# Can RAW food help with Chronic IBD in dog



## Misty's mom (Nov 8, 2007)

I have a sad story that I am searching for help with. My dog is 3 1/2 yrs old and I think she has IBD. She started in with diarrhea on Oct 1st. I have tried EVERY premium dog food out there and nothing is working. She has lost 40% of her body weight in 2 months. Her entire bottom area is bare and red and bleeds when I clean it. She loses interest in eating I think because she knows she is going to have it come out the other end in a fury. She has been worm tested, giardia, ultra sound showed no obstructions. She has been given fluids 3 times due to dehydration. After 3 vet consults we are treating her presumtively for IBD with steriods and Tylan powder. She was on antibiotics for overgrowth of bacteria. Even metronidizole did not touch her diarrhea. I have a great holistic vet that has decided to give her injections of steriods (only because we are at our wits end) because she thinks her stomach is not absorbing the oral ones I have. She had her first injection last Friday and on Saturday for the first time in over 2 months she had soft but formed stools - I was elated. She went back in on Tues for another injection and we lowered the dosage since she did so well but on Wed she had terrible diarrhea with blood again and today (thurs) she had it again. Today she had some formed in the watery mess. She was tested for foods she could digest and we discovered the only proteins are Turkey and Lamb. The food found to be the best for her was Natures Variety Raw Lamb. I started her on that last Friday and she has been eating it since but last night she lost interest in it and did not eat. Tonight I moved her back to some cooked turkey and she ate it. The one thing I have been doing is cooking her raw food because the vet and I (by the way she feeds raw) thought it would be easier on her tummy if its cooked!
Sorry this is long but I am in desperate need of some help advice prayers anything offered is welcome.
Also she was fine up until October. She has had allergies we think all her life and anal gland issues - but never like this or this bad. 
Thanks for reading and helping us if you can!
Misty's Mom !


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## TeddieXRuxpin (Sep 11, 2007)

You said "you *think*" has this been diagnosed by a regular vet yet?

I'm all for holistic vets, but it hasn't seemed to do anything. Maybe it's time for a different vet. I know a lot of people who have fed raw and it has helped with several different health problems. It's worth a try.


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## Misty's mom (Nov 8, 2007)

Well she has been to 3 different vets since this began. 2 western style and 1 holistic. All of them are baffled by what is wrong with her. All the tests have not shown anything definitive. The only test left to do is a $2000.00 endoscopy to define "which" type of IBD she has and the posibility is that she does not have IBD in which case the endoscopy would be negative. I dont have the money to do that test because I have already spent almost $2000.00 on her in 2 short months that I did not have to begin with. 
So we are assuming she has IBD due to her symptoms and all 3 vets concur with that diagnosis. However the traditional treatment for IBD is steriods and diet control - which has not helped with her. And if it has it is like a rollar coaster. Like last week she went 3 days without eating and then got the steriod shot and ate for 3 days and then started to stop eating again. So as you can see right when "we" think we have something that is working the bottom falls out and we are back at the beginning. She would not eat the raw (cooked) tonight but she ate some turkey. 
!


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## cascabel (Sep 25, 2007)

I do think raw could help, specifically grain free (bacteria love decaying organic matter). I would also really recommend supplementing with digestive enzymes and probiotics (you can get refrigerated probiotics at human health stores that are great). I've known dogs with bacterial overgrowth that just kept coming back and the vet just put them on round after round of antibiotics. The the only thing that broke the cycle was changing the diet and supplying enzymes/probiotics. 

I would also suggest using slippery elm for a week or so. It acts to coat the stomach and intestines and can really help with the IBD. It should also help make your dog want to eat since it will soothe the stomach. You don't want to use it for more than about a week at a time because it is suspected that prolonged use can eventually inhibit nutrient absorption, but it is great when used for short periods. 

You can also add some green tripe to the food to help entice her to eat. The stuff stinks like crazy  , but is excellent at enticing dogs to eat. 

I hope your pup feels better soon!


