Do Doodle Have Sensitive Tummies?

[Carol and Banjo]

This may be a repeat of a past discussion, but it's been on my mind a lot lately.   It seems that Banjo has "issues" with his digestive system every few months.  Namely, very loose stool which requires several trips outside in the middle of the night and a diet of rice, ground beef and pumpkin for a couple of days.  Thankfully nothing really serious.  I can never pinpoint what may have caused it, I watch him carefully when we're outside and don't think it's something he gets into....but anything is possible I guess.  

It seems that one or another of our DK members has a doodle going through tummy troubles almost daily......so my question is....is it the Doodles....the breed.....or do all breeds suffer the same problem?     I've had several different breeds in my life time and I don't ever remember having to deal with this on such a regular basis.   I also wasn't as careful about feeding a good diet (mainly my own ignorance) and wasn't as vigilant about what the dogs got into when outside.  

I'd like to hear what others think about this.  

[Carol Brand]

Based on my reading of this board, I would say that yes they do seem to have a propensity for stomach issues like IBS. I think this is coming down from the Retriever side (along with skin allergies).  I know a bunch of Goldens and a handful of labs who struggle with digestive issues.

[Carol and Banjo]

I've also wondered if it just seems that way because this is a forum and by nature lends itself to be a place where people post the problems they're experiencing in attempting to get answers and/or help.    No one is posting the "good" news.   If you were to belong to another forum for other breeds....say GS's would it seem the same way there?     

[Carol Brand]

This is a common response anytime someone asks if xyz is a problem in Doodles and I think it is a way to sometimes sweep problems under the rug.  If over and over again you get owners posting to ask about a problem, then it is a good chance that that issue is a problem in Doodles (think allergies or the constant biting/mouthing).  

I'm on a couple of Poodle forums and I can tell you that we do not get the same volume of postings about digestive issues. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

On a GS forum, you're going to hear about Atopic Dermatitis and other diseases that are common in the breed, and I think it would be the same with any breed. I do think the puppy issues we hear about would be pretty much the same with any breed. One difference is that more first time dog owners get doodles than, say German Shepherds, and any time you have a forum where there are a lot of first time dog owners, you're going to get posts about things like mouthing. So we do hear more about behavioral problems with these dogs simply because the owners who are posting are inexperienced with all of this. Most experienced dog owners know what to do about chewing, mouthing, housebreaking, etc.

The grooming issues are only posted by people who have never had non-shedding breeds before. I don't think you that you would see all this bewilderment about coat changes, matting, etc in a poodle forum. Maybe discussions about certain types of clippers or how to do a certain cut, but not "problems".

And I do think that we hear a lot of good news here, too, about doodles. We hear how smart, how sweet, how friendly, etc.

But with health issues, I think DK is pretty representative of the health issues that really do exist in these dogs.

[Carol and Banjo]

I didn't mean to say no one posts the good news......they certainly do.....isn't that one of the things that makes DK so much fun!    I only meant that this is our "go to" place when there's a problem.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I am surprised at the number of doodles here who seem to have digestive issues. In the Food Group, it is the main topic of conversation. I never had exposure to a large group of other dog owners with my past dogs, so I have nothing to compare it with, but it does seem to be a problem in these mixes.

My dogs in the past never had stomach issues. JD didn't either until just this past month, but now he is making up for lost time. All of my dogs were purebred poodles, and one poodle/schnauzer mix, so I tend to agree with Carol that these problems are coming from the retriever side. And I have absolutely no doubt that the allergies/skin issues are coming from the retriever side, as Atopic Dermatitis is known to run in both Labrador and Golden Retrievers. IBD has a genetic component.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

It would be interesting to know that if this is an issue whether it is more common in Labradoodles or Goldendoodles .  I was interested that when I discussed health tests with my breeder she pointed out to me that Riley's parents had no sensitive tummy issues and were both good eaters which makes me think that perhaps this is something that the breeders are aware of.  If so then perhaps this is something prospective owners need on their check list to ask breeders.  It would be easy enough to set up an on-line survey and see what the results yield?  Anecdotal evidence always led me to believe that it was the Poodles who had the sensitive tums.  My sister has an F1B with tummy issues which flare up periodically.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

One problem I see with this is that most if not all doodle breeders choose their breeding dogs when they are puppies. There is no way to know if a dog is going to have digestive issues (or any other health issues that are not typically tested for) when it is a young puppy.

 

[Carol and Banjo]

I agree Karen - but when choosing their breeding dogs wouldn't they want to know that both parents of that pup were free of digestive issues.   It's no guarantee but it's something.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You would hope that was the way they were choosing the breeding dogs, but unfortunately, with doodles, it seems to be all about color, size and coat: what sells. :(

 

[Cindy M, Zachary & the Frenchies]

Hopefully, if they are having health problem by the time that they reach breeding age they will not be bred ....hopefully.

[Cindy M, Zachary & the Frenchies]

I think that the other thing to keep in mind is that folks seek help for problems, so it gets talked about a great deal, There are many folks on DK who don't post at all or post only minimally. I think problems of any sort get amplified on discussion boards because people seek help for solutions from those with similar interests.