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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Colitis Experinces?

38 replies

SoulMole · 15/04/2024 09:24

Hi all. Sorry for the long post. Looking for anyone with similar experiences. We have a 5y/o mixed terrier. He suffers with bouts of colitis that we cannot seem to get a handle on. There have been periods of months where he has been completely fine but then it will rear up again. He’s unwell at the moment, for the last few weeks. The pattern is almost always the same. He will be fed up and lethargic on waking. He will not eat and will rest all morning.

Then, around lunchtime, he starts coming around. He will then eat his breakfast and be perky for the rest of the day. He will eat dinner later, go to bed find but the next morning we are back to square one. It’s not the worst bout he has had but later in the day, his stools have a slight blood streak, which I know if from the poorly morning he had. (In a morning he has a ‘normal’ poo – I assume from the healthier transit of the previous afternoon and evening).

We have had him at the vets a few times. There was no infection present. He has a prebiotic every day and we are very careful with his diet. I have also had a sensitivity test done but that didn’t get us anywhere. I am not keen to change his diet again as he can go so long without a flare-up. But why does it come and go? He can also be very itchy at certain times of the year and not sure if that is linked. So…

Does anyone have any suggestions of what might be causing this?
Does anyone know why it develops overnight?

He’s such a lovely happy dog and I feel like he is missing out on life when he feels crappy for weeks at a time.

He's on Forthglade wet food at the moment.

Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
SoulMole · 15/04/2024 12:19

Anyone out there? 🙂

OP posts:
LunaFortuna · 15/04/2024 12:30

Hi, I had a dog with colitis (also a mixed terrier). We had loads of tests done but no answers. Eventually one of the vets suggested it might be a sensitivity to too much protein and to try her on Chappie - it was an overnight change and never happened again. Totally sorted the problem. I realise this is purely anecdotal (I have no veterinary knowledge at all!) and I know you said you don’t want to change his diet but it might be worth a go.

Original poster
SoulMole · 15/04/2024 13:19

Thank you. Have seen it recommended before but I know it's not the most, erm, nutritious food! Guess it's definitely worth considering though. Thank you for replying.

OP posts:
HavfrueDenizKisi · 15/04/2024 13:37

Yes I have a poodle that had a long bout of colitis with yellow stools and blood/mucus etc. Turns out she was allergic to chicken. We removed all poultry from her diet and switched foods etc. and she's much better now.

LunaFortuna · 15/04/2024 13:44

Ha, yes - Chappie wouldn't have been my first choice either, and because it has a lot of fish it does smell a bit! (It was the original recipe that he recommended.) Good luck.

Floralnomad · 15/04/2024 13:47

My sister had a mastiff / ridgeback x with colitis that was much improved on Chappie .

DuchesseNemours · 15/04/2024 13:52

Food sensitivity tests are really poor at delivering decent results. Particularly because sensitivies are not really allergies (allergies provoke immediate response) and so take long term exposure to deliver a reaction.

Protein is a high risk for long term sensitivity so lower protein makes some sense. Could be just specific proteins or could be a wide range of them.

I might also be tempted to keep all food very consistent and feed 3 smaller meals at exactly the same times of day every day - looking to provide some level of habituation.

Darklane · 15/04/2024 14:13

I had one with it all her life eventually diagnosed IBD. All the so called sensitive foods were useless for her. She lived happily for 16 years on a diet of the old original Chappie with occasional doses of Promax ( bought cheaply from VetUk) if a flare up & a maintenance dose of salazopyrin from the vet, very cheap used to get it on repeat, one eighth of a tablet a day( she was tiny) which was fun to split.
The usual recommendations for chicken & rice used to be the very worst thing for her. She occasionally had steamed white fish for a bit of variety.

Original poster
SoulMole · 15/04/2024 15:12

DuchesseNemours · 15/04/2024 13:52

Food sensitivity tests are really poor at delivering decent results. Particularly because sensitivies are not really allergies (allergies provoke immediate response) and so take long term exposure to deliver a reaction.

Protein is a high risk for long term sensitivity so lower protein makes some sense. Could be just specific proteins or could be a wide range of them.

I might also be tempted to keep all food very consistent and feed 3 smaller meals at exactly the same times of day every day - looking to provide some level of habituation.

Thank you. Yes, I know. I just got a bit desperate I guess.

OP posts:
DuchesseNemours · 15/04/2024 15:14

I understand that - my own dog has food sensitivities that cause skin issues and ear problems.

It's like the most depressing case for Sherlock Holmes ever Sad

PaolaNeri · 15/04/2024 23:42

I have a rescue 5 month french bulldog pup. Dumped due to his chronic tummy issues and very tiny. Had endless tests and vet visits. In the 2 months we have had him, we have also tried antibiotics, probiotics, home cooked food and he was on Chappie when I got him. Nothing really made any difference, still blood and runny poo (and loads of them).

On vet advice (and last resort) he suggested we try Hills Prescription Gastrointestinal Biome dry food (the small breed one). I did look at reviews and they seemed positive and we had nothing to lose. We are week 2 of slow transition and there has been an improvement. The majority of his stools are firmer and less of them. Not perfect, there has been the odd tinge of blood, but considering he was dripping it, it is a good improvement.

I know you don't want to change, but maybe worth looking at reviews and seeing if you think it would be worth a try?