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Raw has helped MANY IBD/IBS patients. BUT how did your vet confirm that it's IBD? Alot of times IBD is really undiagnosed Giardia. I know you had her tested, but giardia tests rarely find the parasite - it's tricky little bug and it's nasty. 
I suggest you find another vet, get a second opinion and before you do any testing, ask about doing a course of Pancur, just to rule Giardia out. If you go this route, I also suggest you get a good probiotic to help get the digestive system back on track.


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## Anela (Sep 8, 2007)

This is really really sad. 

Your situation is a reason why I always ask the vet how long it will be before I should see results when dealing with medication I want to know a date. It sounds to me like your vet is poking around in hopes of trying to find the problem. After what you and your dog have been through, there is absolutely no reason for this to be going on since Oct 1. None. It is not your job to think the dog has IBD, it's your vets. If this was a definite diagnosis, you should have been told in plain English so you could understand it. 

I did read the contents on the dog food link (coincidently I was looking at the same brand today). There are things in it that could cause issues (eggs & chicken come to mind). 

Has giardia been ruled out or other internal parasites? How about a food allergy and thyroid? Does the dog have an "off smell" and/or perhaps oily skin? All of these questions should have been asked and answered by your vet from the very beginning to do a process of elimination. 

I think you really need to ask yourself why the vet's have not been able to find the problem. You are spending all of this money for what seems to be nothing, because nothing positive is happening. You say your vet's are baffled, well, it's not their job to be baffled, it's their job to help your dog.

If you have not already done so, you need to research all of the diagnosis made on your dog via Google. Also research the meds. You will educate yourself about what may be going on.

I think you need a specialist in internal veterinary medicine. With all of the things going on, a qualified person should be able to at least help you start to get things under control with a consultation. I think at this point, any other course is useless. 

I also think you need to take the upper hand with all of this and state your dissatisfaction with your present vets. Put pressure on them to come up with a solution, without you paying any more money. State that you are losing your confidence in them and that the course they are taking has simply got to end, now. If they get upset, that’s tough. You also need to start looking for a new vet. 

Your dogs life is in serious jeporody. If you don't get a handle on what is going on, you are at risk of looking it. 

Anela


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

Raw could help with IBD but it will not be quick. You see, raw foods are richer than kibbles so they in and of themselves take some getting used to. I have a cat with IBD and I switched her food to a grain free and some raw--it has now been about four months and I am starting to see her stools are less frequent and more solid so it must be helping!!!


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## Junipurr (Dec 2, 2007)

I agree with Cascabel about the Slippery Elm. I have used this on baby goats with Cocci, an intestinal parasite, and a horse with Colic with great results. But do not give at the same time as any other remedy or med because it will not allow it to absorb. You can also try Ginger root, absolutely probiotics, B complex to keep energy up and help with appetite, also you can try a tissue salt called Nux Vomica. 

But was there ANYTHING you can think of that could have led up to this? Any trips, any odd behavior, anything different in you or your dogs life at all?

Junipurr


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## Misty's mom (Nov 8, 2007)

1st let me say thank you to all that have posted kind words and advice. 
On the giardia note - she was tested and it was negative. My vet said also since we live in Colorado it is endemic here so most likely she has it but she should not be reacting like this for so long. 
As for a food allergy or intolerance. I have tried most of the premium diets with no success - she will eat for about 3-5 days have terrible diarrhea and then she stops eating. This has been a cycle for over 2 months and because she has lost so much weight I feed her anything she will eat (pretty much) just to keep her alive. 
I tried the Tripe also and she would not touch it - which most people think is unheard of in dogs. So that can went in the trash. 
As for grain free - I tried to feed her some Wellness Core low fat yesterday and she had horrible diarrhea with mucous and blood last night. Then she would not eat this morning again! ! I tried some raw lamb and she ate 1 medallion of those. 
I am going to go get some slippery elm and try that. She did have a test done yesterday to see if her pancreas is not sufficient in enzyme production - although she is not presenting like a dog with that. 
IBD was not diagnosed - it cant be without a colonoscopy that will cost 1500 that I dont have. She presents like a dog with IBD and that is why we are treating like it. I do have another vet appt with someone new but they cant get us in until 1/16 due to the holidays etc. 
My biggest problem is getting her to Keep eating. She was on raw for about 5 days and then stopped eating it. 
Does anyone know how to keep her eating - I think if she would stay on the same food for a while it would help her but.....
As you can read I am grasping at any straw that I can find to save her but I am beginning to think I cant save her and to make a decision to have her put to sleep - I cant even imagine it = but I dont want her to suffer and I think she is...
To the note about what caused this - I took her off of Clycosporine she was on over the summer for allergies. I slowly changed her diet to Wellness simple solutions, I took her to Texas on a road trip right when it started and in Mid Sept we adopted a puppy from a rescue - she was good with her for 2 weeks and then this started. So as you can see I BLAME MYSELF for her being so sick - another reason I am struggling so hard to find something anything that will help her get back to normal.

