Food for sensitive stomach

[Kate Rich]

I posted a few weeks ago about our 8 month puppy Taco. He has been on wellness complete health puppy (chicken) grain free and then with grains version since we transitioned him at 10 weeks. He ate a rope toy ( we think) over a month ago. Multiple vet visits, Antibiotics, X-ray ( which didn’t show blockage) and prescription hills food. Every time we transition him from only chicken and rice back to kibble, he gets diarrhea and vomiting. Yesterday I gave him less than a quarter cup
Of His wellness kibble food mixed with his chicken and rice and he vomited last night and this morning and had soft stools last evening. I really want to get him off the chicken diet and back to kibble. Any recommendations for a food that may be easy in his stomach? I doubt it is the chicken as he tolerates it boiled. I am also giving him proviable once daily with his chicken/ rice. Does dog food go bad? At this point it is close to two months old but in a giant plastic tub. Not sure why he would suddenly no longer be able to eat food he always ate. I am getting so discouraged as he acts fine but every time we introduce kibble he reacts this way. Thanks!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I will defer to Karen on suggesting a food (I've seen Wellness simple solutions I think suggested a few times for sensitivity issues).  However yes, dog food goes bad due to storage mites and just getting stale in general.  You should only keep dog food out for about a month, maybe 6 weeks at most if it's in an airtight container and stored inside the house, if you have more than a month's supply you can freeze the excess then thaw as needed.

It sounds to me like he needs to see a GI specialist.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Okay, so first, you never want to have more open dog food than your dog will finish in a month. Even in an airtight container, it may not go "bad", but it definitely loses freshness and appeal. It can also harbor storage mites. I know that buying larger bags is a tiny little bit more economical, but it is really not worth the few cents per lb that you might save. 

The reason he can't eat food that he previously ate is because he had an irritation in the gut, and because the antibiotics destroyed all of the good gut bacteria that is necessary foir proper digestion and stool formation. The Xray may not have shown anything, but inflammation in the gut can't be seen on Xrays. 

I doubt that food alone is going to help, but you could try a grain-free limited ingredient formula that might be easier on his system. I recommend Wellness Simple, either the Salmon & Potato or Turkey & Potato formula. 

As I mnetioned in your previous discussion, ingestion of a foreign body can lead to ongoing digestive disease. Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease or even the much less serious Irritable Bowel Syndrome will look and act perfectly normal, except for the digestive symptoms. 

If continuing with the probiotics and switching him to the Simple food doesn't help, I would strongly suggest consulting an Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist for further testing.

Short of that, you can ask your vet to give him a B12 (cobalamin) shot. This is inexpensive and may help. Testing for B12 deficiency requires a GI blood panel which must be sent out and costs about $200, but it does give you a clue as to whether further testing is warranted. B12 shots aree harmless, cost 10-25 dollars each if given by the vet and should be given weekly for at least a month. 

You might also talk to your vet about giving him Tylan.

I hope this helps.

 

[Kate Rich]

Thanks so much for the advice! I just ordered the wellness simple turkey and can pick up today after work. I will continue with the daily probiotics and slowly start this food tomorrow and see how it goes. I feel
We have gone beyond what our vet can help us with so I may have to look into a specialist if this doesn’t work.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You can find a specialist at the ACVIM website, or perhaps your vet can refer you. 

Please let us know how the new food works.

[Kate Rich]

Thanks so much. I will let you know. I hope the food is the answer

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

This is beyond my expertise level but what probiotic are you giving Taco?  Some probiotics are better than others to improve gut bacteria.  With Karen's guidance, we use a human probiotic for Charlie because when he needs a probiotic simple dog ones don't seem to help him.  The one we use for Charlie is VSL#3.  It is somewhat pricey, must be refrigerated, and sometimes needs to be ordered by the pharmacy.  We use the CVS pharmacy in Target stores when we need to purchase it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I was going to suggest VSL#3 if things didn't improve with the food change, lol. But there's no reason not to try it now.

[Kate Rich]

We are using the proviable-dc but I will try this one instead if I can order it online. I am off to do some searching! We are going to start the wellness limited turkey tomorrow as I wanted to give his stomach some rest since he vomited this morning. I am anxious to try these changes and hope it helps!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You really don't want to order VSL#3 online. There is no way to be sure of its being kept refrigerated at the proper temperature from the supplier to you, unless you order directly from the manufacturer and have it shipped direct, C.O.D. and that is going to be very very pricey. It can't just be delivered via normal mail or UPS, etc. and sit in the trucks, mailbox, etc. 

[Kate Rich]

So does my vet need to write a prescription or can I get it from the pharmacy without one?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You don;t need a prescription. Call around locally to see who has it. You want the capsules, not the sachets. I find CVS has the best prices. It will be in the refrigerator behind the pharmacy counter, and you'll need to plan on going straight home after you pick it up. 

[Kate Rich]

Thanks!  I will call tomorrow!