skinnydipper
Well-Known Member
Please see my introduction.
In December I had 3 dogs, then Chloe my Lurcher had to be put to sleep after a long battle with cancer (grade 3 mast cell) and heart disease. At the time my English Bull Terrier cross, Kitty, was in pain and not eating. After weeks of vet visits, blood tests and, finally, imaging she was diagnosed with liver cancer in January and put to sleep. During all this time my German Shepherd Sully was ill. I started taking him to the vets in October with abdominal pain which started after a course of Previcox. Vet visits - too many to count, saw 4 different vets, all the time he was getting worse. Eventually diagnosed with lymphocytic plasmacytic IBD in January and started on high dose steroids to which he has not responded so another immune modulating drug has been added to his treatment in the hope of getting him in remission. His is not typical IBD as he had no diarrhoea but did have occasional large bile vomits - the abdominal pain is main symptom. Does have loose stools now due to the treatment.
I am terrified I am going to lose him, he is a very sick dog. I have already lost one German Shepherd to an autoimmune disease. Yogi was only 7 when he succumbed to SLE. Sully is just turned 6.
Sully has now tested positive for food allergies to beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, rice, wheat, corn, potato, pea and egg.
Prior to the Previcox he had been a happy dog, couldn't get him out of the sea at the beach, loved playing with his ball in the river. enjoyed his walks. Now his quality of life is very poor, constantly panting, too lethargic to walk never mind play, constantly drinking and peeing. Gone are the hour long walks, more like 5 minutes. I know this is probably due to the steroids and he has already had his Pred reduced.
His allergens rule out commercial dog food, he reacted very badly to the hydrolysed protein diet prescribed by the vet. The only food I found was Ziwi Peak Venison which I am buying for him and will buy as long as necessary (£66 for 2.5kg bag which lasts a week) and I am supplementing this with cooked pork and fish and tinned sardines. I found the forum while searching for a balanced diet that I could safely feed him. I was looking into raw feeding but this is not advised with immuno compromised dogs as they are unable to cope with the bacteria in the way that a normal dog could. Cooking complete minces 80/10/10 not an option as the bone becomes brittle and sharp and can further irritate his inflamed intestines. His calcium levels have already dropped alarmingly and I now supplement with a natural calcium. All the dietary supplements I have found for dogs contain something he is allergic to. His liver results are showing the effects of steroid use.
I desperately want Sully to come through this. He was dealt such a poor hand and has come so far. He was bought by an idiot and kept in a backyard for his first 18 months. He received no socialisation with other dogs or people, other than a small poodle which lived in the house and which the owner said "used to nail him". In other words she let him be bullied from 6 or 8 weeks old. He had no toys or stimulation. He had had no training of any description. He spent his days in the yard and his nights sleeping on the bare kitchen floor. He was absolutely wild when I met him but somehow we clicked. The previous owner said she could not take him out because she used a mobility scooter and when asked why she got him she said it was to use him for stud. She had no idea of the status of his hips and no idea of his parents' hip or elbow scores. He had never been groomed and was 10 kg underweight. She wanted him rehomed as he was unmanageable (surprise)
In actual fact Sully has hip and elbow dysplasia and I was taking him for laser and hydro but since he has been on the steroids he hasn't had the energy for the hydrotherapy and his fitness has suffered.
He had never been on a lead and was extremely reactive and fear aggressive, although he was always fine with my dogs and cat (I had 5 other dogs when he came to live with me).
He was 18 months when I got him and he is just turned 6. He enjoys training and scent games and is a very smart boy. He is a loving and devoted companion. He has come a long way although it has been very slow progress. I could write a book about our journey.
He has the rest of his life in front of him if only I can get him through this crisis and back to some degree of fitness.
I would appreciate any and all help. Perhaps you have experience of his illness and treatment. Maybe you could help with advice on feeding. I have always felt that Sully is worth the time and energy and this is breaking my heart.
Thank you.
