Experience with Inflammatory Bowel Disease My Sophie was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease today. Her vet has started her on the standard immuno-suppresive therapy and changed her diet. However, I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with treating yorkies with this disorder and what drugs/food you have found to be successful. |
YES!!!!!!!! I have more experience that I ever wanted. It can often be treated w/out any drugs whatsoever. Immuno suppressive drugs are SO tough on their systems. First: age? when did it start? what were/are you feeding? how is the weight? did she have giardia or any intestinal infection as a pup? I agonized for months w/ mushy poos, mucousy/bloody stools, mulitple drugs, painful puppy tummies.....and on and on. And I was homecooking, so I was shocked that I couldn't fix my little lovebug! Finally, I had a phone consult w/ an animal nutritionist, who put him on hypoallergenic homecooked diet (no kibble at all) - and 1.5 days later HIS STOOLS WERE FORMED....after 5 months of mush. I almost cried, I tell you! He's been "firm" now since Sept. and I still just ooh-and-ah over his poos. So, the bottom line is: try diet and supplements FIRST, meds as a last resort. It can merely be a food allergy that is irritating the ibs/intestines/colon - and you may be able to completely avoid all drugs. |
Irritable Bowel 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? |
Irritable Bowel I forgot. She is 7 years old and weighs 3.5 lbs. She has always eaten a mixture of Science Diet regular and Science Diet light formula. |
My Maddie was diagnosed with that when she was about 5 months old. She was on prescription diets for a while, along with meds when needed, but she kept having flare ups. I've found she can not have any treats with beef in them so we stay away from that. I feed her Nutro Lamb and Rice which seems to work very well for her. My vet gave me the option of keeping her on flagyl the rest of her life, but I don't want to do that, so I just use the stuff when she has a flare up. I am very careful about treats and she gets no people food. Good luck with your little one! If she goes on the meds, wean her off them slowly, as when I didn't do that, Maddie would be sick again by the next day or two. Weaning her off of them worked well. Good luck with your little lady! |
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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!:D :D :D Ann |
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I am debating if i should give her 1/4 of a pepcid a/c or not??? I have read so much info today on YT that I can't remember if i read somewhere that pepcid a/c was good to give with dogs that suffer Inflam bowel disease. I know to give for upset stomach but are these similar conditions? As they say when in doubt just ask... and I am in doubt - :-) :-) |
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Please keep me posted as I'd love to hear how things turn out - and hear that your baby starts to feel like a million bucks!!!! :) |
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