My dog has recurring diarrhea and IBD. What diet helps her stomach?

Most cases of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) require hypoallergenic diets composed of hydrolyzed proteins (proteins broken down to the point where they will not stimulate the immune system). These diets are prescription based and include Royal Canin Ultimano, Royal Canin HP, Science Diet Z/D and Purina HA. In some cases of IBD, a dog can tolerate a novel protein diet (one protein source and one carbohydrate source) after a period of time on a hypoallergenic diet. Some novel protein diets are prescription based (such as Science Diet D/D), but others are available over the counter (such as Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet). Most cases of IBD also require some form of corticosteroids for management in addition to the diet change. Before making any changes in Peaches' diet, be sure to consult her vet to make sure this is appropriate for her case. I hope this helps!

Hello, sorry to hear about Snowball. Certain food proteins can definitely cause inflammation of the bowel and thus diarrhea. There are 3 main categories that we consider when we talk about diarrhea that has been going on for a long time. Food Responsive diarrhea is one which responds to a different type of protein or more fiber or gluten free food. A diet trial should be performed for a period of 6-8 weeks with each food change Snowball sees as it takes that long to have a response. Antibiotic Responsive diarrhea is that which responds to long term use of antibiotics such as metronidazole or tylosin powder. Steroid responsive diarrhea is that which is typically caused by an inflammatory process such as autoimmune disease and thus the steroids work by suppressing the immune system. Managing these problems can definitely be stressful for the owner, pet, and veterinarian but with some patience you will hopefully get to the bottom of it. Best of luck and hope this helps.

It sounds like it may inflammatory bowel disease but he would need biopsies of his GI tract to diagnose. You could try a hypoallergenic diet like science diet z/d ultra and talk to your vet about low dose steroids (budesonide is a good choice for GI issues) if you haven't tried this already. Also I would have him dewormed with a broad spectrum dewormer if you haven't already. I have had good success with this regimen in some of my IBD patients. It sounds like y'all have ruled out everything else. I hope this helps! if this doesn't work then I think intestinal biopsies are the next step.

It is common that dogs will develop diarrhea from a sudden food change, but it can be challenging to do a slow diet change when they stop eating their regular diet. If Chi won't eat a bland diet, adding cooked white rice or cooked white or sweet potato to a diet may be a good option for her. I think at this point, you could continue the previous food since she was eating it well or try to introduce a new limited ingredient diet if that was what your vet had recommended. Sometimes 95% meat diets are too rich for dogs alone, but Chi may tolerate it with white rice or potato. However, you may also need to talk to your veterinarian about medication for the diarrhea since she has IBD and those dogs will sometimes have a harder time getting their diarrhea to resolve with diet change alone. I have included a handout with more information on IBD below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=598 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Chi feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Poor Dylan! If he has a sensitive stomach and gets diarrhea easily, he may benefit from a prescription GI diet that is bland and easy to digest, or a hypoallergenic limited ingredient diet such as Hills z/d or Purina HA - I would suggest talking to your vet about these options to see if he/she feels that they might be helpful. It's also possible that Dylan has some other underlying medical issue causing the recurring diarrhea, such as intestinal parasites, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison's disease, etc. I would recommend having a full check-up done by your vet if this hasn't been done in the past - he/she can do blood work or other testing if needed to check for these problems and get him started on appropriate treatment if needed.

I hate to hear this is happening. Any dogs with chronic diarrhea that does not respond to OTC diets needs to be examined by the veterinarian. She may have a parasite, a bacterial issue or she may need a prescription diet meant for dogs with dietary intolerance or food allergy. Blonca will need some diagnostics. And the doctor will need a good idea of what diets you have tried in the past. I hope this helps.

Hello, and thank you for your question. I'm sorry to hear that Chi has been unwell. If IBD is suspected, we should always try out a limited ingredient hypoallergenic diet (such as rabbit, venison, or kangaroo), for a minimum of 8 weeks with NO other treats or table scraps. However, since Chi's appetite is not the greatest, it will be a challenge to find a hypoallergenic diet that she likes. It sounds like the medications that were prescribed are appropriate for the suspected illness. Carafate is a gastroprotectant that is used to minimize gastric ulcers - it should not worsen diarrhea symptoms. Two other suggestions which I would discuss with your vet: 1) try a different type of anti-diarrhea antibiotic, such as tylosin. 2) consider weekly treatments of vitamin B12, as many dogs with IBD are B12-deficient. 3) try again with steroid therapy such as prednisolone, or try a different immunosuppresant such as cyclosporine. I hope this helps, and that Chi feels better soon.