Gastro Dog, Which Diet?

[pitbulliest]

Hey guys I need some advice for a friend that just adopted a beautiful lab (remember I was inquiring about lab adoption a few months ago?)..he's 4 or 5 years old I believe..just a lovely guy.

Anyways..the dog is on a vet gastro diet...I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions in regards to food for dogs with gastro? My friend doesn't want to feed her a low quality diet, and as far as I know, the vet diets are pretty lousy in quality..are there any high quality or premium foods that are for dogs with gastro problems?

Also, what about raw or even home cooked..is that an option? What she should watch out for..I don't really know anything about gastro as none of my dogs have ever had a problem...is there anything I should pass onto her?

All info and comments would be greatly appreciated, as always
Thankums!

 

[Red_ACD_for_me]

What exactly is causing the Gastro upset? My ACD had gastritis awhile back and I realized the cause of it was anything chicken and rolled rawhide that he was having an issue with. What are her symptoms?

 

[pitbulliest]

I don't know..but I guess I will ask her and find out..

 

[SisMorphine]

Raw is always the best option for ANY problems, but it depends on whether or not your friend feels up to it (I feel that raw is a life style change instead of just a change of food). Other than that California Natural is supposed to be great for sensitive stomaches (my dogs ate the Herring formula for lunch since I forgot to feed them breakfeast before we left for work and didn't have any ill effects), and I've hear Lab people rave about Eagle Pack Holistic (though I'm not a fan, but it is better than a veterinary diet). It definitely depends on the stomache issues, though, as to what diet is best for the dog.

 

[StealthDog]

Raw is always the best option for ANY problems

That is quite dangerous advice considering you don't know what is meant by "gastric problems". There are many different reasons a dog might be on a "gastro diet", not necessarily because he is allergic to something in kibble. The dog might have gastroesophageal reflux, or a protein/carb/fat malassimilation problem, or megacolon, or.........

A host of anatomic or physiologic problems would cause a vet to put a dog on a veterinary diet. Is the dog doing well on the vet diet? If so, what is the problem? If not, or if your friend isn't comfortable with it, ask her to talk to her vet about possibly creating a homemade diet that would have the same therapeutic effects as the veterinary diet. If her vet isn't comfortable creating a homemade diet plan, ask him to refer her to someone who is.

 

[Red_ACD_for_me]

I don't know..but I guess I will ask her and find out..

Okay.....................

 

[squirtsmom]

When my dog had problems, we fed ground turkey and rice, and she did great.

 

[pitbulliest]

Okay.....................

Its not my dog..I'm just helping her so I don't know the details...
she's a new dog owner, and the vet didn't give her any details, just told her to feed the gastro kibble...so she will be finding out the details and letting me know.

?

 

[Melissa_W]

Raw may or may not be best, depending on what the condition is.

Mordy advised me not to start Kai on raw because IBD dogs have a compromised mucosal barrier in the intestines. So, we are starting out with home cooked and may transition to raw later.

 

[pitbulliest]

I talked with my friend again...there's alot of confusion and frustration. The place that she adopted the dog from is now starting to act rather shady.. They didn't even tell my friend that the dog had gastro problems until the dog had diarhea in the car on the way to her house...also, the dog was apparently adopted out and returned 11 times prior, which my friend also wasn't told. Plus, they keep changing the age of the dog from 3 years to 4 to 5 and back again.

I told my friend she should just ditch this lousy vet and rescue and go to a new clinic with the dog and have the new vet check the dog out thoroughly in regards to any health issues, including the gastro, and then we can take it from there.

I don't understand..there seems to be so much politics and crap involved with rescues and humane societies..it seems like alot of them just are pushing to adopt the dogs out to people, regardless of whether or not the people are right for the dog and vice versa..its not fair..

 

[Melissa_W]

That's sad. Let us know how things turn out.

 

[Red_ACD_for_me]

Its not my dog..I'm just helping her so I don't know the details...
she's a new dog owner, and the vet didn't give her any details, just told her to feed the gastro kibble...so she will be finding out the details and letting me know.

?

I'm sorry, I overlooked the fact that it was your friends dog...my bad LOL!