What's new
Mastiff Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Welcome back!

    We decided to spruce things up and fix some things under the hood. If you notice any issues, feel free to contact us as we're sure there are a few things here or there that we might have missed in our upgrade.

Boerboel - IBS

Mike - Syris

Active Member
Hi guys,

Has anyone ever had a dog with IBS?

Syris has always had softer stools since we brought him home (he is currently 14 months). No matter what we feed him, its always the same result.

He is currently on Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy biscuits and these seem to be working well, we do chuck in some raw chicken drumsticks a couple times a week.

Would anyone recommend other dog foods to try? We have also tried raw but this didnt change anything in regards to his IBS.

20210402_154503.jpg
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
Any issues other than the soft stools? What is the fat content of the foods you've had him on?
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
My boxer had issues with soft stools, regurgitation and vomiting, slow gastric emptying, etc. The soft stools also created issues with his anal glands emptying. You need a nice, firm stool for them to empty properly. He does have Megaesophagus (and gastroparesis), so for a long time we just ground his dry food and mixed it with wet and fed him upright. Which helped partially. I noticed that his stools were still not what I wanted them to be and his stomach was often upset. Long story short - I tried a bunch of different kibble of varying price points. All the best foods had the higher fat content and his stools were awful on them and his tummy was upset more frequently. It was suggested that we use the gastrointestinal food from the vet and I did some reading. It's beyond expensive and as much as I wanted to use it, I just couldn't afford it. After trial and error I've figured out that Roy does best with a fat content between 6% and 8%. The 6% is what he does best on. I also suggested this to my daughter who has a dog with frequent bowel issues and it made quite a difference for her. Maybe this is something you can try for your boy? I'm currently feeding Roy Costco's Kirkland Healthy Weight in the grey bag. Just something to consider. It's a pretty easy thing to try and maybe it would help?
 

marke

Well-Known Member
i had a dog they told me may need to take tylan for the rest of her life ....... i bought a meat grinder , i cooked chicken quarters , cooked is not the same as raw, refrigerated them , i'd grind the chicken quarters , bone included , add a baked potato or rice , one raw egg , a childs chewable multi-vitamin , the dog was cured within a week , after almost a 2 yr struggle with soft stools , that was i think at least 6yrs ago .......
 

Mike - Syris

Active Member
My boxer had issues with soft stools, regurgitation and vomiting, slow gastric emptying, etc. The soft stools also created issues with his anal glands emptying. You need a nice, firm stool for them to empty properly. He does have Megaesophagus (and gastroparesis), so for a long time we just ground his dry food and mixed it with wet and fed him upright. Which helped partially. I noticed that his stools were still not what I wanted them to be and his stomach was often upset. Long story short - I tried a bunch of different kibble of varying price points. All the best foods had the higher fat content and his stools were awful on them and his tummy was upset more frequently. It was suggested that we use the gastrointestinal food from the vet and I did some reading. It's beyond expensive and as much as I wanted to use it, I just couldn't afford it. After trial and error I've figured out that Roy does best with a fat content between 6% and 8%. The 6% is what he does best on. I also suggested this to my daughter who has a dog with frequent bowel issues and it made quite a difference for her. Maybe this is something you can try for your boy? I'm currently feeding Roy Costco's Kirkland Healthy Weight in the grey bag. Just something to consider. It's a pretty easy thing to try and maybe it would help?

Thanks for that! Ill look around for some 6-8% fat dry food. We also tried the vet products (Hills & Royal Canine) these were terrible and gve him further issues i.e skin allergies.

We are very limited in low fat dry food down here in Australia but will hunt around.
 

Mike - Syris

Active Member
i had a dog they told me may need to take tylan for the rest of her life ....... i bought a meat grinder , i cooked chicken quarters , cooked is not the same as raw, refrigerated them , i'd grind the chicken quarters , bone included , add a baked potato or rice , one raw egg , a childs chewable multi-vitamin , the dog was cured within a week , after almost a 2 yr struggle with soft stools , that was i think at least 6yrs ago .......

Our next option if we cannot find a suitable biscuit would be to go Cooked food
 

Dstack

Well-Known Member
Hi guys,

Has anyone ever had a dog with IBS?

Syris has always had softer stools since we brought him home (he is currently 14 months). No matter what we feed him, its always the same result.

He is currently on Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy biscuits and these seem to be working well, we do chuck in some raw chicken drumsticks a couple times a week.

Would anyone recommend other dog foods to try? We have also tried raw but this didnt change anything in regards to his IBS.

View attachment 63322
Hi Mike- great pic of the pups! Syris is getting so big! What a beauty. This is a late response to your IBS question-hopefully you’ve found a fix. Our Boerboel has definitely had similar issues. We feed her Blue Buffalo Wilderness. She has a chicken allergy so we use the Salmon or the beef. We use toppers for her. Every morning and evening she gets a scoop of rice with a raw egg(shell and all) with cooked chicken mixed with her kibble. We keep kibble in her bowl throughout the day but she really only nibbles on it. She anticipates the toppers. It keeps her quite lean and her stools are solid. I hope this helps.
 

Mike - Syris

Active Member
Hi Mike- great pic of the pups! Syris is getting so big! What a beauty. This is a late response to your IBS question-hopefully you’ve found a fix. Our Boerboel has definitely had similar issues. We feed her Blue Buffalo Wilderness. She has a chicken allergy so we use the Salmon or the beef. We use toppers for her. Every morning and evening she gets a scoop of rice with a raw egg(shell and all) with cooked chicken mixed with her kibble. We keep kibble in her bowl throughout the day but she really only nibbles on it. She anticipates the toppers. It keeps her quite lean and her stools are solid. I hope this helps.


Heya! Thanks for the replies everyone!

Syris is still growing rapidly, his last weigh in at 12 months was 65kg so it will be interesting to see how he matures and grows over the next 12 months.

We have started giving him raw chicken wings or drumsticks with his 2 meals of kibble and that has hardened his stools up significantly! Not as hard and firm as id like but no longer watery and unformed. Still looking at all suggestions and will definitely give them a try. At the moment we seem to be on a good thing and with him being highly sensitive we will stick with it and see if he starts going backwards.

20210425_154156.jpg
 

Jo-Anne

New Member
I started my boy on CBD oil and raw honey. 3 Tablespoons per day. Firm stool all round. Hign protein low fat