JD's Lima Bean Challenge, An Experiment For All Food Groupies!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Before JD was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in December 2011, I used to add a little of my own dinner to his dinner bowl just about every night. A particular favorite was lima beans. He always knew when they were on the menu, and was even more eager for his dinner than usual those nights.

All that stopped after the IBD diagnosis, and it had been a long time since JD got lima beans in his dinner bowl. Not so much because there is any reason he couldn't have them, but I had just not been cooking them for myself much either since my family's schedules changed and family dinners are a rare occurrence here. And I had gotten out of the habit of giving JD some of whatever I was eating for dinner, since there is so little he's allowed to have. 

But last month, I cooked lima beans and gave JD about 2 tablespoons with his dinner. 

The next morning, his poop was the same as always.Ditto the evening poop. 

But on the morning of the second day after he'd eaten them, there were lima beans in JD's poop. 

Now, the fact that the lima beans had passed through undigested was not a surprise. That's par for the course, because dogs can't digest plant cellulose. (People aren't very good at it either.) 

But the fact that the lima beans showed up in the poop about 40 hours after he'd eaten them, and that he'd had 2 normal poops in between, did surprise me. 

I tried it again this past week, and same thing.

It seems to me that in the past, they would have appeared in the next morning's poop. But I don't really remember. 

I think maybe JD's food is taking much longer to pass through his system than is normal, due to the IBD, and maybe all the meds. 

But I thought it would be interesting and maybe informative to see how long it takes food to pass through a healthy dog's GI tract. So JD and I are looking for volunteers to participate in our Lima Bean Challenge experiment. 

The LB Challenge is open to all dogs over 8 months old who do not have any current digestive issues, who do not free feed (food is eaten at regular set mealtimes), and whose owners are willing & able to immediately inspect all poops from the time the dog eats the lima beans until said beans exit the premises.

Here's all you have to do. Over the next week, cook some lima beans (we use frozen baby limas). Set aside a small portion (1-2 tablespoons per dog) before adding butter, salt, or seasoning. Let them cool sufficiently and then add them to your dog's dinner. Make a note of the day and time that your dog ate the beans. 

Then watch the poop. Make a note of each subsequent poop (day & time) in which the beans do not appear. I do not think there will be more than one, if that, but that's the point of this experiment. And then when the beans do show up, post your data here. I'd like all results by next Sunday, June 29th, please.

Yes, this is very unscientific and maybe silly, but you will be helping me & JD, and we might all learn something besides. :)

Do I have any participants? 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks, Jen. We'll be interested in the results whenever you do it! 

[Suzanne & Jack]

My boys will participate. I happen to like limas so it will be a good excuse to fix them

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank you, Suzanne! Enjoy, lol! 

[Gail and Bailey]

As soon as Bailey is finished with her medicine I will participate.  I have been feeding her at scheduled times with this medicine so I will just keep it up for this experiment.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank you, Gail. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Here is what I have to say to this:  "UGH! I hate lima beans and wouldn't feed them to a dog!"  :-}

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nancy, even my teenage grandson loves them! 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Okay. I dont eat them, but FJ has them with his dinner often.   

I dont know when they will be served again ( should be within the next day or so ) , and I dont know if Spud will even eat them but we will join the study

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank you, Joanne. And please thank FJ, too. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I wish I could help but Finn won't eat them. And I don't think you want to know how long it takes him to push them out of the way or eat around them :))  If you have a carrot challenge, we're in.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks anyway, Cheryl. JD says Finn doesn't know what he's missing! 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I'll tell him :)