Colitis again :-(

Lola had a really bad bout of colitis about 4 weeks ago and had to spend an overnight in the vets so after a week of antibiotics and inflamatories she was back to her own little self again until last night!!! She had pooped in her bed during the night and then was passing blood whiile trying to go to the toilet this morning, although no diarrohea or vomiting unlike the last time which was explosive from both ends. The vet just gave her a probiotic paste this morning as she didn't want to give her anymore antibiotics and said to just see how she gets on???? Lola will be on the Hills prescription tins for the next week. Can anyone suggest a dry food for sensitive tums please for when I can start her back on normal food? At the moment herself and Carlisle are on Hills light.

Also, can colitis spread from one dog to the other? After Lola had it a month ago, Carlisle had it (although milder) about a week later. I'm just concered now with Lola having it again maybe Carlisle will as well? What do you think?

Thank you.
Susan.

Hi Susan,
We have had bouts of colitis with Bosco, and have found a few dog foods that work, one is Arden Grange and the other is James Wellbeloved. I would recommend either of these. For us, eliminating any food that contained wheat really helped him. Another type that is good is Orijen.
I could be wrong here, but I don't think colitis is something that can be passed from one dog to another, I have two, but only one suffers from it. To the best of my knowledge, an ailment that has 'itis' at the end of the word means there is inflammation, so therefore, colitis is inflammation of the colon. There could be an ingredient in your current dog food that is irritating Lola's colon.
Hope you get Lola sorted out soon.

Hi Charlifarley

Thanks very much for the reply. Can you tell me where can I get Arden Grange and do you know if it comes in low calorie, Lola is on Hills light at the moment as she had been on a reduced calorie diet from the vet since February. She has only been on the hills light for about 2 months and I'm wondering if that is what has caused this problem. I notice the weight gain on her already with this light food. She gets no treats and is on strict food measures and plenty of excerise :-(

Just very strange coincidence though that within a week of Lola getting colitis then Carlisle gets a milder version of it :bang: The vet said I should have frequent flyer miles there as I've been back and forward 7 times in the last month with my two. I really need to win the lotto

Hi Susan,
Sorry to hear lola was so unwell.
Arden Grange is an excellent food and has never given my Daisy a stomach upset,the lamb and rice is excellent and I always regret changing away from it.It can be hard to get at times but if you look at the website www.ardengrange.ie it carries a list stockists,it's hypoallergenic and is soya free and gluten free.
Daisy's breeder used it for her cavaliers and her chihuahuas and swears by it for toy breeds.
Lola never struck me as a cavalier who had any difficulty with food...or allergies.She ate Royal canin with no ill effects for me and she came with a supply of what she was on from her original home,think it was a chain store own brand..
I'd guess that her colitis is viral or bacterial.Until she's well again,I wouldn't worry too much about her weight reduction diet.
Arden grange has added probiotics so should help a little.
Hope she makes a swift recovery.
Sins

Hey there, Sins! Thanks a million for the reply. I know Lola and food!!! She was definitely a pig in her previous life Do you think that maybe the first infection wasn't completely sorted and after a few weeks it flared up again? Do you think she should have been given another course of antibiotics?

I'm sorry Lola and you are going through this again. :hug:

Your vet could test a stool sample. It could be campylobacter (can't believe I spelt that right first time!) which needs a specific antibiotic. A stool sample needs to be tested after the course of treatment to see if the bacteria has fully gone or if further treatment is needed.

Both my dogs also suffer with colitis and I have found Royal Canin to be fine for them whereas James Wellbeloved made them both ill even though it is meant to be hypoallergenic.

When Rylie had his stomach upsets earlier this year I finally caved in and put him on the Royal Canin gastro diet. Although I didn't care for the ingredients it did put his tummy back to rights. My theory on his tummy - which may or may not be the same for Lola is that once he gets a bad upset he needs to be on something very bland for a couple of months. He is now back on his regular grain free food and doing well.

