keeping my dog on canned ID for GI health and IAMS low residue dry food

[Nancy Sweet]

My dog will be 2 in June. He had numerous GI issues for the first year of his life, including chronic loose stools and vomiting. I tried several different foods and nothing seemed to help. The vet would put him on the canned ID food whenever he got really sick and he would be fine, while on it. Eventually, after hundreds of dollars in vet bills and blood tests, the vet suggested I leave him on the canned ID mixed with IAMs low residue dry food. Since doing this 6 months ago, he has been fine. The food is very expensive and seems very bland. I am trying to decide if I should stay on this or try to switch him to something else. He is doing so well, I hate to rock the boat.The vet has told me that he is getting all the nutrition he needs, but I would really like to switch him to regular food. I wondered if anyone has been in this situation. I would appreciate the feedback.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

We have several members here in the Food Group whose dogs have been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and they eat either home-cooked diets, freeze-dried raw diets, or grain-free premium kibbles and canned foods...sometimes a combination of these.

I wouldn't feed my dog Hill's i/d at any price, let alone the price you're paying for it. You could just feed human baby food and get the same results, plus you wouldn't have to worry about feeding your dog ingredients that can cause more serious illnesses when he's a little older. Iams is no better.

Food is not medicine, and there is nothing curative in Hill's i/d or any other Rx food. It's just that the proteins are hydrolyzed (pre-digested), so your dog's system doesn't have to work very hard to break it down. You need to first find out exactly what is causing the problem, and then experiment with other diets to find one that works for him. A good quality limited ingredient food might work, and certainly wouldn't be any more expensive than what you're feeding now...plus it would be a whole lot healthier.

During the last year of my poodle's life (she was 16 when she died), she had chronic diarrhea, and the vet put her on the Rx food. Eventually, it stopped helping. Even if you stayed with the i/d, that could happen with your dog, too.

After all the hundreds of dollars and tests, what diagnosis were you given?

[Nancy Sweet]

So.... to answer everybodies questions. His blood tests were all normal. The only diagnosis I got was possible irritable bowel syndrome. I do give him yogurt. I have tried Canidae, Orijen, and several other foods. I don't want to make him sick again, but I would like to switch. There are so many different reccomendations, I don't know where to start. The whole switch takes time and then when it doesn't work I end up with a sick dog, left over expensive dog food, and more vet bills. What dog foods are good for irritable bowel syndrome??

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nancy, I'd try a canned food instead of kibble; it can't be any more expensive than what you're paying for the i/d, and it's much healthier. I'd try Wellness Simple Solutions, the canned variety. It's widely available, and you can order it on-line, many sites give you free shipping with a minimum order. But start small; if you purchase a few cans at Petsmart and it doesn't work, you won't have wasted a lot of money. Feed small amounts more frequently at first, and see how it goes.

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nancy, when your dog was having trouble with regular dog food, what were you feeding? Did you try yogurt and/or digestive enzymes?

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Vets actually get very little training in animal nutrition. Many of the dog food companies lend monetary support to the vet schools and at the same time promote their product.  The vet students get swayed by what they hear from these companies.

According to our food Guru (Karen), the food you are feeding your dog is not good quality food. I see Caitlin has sent you a couple of links to previous discussions.  If you do decide to switch foods, I would take a couple of weeks to switch over gradually increasing the amount of new food and decreasing the old. And you need to know that when switching to a new food it takes a while for the dog to adjust and he might have looser stools or gas for a month or so.  Also, the better quality foods tend to be more expensive (but that still doesn't make what you are currently on a better quality).

[Bronwen Watts]

Nancy, we went through similar scenarios with my pup when he was younger; our vet put him on several prescription dog foods, and they were basically all junk.  But expensive junk.  Since switching to to better brands (we use Acana & Orijen), the change has been unbelievable. My dog is so much healthier, the food is wonderful, and although the Acana and Orijen aren't cheap, I am actually paying less for it than I was paying for the Rx food.  Tyson rarely has stomach issues now, and when he does it's usually just from finding and eating something he shouldn't have; a scoop of canned pumpkin and he is great.

 

Definitely consider getting your dog off the Rx stuff; you can find much better!!

