puppy cant go off hill's I/D!!?

Question

My 5 month old border collie mix (large) has had chronic intestinal inflammation since i got him. Finally he's been doing great after alot of antibiotics, a blood transfusion and hill's I/D....

I've tried to wean him off the I/D. Ive tried over 4 high quality brands, that are supposed to be good for dogs with sensitive stomachs and allergies. I mix 1/4 cup of it in (he eats a total of 4 cups of food a day), and after just 1/4 cup mixed in, he has explosive diarrhea and you can hear his stomach gurgling for hours.

I dont want to make him sick again. But I think I/D has too much fillers and things in it.. If I/D is all he can eat then it will have to do but does anyone have any suggestions please? Thank you.

the other foods i tried (very gradual) were innova puppy, solid gold bison puppy, abady, california natural, and evo

WT: i just think, on a food with higher quality ingredients and no corn, and no questionable sources, would make a dog live healthier for longer. I know dogs can look and feel fabulous on hill's for a good number of yrs. I just used to only have senior dogs and after seeing them and their conditions, i wanted to try to start off my puppy on a different food, and hope he can be my first dog without cancer, tumors, kidney disease, heart conditions, etc..at least not until a longer life.

Answer 1

Ask your vet about giving him tylan its given for the antibacterial action in the digestive system. It works on bacterial overgrowth if that is the root of his problem. Also try adding probiotics. The good foods are also often very rich foods and that may be the problems swapping that his system can not take. You can supplement protien alone with cooked meats and egg if he tolerates them and the fillers are the main thing your worried about but those fillers and fiber may be why he tolerates that food. I am sure you know you can add can pumpkin (not pie mix) to add fiber so you may want to try a spoon of it when you try the 1/4 cup of other food but then your still adding fillers. It may lower the cost overall than the i/d but he may need the higher fiber. Some also have success adding metamucil human fiber supplements to firm stool.

Answer 2

I'm sorry you are going through this with this puppy but unfortunately it's par for the course when you buy a puppy from a back yard breeder or puppy mill. This is the way they operate. It's likely this pup is from a puppy mill as the method of sale is familiar. They don't want people coming to their property to see the conditions in which they keep their dogs so they transport them elsewhere to sell them. People like those who sold your husband the pup get commission for every pup they sell for the puppy millers. Back yard breeders and puppy mills sell pups 'as is' with no guarantee. You are one of the fortunate ones in that at least this seller will refund you the purchase price, (which was less than 1/4 the going price).Most won't refund and they don't want to know about the pup after money changes hands. Unfortunately you have no recourse. Legal fees would set you back thousands and you would most likely lose the case. Yes, they can and do get away with it....all the time. It's a very bad idea to buy a puppy as a gift for someone, sight unseen. Perhaps had you seen this pup before your husband purchased it you may have noticed the little pup was very anemic. The cause for such anemia is usually a very heavy worm burden. In future, purchase your pups from ethical, registered breeders who have health certificates for the parents and will guarantee the pup suffers no hereditary conditions. They also vaccinate and worm their puppies. No pup would have left an ethical breeder in the condition this pup was in. I hope this puppy pulls through and has a long healthy life with you.

Answer 3

I/d is a bland diet - but it is a PRESCRIPTION diet. This is very very very different than the typical diet for dogs.

I understand your concerns about a good diet, but there's a difference between wanting your pup to not have the fillers and your dog having digestive problems.

Have you discussed this with your vet? Have you talked to him about your concerns with the food? There are alternatives and other brands. I/d may not be your only choice.

Many people say vets don't know anything about nutrition. That's not ALWAYS true. Your vet may or may not. Asking him or her is a good place to start.

If you don't like what you hear, ask your vet if he or she can recommend a specialist. You have options.

You trying to change the diet on your own because you are worried isn't a good idea without knowing the big picture. Get expert advice. Why put your pup through the wringer when there are great vets who do know about nutrition? =) Find one!

And honestly, if your pup has to eat I/d because of it's tummy, then that's not the end of the world. It's better than the pup being sick.

EDIT:
Everyone saying that this is crap food bugs me. I'm not a hills fan. That's not the issue. I'm talking about a PRESCRIPTION diet for a dog that has an illness. That's a separate issue than the normal dog food debate. That's what you are asking about are you not? You have to consider your pup's issues FIRST, then your opinions on dog food company products second. Figure out what is the best diet for dog that needs a special diet. That's why I'm saying - find a specialist if your vet cannot help you. =)

Answer 4

Just introduce new formula much slower. 1/10 first day, 2/10 next, 3/10, etc. etc....

OR if you've already done that, switch to another low-quality food that's just a notch higher than SD. After that bag's gone, try another brand a notch higher than the one transitioned from SD...keep doing that till you're at the top, with the finest foods like Innova, California Natural, or Wellness. Some dogs' bodies are so used to cruddy foods they can't handle even the slowest transition to a much higher-grade food.

For example:
Science Diet (first bag)
Purina (second bag)
Iams (third bag)
Eukanuba (fourth bag)
Natural Life (fifth bag)
Nature's Variety (sixth bag)
Natural Balance (seventh bag)
And, last but not least, Wellness or other truly premium brand (eighth and last brand)

Answer 5

I know the YA world has Hills food labeled as "terrible", but in the 3 generations of Vets in my family and the 3 non-related Vets I have worked for (since 1991) they ALL feed the Hills prescription diets to their hospitalized or after care patients. Hills DOES NOT provide food "free" to Vets, only at wholesale. What vets do get free from hills is kibble for their kennels...1 50 lb bag for so many bags of science diet sold. The prescription diet line is seperate. As a vet employee I get J/d for my Chessie and I pay "cost" which is 53.00, it sells for 65.00.

If it is working and all the others cause secondary peroblems, why change???

Answer 6

When you tried CN did you do the Lamb & Rice or the Chix & Rice? The Lamb is for sensitivity and allergies. Try mixing a smaller amount.
Sounds like its the protein that is causing trouble. Innova and Evo are also high in calories. My cockers can't eat them without the same reaction as your dog, but they do well on CN Lamb & Rice. My Pyr is fine on Evo.
You could also try Natural Balance.

Answer 7

You could try what DP said and use even less then 1/4 of a cup. However, if it were my dog I would just make the switch cold turkey. Hills l/D is crap and I would NOT wanting my dogs eating that.

You could feed him a tablespoon of canned pumpkin [NOT pumpkin pie mix, just pumpkin] a day and it will help with the diarrhea.

If he has a sensitive stomach, I think California Natural is the best food.

Good luck.

Answer 8

The only thing I can think of is home cook. Remember the IBD is clearly the "weak link" so any diet that restarts that is NOT going to have him healther than the I/D!
Here is the home page for an IBD dog list - they may have experience based advice - some of these cronic disease support lists are a GODSEND
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/IBDogs/

Answer 9

Have you thought about feeding your pup a homemade low fat, high quality protein diet? It might be worth looking into. Good luck.

Answer 10

ID is probably working because of the fillers.

Gotta have carbs too much protein bad for other organs.