Thank you for all your prayers for us!


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## ChrissyBz (Aug 10, 2007)

Misty's mom said:


> So as you can see I BLAME MYSELF for her being so sick - another reason I am struggling so hard to find something anything that will help her get back to normal.
> 
> Thank you for all your prayers for us!


I've been where you are.

Don't do that, you'll only cloud your mind with thoughts that can't possibly help. Self flagellation helps no one. It's obvious that you love her very much. Just keep persevering and she knows you love her. That will help her too. 

I know she's terribly skinny, but do you think it would help if you could just give her the slippery elm and liquids? Perhaps chicken broth and veggies with the veg strained out? Marshmallow is also very soothing and can be given in conjunction with slippery elm.(not the candy) For at least 2 days. She will get some nutrition from the broth and it may allow her bowel to begin healing.

I know you've already done a lot and I don't know if you've tried this but at this point it sounds like it may be worth a shot. If she'll drink it at least she won't get dehydrated.


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## Magriet (Dec 16, 2007)

I'm not able to give any more advice as has already been given. I can say though that I agree, don't blame yourself and get into a state, it not going to help her. I've been through something like that myself with a cat and blaming myself did not help anyone. Just now you have a horde of dog lover praying for you and "supporting" you in our thoughts


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## Misty's mom (Nov 8, 2007)

Hi,
First let me say - all of you are some pretty wonderful people to have such kind words and uplifting advice! They helped me to see "the Light" so to speak! Onward and Upward is my battle cry now for Misty - she will get through this and I know she will live a long happy life!!!

Here is the latest update on Misty:
She did pretty well over the weekend compared to how she was doing. She ate a little pumpkin for me each night and drank some chicken broth. She continues to "want" to eat the Merrick Dog food I have and so I have been giving her small amounts of that. I also up-ed her probiotics/enzymes I was giving her to 3 per day from 2. I think between the pumpkin, probiotics, steriod shot and vitamin B-12 she got - it is all helping very very slowy. She has up's and downs so its hard to pinpoint what is working and what is not. She went back in today for another steriod shot and Vitamin B-12 injection. Her results came back normal for the pancreas enzyme levels - in fact they were on the high end so the vet thinks that is because her body is in such dire straits that it is working extra hard to help her. So we are going to treat her for Giardia with Panacur. She was treated with metronidizole before and it did not help a bit so my fingers are crossed this panacur will get it - if its giardia. I am going to continue feeding her the Merrick since she is doing OK with it. She had horrible diarrhea from the Wellness core so it seems she needs that extra filler in there and nothing too rich - for now. If she stops eating the Merrick then I think I will try Cal Nat Chick and rice - since its so simple it might be what she needs. She still has her happy little attitude with all thats happening to her and that gets me through the rough periods.
So wish us luck and I will update again in a few days - I pray with GOOD news!


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## Magriet (Dec 16, 2007)

This is the best news of the day, we're still all praying for you.


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## ChrissyBz (Aug 10, 2007)

Misty's mom said:


> Hi,
> She still has her happy little attitude with all thats happening to her and that gets me through the rough periods.
> So wish us luck and I will update again in a few days - I pray with GOOD news!


The happy attitude is a VERY GOOD SIGN we could all learn a lot with how dogs handle suffering



Magriet said:


> This is the best news of the day, we're still all praying for you.


I completely agree so glad to hear this.


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