[Gayle Miller]

hummm...been reading a lot about food issues with Doodle dogs....I'm anticipating a new puppy in July.  Of course, the very nature of this discussion group is to get info on food and discuss food problems, but can anyone of you say for the most part, the darling Doodle dog is a very fussy eater??  Hearing aboaut hundred of dollars of vet bills and very expensive dog food begins to make me answer serious questions.  I am unemployed for 1 year due to the economic downturn and my husband owns his own mortgage business...so while we're hanging in there until this housing market turns, things are not what they used to be.  Perhaps this really is not the time for me to be getting this puppy!!!  Any and all of your thoughts are welcome!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't think you can make a generalization about "doodle dogs" being fussy eaters. They're mixed breed dogs, and each one is different from the next. But even among purebreds, there is no breed in which all the dogs are fussy eaters, or all the dogs are like goats, lol.

However, an awful lot of doodle puppies do seem to have digestive issues, and lots of other ailments. This particular discussion is not about the dog being fussy, but about a dog who has digestive issues.  I think it's very important to choose your breeder very breeder carefully, and that would include knowing what food she feeds the puppies, and whether the puppies are allowed to run around loose outdoors in areas where they could pick up parsitic infections. 

Having a dog, any dog, is expensive, and doodles are more expensive than most, because they are high-maintenance dogs. On the DRC adoption applications, we ask people to estimate the cost of having a doodle for one year, including food, vetting, grooming, toys, etc., and many people are way too low in their estimates. It's important to understand that even for a dog who has no health issues, it is going to cost you about $2000 a year to feed, groom, train, and provide ordinary vet care. Heartworm and flea preventatives alone will cost $240 a year, and that's if you order them from low-cost internet sources. Grooming a standard doodle who doesn't shed  in my area would cost at least $600 a year, bare minimum. I would strongly suggest you purchase pet insurance for your puppy. I have had many vet bills over $400.

As for food, if you want to do right by your dog, it's expensive to feed them premium food...but not as expensive as the Rx food that Nancy is talking about here.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I posted a response on your page because it is off the discussion of this dog with digestion problems but in short there are many dogs (not just doodles) with food issues, often caused by poor quality food, ignorance on the part of the vet or the owner as well as real physical problems.  You see lots of posts because we mostly post and want support about our problems.

[Gayle Miller]

I read both  you're posts, Nancy.  Thanks.  You are right...each pup is individual...I think I'm overthinking my decision because I have all this time waiting for my pup - and reading all these forums ahead of time that may be giving me "too much information" seeing as I don't even have the pup yet!  I'll take note of your words as well as those of other posts....and maybe just sit back and relax lfor awhile and enjoy the anticipation of a brand new puppy!

[Nancy Sweet]

Gayle- The most important thing is to find a good breeder. I love my dog, but I had a really bad experience with my breeder. I really wanted a non-shedding dog. She told me point blank that my dog would not shed. She switched the puppy we were told we were getting the day before we picked him up. My puppy had Giardia (a really nasty parasite) shortly after we picked him up and she kicked me off her website for bringing it up. Funny enough, someone my husband knows bought a puppy from the same breeder after us and their puppy also had Giardia. And then we had chronic problems with his GI system and he is also allergic to the Rabies vaccine. When I asked her for support and direction she told me I was crazy. After spending $2100 on my puppy plus thousands of dollars on vet bills and different dog food, I really wish I would have chosen a different breeder. I know there are good ones out there. So please don't buy a puppy from the breeder I did. The only thing she was right about is my dog's personality. He is the sweetest thing in the world, even though he does shed.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Gayle: Dogs are expensive!!! Very expensive!  If you end up getting your puppy, definitely buy insurance.

And by the way, my doodle (knock on wood) is not a picky eater at all and has been very healthy so far in her life (only 2 though).  We still have pet insurance to cover us when that changes (it inevitably will at some point).

 

Nancy: As for this current food topic, I agree to go with the Wellness Simple Solutions line. I did that for a while with Taquito - he just has different needs now. But he has ALWAYs had a super sensitive stomach.  Or join the homecooking group if you can swing that.