# Colitis



## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

On Friday night me and Hubby went out for the evening...and we had our neighbour who is a zoo trainer come in to look after Lady. She had only been in her crate for 1 hour when he got there to find the poor baby had thrown up everywhere and had bad diarrhea inside her crate. When I got home the poor babe was so covered that she needed to be bathed. We called the vet that night, they told us to monitor her over night and if she got worse to call them back. At 3:00 am she woke up and had another bout of Diarrhea on my bedroom carpet. So Half asleep hubby was cleaning her, and calling the vet, and I was cleaning carpets. The vet made us an appointment for first thing in the morning. Now you would think Lady would be tired, or acting ill, but she was herself. 

When we got to the vet, Lady was inspected and diagnosed with Colitis. They have her on some medication, and very pricey canned food...which of course she loves, and she had to have a fecal test done, which has since come back clear...so now the vet has said she has either developed an allergy to her food....she is on Orijen kibble, or she ate something that she shouldn't have. 

Has anyone had issues with their dogs on Orijen?


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## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

HI Amanda

Sorry to hear you are having problems with Lady - sounds like quite a night.
Although Betty loved Orijen it was a bit rich for her and she was always a little
on the runny side...


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

oh Colin good to know....What is Betty on now?


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

I wouldn't panic about changing her food just yet- colitis is inflammation of the large intestine (colon) and can be associated with simple v&d. She may have picked up a bug or eaten something which has upset her tum but if she has been on orijen a while i wouldn't have thought it was that. Keep to bland food little and often until she is normal, then gradually introduce her normal food back in but stick to little and often (so as not to 'overload' her intestines). If she seems ok with this, gradually increase feeding volume and reduce meal numbers until back to normal. If she starts again at any point, take a few steps back and go slower. Lots of dogs have bouts of colitis at some point but it is usually easily sorted.


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## Missgvus (Jun 18, 2011)

Poor you Amanda and poor Lady! Sorry to hear that she's unwell. Hope that she's over the colitis very soon and that she doesn't retain a taste for that expensive food!!
Gill x


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## caradunne (Nov 29, 2010)

Ahhh poor Lady, I hope you find out what the problem was xxxx


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Oh no lovely Lady .....

Amanda so sorry to hear Lady has been so sicky ... 

I have no experience of this ... 

I used to feed my dogs Orijen but have moved on the Barking Heads .. which I would recommend to others ... fab toilets, no dog breath and natural ingredient plus my dogs love it ..

Please keep us posted on Lady ... how is she this evening ???


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## mariag (Jun 19, 2011)

So sorry to hear that Lady is poorly Amanda.

Oakley had a similar problem over a couple of weeks when he was 10/11 weeks old with a messy crate & constant diarrhoea, although he acted normally in every other way!!! We think it was eating too many treats (probably with loads of additives) at the vet run puppy party. We put him on Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal tinned food but as it was expensive we mixed in some chicken & rice. We gave him Pro-Kolin (from the vet), a kaolin based paste which binds the gut. This took effect within a couple of days & both times he was back to normal & back on his Royal Canin kibble within a week . 
I now make sure that any shop bought treats are additive free & fingers crossed all has been fine.

Sending you & Lady huge {{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}} from me & Oakley XXX


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## Laney (Aug 7, 2011)

mariag said:


> So sorry to hear that Lady is poorly Amanda.
> 
> Oakley had a similar problem over a couple of weeks when he was 10/11 weeks old with a messy crate & constant diarrhoea, although he acted normally in every other way!!! We think it was eating too many treats (probably with loads of additives) at the vet run puppy party. We put him on Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal tinned food but as it was expensive we mixed in some chicken & rice. We gave him Pro-Kolin (from the vet), a kaolin based paste which binds the gut. This took effect within a couple of days & both times he was back to normal & back on his Royal Canin kibble within a week .
> I now make sure that any shop bought treats are additive free & fingers crossed all has been fine.
> ...


Similar problems with Rocky, very sensitive tummy and sadly, gets bored very quickly of food so even when we find a good one, its not for long. We also used Pro-Kolin (from the vet) following a bad bout of colitis. It worked well and quickly, so I bought some from online (around £8.50) to keep at home to avoid the £50 vet bill (appointment fee and medicine) in case it happens again!!!  

