So Riley still has a bad stomach and is getting runny poos even after having him on chicken and rice for a while. We've discounted anything like worms or bugs by sending a sample of poo to the lab. The next suggested step from the vet is a blood test to see what he might be allergic to but that costs between 450 and 650 pounds. The insurance will cover most of that but I was wondering if anyone had advice for us while we decide about the blood test....will it be useful or a waste of time/money? Anything else we should consider?
Re: Allergies Hi Barbara, sorry to hear Riley is still unwell. Do you know if he has been tested for Giardia? That can cause persistent, chronic diahorrea. I would also be tempted to try going completely raw (just meat, no rice or other grains) to see if that fixes it. Might be worth a go. Hope you get it sorted soon. Pippa
Re: Allergies Thanks Pippa I'll check with the vet about giardia. Riley seems pretty well in himself and his poos aren't comepletely runny but are very soft and ending up just a big pooy blob With the raw would you still take a phased approach to switching over? Cheers Barbara
Re: Allergies I would probably switch him to raw chicken first, gradually reducing kibble and increasing chicken over three or four days, then start to add other meats in every two or three days. But it is a big step for you. So I appreciate that it might be the last thing you need with a new baby to care for. On the other hand, if it gets rid of the squitty poos it would be worth it.
Re: Allergies Hi Barbera switching to raw solved barney's IBS and flaky skin and while I know it's not a panacea it worked for him. I tried lots of different high quality wheat free, grain free kibble and no dice. Very frustrating for someone who helps humans with food intolerance! I'm sure you'll have seen my other posts that I feed a complete raw food which is pricey but convenient - you still need freezer space though. I got mine on ebay for £50. I also find that if barney's allergies play up (usually because he's been given human food by some soft hearted person - not me) then the allergy biscuits by verm-x are great at getting them to calm down. Somewhat unusually B had a problem with salmon oil and I was feeding fish4dogs in an effort to be allergy free! However now he's on the natural instinct he can tolerate some salmon oil no bother. I only worked this out when I switched to chicken and rice - the real chicken and rice that is - not kibble, which was much better than any kibble but still loose - what sounds like Riley's current problem. When I added salmon oil he flared up again... so it's not always the obvious culprit.. good luck! Carole
Re: Allergies Hi Barbara Sounds like this is all you need, at the moment! I am going through something similar with my cat, and as I understand it, the allergy testing tests for proteins that cause allergies - looking for things like chicken protein, rabbit protein etc. This allows you to cut out a meat source that causes allergy. Technically things like wheat gluten etc cause sensitivities or intolerances, rather than allergies. My vet is not forthcoming on whether the tests cover these types of substance - you might like to check before going ahead! I was told I could home test for the protein allergies, by eliminating each source in turn, for around 6-8 weeks each, and looking for improvement. However I'm not sure how realistic this is in a dog, that needs a varied diet. I am going to try it in my cat by feeding just one meat type at a time - but of course dogs need green tripe etc when eating raw, so a different approach would be needed! Not sure how helpful this is, but food for thought! Sam.
Re: Allergies Thanks all.....a more in depth discussion with the vet is planned but as you've all pointed out the new baby is making sorting this out tricky. We may just get by until Ben is on summer hols and we have two pairs of hands at home all day
