anybody with puppies from goldendoodle acres, kira and owen, have GI issues??

[Nancy Sweet]

I was wondering if anyone with puppies from the same litter as mine are having GI issues with their dogs?  My puppy was born on June 19th, 2010. His parents were Kira and Owen. I know there were 10 pups in the litter. My dog has had issues with soft stools and sporadic vomiting since I brought him home. He was treated for Giardia and has had many tests done. I have been feeding him Holistic Select Duck and Oatmeal for quite awhile. He seems to do the best on this food, but I still wish his stool was firmer and don't understand the sporadic vomiting. The vet wants to do a Endoscopy and take a biopsy for Irritated Bowel Syndrome. Really don't want to go down that road. I was just wondering if anyone else has had these issues and what they feed their dogs.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

My Guinness is a Labradoodle and also has these GI issues. My vet diagnosed IBS after ruling out other things. We did not do the Endoscopy or the biopsy as she didn't think it was necessary. Instead we elected to treat it by controlling his diet. He rarely has episodes not as long as I control everything that goes into his stomach....no twigs, pieces of chew toys..basically nothing other than his food. Treats are the "kiss of death" for him. I have to be extremely careful of what he's getting for treats. I home cook for him, but recently have introduced a little Acana with the home cooking. I also give him a little yogurt every night, and I think that helps. It's very frustrating....good luck.

[Julie Mills]

My Labradoole is not from that breeder but has a very sesitive stomach. He had loose stools for the longest time when we got him and would sometimes vomit after eating.....

He is 2 years old now and eats IAMS low residue prescription dog food. Canned pumpkin is what finally regulated his system. It will firm up the poop nicely. A tablespoon twice a day and you should start to see a difference.

He is able to digest some tasty table scraps now too like pizza crust, steak and chicken....with no issues.

Also, as far as my dog's vomiting....we think in his case it was due mostly to eating too quickly. But that can be from eating grass or any numbers of other things.

Good luck!

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Id recommend you stay away from the more common food intolerances - dairy (does not include eggs, they are ok), grains (sometimes "exotic" grains are ok for some dogs, such as oatmeal, quinoa etc but not rice, wheat, corn, barley), chicken and beef (the food you are currently feeding has chicken in it, and lots of grain (rice)). Often duck, buffalo, venison, rabbit, ostrich and kangaroo are good meat sources - duck usually being the cheapest. Try a limited ingredients food, such as Natural Balance - I work in a Pet Nutrition and Supply store and this brand usually works really well for dogs with sensitive tummies.
Id try to stay away from any prescription foods your vet may try to persuade you to buy - vets are often sponsored by these companies which charge a fortune for not very good food.
As Julie suggests, canned pumpkin is great for both diarrhea and constipation!

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/PandD.html

As for treats, Id try dehydrated meat, such as the proteins stated above (often liver or heart), or something similar to Wellness Pure Rewards which are mostly meat and no grain http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=dog&pid...

Some dogs really struggle with digesting dry and wet food, and do really well on the raw diet, especially the "exotic" meats mentioned above http://www.barfworld.com/

Every dog is different, but im sure you will eventually find something which is perfect for your puppy. Irritable Bowel Syndrome may sound scary to start with (Iknow, I have IBS), but with time and trying out lots of different things you will find something that works and your pup will do just fine.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Having just looked at your page, and reading a thread you created last year, I noticed you got your doodle from the same breeder as your other doodle, Max. I am surprised you would after all the problems the poor little guy had and the lack of help your breeder gave you. Could your current pup have similar diseases/infections as Max did?

Or are you talking about Max and put the wrong date for his birth - June 19th 2010 instead of 2009??????


Id also like to add - stay away from raw hide - it is totally indigestible - for a similar chew, try bully sticks NOTE these are usually made from cow, but you can get buffalo (more stinky unfortunately) or veal, and pork twist chews can be good too (not indigestible things like pig ears though). Or raw, or lightly smoked bones (again, stay away from the beef if your dog is sensitive)

[Nancy Sweet]

Sorry, I did put the wrong date. He was born in 2009. I would never buy another dog from the same breeder!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

My Labradoodle Tara is not from your breeder but has a very sensitive stomach too. Her first few months were pretty rough for her until we discoverd that she has two issues. One is that she has a nervous stomach and holds her stress in that area. She would vomit the day AFTER any high stress day (seems that all the stomach acid in the stomach overnight was highly irritating). The other issue is that she is sensitive to fat in her diet. We really have to keep the fat content pretty low for her or it sets off her vomiting/soft stool problems again. I have talked with several other people recently whose dogs also have this sensitivity to fat. I haven't found a commercial dog food that she does well with-even the high end ones. I prepare her food at home so I can control the fat content.

When reading your tale of Max's ongoing problems it also reminded me of a family member's puppy (not a Doodle) who went through an almost identical experience. Her pup's problems went on and on until the poor dog was losing hair and extremely malnourished because everything went straight through her. Again, all the standard testing and treatments were tried without success. She tried changing diets/foods I don't know HOW many times. Finally she was referred to a specialist for a biopsy...etc. Before she took this step she decided to try a Holistic vet and see what she might say. The puppy was treated for vaccinosis ( adverse reaction to vaccine) that was causing inflammation/imbalance in the gut among other things. The puppy was detoxified with homeopathic remedies and the problem resolved. Just a thought...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd like to invite all those whose dogs have diegestive issues to please join us in the Food Group. We have many discussions about the best foods and feeding methods for dogs with IBS and food intolerances, and many of our members have had success controlling their dogs' symptoms, including Jane who posted above.
I think, though, that Nancy is not so much looking for advice on feeding as she is looking for a genetic or congenital cause for her doodle's problems.

[Nancy Sweet]

I am trying to find out if possibly any of Max's siblings have the same issues and if so how people were treating them, but also looking for advice on the feeding side as well. I am thinking about changing his food and want to do some research before I do so.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Please join us in The Food Group. We have a lot of members who are successfully dealing with these issues, and I think we can help.

[Martha & Cooper]

My puppy Cooper went through this and for months I had very expensive Vet bills trying to figure out what was causing his loose stools. Finally,I found a food that works great for him. I would be happy to recommend it to you if you want to message me. My puppy's stool was better within two weeks and I was able to completely eliminate the Probiotics and all medications. My Vet was at the point of recommending the colonoscopy with biopsy too and I was hesitant when I found an article about Goldendoodles and their GI problems and a suggestion to try this food. My Vet said it was worth a try after a month of trying Probiotics and a Low Reisidue Prescription Food that didn't work. It saved my puppy further testing and he is still doing well on the food. He was not from Goldendoodle acres, but he did have many of the same symptoms.

[Nancy Sweet]

I would be very interested to know what you are feeing your dog. My dog keeps vomiting sporadically, usually around 5am, and it is yellow bile. I just went to the vet this morning, they are keeping him on the canned ID food and they treated him for a possible stomach worm. He also gets Reglan at night. I really don't want to do the endoscopy.

[Martha & Cooper]

I don't blame you for not wanting to do the endoscopy. That was mentioned with my Cooper too, along with a Colonoscopy because of the loose stools. Cooper was dewormed,even though he didn't show any worms, put on antibiotics and then tylan powder and probiotics, along with the low residue food before I found the food that helped him. I wish you the best of luck. Your puppy may have a totally differently medical condition than mine, but it sure sounds similar.