# Older dog having stomach problems...need help with best food.



## Mikeesmom (Sep 19, 2010)

Hello everyone I am new to this forum and I am so excited to find it. Its nice to talk with someone about problems with my dog and everyone understands what I am talking about. My Shiz Tzu is 13 years and has starting having problems with his stomach. I have been feeding him solid gold, but I think that it may have to many grains in it for his stomach. There are some mornings that he wakes up and has to throw up yellow liquid before he will even try to eat. Then there are some days that he will not eat but all he wants to do is go outside and eat grass. You can also hear his stomach making all kinds of sounds. It usually takes him until later in the afternoon before he will eat. I took him to the doctor on Friday and he checked him for worms, he was clear. I talk to him about maybe it being acid reflux. He also agreed with me. I am giving him a fourth of a Pepcid twice a day. I also give him just a tiny bit of food at night before he goes to bed. Just making sure that his stomach doesn't get completely empty. Now my question for you guys is food...What is the best dry to buy and feed him. I know that it will be trial and error, but I feel like I need to change him from what he is eating. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to feed him. Sorry for having such a long story, but I felt like I had to tell everything so you would know what to suggests. Thanks for any help or information you can give me.


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## Sunyoung (Oct 28, 2009)

If I'm not mistaken, yellow bile is usually due to an empty stomach (again, I could be wrong on this).

My dog (10 years or older) used to do the same thing (more or less) - wake up, throw up yellow bile, unable to poop, sometimes throw up more yellow bile later in the day, she would also eat a ton on some days (and still not poop later). I took her to the vet and they ran some blood tests on her and it turned out to be pancreatitis. The vet also told me that she couldn't poop because there was no poop in her intestines that the vet could feel - despite Frankie eating all that food!

You could try switching him to Wellness (they have a line of "simple" diets with one protein source each bag).. or you could try switching to raw foods (if you aren't against it). Everyone I've talked to has had very positive things to say about raw foods and I've heard many have told me that a lot of the problems their dog(s) were having cleared up. I'm not feeding raw (yet) though.

Good luck! 

Edited to add: Taste of the Wild is also good.


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## Mikeesmom (Sep 19, 2010)

Thanks so much for the info. That is all the same things that my dog is doing right now. There are some days I wonder where he is putting all that food. Then 2 to3 days later he is not wanting to eat or is going outside eating grass all day. Did they put your dog on any kind of meds for his problems or just change the food? Is this the food that you are feeding your dog? I am willing to try anything so that he can feel better. It is so sad to watch him when he is having one of those days, and today he is having one. The vet also told me to give him the pepcid twice daily. What do you that about this? Thanks again and sorry for so many questions.


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## grab (Sep 26, 2009)

We have similar issues with our 13 year old Poodle mix. We've found that, for her, the simpler the food the better. She's done well on the Natural Balance foods before.


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## Sunyoung (Oct 28, 2009)

The vet wanted to throw all sorts of meds at Frankie - mainly lots of different medications to stop vomiting and nausea. I'm a student and didn't have a lot of money so they ended up giving me a prescription card for "gentler" canned dog food (which I never used). They did end up giving us a prescription of Clavamox (antibiotic) for her. 
The vet told me that I could (in place of the prescription food) mix rice and cottage cheese together and feed it to Frankie. She told me to feed it to Frankie for about a week or two - I did two weeks before going back to her regular food. 

Frankie needs to eat low fat foods. High fat content is what triggers the pancreatitis to act up. 

It is also a good idea to fast your dog after a reaction because it can give the digestive system (and the pancreas) a breather instead of it getting more irritated. Usually 12 to 24 hours would be a good fast - and no, they wouldn't be starving and they will be fine. 

Also, do you feed any treats or tablescraps? Frankie's reactions are usually caused by my parents feeding her tablescraps despite me telling them not to. 
I would follow what your vet says about the pepcid though. Twice daily. I hope he gets better soon.


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

Mikeesmom said:


> Thanks so much for the info. That is all the same things that my dog is doing right now. There are some days I wonder where he is putting all that food. Then 2 to3 days later he is not wanting to eat or is going outside eating grass all day. Did they put your dog on any kind of meds for his problems or just change the food? Is this the food that you are feeding your dog? I am willing to try anything so that he can feel better. It is so sad to watch him when he is having one of those days, and today he is having one. The vet also told me to give him the pepcid twice daily. What do you that about this? Thanks again and sorry for so many questions.


IMHO, I wouldn't start your dog on raw just because he may be having digestive issues. Normally, yes I would feed a raw diet but in your case, not quite yet. Pancreatitis is a dangerous disease and requires the dog to eat a low fat diet for the rest of his life. A raw diet isn't really low fat either. Is the Pepcid helping? Does he eat a regular meal while he's on it? What food are you feeding him? I would suggest trying one of the Wellness Simple Solutions diets or Natural Balance's Limited Ingredients diets. Of course, slowly transition him to the new food. Have you tried canned food? It's easier to digest. Also, try feeding your dog smaller meals more often. So take what he should be eating and divide it into 3 or 4 meals. That way, his system doesn't have to do so much after eating a huge meal. 

