Ava is sick and in hospital again; GI problems

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by ally173

she's going to be on it only for 2 weeks once daily; then every other day to be safe; and i think that dose might be effective. if she has another episode then we have to consider daily. but hopefully that wont happen. she relapsed quickly so i think it must be something in the food. since they have to order the EN i am not sure if i should continue feeding the iams low residue until i switch. should i give her some boiled chicken and rice instead. not sure what to do for the next few days

stick to the diet for now as she was doing fine with diet and steroids. You need to not make a bunch of changes and then slowly transition over to new food. I so hope this works for you

I know you do not want to home cook but the ims did tell me if purina ha did not work for dex that i should seriously consider homecooking so this might be your last step if this food does not work Just a thought to start learning now on diets for ibd. Kibble is much harder to digest than homecook or wet as well.

I really wish i could be of more help

[ally173]

Originally Posted by dwerten

stick to the diet for now as she was doing fine with diet and steroids. You need to not make a bunch of changes and then slowly transition over to new food. I so hope this works for you

I know you do not want to home cook but the ims did tell me if purina ha did not work for dex that i should seriously consider homecooking so this might be your last step if this food does not work Just a thought to start learning now on diets for ibd. Kibble is much harder to digest than homecook or wet as well.

I really wish i could be of more help

ok thanks; i will feed her the iams low residue until i switch her to purina EN; hopefully she will eat today. he said to wait few hrs; so around 3pm i will try to feed her. he did mention i can feed her small pieces of boiled chicken as a bland diet; but now i am confused because i suspect that she might not be tolerating the low residue. have u seen the ingredients; they are not so great. Chicken Broth, Chicken, Whitefish, Brewer's Rice, Corn Grits, Chicken Liver, Beef By-Products, Chicken By-Products, Fish Meal, Dried Egg Product, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken By-Product Meal, Fish Oil
that doesnt seem bland to me; u think i should boil some chicken and feed her that instead without the rice?
i am taking tomorrow off to watch her and if she gets sick again i will take her back
by the way how much does it cost to consult with susan davis about homecooking.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by ally173

ok thanks; i will feed her the iams low residue until i switch her to purina EN; hopefully she will eat today. he said to wait few hrs; so around 3pm i will try to feed her. he did mention i can feed her small pieces of boiled chicken as a bland diet; but now i am confused because i suspect that she might not be tolerating the low residue. have u seen the ingredients; they are not so great. Chicken Broth, Chicken, Whitefish, Brewer's Rice, Corn Grits, Chicken Liver, Beef By-Products, Chicken By-Products, Fish Meal, Dried Egg Product, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken By-Product Meal, Fish Oil
that doesnt seem bland to me; u think i should boil some chicken and feed her that instead without the rice?
i am taking tomorrow off to watch her and if she gets sick again i will take her back
by the way how much does it cost to consult with susan davis about homecooking.

check out her site Holistic Veterinarian Pet Nutritionist Holistic Pet Care

I would not do the chicken as when dex ever gets a vomitting episode i restrict food to let his tummy rest and then i soak his kibble and slowly introduce food back then he lets me know when he feels better as her barks at me to give him more food loll I will not feed him anything but that food - Luckily we have only had a couple vomitting episodes but he usually gets right back on track

The best food is the one that works so it really is hard to say as food issues are a process of elimination but she has been on this food long enough to see if it will work and since she is relapsing it is time to transition off. Seems like chicken is culprit as alot of chicken stuff in this food and our ims said ibd dogs do not do well on chicken diets. My dex is on a hydrolized soy diet so it is soy and it is broken down further

[ladyjane]

I am so sorry to hear that Ava is ill again.

[ally173]

Originally Posted by dwerten

check out her site Holistic Veterinarian Pet Nutritionist Holistic Pet Care

I would not do the chicken as when dex ever gets a vomitting episode i restrict food to let his tummy rest and then i soak his kibble and slowly introduce food back then he lets me know when he feels better as her barks at me to give him more food loll I will not feed him anything but that food - Luckily we have only had a couple vomitting episodes but he usually gets right back on track

The best food is the one that works so it really is hard to say as food issues are a process of elimination but she has been on this food long enough to see if it will work and since she is relapsing it is time to transition off. Seems like chicken is culprit as alot of chicken stuff in this food and our ims said ibd dogs do not do well on chicken diets. My dex is on a hydrolized soy diet so it is soy and it is broken down further

so do u think feeding the iams low residue for now is better and easier on her stomach than eating a breast of chicken? the other food also has corn; so maybe that is the problem. i wanted to feed her chicken for today to rest her stomach from the other food??

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by ally173

so do u think feeding the iams low residue for now is better and easier on her stomach than eating a breast of chicken? the other food also has corn; so maybe that is the problem. i wanted to feed her chicken for today to rest her stomach from the other food??

honestly if she were mine i probably would not do the chicken as i think the steroids will calm things down and the fact that chicken whole is much more than chicken in a dog food. Is it kibble if so soak it so it is easier to digest.

What did vet say about diet?

[ally173]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I am so sorry to hear that Ava is ill again.

thanks linda; i know i am so disapointed that it happened so fast.

[ally173]

Originally Posted by dwerten

honestly if she were mine i probably would not do the chicken as i think the steroids will calm things down and the fact that chicken whole is much more than chicken in a dog food. Is it kibble if so soak it so it is easier to digest.

What did vet say about diet?

she has the iams low residue wet food ;he said i can give her that or the bland boiled chicken. i just finished boiling chicken so i gave her few pieces to see how she reacts. i want to see if its the chicken or the corn in the diet. she inhaled it; she was so hungry. tomorrow i will start feeding her the iams low residue again.

[ally173]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I am so sorry to hear that Ava is ill again.

linda which food do u feed ur dogs again; california natural?

[ally173]

anyone heard or tried evangers dog food? i was looking at their canned food and they seem pretty healthy. any feedback?
http://www.evangersdogfood.com/dog/

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by ally173

anyone heard or tried evangers dog food? i was looking at their canned food and they seem pretty healthy. any feedback?
http://www.evangersdogfood.com/dog/

no but i think you need to be looking for a very limited ingredient diet

I went to a yorkie meet up this weekend and Susan Davis spoke and she had stated many dogs with dietary issues do best on venison diets

[ladyjane]

I honestly don't think I would suggest what I use for her. I have a few on special diets...one with IBD is on Ultra Z/D and doing terrific.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I honestly don't think I would suggest what I use for her. I have a few on special diets...one with IBD is on Ultra Z/D and doing terrific.

Careful with the Z/D.
Works great for some, but it may set this girl off more.
Was nothing but problems for Ellie...

Anyway, maybe it's time for the vet to talk to a veterinary nutritionist. These foods all have slightly different purposes and sometimes it goes way beyond teh ingredients.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Careful with the Z/D.
Works great for some, but it may set this girl off more.
Was nothing but problems for Ellie...

Anyway, maybe it's time for the vet to talk to a veterinary nutritionist. These foods all have slightly different purposes and sometimes it goes way beyond teh ingredients.

oh NO I was not suggesting it for Ava...sorry if it sounded like that. I was merely commenting on foods. duh...my bad

I would not suggest anything for her at this point! I agree she needs a vet nutritionist.

There is one at A&M. I can get his name if you want it Ellie. He drew up a homecooked diet for my Cody who had renal and pancreatic issues and could not eat any of the RX diets. The consult with my vet was $150 and that included two recipes.

[BanditSocks2]

So sorry Ava is sick again. I hope she gets better soon and you find a good food that works for her.