Hope Lady stays fine. Not trying to sway you in any way, but Rocky's bad bout of colitis happened a week after he had been switched to Origen too. xx


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## Kirsty (Sep 9, 2011)

We had a couple of the big D moments when Cara was on Orijen and always soft poops towards the end. We had a previous dog with colitis and were told to watch out for mucas on the poops as a sign. 

Cara went off orijen and most other kibble. She has been on nature diet and poops are solid little nuggets and we add in a bit of kibble (science plan) - I need to get through the stock I have. She polishes off between. 500 - 600g a day now with no fuss and no sloppy poops/bad tummy.


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## Kel (Feb 1, 2011)

Aww, poor Lady. Hope she is feeling 100% soon!

It really sounds to me like she ate something she shouldn't have(or too much of something) rather than the cause being the Orijen, just because of how sudden it was. Unless there was something wrong with the bag of Orijen; I guess that is always a possibility.


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Amanda .. Update on Lady please when you come online  .... I cant stop thinking about her .. How is she doing today?


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## S.Claire (Sep 1, 2011)

Ah poor Lady.

I hope she is back to her normal self soon poor little girl! Let us know how she gets on over the next few days xxx


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

Hi Everyone, Thank you so much for your concern....and Susie with all you are going through with your little boy...to think of Lady...such a sweet group of people we have on here!
She is doing quite well. Her poos are soft but WAY more solid than they were. she is acting just perfect. 
it wasn't a bug...so the dr said since they did do a fecal scan....and yes to get graphic her poos were full of mucus...Not any more just really soft.
I am not sure if it is the orijen or not...she will be getting a bit in her food at dinner tonight. we are half way though a bag, so I don't think it could be the bag. Unless she has all of a sudden developed an issue with it I don't think it is that. but anything is possible. The vet also told us that my skinny little girl needs to put on some weight as she is on the skinny side....so it looks like we may be mixing soft with the kibble to entice her to eat more. She isn't the best eater on the orijen, she eats it more out of need than love. 
She is her normal happy cuddly self....thank goodness....and she is pooing at her regular times again. so i think we are over the hump. I am going to look into that paste tho....becuase if it happens again $140 vet bill is a little hard to swallow if it can be quickly rectified at home.

Thanks everyone for your love and concern...Lady sends kisses all around~!


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## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

Hi Amanda

Glad to hear Lady is feeling a bit better - I agree with JoJo Barking Heads is very good - like Orijen but not as rich. Betty really liked it but I switched again a couple of weeks to NI in the hope it will help with her scratching...no improvement so far ( in fact iT seems worse). I have read high meat/protein diets can make allergies worse so have already been researching other brands.
I came across Wafcol today - they do a salmon and potato variety which seems to be good for allergies but also for Colitis. Not sure if you can get this your side of the pond tho...


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

oh Colin, Thanks I will have to look into it. I have heard that fish is better protein for allergies....I will look into all of those brands....I haven't seen any of them at the shops...but doesn't mean they aren't there. Thanks guys!


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

Glad she is better - must have been horrible to see her like that - not to mention the cleaning up of it in the night. Poor Lady and poor you.


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## Jedicrazy (Apr 26, 2011)

Oh Amanda, just catching up, sorry to hear poor Lady has been poorly . Obi didn't do well on Origen either. I think it's too rich for some doggies. If Lady has a sensitive tummy then I would definitely look in to the fish options as they are much easier to digest. Keep us posted about the lovely Lady.


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## PurpleAnonymous (Oct 10, 2011)

Amanda, I'm glad Lady is doing well!

I've just recently gotten Woody! He's on Orijen as well, and his poos are not great. I will have to look into getting him on something else.


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## sharplesfamily (Apr 28, 2011)

Oh no! Poor Lady. I really hope she is back to her bouncy self soon and you sort it out. 