One thing that my friend who is a nutritionist suggested was not to add a probiotic until his tummy had been back to normal for a good month or so. I didn't totally listen to her advice and tried a probiotic after a week of normal tummy. Within hours Rylie had the runs again. Now I don't know for sure it was from the probiotic or the fact that the digest in it was "animal digest" and it most likely contained beef which is what I believe caused his tummy problems in the first place.

Woah Pauline campylobacter what a mouth full Thanks for that, I really appreciate it. The sample would be a good idea I think and I was surprised that the vet didn't suggest any course of treatment at all. All she left me with today was "just see how she gets on" I was not really happy leaving there this morning. First thing my husband said when I got home was that if there was no change in her by Monday morning we would go to another vet. :shock:

I think that was probably good advice actually. Blood in stools CAN be very serious BUT is is also common in dogs. Mostly it clears up in a day or two on its own but generally they do suggest stopping all food for 24 hours or so then feeding something bland for the next few days. The thing is if it gets really bad and becomes a serious level of bleeding (haemmorhagic) gastroenteritis, it can become severe and even fatal. Mainly as they dehydrate severely and don't get enough water when passing the bloody stools.

But mine get this on and off -- Lily is prone to it -- and at this point I do not usually take them to the vet because 1) I know the difference between it being mild and severe; 2) it can generally be managed in the way your vet suggested; 3) I know what works for my gang. If any of them has it severely and is distressed of course they go to the vet.

Yes they can pass it amongst themselves -- if one gets it the others generally do. It can be caused by many things including eating stuff off the streets, getting into trash, worms, bacteria, raw diets, etc. I have had a bout across them all after eating raw beef recently.

I find withholding food for 24 hours then giving very small amounts of James Wellbeloved tends to settle their tums and this is really hastened by giving those probiotic pastes like Prokolin or... hmmm there's another I can't think of. It is really very much worth buying this from one of the vet sites in the uk where the cost is nearly half what Irish vets charge for it. I find a day of those probiotic pastes and their tums settle completely -- problem is if they don't get it long enough (say 4-5 days) the gastro problems can return. I now keep this on hand mainly for Lily.

I recently had all 5 getting colitis in rounds over about three weeks -- do not know what they picked up but it would not go away! Started when we were in Donegal for a week. No sooner was one better than another had it. But eventually it cleared.

You can also give about 1/4th a tablet of immodium depending on a dog;s size -- this tends to help calm things quickly -- here is advice on what to give (watch for the contraindications!):

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=0+1303+1459&aid=1432

Generally if a dog gains weight the solution is the same as people -- cut down on the amount fed, make sure other family members are not sneaking treats (dental treats are VERY high in calories for example as is cheese, pigs ears etc), that the dog isn't getting calories from sneaking cat poops in the litter box or garden, and give more exercise! Even a light food can cause a dog to gain weight. Cut meals by a third; if the dog doesn't lose anything over the next coupe of weeks cut by half. I think many people feed way too much -- three of mine for example get less than 1/2 cup of food per day in their actual meals.

In rare cases weight gain may be a thyroid problem.

I find James Wellbeloved to be a great food -- all the dogs are very regular on it, never upsets any tummies, and they like all the flavours.

Should emphasise that a key thing is of course knowing the difference between some blood in diarrhea and signs that the dog is starting into HGE (haemorrhagic gastro-enteritis). Always better to be safe than sorry but if a vet says things look OK then it likely isn't HGE but consider causes like diet, allergies, getting into trash or eating off pavement, cat feces, a worm infestation etc. Many websites will say always to see a vet for blood but others including some vet-run sites will say it is actually a pretty common complaint though never something to take lightly.

I find a lot of irish vets will just have people try a bout of antibiotics rather than do a fecal test but you can always ask to have a fecal done.

Here's a good article:

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/dogdiseasesh/a/HGEindogs.htm

And also:

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/hematochezia-blood-in-stool-in-dogs/page1.aspx

My vets have said some dogs just seem to be prone to this now and then. I would never ignore it though. Calling your vet or making an appointment is a good idea and a must if a dog is showing signs for the first time ever, or has repeat bouts, or it gets serious, the dog is lethargic etc. It is ALWAYS worth calling to ask for advice on whether to make an appointment if a dog is showing any abnormal signs or behaviour. I've talked to mine many times about blood in stools.

