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]

Oscar holds the record then for fastest passage of a lima bean by a doodle, lol. Lucy is in good company with the rest, who seem to be running more than 40 hrs. :)

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

OMD....this takes the lima bean cake. I have been away and this put a smile on my face. Since I mostly free feed and don't want to inspect poop, I will just live vicariously through others...LOL

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That's okay, Laurie, we won't call you a party pooper. :) 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

LOL....this requires cooking, right?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, it does involve boiling water. :) 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Honestly, the lima beans in JD's poop are very easily seen in daylight, no sticks needed. Before I even bend to pick it up, I know there are beans in it. 

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

We're at the 48 hour mark from when Jack and Jilly had the lima beans. I've been collecting poop with my reading glasses on and picking through. I don't see any bits of beans in either one's poop. It was doubtful if Jilly got any down, she would spit them out instead. Jack ate a good amount of his but he tends to take his time and chew his food well, so I'm not surprised that I didn't find any pieces of the lima beans. I'm going to give it one more day just to be sure, but I have a feeling it's all been digested!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks for the update, Janie. 

[Vivian & Mojo]

Karen I'm reporting in with poop results. Mojo ate his limas at 8:30 am on Tuesday with his raw meal and now, 48 hours later  there are no whole beans in his poop, I checked each deposit over the past few days and only on day one did I see anything that may have been the skin of a bean. Since I still have more beans I thought I would try again giving them to him with his kibble meal to see if there would be any difference.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks, Vivian. It will be very interesting to see if there is a difference. 

[Vivian & Mojo]

Karen its been 2 days since Mojo ate the beans with his kibble and like with the raw not a sign of any lima beans.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

So it looks like he's one of those who digested them, too.