Can dogs have Chrohn's?

[Carl]

I adopted my dog in February 2003. She was 2.5 years old at the time. In April, she became very constipated, occasional vomitting, and as a result I took her to the vet several times over the course of 3 months. Each time, the vet said it was an anal gland infection and had them emptied. Her suggestion was to add more fibre to the diet, which I did. 3 tsp of bran with meal, twice a day. This seemed to work, and my dog was well for the rest of the year, and into the start of this year.

Now it a year later, also April, and the constipation has turned into diarrhea with occasional vomitting. The vet said the anal glands were partially filled, perscribed some Tyclocine, and we went home. A few weeks later the diarrhea has now come back.

There has been no change in the dog's diet, and she is still playful. So my question is this. I've heard of Chrohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome. I've also heard that this disease is triggered in some humans by prticular times of the year. Could it be that my dog is sensitive to the weather conditions associated with the Spring season? Or just a sensitive bowel in general?

This is also the first dog I have ever had. Is this common in dogs?

[Lucky Rescue]

Yes, dogs can get irritable bowel syndrome. What are you feeding your dog as a regular diet?

[Carl]

I feed her Science Diet Beef & Chicken, canned, with some Science Diet kibble (about a 2/3, 1/3 ratio) in another bowl. My vet suggested the Science Diet for dogs with intestinal disorders (sold only at the vet) which I have gradually been introducing into her diet, but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

I know the previous owner so from the very start I asked him what he fed her, and kept the dog on the same food brand and type. I haven't changed a thing, and he said he never had any problems.

[woodbyter]

Chrohn's disease is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to other intestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and colitis. ALL THREE ARE SIMILAR BUT NOT SPECIFICALLY NOR EXACTLY THE SAME.

I have a friend who is a research vet and he says the most common or accepted theory is that Crohn's is where the immune system starts attacking itself.

There is much more known of this conditon in humans than in animals. Some humans have reported startling success in getting this under control with some "medically considered" off the wall treatments.

I'd listen to the natural healers more on this one. The medical community is still scratching it's head.
WB

[Lucky Rescue]

Science Diet is not good food, and could very well be the cause of the problems!

Also, canned and dry food digest at different rates, which can also cause diarrhea when fed in that ratio. If you want her to have some canned, just mix a few tablespoons of it (NOT Science Diet) in her kibble.

I would change her over to better quality food, (Nutro, Innova, Wellness, etc) and see if that makes a difference - it very well might!

[Luba]

If the bowel and gut is that sensitive maybe you would want to try home cooking.

(I think I'm repeating myself, I've said this so many times the last little while hahahahhaa!)

However, seriously give it a try and see how it works out for you. Try a week to ten days of a very bland diet of boiled chicken or turkey with cooked potato. See if this helps. It would also be beneficial to decrease portion sizes and feed smaller meals more frequently.

If you find the bland diet works then you can encorporate it and add the needed supplements to it, along with adding different veggies and such.

It's worth a try!

[Carl]

Thanks everyone. These are great suggesions.

How does one know that Science Diet is not good food? Is there a website? I've checked Consumers Report, but found nothing. I kept feeding my dog Science Diet only because the previous owner had, and I heard that dogs are sensitive to changes in their food. I would love to learn more information about this. I'm new to dog ownership, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Are the other 3 brands mentioned above available at pet stores or only through the vet? I would also love to learn more about this.

[MBRA518]

Originally Posted by Carl

Thanks everyone. These are great suggesions.

How does one know that Science Diet is not good food? Is there a website? I've checked Consumers Report, but found nothing. I kept feeding my dog Science Diet only because the previous owner had, and I heard that dogs are sensitive to changes in their food. I would love to learn more information about this. I'm new to dog ownership, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Are the other 3 brands mentioned above available at pet stores or only through the vet? I would also love to learn more about this.

The biggest clue to how good a food is, is the ingredient list... you want the first ingredient listed (mean that it is the highest percentage in the food) is actual meat. Beware of "meal meal", or "meat by products" those are basically feet, brain intestine - and other body parts not used in human food. The reason good food is some much more expensive is that it is made with real meat... not just the left overs.

If anyone is looking for a good quality food and a cheaper price, check out nutra nuggets from Costco... The lamb and rice is what I feed, the first 2 ingredients are actual lamb and rice. My dog has done wonderful on it and a 16KG bag is only $22... it's the whole reason that I buy a membership, since a comparable food at the pet store is about $50 + a bag... When you feed a 16KG bag every 1.5 - 2 months it adds up. Just thought I'd share my find... there is also a nutra nuggets that is not lamb and rice - not sure of the ingredients of that one.

Almost every SD food has corn as the first ingred... Dogs can not digest corn very well, so it just pass through as waste (and you pooper scoop it later ) So you don't want much corn in your feed... another supposed good food to avoid is Iams.

Here's a discussion to check out re- SD foods... there were a few very knowledgeable posts there. http://forum.nchorsenews.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6035

Oh just though I should add... to change food do it over about 1-2 weeks gradually introduce the new feed with the old - replacing a little old with new untill you have them completely changed over... you will usually not have problems that way.

[Lucky Rescue]

Yes, avoid IAMS as well! And all the dog food sold at grocery stores (Pedigree, etc.) is basically crap.

The foods I mentioned can be found at pet food stores, and Nutro is available at most pet shops. It is also the least expensive, but the more expensive the food, the less you feed of it so it probably works out to more or less the same cost.

I don't know about the other brands, but Wellness is made with all human grade ingredients and my 70lb dog eats only 2 cups a day, where I would have to give her 4+ cups of inferior food. Big bonus - no gas!

[wAggie]

I thought most of the Wellness food is basically made up of vegetables and rice... little or no meat...

i thought that's not BEST for a dog.... since they ARE meat eaters in the wild... or were.