Quote:
Originally Posted by BogartsMom   At this point we just feel helpless! The specialist said that the only thing left to do is biopsy his intestines, but since he is too small for the endoscopy, the only way to take biopsies is to open him up. I do not want to do this unless we have exhausted all other options. |
And, I don't blame you for hesitating to proceed with such invasive procedures. He's already been through quite a lot. This is pretty much where we were almost 6 years ago with my Mozart (mix Shih-tzu/Maltese/Silkie). He's always had some digestive problems; but it progressed as the years passed; until in his eighth year, he was throwing up daily. We tried every vet-prescribed commercial dog 'food' that was recommended - he continued to throw up daily. So, I tried home cooking (boiled chicken, rice, carrots mostly). He continued to wretch. We're talking
hard wretching. Not just
*gack* some spit-up. I know how you feel! It is so very helpless. I look back now, and don't really understand how he even survived that year. The vet wanted to do exploratory surgery on him; and, I just could not do it. So, I prayed (yes -
prayed):
God, this is YOUR creature, and I believe you care about him. Please, please help me help him! I don't remember how I found the egroup for RAW feeding; but, I did. Very loooooong story short: We switched to
prey model feeding. He is now 13y/o. I think(?) this October he will be 14
. Did the switch fix everything perfectly? No...but, he's still with us, and not regurgitating his food daily. He does throw up sometimes; but, NOTHING like he did - and, all dogs do spit up some. We have seen other benefits, as well: The arthritis that had him dragging his rear end when he was just 8y/o, is now just a bother when the weather is bad. And, he
is 13y/o! The vets can't believe his teeth for his age - it's
"a good thing" 
.
Also, many folks on YT feed the pre-packaged RAW medallions; which would certainly be easier on digestion than ANY kibble. You might try this route - especially if
prey model feeding is a bit overwhelming for you. I had no choice. I am convinced Mozart would not be with us had I not switched to a species appropriate diet.
For my opinion: I would take all grains, vegetables and fruits out of his diet. These items are difficult to digest for canines, because their systems are not designed to handle them.
I hope we hear good things from you!