If there is lots of blood I'd be wary of no anti biotics, apparently with HGE there is a huge risk of infection. If just blood in stools it's not so much of a problem.

HGE - Barney always ends up at the vet, on a drip poor thing. He gets this every winter

Bloody upset stools - Barney used to have this on a regular basis, since changing to JWB we have a 90% reduction )))) Might be worth trying this or one of the other foods recommended.

Hope you get it sorted...xx

Thanks so much for that. Its a wealth of information! I just got a fright when I saw her trying to go to the toilet yesterday morning, no poo, no runs just straining and thick dark red blood and then drops of blood as she was walking. Absolutely no chance at all of her getting into trash, cat poo, eating anything off paths, she is never without me. She is a joy to walk and just trots along on the lead at my heel whereas Carlisle will never lift his nose from the ground

A little bit of diarohea today when she is going to the toilet with some blood in it. So I'm just going to watch her carefully. I've given her a little bit of the i.d. food today and she is loving it! She is such a foodie, I don't think anything would put her off.

It is scary when you see them producing blood & i can only agree with Karlin, you get to know when its sort of ok & when its serious,if in any doubt contact your vet,i have taken a picture on my moby to show him the amount of blood before when i wasnt sure.
Ruby has tummy upsets often however this has been less since she is on James wellbeloved &Probiotic from Pooch & mutt "bionic biotic" i ALWAYS keep Prokolin in the house.
Again if in doubt contact your vet- once i nearly lost Ruby to HGE when a vet told me to just bring her in the next morning(we no longer go to that vets!)at 3a.m i insisted on taking her in, she was literally fading in my arms,our bedroom looked like a murder scene & she had to be on a drip for 4 days & nights,they couldnt even tell me she stabilised for the first day only they were doing their best. On a brighter note at other times she's been in, had an injection & been right as a button again
PS our vet isnt a great one for changing their food if they have an upset tummy ie chicken & rice,he says a little of their normal food after fasting as why add a new food to an already stressed system.Ruby has only had the bland diet foods when she's been severe

I actually never do chicken and rice myself; I find a small amount of their normal James Wellbeloved is usually fine.

I would echo Tupup -- never take a chance if you are not very very familiar with the difference between a bit of blood and needing to see a vet asap.

Most vets are happy to give advice over the phone and ANY time anything seems unusual please dog owners, call your vet to get advice. I find that about 30-40% of the time they say to bring a dog in and other times they just say what to watch out for.

tupup :shock: what a fright you must have got!

Thanks a million to everyone for the replies. It is so reassuring to get support here, sincerely thank you :flwr:. Karlin, as always I just huff a huge sigh of relief when I see you post, you are fantastic!!!!

Lola seems to be getting better. No blood at all in her poo today, phew. She is enjoying her i.d. tinned food. I went out and bought some of the James Wellbeloved lamb and rice for her when the tins run out. So fingers crossed we are on the mend!

On the food front - I find Royal Canin Sensitivity Control the best food for dogs with dodgy belly (an infection, colitis etc.). One of mine is on it full time due to an awful period of time when she was spurting from her rear end non stop for weeks. Most foods aggravate her stomach (we have tried so many!) so we kept her on the RC and haven't looked back since! It is a complete food that has everything she needs and comes in both wet and dry foods - I feed dry. She was on Hills I/D for a while but with minimal success. She really doesn't do well with grains (wheat in particular) and the RC food is great for this. I always recommend it!

thanks lorebringer, thats really helpful.

I second the royal canin sensitive stomach small bite special 30. Chelsea has had severial boughts of collitis and probably gastritis. Nothing in the last year more than one loose stool in a day since being on the RC. I give them a TBSP of canned food at night, ususally a high protein type like 95% beef from wellness. They love it, Vivians breeder has tasted it(she does this to all the food she gives) says it tasted like pate. Won't joing that group, but the dogs love it.