In December I had 3 dogs, then Chloe my Lurcher had to be put to sleep after a long battle with cancer (grade 3 mast cell) and heart disease. At the time my English Bull Terrier cross, Kitty, was in pain and not eating. After weeks of vet visits, blood tests and, finally, imaging she was diagnosed with liver cancer in January and put to sleep. During all this time my German Shepherd Sully was ill. I started taking him to the vets in October with abdominal pain which started after a course of Previcox. Vet visits - too many to count, saw 4 different vets, all the time he was getting worse. Eventually diagnosed with lymphocytic plasmacytic IBD in January and started on high dose steroids to which he has not responded so another immune modulating drug has been added to his treatment in the hope of getting him in remission. His is not typical IBD as he had no diarrhoea but did have occasional large bile vomits - the abdominal pain is main symptom. Does have loose stools now due to the treatment.
I am terrified I am going to lose him, he is a very sick dog. I have already lost one German Shepherd to an autoimmune disease. Yogi was only 7 when he succumbed to SLE. Sully is just turned 6.
Sully has now tested positive for food allergies to beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, rice, wheat, corn, potato, pea and egg.
Prior to the Previcox he had been a happy dog, couldn't get him out of the sea at the beach, loved playing with his ball in the river. enjoyed his walks. Now his quality of life is very poor, constantly panting, too lethargic to walk never mind play, constantly drinking and peeing. Gone are the hour long walks, more like 5 minutes. I know this is probably due to the steroids and he has already had his Pred reduced.
His allergens rule out commercial dog food, he reacted very badly to the hydrolysed protein diet prescribed by the vet. The only food I found was Ziwi Peak Venison which I am buying for him and will buy as long as necessary (£66 for 2.5kg bag which lasts a week) and I am supplementing this with cooked pork and fish and tinned sardines. I found the forum while searching for a balanced diet that I could safely feed him. I was looking into raw feeding but this is not advised with immuno compromised dogs as they are unable to cope with the bacteria in the way that a normal dog could. Cooking complete minces 80/10/10 not an option as the bone becomes brittle and sharp and can further irritate his inflamed intestines. His calcium levels have already dropped alarmingly and I now supplement with a natural calcium. All the dietary supplements I have found for dogs contain something he is allergic to. His liver results are showing the effects of steroid use.
I desperately want Sully to come through this. He was dealt such a poor hand and has come so far. He was bought by an idiot and kept in a backyard for his first 18 months. He received no socialisation with other dogs or people, other than a small poodle which lived in the house and which the owner said "used to nail him". In other words she let him be bullied from 6 or 8 weeks old. He had no toys or stimulation. He had had no training of any description. He spent his days in the yard and his nights sleeping on the bare kitchen floor. He was absolutely wild when I met him but somehow we clicked. The previous owner said she could not take him out because she used a mobility scooter and when asked why she got him she said it was to use him for stud. She had no idea of the status of his hips and no idea of his parents' hip or elbow scores. He had never been groomed and was 10 kg underweight. She wanted him rehomed as he was unmanageable (surprise)
In actual fact Sully has hip and elbow dysplasia and I was taking him for laser and hydro but since he has been on the steroids he hasn't had the energy for the hydrotherapy and his fitness has suffered.
He had never been on a lead and was extremely reactive and fear aggressive, although he was always fine with my dogs and cat (I had 5 other dogs when he came to live with me).
He was 18 months when I got him and he is just turned 6. He enjoys training and scent games and is a very smart boy. He is a loving and devoted companion. He has come a long way although it has been very slow progress. I could write a book about our journey.
He has the rest of his life in front of him if only I can get him through this crisis and back to some degree of fitness.
I would appreciate any and all help. Perhaps you have experience of his illness and treatment. Maybe you could help with advice on feeding. I have always felt that Sully is worth the time and energy and this is breaking my heart.
Thank you.
But if you want to try then I would move him to RAW, but the minces without bone in and then cook them for him. You can get lots that have no bone in. I'd be double checking the bone thing as well. Things like natural instinct are just a smooth paste so cant have anything much in them. There are some lightly steamed options as well that might be worth looking into.
