[dave]

We have a client who has with a dog with Colitis. She want to change food but use looking for a food with very low fat. Please list a few foods dry and wet if possible. Thanks

[AngieH]

I have the same question. I have a beagle who might have colitis. She has been on Wellness for years. The vet wants her on Science Diet I/D or Iams special stomach formula but I’m fighting it. Looking for a better alternative.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi dave and AngieH –

The difficult thing with colitis is that it can have many different causes and it can be acute or chronic. Dietary changes often can help ease the symptoms of colitis. Most dogs with colitis respond well to increased levels of dietary fiber and/or a hypoallergenic diet. Many dogs with colitis also seem to better tolerate foods that are lower in fat. When trying a new food make sure that you don’t feed anything else to your dog during the trial period (no treats!) and give the diet three to six weeks to see if there is improvement (remember, the improvement won’t be immediate and in some cases your dog’s diarrhea can even worsen in the initial stages of the switch as the dog is becoming accustomed to the new food).

For increasing the fiber level, rather then looking specifically for a high-fiber food, I would recommend just adding some canned pumpkin or psyllium to a high quality food. Both are high in fiber and will increase the overall fiber content of the food being fed.

For choosing a hypoallergenic diet you want to pick a food that has a protein source and carbohydrate source (if applicable) that your dog has never been exposed to. Making a homemade food is a great option here.

Two supplements I would definitely start immediately
1. Probiotics – these will help replenish the good bacteria in the dog’s digestive tract and keep pathenogenic bacteria in check.
2. Digestive Enzymes – These will give the dog a boost in digesting their food so the dog’s already stressed digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard at producing its own enzymes.

Some other supplements you may want to try that have proved successful for some dogs suffering from colitis:
1. L-glutamine – An amino acid that helps to repair the mucosal lining of the digestive tract.
2. Slippery Elm – An herb that helps to sooth the digestive tract and relieve inflammation.

I think in the case of colitis, that a high quality home-prepared diet would be best and most easily customizable to the dog’s individual needs. However, here are some commercial foods that are hypo-allergenic and lower in fat that may be worth considering:
1. The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal – Dehydrated, fish-based food, 9% fat on a dry-matter basis.
2. Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Rabbit – Freeze-dried food, 15% fat on a dry-matter basis.
3. Nature’s Variety Instinct – Limited Ingredient dry foods are all under 20% fat on a dry-matter basis and include a turkey, duck and lamb variety.
4. Addiction’s Dry Foods – salmon-based, venison-based and lamb-based options, all around 13% fat on a dry-matter basis.
5. Addiction Dehydrated Foods – brush-tail, kangaroo, venison, lamb offerings, all around 9% fat on a dry-matter basis.
6. Addiction Canned Foods – brushtail, venison and salmon are only 10% fat on a dry-matter basis.
7. Great Life – Dry foods Buffalo Rx and Duck Rx are both 13% fat on a dry-matter basis.
8. Tiki Dog – canned food with some low fat hypoallergenic options.
9. California Natural Grain-Free – kangaroo, salmon, lamb and venison options, all 13% fat or less on a dry-matter basis.

*Some of the foods I recommended are a little low in protein for my taste, unfortunately when feeding a commercial food most of the foods that are lower in fat and that contain a novel protein also contain less overall meat and thus less protein – this is why I think homemade is the best option. If you are feeding one of the lower protein dehydrated or kibbled foods I’d highly recommend adding one of the recommended canned foods to boost the overall protein content. Also, this is not an exhaustive list – check out the foods Dr. Mike has reviewed on DFA and you’ll likely be able to find more – these are just some brands that first came to mind.

Good luck!

[dave]

Thanks very much for your help. I also found that Evangers suggests their Vegetable Dinner “Canned” which has 2.0% fat mixed with Sweet Potato which is high in Fiber.

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi Dave-

Why is the owner looking to change foods? Its so hard to find one that works for an individual dog, that I would ask her that question first : ) My girl does best on lower fiber foods and flareups can be stopped by adding a raw medallion or two to the meals.

