Has Anyone Had Experience With Whippet Colitis?

[alfielewis]

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Hi, my dog alfie has colitis i think. I spoke to the vet yesterday who said to give him 5 days or so and see if it clears up on its own. but his poo doesnt seem to be getting any more solid, and there is alot of gooey mucus. on walks it starts off with one solid-ish poo and then ends up him straining and just mucus coming out. I will take him to the vet very soon, as it looks pretty horrifying. but if anyone has any tips on how to deal with this, id be grateful. should i try him with live yoghurt?

he is on chicken and rice just now.

thankyou in advance for your advice.

 

[Suerose]

I suppose the question is why he has colitis. Did the vet say? If it is an infection or the result of them eating something revolting I usually starve for 24 hours and then give very bland food for a while. My first dog had chronic colitis towards the end of her life (just old age I think and failing digestion) and I found that slippery elm was helpful. If you want to give probiotics there is a good medication called Pro-kolin that you can buy online which has kaolin and probiotics in it and can help to settle an attack of the runs.

 

[Noise]

unfortunately Eskil has reapering colitis. as mentioned pro kolin paste is excellent, and yes I would stop feeding him, so not to cause more stress to the digestive system.

 

[alfielewis]

thank you! i just ordered some pro-kolin. he is only 6 so hopefully not on his way out yet. fingers crossed that pro-kolin will solve it, sounds like good stuff.

what is reapering colitis?

 

[jayp]

thank you! i just ordered some pro-kolin. he is only 6 so hopefully not on his way out yet. fingers crossed that pro-kolin will solve it, sounds like good stuff.
what is reapering colitis?

Hi It just means that it keeps happening, it may be fine for a while and then it starts again

If its simply an infection or something theyve eaten that dosnt agree with them then it should clear up with starvation for 24 hours then the re-introduction of simple bland foods such as scrambled egg, or plain chicken or white fish, and live yoghurt then when all is well on these foods slowly bring back the normal foods

Colitis can also be caused by a food intolerance, wheat is the usual culprit although it can be many things from dairy to beef

Diet is all important here as any of the foods they cannot tolerate will set up the colitis again. In these cases a return to the food they do fine on will usually sort the problem,, but beware wheat can be found in all sorts of foods, even vit tablets so you have to be careful with treats etc

It may take some time to discover what they are intolerant of, your vet will advise. Often the substitute of natural raw food is all that is needed

Colitis can also be the symptom of various other issues some involving the immune system, and if the bouts happen often, are very severe and include loss of blood in the stools, mucous, appetite and weight, lethargy, a temperature then further investigation is needed by your vet

Good luck jan

 

[Noise]

as in he gets it every now and then as opposed to a one off. he first had it at 6 months, I have to be careful with his diet so not to give something his tummy disagrees with and sets off the diarrhea.

 

[alfielewis]

thank you! i just ordered some pro-kolin. he is only 6 so hopefully not on his way out yet. fingers crossed that pro-kolin will solve it, sounds like good stuff.
what is reapering colitis?

Hi It just means that it keeps happening, it may be fine for a while and then it starts again

If its simply an infection or something theyve eaten that dosnt agree with them then it should clear up with starvation for 24 hours then the re-introduction of simple bland foods such as scrambled egg, or plain chicken or white fish, and live yoghurt then when all is well on these foods slowly bring back the normal foods

Colitis can also be caused by a food intolerance, wheat is the usual culprit although it can be many things from dairy to beef

Diet is all important here as any of the foods they cannot tolerate will set up the colitis again. In these cases a return to the food they do fine on will usually sort the problem,, but beware wheat can be found in all sorts of foods, even vit tablets so you have to be careful with treats etc

It may take some time to discover what they are intolerant of, your vet will advise. Often the substitute of natural raw food is all that is needed

Colitis can also be the symptom of various other issues some involving the immune system, and if the bouts happen often, are very severe and include loss of blood in the stools, mucous, appetite and weight, lethargy, a temperature then further investigation is needed by your vet

Good luck jan

thank you jan.

he does have alot, and i mean ALOT of mucus.it started off like skin on a sausage a few days ago but today it was a bit like an alien sliding out his backside.ill see how his poo's are tomorrow, and then its vet. i think the stuff i ordered wont arrive for a couple of days. He seems not too bad in himself though.

He was on IAMs and has been since he was a pup, vet says he wouldnt have developed an intolerance to it suddenly so he must have eaten something else.... could be anything from stale bread for the birds, to cat poo! sorry, this thread is gross! :x i introduced the chicken and rice to see if that helped but it hasnt so far. and id be too scared to give him any iams again until this is cleared up. poor fruit, i read it is very painful.

 

[Noise]

if it's been going on for a few days already you should take him vets asap, it can lead to dehydration and also damage the digestive system even further and make it more likely reaper at a later stage.

 

[alfielewis]

if it's been going on for a few days already you should take him vets asap, it can lead to dehydration and also damage the digestive system even further and make it more likely reaper at a later stage.

oh ok, he's not dehydrated but yes i think you are right. will keep you posted. thank you for all your help everybody.

 

[jayp]

thank you! i just ordered some pro-kolin. he is only 6 so hopefully not on his way out yet. fingers crossed that pro-kolin will solve it, sounds like good stuff.
what is reapering colitis?

