Doodles with IBS ( Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Blake has bouts of irritable bowel syndrome...My vet told me that he sees it all the time with Doodles and that it seems to be a consistent problem with the breed.......Anyone else have this experience with their Doodle?

[Adina P]

I think your vet just doesn't like them! You can't have consistent GI problems with a non-breed. Unless poodles have it and/or labs have it frequently...it's not gonna show up in mixes between the two on ANY consistent basis. Sorry...I have no idea about any solutions though.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Thanks Adina.....I think I need to change vets.....Regarding the non-breed issue....Any truth to the rumour that AKC is considering Labradoodle multi- gens with Autralian stock origins as an official breed?

[ClarkP]

I sure hope the AKC doesn't get involved with Labradoodles. I observed what happened to Border Collies once the AKC recognized them. It wasn't a good thing. They got 'poofier' and less healthy. But gosh, they sure looked good in that show ring. :-|

[Adina P]

I don't think so. Neither the Australian LD's nor the multigens are ready for breed status. I also think that if ANYONE would be pushing for breed status it would be the AKC in desperation for more membership. My guess is most (not all) breeders would prefer to stay out of the AKC.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Thanks for the feedback.....and now that you mention it, my vet does seem to have an attitude towards Doodles!...Calls them "Designer Dogs" and a fad!..I just assumed that Blake's bouts of IBS are a direct result of puppy mill origins......FYI I have tried a few different diets over the last year....including the good old boiled chicken and rice....He does well on and prefers the Whole Foods Baked Holistic Food mixed with chicken and brown rice.....Wellness is hard on his back end....I generally try to follow Dr. Picairn's advice on hollistic pet health as a rule...That seems to be working, but every once in a while, he still has tummy gurgles and rumbles that result in soft stools and a bit of diarhea.....

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Actually he's quite calm and welladjusted...His only issue is he doesn't like to be left alone.....He has a little separation anxiety but doesn't act out in destructive ways ( chewing, barking. whining etc.) If he suspects that I am about to leave he simply follows me around and then tries to stop me from leaving by either gently grabbing my wrist with his mouth and uttering an assortment of grunts ( almost repremanding me or vocalizing his displeasure) or if I'm sitting, he will throw his body on me and "hug" me with his paws around my neck resting his head on my shoulder...lol......But I've been told by my neighbors who are my spies that once I'm out of the driveway he settles down for a nap immediately....

[fergie11]

Jacquie - I'm just reading some old stuff and read this. I was laughing out loud.
Thank you for making me laugh on this rainy day.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Time for a new vet.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Unfortunately, I think you are right.....

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I just posted this on the "Doodle Eating Habits" forum, but it applies here too.

We have left dry food out for free feeding or grazing for about 2 years now, with 1 homecooked meal of chicken, liver or beef in a stew at human dinnertime. They eat when we eat. We have 3 dogs, 2 LD's (1&2) and 1 Bijon (10). We have never had a "gluttony" (except for the first day or two) or IBS problem or any other problem, medically. However, sometimes one or all of them will take their time with their dinner; come back later or not eat at all. They will regulate themselves to some extent, even a day of fasting is not a bad thing. (That's how dogs eat in the wild).

What I do know is that when I fed my dog just one meal a day, the same kind of "complete & balanced" food as promoted by the dog food companies day after day, year after year, she was posioned by the crap or gluten or whatever garbage was added to it, by the dog food recall of 2+ years ago. She is now dead as I await the legal system to decide how much money my precious dog was worth. As if priceless could be defined.

Now, I change dry, canned and my homemade food every other bag or week and I am sure it is complete and balanced because I make it so. I don't take a for-profit companies word for it.

What I have learned is if your dog is eating grass or some other strange thing, something is missing from it's diet. If he/she stops eating, something is missing or is undesirable to him. If people ate the same thing day after day, year after year, they would have deficiencies and get sick. In the wild, dogs eat a variety of things at different times of the day, sometimes fasting until the next meal comes along. That's how we should try to mimic their natural instincts. That is what a "holistic" approach to feeding means.

Sorry to get long winded. Dog Food is a BIG pet peeve of mine and many vets are in on the kickbacks and perks from the dog food companies, so be warned. Good luck with the IBS. By the way, my girl Ginger can't have rice or wheat, (or corn) which are commonly added to bowel problem foods.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

I also replied to this in the Eating Habits Forum but this also applies here...

You were not long winded AT ALL!..I agree with you and I am so sorry to hear about your precious girl.......A dear friend of mine lost her 2 year old Bernese Mountain Dog to the recalled food......

I know that most commercial foods are full of corn, wheat, gluten and meat by-products that basically consist of sick, diseased and cancer ridden chickens and cows.....I have never given Blake ANY commercial food always opting for wheat/corn/ gluten and by-product free holistic dry food mixed with boiled or baked chicken/beef/lamb that I make myself....The rice that I give him on occasion to bind is always brown rice and mixed with rolled oats oatmeal and barley. This is following Dr. Picairn's method of feeding.....His book is available on Amazon and actually provides nutritious, hollistic doggy recipes...If you don't already know of it, it's worth getting....

Again, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss...Only an animal lover understands that losing a precious pet is like losing a family member and I thank you for your feedback.....

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Thank you for your valuable and appreciated info!