Harri xx


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## mariag (Jun 19, 2011)

So glad that Lady is on the mend Amanda


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

her poos are still soft....not runny, just really soft...sorry for being graphic....is this normal on wet food....oh and the little girl is STARVING! she has never begged so badly for food so last night after she finished her dinner I put down a cup of her kibble just to see thinking she would only eat 3 or 4 pieces....she ate EVERYTHING! the little girl was famished and so I mixed kibble and wet food this morning and she ate it all...I thought she would only eat half....why is she so hungry?? this isn't her normal character


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## Kel (Feb 1, 2011)

I know this is a totally different situation than yours, but Chloe was STARVING when we switched her over from Orijen kibble to frozen raw. Even though we give her the maximum for her weight, we still have to fill a treat ball at night with some kibble because she seems to need it. Not sure why. We did have to get a little tough and not give in to her begging for more food constantly, because she actually noticeably gained weight. 

As far as the loose poos, I would just give it a bit more time. She has been sick and you have changed her food, so her digestive system is probably still adjusting and healing.

I never would have believed feeding a dog was so complicated before I had one


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

I am not that experienced Mo, but could she have picked up worms of some kind? I know that can cause dogs to seem starving. Just a thought as I haven't a clue what else would do that. Hope she settles soon - it is always a worry to see them out of their normal behaviour. Good luck.


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

Thanks guys, we were told she needs to put on some weight so it's not a horrible thing that she is eating lots....just weird. I don't think it is a worm as they did do a fecal test and she came back clear. 
i am not sure what it could be.


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

We may have figured it out this morning!!

So lady's poops have gotten worse again, as I assume I had start to re introducing the kibble. So last night in the pouring rain we go out to find a new food. we have now gone the fresh route. And of course she loves it! lol. then first thing this morning....going to get graphic here....I was in the washroom and hubby started shouting no lady not on the comforter, I run out of the bathroom to see my poor girl heaving....so the instinctual mom inside me came out and i put my hands under her mouth for her to proceed to throwup into them.....great! well although totally disgusting it did give me a chance to have a quick glance....through heaving of my own....that she had been eating bits of her toys!! I know she would rip and destroy toys but I never thought she would eat them!! my poor silly silly girl! So we are only giving her toys that she can't break through, and ones that have no stuffing.....hope this new food helps her too!


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## marzy (Aug 20, 2010)

ref Wafcol.


we used it for our westie who was overweight ... 

Iwe tried everything even cutting his food allowance in half ... nothing worked until we tried wafcol. 
he lost 2lb in 1 month ... 
doesn't look much but he ate it 
xx 
mar


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

Hey Marzy....What is that? a type of food? Lady right now is considered underweight for her size....Vet thinks she could use about 2 pounds.


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## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

Hi Amanda

Wafcol is the food I mentioned that is supposed to be very good for Colitis but
I'm not sure if you can get it over there as it is actually made in the UK.

It's interesting that Marzy's Westie lost weight on it as I have heard other dogs have gained weight on it and have switched to their 'light' version. 
Either way have heard only good reports - still hoping it will help with Betty's itching..

It's seems you may have got it figured anyway - keeping my fingers crossed for youxx


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## marzy (Aug 20, 2010)

I just think some foods suit different dogs etc ... 
wafcol was the only one that worked on loosing weight .... 
def recommend that xx


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Somehow managed to miss this thread! Sorry to see Lady has been a poorly girl and I am glad you may have got to the bottom of it with the toy eating, silly poo. You did make me chuckle with your decription of being thrown up over!!!! Its strange what we do when our kids and dogs are sick


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

i just looked....i don't think I can get it here...Even when some foods are available in the US. I cant seem to get them here....I will post what she is on now....tell me what you guys think..I need to solve this puzzle. 
This is what we are trying...here is a review. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/deli-fresh-slice-serve-dog-food/


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## Kel (Feb 1, 2011)

Chloe was hacking yesterday morning and finally threw up pieces of fur from one of her stuffed animals. And I have seen fuzz from her tennis balls in her dog poo lately (sorry!). It IS scary because what if it doesn't come out one way or the other? It can't be good for them to have stuff like that in their stomach.

That dog food looks really good! Did you get it at Petsmart? Hope it helps Lady feel better and gain weight


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

The dog food is from Petsmart Kel....and she loves it! and now doesn't seem as hungry as she was on the other food.


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

Update on this morning....HEALTHY POOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank goodness! aparently my dog just happens to have a tooth for the high end! lol she really is Lady!


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Yippy the perfect poo by Lady


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## mariag (Jun 19, 2011)

So pleased to hear that things are normal again Amanda


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

Thanks!!!!