[mlp576]

I have been using a whole food supplement and my dogs have been doing amazing. There moods are calmer yet they seem to have more energy. The coat looks amazing and my oldest is getting up the stairs easier and she is no longer eating grass and throwing up. http://www.friendsfurlife.rockyandbella.com I totally recommend it. I use Pedigree maintenance however surviving and thriving are 2 different things all together. My Aunts dog is diabetic and told me that she has been able to cut down on the amount of meds for him so that is a testimony in itself.

[paige-s]

Canine Caviar is perfect for a dog with Colitis. Its formulated with Pro and Prebiotics in the kibble and the foods is also flash cooked for 6 sections making it extremely comparable to a Raw diet (which ultimately is always the best in my opinion).
With Colitis you want limited ingredients as well, as to not bugger up the system. You could do the Duck, Venison or Herring formula which is all grain free as well, and the entire line of food has Peppermint in the food which is perfect for colitis and IBS systems in dogs.

its an American company and has been around for over 15 years now. because its so closely similar to a raw diet but in kibble form this would be ideal for a dog with Colitis.

Of course switching foods isnt always the first choice, however with Canine caviar there is absolutely no need for a transition which is very nice as well..

[InkedMarie]

Paige: how long have you worked for Canine Caviar?

[paige-s]

i dont work for Canine Caviar . i sell this food in my store, im a pet food nutritionist and do this for a living. so ive done ample research and even use this on my own Lab who has a liver disease, when shes been checked her enzyme levels have gone down, so i know it works for me, and my clients who use it.
my mother in laws poodle has colitis as well .

[InkedMarie]

Seems funny tht for a “nutritionist”, the only food oeuvre been recommending on DFA and here on the forum is Canine Caviar.

[paige-s]

because it works. especially for colitis . like i said my mother in laws poodle has it, and its done wonders for her. shes been on many different foods. i can recommend pulsar aswell, but CC is better for colitis. i can recommend natural balance Limited ingrediants, but i dont like that they come from diamond pet foods which is known for recalls.
i recommend something that i know works. or else by all means those other 2 foods would probably work too.

[OTdoglover]

I am writing this post in agreeance with Paige. Thank you for your recommendation of Canine Cavier. I am an owner of a doxiepin who has colitus. She has been on Hill Perscription W/D food for about a month because her tummy could not handle anything else. I was becoming discouraged becuase I didn’t want to feed her that crap food anymore. After reading this post and doing further research I decided to give canine cavier a try. I bought a sample of the canine cavier special needs food and my dog is doing great on it! She loves it and no more runs. I am so happy! 🙂

[theBCnut]

The post is 3 days old. Don’t get me wrong, I really hope your dog continues to do great on this food, but it is too soon to know especially with something like colitis which tends to be episodic. So please, in a month or so, let us know how your dog is still doing. Good Luck!!

[naya]

Is there any food that is good for colitis but easy-ish to find, i.e., at Petsmart? I am willing to travel to get my dog with colitis his food, but I am always afraid that we settle on something and it will go out of business or something. He does great on W/D, but I can’t stand feeding him such a load of yuck!

[Melissaandcrew]

I use Victor ultra pro for my colitis girl. I could not find any foods st Petsmart that worked for her

[dave]

I own a boarding facility that sells food, We carry both the Canine Caviar and Victors. I would have to agree with Page, how that I have looked into this matter. I also have a friend who is a Holistic Vet that love the Canine Caviar. We have been in business going on 7 years and still growing so if your interested I could ship the food to you. The Canine Caviar comes in 4-4, 12 & I believe 26 pound bags. What size would you be looking for. I If your pup can eat Chicken I think the Special Needs would be best for you.

[labgirl]

any update on how your dogs doing ? on any choice youve made?

[robertdee]

There are quite a few supplements for dog colitis supplements. I’ve tried quite a lot of time, but the one that has worked the best for me was Bionic Biotic from Pooch & Mutt.

