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Originally Posted by Sidney_T  She refused food on Thursday of last week and was diagnosed on Tuesday following an endoscopic procedure. Prior to that, she had had no visible symptoms. Her weight was normal and she had been eating as usual with no vomiting or diarrhea. However, we had mentioned to our local vet at Sophie's last check-up that her back-bone seemed more pronounced, but our vet wasn't concerned because everything else about her was consistent with her normal behavior. Now I know that her back-bone WAS more pronounced because her body had been breaking down her muscle tissue to try to maintain her protein levels.
The veternarians at the university are taking an aggressive approach with her because she is currently so very sick. However, I am hoping that once we get through this episode that this disease will be something that I can manage without drugs because I have read about the other conditions that they can develop due to prolonged immuno-suppresive therapy. Prior to her becoming ill, I fed her a mixture of Science Diet adult and Science Diet adult light. Additionally, we give her 1/2 of an enzadent chew to help with cleaning her teeth. Sophie has never had any type of illness (giardia, etc.). She has always seemed perfectly healthy. She is now on Eukanuba - fish and potato formula.
To say that we love Sophie is an understatement. She is our baby. To hear that you have been successful at managing this disease gives me hope. Can you tell me what you are feeding or give me the name of the nutritionist that you consulted? |
Poor honey! Gosh, it is so odd that there were no symptoms bc ibs/ibd is usually diagnosed deductively, not the way described above. I've honestly never heard of a ibs/ibd case without symtoms (and I'm a nurse). I guess the histology must've told them something? Very interesting.
Then diet management might be wonderful for you, since she doesn't have a propensity toward diarrhea or vomiting, that's great! I want to mention that Eukanuba's foods are generally very poor quality -- chock full of allergens like corn, brewer rice, beet pulp - that can often exacerbate conditions (not to mention Iams was busted for animal cruelty). You can read about EUK here:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_f...stype=1&si=euk. All of their foods are 1-2 stars (out of 6), so I just wanted to provide the opportunity to read about it. There are some other great foods for ibs/ibd: Wellness makes single protein/single carb, Natural Balance makes some good choices too.
I am currently feeding whitefish (just started salmon too!), mashed white potatoes, and steamed/pureed green beans (no kibble). The nutritionist I use is Susan Blake Davis (
http://www.askariel.com/) and she is WONDERFUL!! Click on "specific illnesses", then "ibd" to learn more about the protocol (she doesn't push supplements, btw, only the ones you need). She has turned Marcel's life around, when no vet could - that's for sure.
Lastly, I totally hear how worried you are and how much you love your Sophie - it can be so scary. Hang in there, and don't hesitate to reach out - there is a ton of support here!
Ann