22 AM

Usually takes my dog a good 7-10 days to recover from a food change. In the meantime you can add some fiber (Flagyl is not necessary unless there's a bacteria in the gut) such as canned pumpkin (pure not pie filling) or some psyllium such as yerba prima.

**gmacleod** · #5 11-09-2009, 09:54 AM

Unless you're incredibly lucky, it is not going to be immediately obvious what ingredients your dog has an allergy or sensitivity to in food. The only reliable way to find out is to undertake an elimination trial. That works as follows:

1. Change your dog's food to something he has never eaten before. That means something made from ingredients that he has never previously been fed. So, if you've been feeding a food made with (say) chicken, rice, barley and potatoes, the food you swap to must NOT contain ANY of those things. Same goes for any food you may have fed previously - check what the ingredients were, and then look for something that has none of those things in it. You need a completely "unique" food - unique meaning ingredients that the dog has never previously been exposed to. For this, you may need to look at a limited-ingredient food aimed at allergy sufferers.

The reason for choosing a unique food like this is that it is impossible for the dog to have a pre-existing allergy to something he has not previously been exposed to. Therefore, IF his symptoms persist on the unique food, you have actually proven that the problem was not a food allergy at all

Bear in mind that you need to give it time to work - about 12 weeks, during which time you feed nothing else, treats included.

If, on the other hand, his symptoms clear up - then you have proven that the dog had an allergy to one or some of the ingredients in his old food.

That is something - but actually not enough. Not if you want to know exactly what the problem is (which is worth knowing - as otherwise you end avoiding everything that was in the old food, just in case it is the problematic ingredient). So, you should then embark on the elimination to find out what exactly the problem ingredient(s) are.

The way to do that is to add BACK into his diet, one by one, ingredients that he had previously. You try each thing separately, for about a week, and note whether or not he has a reaction (no need to continue after he reacts though - just mark that ingredient as a problem, then dump it from his diet, take a few days break to let him re-calibrate, then try the next ingredient). Once you get through that process, you would know precisely what is and isn't a problem.

Don't forget that this also applies to treats. And in those cases, it's not always the main ingredients that are the problem, but might be the chemicals and preservatives. But these are also things the dog consumes, so need also to be eliminated from the diet initially, and then tested in the elimination trial one by one to see if they're part of the problem.

SteveL · #6 11-09-2009, 08:13 PM

Vet said he had a ton of bacteria in his tummy. Wonder if I should not be adding the Acidopholus and flagyl at the same time.... Wow I cannot switch Rocky to a new food that he has never had all at once. Well I can but his tummy might take a month to recover. At least he seems happy and healthy

BxrMommieNAZ · #7 11-09-2009, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveL

Vet said he had a ton of bacteria in his tummy. Wonder if I should not be adding the Acidopholus and flagyl at the same time.... Wow I cannot switch Rocky to a new food that he has never had all at once. Well I can but his tummy might take a month to recover. At least he seems happy and healthy

Well acidophilus is a GOOD bacteria, it's bad bacteria that typically causes diarrhea. You can put them both in at the same time, but the Metronidazole will kill off the acidophilus anyway so it's probably pointless Problem with antibiotics is it kills the good with the bad and can lead to diarrhea (Flagyl gave my boy HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE diarrhea). If you're going to continue the course of Metronidazole (same thing as Flagyl) then just start up the acidophilus once you're done with the antibiotic. I'd really encouarge some pumpkin or psyllium though to help calm your pup's system down, or to go to a bland diet of chicken and rice for 4-5 days and then slowly wean onto whatever kibble you're going to feed.

I cannot change my boy from Venison and Sweet Potato to Fish and Sweet Potato where really the only change is the protein in the same food line. I have to switch over AT LEAST 5 days if not 7 or he has a fountain coming from his rear for DAYS. So just something to keep in mind if you have a dog with a very sensitive stomach.

SteveL · #8 11-10-2009, 05:47 PM

I did pick up some pumpkin and started feeding him a little (~2 tablespoons) with his meals this morning. If has not helped yet but he has only had on BM since breakfast. I knew I should not have swiched. The lady told me that since lamb was better for the tummy it would not be a problem. I made the switch Saturday and he has not had a solid poop since. hope the pumpkin helps

SteveL · #9 11-10-2009, 05:50 PM

Ya he is actually on Metronidazole but I could not spell it.

BxrMommieNAZ · #10 11-10-2009, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveL

I did pick up some pumpkin and started feeding him a little (~2 tablespoons) with his meals this morning. If has not helped yet but he has only had on BM since breakfast. I knew I should not have swiched. The lady told me that since lamb was better for the tummy it would not be a problem. I made the switch Saturday and he has not had a solid poop since. hope the pumpkin helps

Well it is for some, but there are some dogs that regardless of easy or hard the change is what throws their system in an uproar. Personally my dog is allergic to lamb, so it's definitely not easier for him LoL. It really just depends on the dog. But always a good idea to switch gradually unless you know for sure it doesn't bother your pup.

I would really recommend you fast your pup for 12-24 hours (nothing but water), then start on a bland diet of chicken and rice for 4-5 days and then slowly wean back onto the kibble you're going to feed. If it's been that long with the runs, his system is definitely inflammed and it needs some time to calm down, kibble really isn't the best choice for severely upset stomachs as it's hard on the gut.