The Colitis is back

[HelgatheHairy]

Bollocks.

Have a 5 month old golden retriever puppy, who's the cutest boy ever (obviously!), except for the fact he's now on his third bout of colitis in 2 months.

This bout only started yesterday so I'm starving him today. He'd recovered really well from the first two bouts, was back on his normal food and was having normal poos. He was on Science Plan and I'd started weaning him onto James Wellbeloved, so going to just put him back 100% onto Science plan. Also yesterday he'd rolled in Fox/Badger poo (something black, sticky and smelly anyway) and we'd had to give him a bath where he tried drinking some of the bathwater, but it had started by then.

Just worried that at 5 months it can't be that good for him to keep starving him.

Sorry think this is just a rant at this stage. Just feel so sorry for my poor puppy.

[ConeyIslandBaby]

My dog was like this when he was little, we've just about got it under control now, he's 3. It was awful when he was little though, he'd get a really gurgly, crampy tummy, you could see it contracting and he looked so uncomfortable and sorry for himself. At the time he was fed on JWB. After numerous trips to the vet, I decided to cut out all processed food and started making my own dogfood (chicken, rice and peas etc) but this was a pain in the arse so went to raw feeding. It worked very quickly and the bouts stopped immediately.

You need to find a food that works for your dog. Mine likes/needs a high protein diet (he's a Jack Russell), but it doesn't suit all dogs. If you're not up for raw feeding (my DP hates it, he's vegetarian so hates preparing meat) Lily's Kitchen and Applaws have worked for my pup. They are both quite expensive though. I've also heard that chappie is very gentle on the tummy and significantly cheaper, plus lower protein. My dog has expensive taste though and won't touch it!

Just be careful that you change foods over slowly as the change itself can make your dog poorly.

I found it really stressful when Jimmy was at his worst but now we know his limits its all good. Good luck!

[HelgatheHairy]

Thanks for the advice. The starving seems to have worked. He's had one normal poo today so far. And is now curled up on the couch next to me sleeping.

The gurgly tummy is the worst, because sometimes he's fine, it's just gurgly and sometimes it means immenent doom and we never know which. I was thinking Raw but DH doesn't like the idea of it so it's off the table (for now anyway). Will look into those foods you mentioned.

[Aquelven]

My littlest Yorkie has this problem, had it from being a puppy & she's five now, & weighing in at 5lbs she can't afford to starve.
After much trial & error & vet visits in the past, she's now mostly stable on boiled chicken ( I get the frozen bags of chopped, skinless chicken breast pieces from Aldi) mixed with kibble, she has Royal Canin.

But I always, always keep in stock both Canikur Pro paste (which I buy online cheaper than at the vets, no prescription needed) & Salazopyrin which she has on standing prescription from the vets.
She had two years of seeing every vet in the practice with no cure in sight till the head vet saw her & pinned it down. Now, at the first sign, I give her one or other depending on severity & it clears up within a day without starving or hauling her to the vet.

She used to have Promax but they changed the formula, the vet told me that, so wouldn't recommend buying that. Canikur Pro is much better.

[HelgatheHairy]

Aquelven - last bout we put puppy on Canikur Pro straight away and don't feel like it did anything. Haven't heard of Salazopyrin, something to look into.

Thankfully he's ok again, this was a short bout.

[daisydotandgertie]

JWB is quite well known for giving some dogs the runs. I'd avoid it completely if your dog is prone to it. Try one of the other reasonably good completes - Burns or Fish4Dogs. Royal Canin and Hills are very, very expensive but pretty rubbishy quality kibbles.

I am also not a fan of Raw feeding - especially if your dog has a sensitive digestion. A number of premade raw feeds are very, very high in fat which can have a catastrophic effect on the pancreas.

[hippermiddleton]

My puppy had recurrent colitis until he was about a year old - we were back and forth to the vets constantly, testing for everything from campylobacter to worms to giardia to allergies... In the end the vet concluded it was a 'sensitive gut', and put him on Hills WD to slow down digestive transit, which cleared up the runs but obviously wasn't a long term solution. Ideally, I'd have fed raw but red meat seemed to set off some hideous bloody poo episodes, so I gradually tried every hypoallergenic kibble going (Wafcol, Burns, Fish4Dogs, Skinners, etc), until I found one (a local feed supplier's chicken/rice mix) that didn't end up with me hosing down the yard.

He still gets bouts occasionally if he snaffles raw meat, or if he's overfed, but it's much better than it was. And it's horrible - you have my sympathy!

Can you work out what's setting off the colitis? Is it something he's eating? Is it worm-related? Is he getting any treats that might be triggering some sensitivity? Slippery Elm Bark is often recommended as a natural way of calming a sensitive gut, and we always have a few tins of Chappie on hand, as a good basic bland food.

[Aquelven]

I tried Burns, Fish4Dogs, Skinners to no avail too.
The vet put her on Hills WD but she wouldn't touch the stuff. Royal Canin might not be loved by some people but their Yorkshire is the only thing that works with my little one.
It was concluded that hers was due to a "sensitive gut" too. Certainly seems to be the case as if she gets upset she has a flare up. Especially with separation anxiety, why I keep her with me unless completely impossible.

Sorry Canikur Pro didn't work. It only works for mild bouts with mine, if I catch it very early, mostly she needs the Salazopyrin.

[HelgatheHairy]

I stopped the JWB (I was only at 70:30 switch) and he's been better since so that's getting thrown out!

We've worked out a few things that AREN'T causing it - rabbit poo, horse poo and cow poo ( live on a farm!) wheat (he stole a bread roll and there was no adverse reaction!) dried pigs ear (his favourite thing ever)

Things that might be causing it - cat food (had a bad bout after I accidentally left door open and he got in) dried cows ear (bad bout) and possibly stress (it all started during a period my uncle was dying in hospital and I had to keep leaving him- we had BIL dogsitting but it wasn't the same)

Thanks for all the advice and support, it's good to hear other stories.