[[email protected]]

Hi,
My girl Jasmine is on metrodonizole to firm up her stools. She also has elevated liver enzymes which are around 300 and really not moving down even with daily denemarin & hepagen-c. She has had all the tests needed for liver testing but since she is 12 I have not done further invasive tests. My concern is limiting the metrodonizole (at this point at 250 mg 2x/day) and trying to find the best diet for her. Her stools are soft but not loose or diarrea and tend to be ev. other day. She has been on many from the vet except a hypoallergenic and is currently on Royal Canine Gastro Intestinal. I had her previously on Canine Cavier Special Needs prior to changing to my vet’s idea.
My current thiking is to try CC again after reading this forum. She also is a cancer survivor, that is why I had started the CC in th beginning.
Please help us with your thoughts and suggestions.

Karen

[[email protected]]

continue Karen post

The vet is primarily calling this colitis since I cannot do further testing, She alks every day, enjoys food andx seems very healthy!! Thanks.

[theBCnut]

Try probiotics and maybe a spoonful of canned pure pumpkin on her meals.

[[email protected]]

any probiotics you like better than others? just read bionic-bionic?? Have used Mercola but stopped as the vet was unsure about adding them as wdell as enzymes to her food which I just didn’t get.

[dave]

Karen I have a good friend who happens to be a Holistic Vet. I have emailed her for her thoughts to help out.

[theBCnut]

I don’t know what the vet’s concern could possibly be. Both are something that the body has naturally and are known to be safe in doses that far exceed the recommendation.

Mercola’s is my favorite.

[[email protected]]

just an excess, not sure really. Thanks for your thoughts. I tried half the meal with CC but she still hasn’t gone today… when I tried pumpkin she got softer if that makes sense.

[[email protected]]

btw she is a lab/ shep/belg. shep. and beagle mix. soooo sweet.

[theBCnut]

Pumpkin making the stools softer may mean that she needs a food that is lower in fiber.

[Melissaandcrew]

For dome dogs the probiotics and enzymes make the ibd worse..but you don’t know until you try.

[kms]

Melissaandcrew – can you explain why probiotics and digestive enzymes could actually make things worse for some dogs? My 6 mo old Weim pup has had colitis for several months. We are on our 3rd food (Eukanuba Puppy Growth, Orijen LBP, NVI grain-free Rabbit) and I am giving Probiotics, Digestive Enzymes and pumpkin daily. It seems to be getting worse, so i was looking at what food to try next (after we stay on the rabbit for a few more weeks), but now I’m wondering if it’s something in the way his body is processing the Prob’s or Enz’s or both. Thanks.

[[email protected]]

I have experienced this now with many foods and found my dog actually needs grains and has gotten worse with probiotics, enzymes and pumpkin. At the moment she also needs a low dose of metrodonozil for the inflammation. She is 12yrs. though and it is possible that the inflammation is worse than earlier in her life.I am tryong Canine Cavier to see if it helps her.

[crazy4cats]

Right now I am feeding my dogs that have IBS Victor grain free which contains montmorillonite clay. I use a small amount of frozen raw beef nugget topper. To that I add the supplement Gastriplex by Thorne that includes slippery elm and L-Glutamine in its ingredients. So far, it’s the best they have done as far as their poops go. I have also used The Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form and Vetri Science’s Vetri-Probiotic BD supplements with success. I never thought my world would revolve around my pup’s poop, but sadly it does. lol!

[[email protected]]

I know, I have to keep a record of when my girl goes. My vet felt that some dogs with colitis have difficulty with added probiotics. I am trying Canine Cavier again, it has added pro& pre biotics in the kibble and she has done well these last two days with firmer stools. Do you have a reccommendation for a topper, chicken or turkey? referably organic.
Thanks.