MrsBungle · 15/04/2024 23:47

My poodle cross has colitis. We were also recommended chappie (had been on orijen) and she’s so much better on it. She also seems to have an intolerance to chicken. She still has flare ups but they are fewer.

Original poster
SoulMole · 29/04/2024 13:50

LunaFortuna · 15/04/2024 12:30

Hi, I had a dog with colitis (also a mixed terrier). We had loads of tests done but no answers. Eventually one of the vets suggested it might be a sensitivity to too much protein and to try her on Chappie - it was an overnight change and never happened again. Totally sorted the problem. I realise this is purely anecdotal (I have no veterinary knowledge at all!) and I know you said you don’t want to change his diet but it might be worth a go.

I don’t really know how to use Mumsnet so I am going to quote every person who recommended Chappie to thank them! It’s completely rank and I feel like it’s made from sweepings from a factory, with extra sawdust and some unidentified matter.

However, my dog has been on it pretty much since I posted and he hasn’t had a bad day since! Turns out all of the wildly expensive fancy, high meat content trays he was having were not helping the issue. He’s had good runs before but when I posted he had been moderately unwell for weeks. Thank you very much! 😊

OP posts:
Original poster
SoulMole · 29/04/2024 13:51

Floralnomad · 15/04/2024 13:47

My sister had a mastiff / ridgeback x with colitis that was much improved on Chappie .

I don’t really know how to use Mumsnet so I am going to quote every person who recommended Chappie to thank them! It’s completely rank and I feel like it’s made from sweepings from a factory, with extra sawdust and some unidentified matter.

However, my dog has been on it pretty much since I posted and he hasn’t had a bad day since! Turns out all of the wildly expensive fancy, high meat content trays he was having were not helping the issue. He’s had good runs before but when I posted he had been moderately unwell for weeks. Thank you very much! 😊

OP posts:
Original poster
SoulMole · 29/04/2024 13:51

Darklane · 15/04/2024 14:13

I had one with it all her life eventually diagnosed IBD. All the so called sensitive foods were useless for her. She lived happily for 16 years on a diet of the old original Chappie with occasional doses of Promax ( bought cheaply from VetUk) if a flare up & a maintenance dose of salazopyrin from the vet, very cheap used to get it on repeat, one eighth of a tablet a day( she was tiny) which was fun to split.
The usual recommendations for chicken & rice used to be the very worst thing for her. She occasionally had steamed white fish for a bit of variety.

I don’t really know how to use Mumsnet so I am going to quote every person who recommended Chappie to thank them! It’s completely rank and I feel like it’s made from sweepings from a factory, with extra sawdust and some unidentified matter.

However, my dog has been on it pretty much since I posted and he hasn’t had a bad day since! Turns out all of the wildly expensive fancy, high meat content trays he was having were not helping the issue. He’s had good runs before but when I posted he had been moderately unwell for weeks. Thank you very much! 😊

OP posts:
Original poster
SoulMole · 29/04/2024 13:52

MrsBungle · 15/04/2024 23:47

My poodle cross has colitis. We were also recommended chappie (had been on orijen) and she’s so much better on it. She also seems to have an intolerance to chicken. She still has flare ups but they are fewer.

I don’t really know how to use Mumsnet so I am going to quote every person who recommended Chappie to thank them! It’s completely rank and I feel like it’s made from sweepings from a factory, with extra sawdust and some unidentified matter.

However, my dog has been on it pretty much since I posted and he hasn’t had a bad day since! Turns out all of the wildly expensive fancy, high meat content trays he was having were not helping the issue. He’s had good runs before but when I posted he had been moderately unwell for weeks. Thank you very much! 😊

OP posts:
Words · 29/04/2024 16:51

My mixed terrier also had this, and I too was mildly horrified to be recommended Charppie.

It worked :)

Words · 29/04/2024 16:51

Ahh cross posted OP Smile

LunaFortuna · 29/04/2024 17:04

SoulMole · 29/04/2024 13:50

I don’t really know how to use Mumsnet so I am going to quote every person who recommended Chappie to thank them! It’s completely rank and I feel like it’s made from sweepings from a factory, with extra sawdust and some unidentified matter.

However, my dog has been on it pretty much since I posted and he hasn’t had a bad day since! Turns out all of the wildly expensive fancy, high meat content trays he was having were not helping the issue. He’s had good runs before but when I posted he had been moderately unwell for weeks. Thank you very much! 😊

Show quote history

Ha, that’s a very good description of it 😂 Really pleased that it has made such a difference.

Original poster
SoulMole · 29/04/2024 21:38

Words · 29/04/2024 16:51

My mixed terrier also had this, and I too was mildly horrified to be recommended Charppie.

It worked :)

Yep. I'm pretty disgusted, but he wasn't healthy on the good stuff. I guess terriers just thrive on sweepings.

OP posts:
Words · 30/04/2024 10:54

Not just terriers- it worked for my collie too!

OldSpeclkledHen · 30/04/2024 16:59

Stupid question please... do you still transition them onto happier?
I've just spent a month transitioning to Orijen (less poop but still not right - abd now he's itchy too!)

Terrier X

OldSpeclkledHen · 30/04/2024 17:00

And what sort of chappie? Wet or kibble?

Willing to try anything to help his bum!

LunaFortuna · 30/04/2024 17:07

I didn’t transition, just went straight to it and it was the wet original flavour.

OldSpeclkledHen · 30/04/2024 17:15

@LunaFortuna thank you 🙏