Help needed upset tummy

Hi
I was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice my cavy is 6 years old and since she was about 2 years she has been on longtrem use of medrone and metronidazole for a stomach condition i am not sure of the name of the condition but i was told it is like IBS.
So over time ive tried different foods to see what does and dosent agree with her.
But over the last few months things have got worse the tablets didnt seem to be working and i could see she was in pain.
So last week i took her back to the vets who basically said we will try some other tablets so she was put on prednisolone and oxycare.
She has only been on them 6 days and already she has put on quite abit of weight which isnt to much of a problem as she is not overweight but i dont want it to continue.
She is drinking more and she seems to have changed in her behaviour she isnt as lively and is very lethargic.
So i read a little on the net about the tablets and i am concerned that she is predisolone as it does have many side effects and may cause other problems.
So basically i am thinking is there anything i can do or try as i dont like the idea of her being on these tablets.
At the moment i feed her on burns chicken and rice mix which i began about a year ago but she has seemed to got bored of that and usually will be sat there for days.
I also give her a packet of ceasar a day which she very much likes but it is wet food so i might try not giving her that.
Anyway if anyone has any suggestions i would appriciate it.
Thanks for reading sally

This is difficult and really I feel you need to be discussing it with your vet.

Medrone is similar to prednisolone but tends to have fewer side effects - Pred is very well known for putting on weight

Caesar is very rich and not something I would normally give to a Cavalier - it does tend to give them the runs.

I know some people with dogs with IBD {I'm assuming that is what your girl's problem is?} have success with a raw diet, but obviously you would need to research that carefully.

There is quite a bit of information on this site about raw feeding, also the Yahoo group http://pets.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/BritBarf/?v=1&t=directory&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=dir&slk=4 is excellent, you need to join to read it but they are very friendly and helpful.

I hope you manage to get your girl a bit more comfortable.

You could always try probiotics if you were very worried.
I presume that Dairy products are not recommended for IBS but you can actually buy dairy free, freeze dried capsules in your local health food store.Acidophilus and lactobacilli are all available.
Because they have a protective capsule they stand a better chance than yoghurts of making it into the gut where they can outpopulate undesirable bacteria.Alternatively you could sprinkle it over the food.
Check with your vet first though.
I'm a great believer in probiotics.Some years ago I got clostridia difficile and after two courses of metronidazole it just flared back up again.The probiotics dealt with it within two weeks.Of course a human gut is different to a dogs but I know some members on this board also give probiotics(yogurts) to their spaniels.
As I said check with your vet,
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006092656.htm
I hope you can find something that alleviates her problem.
Sins

Try Chappie tinned dog food, I swear by it. It has a lot of fiber and cured Dylan of his regular very bad colitis and runs. It is very bland and lots of breeders and vets recommend it for dogs with delicate tummies.

I can't advise on the meds though.

Also it's my understanding that pills can't make you put on weight but the can increase appetite. Watch your quantities.

I second the chappie food - brilliant stuff!

Sparky had an awfull time with his tum when we forst got him & we give him protextin Bio Premium granules every day & (touch wood) his stomach is fine 99% of the time now.


http://www.petvetcare.co.uk/acatalog/Small_Animals_Pets.html
Protexin Bio-Premium for Dogs
Protexin Premium for Dogs is a palatable pelleted product containing 10 species of beneficial microorganisms including bacteria, yast and the enzymes Beta Glucanase and Xylanase to aid digestion. Protexin Premium for Dogs has been designed to be fed on a continuous basis, thus preventing digestive upsets.

Thanks to all that replied i spoke to my vet today and we have decided to try only giving her half a tablet of prednisolone every other day as at the minute she is on a full tablet every day.
And i will see if that helps with the side effects, i am also just feeding her burns chicken and rice mix so no wet dog food.
However my vet like some here have suggested is to try her on chappie so going to try her on a little of that.
I will let you know how i get on with this.
Thanks sally