I would also suggest having some blood tests done. This is not necessarily pancreatitis but it may enlighten you and your vet about what's going on with your dog. Maybe also an xray.


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## Angel's_mom (May 26, 2010)

My sensitive dog does great on Wellness Core. We're doing the reduced fat right now.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

Yes, for pancreatitis, low/lower fat foods are required. Natural Balance has their LID's and they have a reduced calorie that has one of the lowest fat percentages on the market. Fromm (my favorite food) has a whitefish that is lower fat that might be okay for your dog, too. Also....I don't think you know if it's pancreatitis yet...so don't panic or jump on that bandwagon, yet. You might also try giving your dog a probiotic/enzyme supplement that helps regulate digestion. There are lots of good ones on the market. A couple of favorites of mine are Holistic Select Solutions, Geneflora and Ark Naturals Gentle Digest. Some of these I mentioned have probiotics only, some have pre/probiotics/enzymes all together. Solid Gold is a good food, but it may be time to switch to another high quality one. I'm not opposed to grain-free foods, nor am I opposed to whole grains being used. Just remember your dog's age, condition, health, etc. when choosing a food. Do lots of research and choose a food that suits your situation. Good luck and I hope your dog feels better soon.


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## Mikeesmom (Sep 19, 2010)

Thanks for all the info..I went today to Petsmart and the man there was very helpful. I finally decided to switch to a food called, Blue Basics, Salmon and Potatoe. He told me that this would be good for a sensitive stomach. I am slowly moving him over to this food. I hope that this will be the answer. If he has anymore attacks I will ask for blood work to be done. I may have to try the can on him next. We were hoping to keep him on the dry for his teeth. I will keep everyone updated on how everything goes. Thanks again for the help.


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## Sunyoung (Oct 28, 2009)

Mikeesmom said:


> Thanks for all the info..I went today to Petsmart and the man there was very helpful. I finally decided to switch to a food called, Blue Basics, Salmon and Potatoe. He told me that this would be good for a sensitive stomach. I am slowly moving him over to this food. I hope that this will be the answer. If he has anymore attacks I will ask for blood work to be done. I may have to try the can on him next. We were hoping to keep him on the dry for his teeth. I will keep everyone updated on how everything goes. Thanks again for the help.


The nice thing about Petsmart is that you can return a bag of half-eaten food if your pet decides he or she doesn't like the food anymore or if it causes any problems.


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## BrittanieJo (Sep 23, 2010)

My dog that I just put down this past June had some serious stomach problems towards the end of her life (we later found out it was cancer hence putting the poor girl down). We actually switched to a wet food for her (little champions for seniors, not the BEST food but all she would eat so it worked!) in the am and in the pm I did bland chicken and rice. Eventually she went to just the wet food and it was really just whatever she could handle eating. Any dry food upset her tummy. I have heard really good things about what Petsmart recommended to you though! Good luck! 

I SO did not know about Petsmart half bag rule! I wish I would have known that when we were finding the puppy something she liked! Instead the animal shelter got it all. Which was fine too


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

flipgirl said:


> IMHO, I wouldn't start your dog on raw just because he may be having digestive issues. Normally, yes I would feed a raw diet but in your case, not quite yet. Pancreatitis is a dangerous disease and requires the dog to eat a low fat diet for the rest of his life. A raw diet isn't really low fat either. Is the Pepcid helping? Does he eat a regular meal while he's on it? What food are you feeding him? I would suggest trying one of the Wellness Simple Solutions diets or Natural Balance's Limited Ingredients diets. Of course, slowly transition him to the new food. Have you tried canned food? It's easier to digest. Also, try feeding your dog smaller meals more often. So take what he should be eating and divide it into 3 or 4 meals. That way, his system doesn't have to do so much after eating a huge meal.
> 
> I would also suggest having some blood tests done. This is not necessarily pancreatitis but it may enlighten you and your vet about what's going on with your dog. Maybe also an xray.


while i'm not suggesting that anyone put their dog on raw, do you feed your dogs raw?

if not, how did you come by the information that a dog with pancreatitis should not be fed raw?

i'm not asking to pick a fight...but i do believe you're misinformed....


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## thecanineman (Sep 25, 2010)

I am very sorry to hear of your senior canine's issue. In my opinion, your veterinarian should have gave you more suggestions. You can ask every dog owner in the world which dry dog food to use, and each will tell you something different. In other words, a good vet will suggest, in their professional opinion, what you should do. When you left the vet's office, you should have had a clear plan drawn out to address the issue. In my opinion, I would seek a vet that suits the obvious needs of a senior dog. I truly hope your little Shiz Tzu gets much better!


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Has he had blood work done? Perhaps he needs low fat food because his pancreas is irritated. Perhaps his kidneys are in trouble and the high phosphorus in regular kibbles is a problem. Sassy needed to be fed 4 times a day for the last year, perhaps more meals would help. Perhaps wetting down his food with water or broth would settle his stomach better.

I would go with one of the Natural Balance limited ingredient foods. They don't have grain but aren't high protein or high fat and don't have all that other nonsense premium kibble companies think look good on the ingredient list. Wellness makes a line as does Natura but those are made with grains.


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