Stomach Issues

[ssudan1]

From time to time, our 6yo husky has stomach issues where his stomach grumbles very loudly and he gets lethargic, loses his appetite and does not drink much water. He even refuses his favorite treats at this time. These episodes are usually followed by a period of time where he releases excessive amount of putrid gas.

 

anyone here experience anything similar? The vet has not been able to diagnose it yet and it breaks our hearts to see him suffer like this.

[wolfpup]

Can you tell me what you are feeding your dog?     

Kibble

Tinned wet food

Pouch wet food

Home cooked fresh food

Commercial raw food

Raw - from scratch.

Dehydrated Raw

Is there any correlation between these bouts of tummy issues and a particular food / treat that may have been given in the previous 48 hours?

The fact he is releasing a lot of gas strongly suggests an imbalance in the gut bacteria  - and quite possibly an overgrowth of Fermicutees.      Any 'accidents' because of runny poos?

Please be a specific as you can about what he eats every day, and any treats he gets.

 

[ssudan1]

Thanks Wolfpup!

he is on a strict diet if just kibble (cant remember the bane right now but was recommended for sensitive stomachs) the only treat he gets are Nubs.

as far as we can tell, there is no correlation between receiving treats and these issues

dont know if this helps, but he does vomit from time to time during these episodes but it is generally just yellow bile. His stool is also very “slimy” at this time

[wolfpup]

Obviously it is very difficult to try and find a reason/solution 'remotely'  - but common causes  are food intolerance/sensitivity/allergy  and SIBO  (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

It is an unfortunate fact that prescription kibble diets of any kind  tend to be poor quality  -  please let me know the exact make and type - preferably with a link to the  product you are using.   Kibble of any kind can be very hard on some dogs  ....................  I know to my cost   -  I have one dog that was fed kibble for around 6 weeks before coming to me  -   I switched him to raw immediately  (he was 12 weeks old and I became his 4th owner)  but he started to have similar (read almost identical) dietary issues a few months later.    Long story short - 18 months later he went into anaphylactic shock, had bleeding stomach ulcers, had developed epilepsy  and almost died.

 Even though he was raw fed  - he had developed food allergies to  wheat/corn/soya/oats/rice/potatoes/carrots/peas/sugar beet.   8 of the foods are high starch items - which break down to sugar in the body - and the last one is sugar.    That 6 weeks on kibble had set in motion allergic reactions that will be with him for the rest of his life.   He was reacting to what his dinner had eaten whilst it was alive   (the saying "you are what you eat" is actually true).     e.g.   'adult' chicken almost killed him  - but he eats day old chicks with impunity  (they are not fed prior to dispatch).

Most kibbles are between 40-60% starch  - look at the nutritional information on the back, add up all the % of the ingredients and take that figure from 100   -  that is the percentage of carbohydrate/starch in your dogs food.      In the wild wolves/wild dogs tend to eat around 4-5% starchy foods  - and have enough pancreatic and digestive enzymes for that  4-5%.  As I said earlier  kibble can be 40-60% starch   - this puts a tremendous strain on your dog's  pancreas and other digestive organs.

Once we discovered the food allergies I had to source meat that had never been fed anything he is allergic to - its not easy - and there is one food that is given to almost every commercially raised animal - including fish  -  and that is soya  - his severest allergy.   Soya is the one thing I cannot eliminate entirely.    However with the change of diet his epilepsy slowed - then stopped  - that was almost 4 years ago - on October 8th to be exact.    I never allowed him to go on epilepsy medication during the three years he was fitting.

Dogs can digest starch with the aid of a particular bacteria in the gut  - Fermicutees  -  unfortunately this particular nasty bacteria  also causes chronic inflammation, and crowds out the good gut bacteria that produces the essential nutrients and amino acids your dog needs.

Dogs that are fed just one type of food day in and day out are far more likely to develop sensitivities to that food than a dog that eats a fresh and varied diet.

Normally I would recommend changing to a completely novel diet/protein (and raw) - one that he has never had previously  -   but you have the additional problem that dogs fed a continual diet of kibble will not have stomach acid  'acidic enough' for raw food   for an immediate change without potential reactions/tummy issues.

Usually food/nutrition  and an intolerance/allergy  is one of the last things vets look for  - it was in our vet's case  - and my boy almost died before he would listen to me.   Once we knew the severity of the problem my vet said that there was not a commercially made food on the planet that would not kill my dog sooner or later, - and it all started because he was fed kibble as a pup.    The vet gave him a less than 10% chance of survival long term,  and he was only 18 months old at the time.

I had to research, study and qualify in dog food nutrition  - both raw food  and advanced canine nutrition in order to cope with my boy's allergies  -   I was around 68 years old at the time and gained the advanced qualification earlier this year at age 71.    My boy is now approaching 7  as healthy as he has ever been.

I have told you my/my boy's story so that you will realize I am not just 'a rabid raw feeder' who thinks it is the only way a dog should be fed  (in truth I do, but now you know my reasons for thinking that way).      Please send the link to the exact food your dog is on.

ADMIN PLEASE DELETE THIS BIT IF NOT ALLOWED:     I run a small facebook group called Food Allergies in Dogs   -   https://www.facebook.com/groups/foodallergiesindogs               There is a LOT of nutritional information on there you may find useful.