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## Caira (May 27, 2013)

I'm reviving this thread as we are now going through the same thing.

After almost two weeks now - no longer runny poo, but still quite soft the vet has finally diagnosed Summer with Colitis ( well she said probably) She did not want to do fecal sample ( I think it's because this way she will be ripping us off on at least 15 visits before she will give us the all clear on that ) but she measured Summer's temperature - which was apparently slightly higher and she put Summer on Royal Canin Gastro and pro-bind paste for the weekend. we got 4 cans of food and 15mg of paste and £60 bill, ouch  hopefully she won't need to go back otherwise I will have to declare myself bankrupt 
She was persuading me to switch her to royal canin - from them on prescription, but I just feel it's little premmature to make such a decision unless I know it's some food allergy ( especially as I just ordered 7kg back of Acana Wild Prairies ) 
The vet also emptied Summer's anal glands as they were apparently bit full from all the soft poo ( OMG  never smelled anything so terrible and she still stinks even now, after a bath) 
Overall, I hope the food and probiotic will help her, she definitelly loves the food ( well I thing for the money even I should like the taste of it  )


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

I dont like Royal Canin at all. to me it is garbage. both my dogs came home from the breeder on it, there poops stunk bad on it, and I dont like the ingredients. the trick with colitis I have found is finding the food that works best for your dog. for Lady it is Fresh Pet Vital chicken rice peas and carrots- it is a human grade food, and is fresh. Lady loves it and it works great for her, she is most consistent while on the food....when she has a bout caused by a treat or stress....I switch her to boiled chicken and rice for a few days then back to her regular routine. they also cant really give you a for sure definitive answer as to it being colitis. just roll with it, she will be just fine, and finding what works great for her will be the best thing you can do.


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## Caira (May 27, 2013)

lady amanda said:


> I dont like Royal Canin at all. to me it is garbage. both my dogs came home from the breeder on it, there poops stunk bad on it, and I dont like the ingredients. the trick with colitis I have found is finding the food that works best for your dog. for Lady it is Fresh Pet Vital chicken rice peas and carrots- it is a human grade food, and is fresh. Lady loves it and it works great for her, she is most consistent while on the food....when she has a bout caused by a treat or stress....I switch her to boiled chicken and rice for a few days then back to her regular routine. they also cant really give you a for sure definitive answer as to it being colitis. just roll with it, she will be just fine, and finding what works great for her will be the best thing you can do.


That's what I told the vets, that I just plain refuse to put her permanently on Royal Canin as I just don't think it's that good quality food and I don't like the ingredients. Summer was on Acana Grasslands ( with lamb) so I switched her to Wild Prairies ( which has chicken as main protein) so will see how she gets on with this one. I just prefer Acana because it's grain free and all superb ingredients, so hopefully she will like it. One think I noticed is that after I fed Summer the canned food her breath really stinks now, it usually doesn't smell at all when she's on kibble..


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Sorry to hear that Summer has been poorly, hope you get it all sorted soon.


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## Caira (May 27, 2013)

thank you, I actually feel she's worse since I put her on the Royal Canic Gastro can, until today her poo was still soft but at least normal shape, but since she's on it it's back to terribly runny one.. so really cunfused


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

sometimes switching their foods can cause unease too. I always found the chicken and rice was bulky enough to get the poops back to normal.


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

I have just re-read this entire post!!! 
I would like to note: Lady has never had that bad of a bout ever again....she has had some rough episodes, but it always comes from new treats, too many treats, or someone feeding her something she shouldnt have. 
She is still on the same pet food...they did change the name...but it made such an improvement for her.


