Son's dog has troubling history BEFORE pancreatitis attack...Please help!

[MonicanHonda]

Just wanting to add a few things. Digi did great with the intro to a raw/homecooked diet. But I know for a raw diet, eventually you are going to have to get a red meat in there because, frankly, white meat does not have enough nutrients. Dogs fed an all chicken raw diet have extreme deficiencies in certain areas. If the pup does in fact have an allergy, it is probably to beef. I like the menu that Digi has laid out for you. It is a great way to find what the dog is allergic to. Dogs who have allergies usually do great on venison... so once you figure things out, I think I would try out this type of meat also.

As to pork, it's generally a very good food that makes up a large portion of most raw fed dogs I know. BUT, we do cut off a LOT of fat before feeding it. But not all, because dogs do not get their energy from carbs like we do, they get their energy from FAT! So, the dog could in fact be allergic to rice (or corn because SD is made of mostly corn) because dogs aren't SUPPOSED to eat corn. They are carnivores. Grains and corn are the number one allergies dogs have. Their bodies cannot digest these carbs. That is shown from the start of the mouth. We have amylase in our mouths and dogs do not. Their bodies have to work much harder to digest grains (making the pancreas work harder!!!) to digest these items of food.

SD is a really bad food honestly. The number one ingredient is corn, when it should ALWAYS ALWAYS be meat. That these people are corrupting our veterinarians makes me so sad. It makes me sad for the people that are in the profession I am pursuing.

Anyways, eventually, if this diet does work out and your son wants to keep a raw diet, he will decide if he wants to feed BARF, which has a lot of supplements added to the diet and veggies (which aren't necessary but Delta has to have a fruit smoothie because she can't have organs) or prey model, which is 80% meat, 10% bone, and 10% organs. A lot of the vit and minerals come from the organs, and calcium from the bones. This percentage is alotted for a week. It takes a lot of research for a raw diet, but its extremely worth it.

Delta did not have one solid poo since I had gotten her (This was from 8 weeks until about 4 1/2 months) I did a bunch of research and decided raw was best for her. She's had amazing poops since then. The bone helps firm up the poop, so usually dogs need a bit more bone in the beginning than later on.

BTW, for the dog only being a chihuahua... this is going to be a cheap diet! Lol

I really hope your son gets things figured out. He sounds like such a caring daddy for his dog. It's so nice to know that people out there really care.

Good luck!

***Oh, as for the nutritionist... no one is really giving me an answer for where to find nutritionist... I looked up on the internet but it wasn't giving the right information. Although I wasn't on the internet yesterday... so I'll continue searching***

[MonicanHonda]

Here is something someone posted. It may be interesting to look into???

Delta, when Sooner had pancreatitis the vet initially put her on science diet id then put her on royal canine duck prescription. Hated both. But PLEASE have her make sure of diagnosis. Sooner did NOT have pancreatistis even though her numbers were off the chart. After 2 months of treating her for this she was finally diagnosed with lymphoma of the gi tract. This was after she developed lumps and they were biopsied. Further testing indicated lymphoma in 2 major organs, gi tract and skin. Do not always trust the vet, get second opinions please

[king2005]

MonicanHonda

[Sher.Fla]

I don't think this dog has ever had a solid bm. I am also sure this dog has most likely never been fed a good quality dog food, either. Has anyone any thoughts on giving the dog some baby food strained meat in jars... like turkey or chicken? I know I used to give my cats that when they weren't feeling well and I was trying to appeal to their appetites. It always worked. I would like to just once have him feed her something simple for a little while and have her have a "normal" bm.... any thoughts on this?

[king2005]

I've never even looked at one, so I have no idea, really. As a temp food I don't think there will be any harm in it. I would read the labels to ensure its only beef, or only chicken, or only fish. But one of each meat & see how she does. Also buy come veggies, like carrots, & greens. No corn, no rice, & no dairy.

It'll be a very $$ food, but it should be ok SHORT TERM. Remember dogs are not humans, they need the nasty things in animals (bones, organs) to keep healthy. But I think as a trial for 1-2 weeks would hurt. anything longer then 2 weeks I think might be pushing it, as organ meat is sooo important to dogs.

Remember Onion is bad!
So if you can find a Liver/Heart baby food then get that too.. but make sure she can handle beef, as chances are the liver will be beef.

[Asiel]

Just another idea you could look into. If your dog has had pancreatic issues most of it's life then it could have caused more damage to the other organs. The liquid poop you describe reminds me of EPI and while I know it isn't common in Chi's I would ask the vet to check the next liquid poop you can pick up, use a scaper if you have to and get some in a small pill bottle that is well washed and rinsed. The vet doesn't need a large amount. You should also ask for a blood test at the same time as this will confirm it for sure. The vet can do a biopsy of the intestine but it's costly and not sure I would go for that at such an advanced age. Guiardia is another common thing that this dog might have had from puppy hood.
Plain pumpkin in the food is also very good at helping solidify the stools if the dog tolerates it.
Definitely not normal for the dog to have had these issues all it's life so I would make sure the vet runs the proper tests. Sounds as if the villi in the intestine might be eroding or is already, if this is the case the dog can't absorb any nutrients from any food unless you feed enzymes that you soak in each meal. Your vet should have that on hand.

[MonicanHonda]

Also, if you do the baby food, make sure sodium isn't very high. High sodium will just cause more diarrhea. I think for 4 oz. you want no more than 80 mg tops.

The pumpkin will help with the diarrhea, but if you do use it, just remember that it isn't fixing the problem, only temporarily hiding it.

If this has been happening ever since your son had the dog and the vet he currently has still can't find out what is wrong... I would think about getting a second opinion. I know that my vet has gotten comfortable with me, so he doesn't really look as deeply as he should. He gave me a wrong diagnosis about Honda's lump on her face, and we found out from a second vet it was something totally different. I don't blame my vet... but I wish he would have looked into it further. Sometimes having a new vet brings more professionalism... so that's just a thought.

[Sher.Fla]

I can't believe how helpful you all are over here! (So different from the other forum I visited...) Thank you SOOO much. You have given me so many ideas to run past my son and I appreciate it so much.... I hope he can get his little "Daisy" to start having a normal dog life and he can start getting some sleep at night....