[crazy4cats]

Well, I’m using NW Naturals frozen beef nuggets right now. I believe they have chicken also. My problem is that I keep switching so many things, such as food, supplements and toppers that I’m not sure which is making the most difference. But, with the combo I mentioned above, their poops are always good except after exercise. They are then a little soft, but not runny. I think if you are not opposed to raw, the Nature’s Variety frozen raw medallions would be great, but expensive. They have the clay in them that I believe helps with colitis. Have you checked out the dogaware.com website? They have a lot of information and tips on digestive disorders. Good luck.

[[email protected]]

Hi,
I continue to question Jasmine’s diet. I have ordered Evangers canned vegetarian to add to a dry food which I thought would be Canine Cavier. She did well on C.C. for 3 days but her stools are soft today and she is straining to go – my husband calls it dancing – althought it isn’t funny at all. I thought I should now mix it with the R.C. Gastro. I am now officially going crazy, this is going on a few months and I also am going in circles.
Maybe the Veg Evangers will firm up her soft stoold.

I was wonderiing if Dave spoke to his holistic friend, please let me know at [email protected] as I have had trouble getting in the discuss groups and logging in.
I thought I should take her to a holistic vet in Mass if this doesn’t improve. Remember she is on a low dose of metrodonizole. Is that just maybe needed and no diet may help this completely and a condition low dose metro.is needed.

Thanks all. Karen

Please helpif you have any suggestions. There are some great ones above – maybe honest kitchen or a low fat option would be best.

Thanks,
Karen

[[email protected]]

P. S. which food is N.W. Naturals Crazy4 Cats ? Karen

[[email protected]]

where can I find a homemade diet on line that islow in fat, not too high in carbs and protein. Sure would appreciate any help. Karen

[crazy4cats]

In regards to your question about Northwest Naturals, it is a raw frozen food that comes in different forms. I use the beef nuggets as well as their fruit and veggie nuggets as toppers right now. They sell them at our local feed store along with Primal and Nature’s Variety frozen raw foods. Northwest is the cheapest of the three. I feel that these add fiber as well as antioxidants to their kibble. As I said before I’m not sure which part of my new equation is helping the most as I have switched several times. Again, I’m using Victor G/F kibble along with a little digestive enzymes, Gastriplex, and probiotic chews. I hope to gradually decrease the supplements, but right now I’m so ecstatic about their poops, (I know, weird, huh?) that I’m not going to change too much for a while.
Have you checked out dogaware dot com yet? They have so much information on that site about digestive disorders. I also think that they may have some homemade diet recipes for you as well.
Good luck!

[losul]

Hello all, I’ve been reading a lot of good things about berberine lately for healing treatment of colitis, IBD, other GI disorders etc. Here is one study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3311435/

[crazy4cats]

Hmmm, that is interesting, Losul. I also gave my dogs a supplement with Berberine to help rid them of their parasites. Maybe that also helped them on their way to recovery. Well, at least I hope it is their recovery finally. We’ve had a good three weeks of solid output!

[losul]

crazy4cats, That’s great news! and I’m hoping right along with you. I know what a nightmare that can be as we had a real nightmare experience with giardia and our previous dog many years ago.

[Zackory]

My English Bulldog 5 year old male was just diagnosed with colitis. He suffered profound
diarrhea for weeks until he wasted away his weight. What I have learned is that each dog responds differently. My dog can’t tolerate probiotics or flagly, which are two frequently recommended treatments. It is very important to be patient when trying new foods or additives. You must wait several weeks to make sure ANY new food or ingested treatment agrees with your dog. Because it works initially does no mean that will continue. NOR does diarrhea at first necessarily indicate intolerance. We found a food in the US that is low fat and protein and grain free with very few ingredients. I mention this because if you opt to use commercial foods instead of home recipes, the lesser ingredients will allow you to more accurately access what the dog tolerates and what it can’t. We also have discovered that our dog does no do well with dry foods. His food must be canned or softer. Do not hesitate to add more fiber if the dog needs it. But during acute flare ups, if the colon is swollen or irritated, some fibers or hard ingredients further that.