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## Caira (May 27, 2013)

lady amanda said:


> sometimes switching their foods can cause unease too. I always found the chicken and rice was bulky enough to get the poops back to normal.[/QUOTE
> 
> I had to take Summer off the food, she's been having a diarrhoea since she first tasted the canned food and she pooped up to 8 times yesterday  until I put her on RC she was on the mend, but the food made it back to terrible, so I put her back on rice and boiled chicken this morning. I just went to the vets for bit of reassurance, but she insisted on putting her on the royal canin gastro even though I told her Summer's improved almost back to normal just on rice and chicken..I feel like they are just after cash and.try to make you feel bad if you don't want to.buy food they recommend. So annoyed with myself for giving it to her in the first place. I knew I should have taken her elsewhere as I already had a bad experience with them trying to rip me off on summer's spay. But the good other vet is 20 minute drive and I thought as this was just a check up when she was already on the mend.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

I wouldn't ever take any advice from vets about nutrition, unless they have a specific interest in nutrition it's really not their strong point. Vets who sell science diet etc do promote the wrong type of foods as they want to make a profit. When I first took Lola to our vet I asked for advice on feeding. She advised hills science and gave me a free trial of it. I asked her if it was good or full of chemicals and her answer was "it's alright food, better than pedigree chum or bakers." That made my mind up.. If all the food had going for it was that it was better than garbage then Lola wasn't having it. 

I think you do have to find what suits your dog. Nina seems to be liking naturediet at the minute it seems to be a very mild food, although she hasn't got colitis, she's just fussy.


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## Caira (May 27, 2013)

I just feel so annoyed with myself for caving in and buying the food, you'd think vets would have the pets best interests on mind, but it seems like it's all about money and making a profit :-(


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Caira said:


> I just feel so annoyed with myself for caving in and buying the food, you'd think vets would have the pets best interests on mind, but it seems like it's all about money and making a profit :-(


It's not your fault.. You took professional advice, like anyone would. Not all vets are like that and many on forum have said how good their vet is with their dogs being on raw but it takes the vet to actually have an interest in nutrition. I'm with the same vet practice still and they know now what I think of the food and like to ask how my two are getting on with barking heads and when we went grain free they were asking me how the girls were on that. I think the majority of the time they just don't know enough and blind us and themselves with science when really it's better to keep everything very simple.


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## Caira (May 27, 2013)

I've rang another vets (the one where I got summer spayed) and asked for second opinion, the vet said to put Summer back on rice and chicken and to see how she's doing in the next few days and if she doesn't get better by Monday to ring and come and see them. I'm now really worried that this has messed with Summer's already sensitive tummy, hopefully I'll see some improvment within the next few days.


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## dmgalley (Aug 19, 2012)

Caira said:


> I've rang another vets (the one where I got summer spayed) and asked for second opinion, the vet said to put Summer back on rice and chicken and to see how she's doing in the next few days and if she doesn't get better by Monday to ring and come and see them. I'm now really worried that this has messed with Summer's already sensitive tummy, hopefully I'll see some improvment within the next few days.


every vet I have every been too tries to get them on either royal canin or science diet. when willow was having this issue this week I told them straight out don't even ask me, I'm doing chicken and rice. (of course she would eat anything) doctors are the same way. they put people on what ever medicine got then the best free lunch. it use to be what got them the best vacation or baseball tickets but the US had now limited the gifts they can be given.
I have found that none of my dogs can handle kibble with grain in it. they all have bad tummies. they have done well on wellness core, livefree and Orijen. I hope she feels better soon. 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Try not to worry Petra, you know Summer and you know she was improving on chicken and rice. I'd advise giving very small regular meals just so you go easy on the digestive system and bowel,, maybe a dessert spoon every couple of hours. She may tolerate scrambled egg too and probiotic yogurt. 
Was she already having the new flavour kibble when she became unwell or have you just bought it ? Just wondering if it's an intolerance to the flavour.
I hope she's feeling brighter soon xx


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## Caira (May 27, 2013)

just to update you all, Summer is now absolutely fine, few days on rice and chicken + the probiotic paste did the trick, I bined the canned food I bought from the vets, what a rubbish that was. Summer is now enjoying Acana Wild Prairies and is doing brilliantly. Thank you all for your advice. xx


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

glad she is doing so much better!! if it happens again, just switch back to the chicken and rice for a few days. Good luck and so happy she is well again


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## Lindor (Feb 3, 2014)

Caira said:


> just to update you all, Summer is now absolutely fine, few days on rice and chicken + the probiotic paste did the trick, I bined the canned food I bought from the vets, what a rubbish that was. Summer is now enjoying Acana Wild Prairies and is doing brilliantly. Thank you all for your advice. xx


Acana Wild Prairies is what I'm going to switch Maggie to when she is done with the Acana puppy food.


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