[[email protected]]

Hi Zachery,
I was one of the original posters asking about diet and treatment for colitis.
I have been dealing with colitis now for 6 months and have tried every food imaginable. I agree with most of your thoughts. I am not sure yet on the fiber issue. Jasmine has now been on Royal Canine pot/venison for almost 3 weeks. It was a novel protein for her and I suggested this change to the vet as nothing was helping her gastrointestinal issues. My thinking was that all her previous foodes were chicken based including Canine Cavier and R.C. Gastrointestinal to name a few. At this point I have not changed ANYTHING ELSE, including her daily low dose of metrodonizole followimg meals. She LOVES the food, and it really seems to be working. She has regular, firm bowel movements, and I think I can say that now after 3 weeks. You never know so I will now knock on wood! The vet started mynew selection of P/V mostly wet (new vet, new food). I am giving her wet and dry 60/40 and think I will stay here as it is working (Vet thought more dry but I think that is disruptive to the colon now. I agree qith you there. I feed her 3x/day, I think that also helps. I have stopped fish oil and probiotics and any treats except grain free Buddy Biscuits – pnut butter. I hopethis helps you some, knowing all colitis causes vary. Hers right now looks like a food allergyshe developed after many years.

Best,
Karen

[theBCnut]

Hi Karen,
I’m glad you are finally finding something that works, knock on wood!! I feel the same way when posting about my dog with issues, I need to have wood nearby. Here’s hoping you continue to have such good success!!

[[email protected]]

Thank you Patty! I would satill be running in circles had I not suggested the hypoallergic PV. They are reformulating he dry – due mid -lated Feb but I bought a large bag so I hope to have enough till then and shop ashe continues doing well- wood please!!

[theBCnut]

I keep a wooden TV tray right beside me while posting just in case I need it, I usually use my own head though.

[debs]

I’ve been reading many of the posts as I have a dog with ‘colitis’ and all I can say is that each dog is individual and responds to different things so a food that works for one dog may not be as successful for another. I was feeding my dog on RC Sensitivity until they changed their dry food ingredients which started my dog off again; I then changed to RC Gastro Intestinal Moderate Calorie which is working fine. Good luck though.

[robertdee]

All of you say that X food is better than Y food, but what we all need to keep in mind is that dogs are different. A Rottweiler has a completely different nutritional needs from a Pomeranian puppy and in order to get the best results you’ve got to constantly experiment with different foods to see what works for your dog.

My puppy was suffering from colitis and after spending a considerable time on the forums on the members on here recommended to look into a supplement called Bionic Biotic made by a leading English dog supplements company in the UK. They sell in the US: http://bestdogremedies.com/product/bionic-biotic-condition-and-digestion-supplement/

Anyway, after giving it ago colitis has gone away in less than three weeks. Maybe it was this supplement or maybe not, but it worked for Rocky.

[[email protected]]

All these changes Royal Canin are making is so frustrating. I am about to find out if hydrolized protein is a problem as it is bing added to the venison/pot. hypoallergic. They claim it shouldn’t be as is isz a plant based addition. Any thooughts on soy? I am not thrilled…Karen

[Shasta220]

I have no help to offer, but I’m just following this threat pretty much for the heck of it. I have a form of IBS, (ironically, diarrhea is not involved, phew!) so I totally feel your doggie. The only things I’ve been told for mine is, obviously, to avoid certain foods, which it sounds like you’re already doing.
I guess you could say I might just have to try eating whatever kibble/supplements that’s helping your pooch out? LOL, not seriously.

Best wishes! 😀

[ForBlackjack]

I agree dealing with Colitis is hard and it seems like every dog reacts differently. My 8 year old Lab mix has had issues for the last couple of years and I have tried many different diets, some better than others, the biggest help we found is the consistent use of supplements that help his digestive system. We use 2 things we order online from this place called askariel.com, called Soothing Digestives Relief and Power Probiotics. http://www.askariel.com/dog-and-cat-IBD-p/163.htm They seem to help a lot, of course it helps if he doesn’t garbage dive too.

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