Hi It just means that it keeps happening, it may be fine for a while and then it starts again

If its simply an infection or something theyve eaten that dosnt agree with them then it should clear up with starvation for 24 hours then the re-introduction of simple bland foods such as scrambled egg, or plain chicken or white fish, and live yoghurt then when all is well on these foods slowly bring back the normal foods

Colitis can also be caused by a food intolerance, wheat is the usual culprit although it can be many things from dairy to beef

Diet is all important here as any of the foods they cannot tolerate will set up the colitis again. In these cases a return to the food they do fine on will usually sort the problem,, but beware wheat can be found in all sorts of foods, even vit tablets so you have to be careful with treats etc

It may take some time to discover what they are intolerant of, your vet will advise. Often the substitute of natural raw food is all that is needed

Colitis can also be the symptom of various other issues some involving the immune system, and if the bouts happen often, are very severe and include loss of blood in the stools, mucous, appetite and weight, lethargy, a temperature then further investigation is needed by your vet

Good luck jan

thank you jan.

he does have alot, and i mean ALOT of mucus.it started off like skin on a sausage a few days ago but today it was a bit like an alien sliding out his backside.ill see how his poo's are tomorrow, and then its vet. i think the stuff i ordered wont arrive for a couple of days. He seems not too bad in himself though.

He was on IAMs and has been since he was a pup, vet says he wouldnt have developed an intolerance to it suddenly so he must have eaten something else.... could be anything from stale bread for the birds, to cat poo! sorry, this thread is gross! :x i introduced the chicken and rice to see if that helped but it hasnt so far. and id be too scared to give him any iams again until this is cleared up. poor fruit, i read it is very painful.

Food intolerance takes some while to sort out, the new food say chicken and rice ( NOT COMPLETE FOOD ) but either cooked or preferably raw chicken and home cooked rice must be given to the EXCLUSION of ALL other foods for a couple of weeks only when all is settled on this single protein,single carbohydrate source can other foods be introduced ONE AT A TIME to see if they cause a problem

So if you are feeding chicken then you MUSNT give treats that contain any other protein source, no biscuits,toast,beef,pork or ANYTHING, it wont do the dog any harm to just have this for 2 weeks

You have to be strict otherwise you wont know which food is causing the problems

Good luck Jan

 

[alfielewis]

he doesnt get any treats normally anyway, cruel owner that i am! i just meant other stuff that he might pick up when im not looking.... i did stop him from eating the cat poo. :b

i wouldnt let him eat anything else right now apart from his chicken and brown rice... would you have changed his diet to chicken and rice too? vet said i probably shouldnt have as the change may not be helping. but now he's on it he should stay on it.

 

[Suerose]

he doesnt get any treats normally anyway, cruel owner that i am! i just meant other stuff that he might pick up when im not looking.... i did stop him from eating the cat poo. :b
i wouldnt let him eat anything else right now apart from his chicken and brown rice... would you have changed his diet to chicken and rice too? vet said i probably shouldnt have as the change may not be helping. but now he's on it he should stay on it.

It's really hard to stop them eating horrible things, isn't it? When Grace was a pup she gave herself horrible runs from eating some slime I was cleaning out of the pond. Sometimes it is hard to predict what they will go for

 

[eve]

Two of my whippets pick up and eat some pretty gross things from time to time and sometimes get upset stomachs because of this.

My standard treatment is to starve them for 24 hours with water only and then keep them on plain boiled rice for a couple of days.

If it does not settle, it is then off to the vets. The rice does the trick almost every time. I would advise you to drop the chicken as it is complex to digest being a protein.

Your chap will be fine on plain cooled boiled rice.

To test for dehydration, pinch some loose skin around the neck, it should immediately settle back into place. If it does not, go to the vets ASAP

As your fellow has been unwell for a few days, it may be better to get him to the vet. Better safe than sorry.

 

[jayp]

he doesnt get any treats normally anyway, cruel owner that i am! i just meant other stuff that he might pick up when im not looking.... i did stop him from eating the cat poo. :b
i wouldnt let him eat anything else right now apart from his chicken and brown rice... would you have changed his diet to chicken and rice too? vet said i probably shouldnt have as the change may not be helping. but now he's on it he should stay on it.

Yes I would have changed, and would stick to natural feeding, its easier to see what they are eating, instead of trawling through a thousand additives and preservatives etc different oils and meals that your not aware of the content, at the moment dont add anything until you see how it settles

Then I would maybe add a little keepers Mix or easy green from Dorwest herbs and stick to that for a few weeks, if ok then try a different protein such as raw tripe, if he reacts then could be he has a problem with beef

By adding just ONE new thing you can see where the problem may lie

jan

 

[alfielewis]

he doesnt get any treats normally anyway, cruel owner that i am! i just meant other stuff that he might pick up when im not looking.... i did stop him from eating the cat poo. :b
i wouldnt let him eat anything else right now apart from his chicken and brown rice... would you have changed his diet to chicken and rice too? vet said i probably shouldnt have as the change may not be helping. but now he's on it he should stay on it.

Yes I would have changed, and would stick to natural feeding, its easier to see what they are eating, instead of trawling through a thousand additives and preservatives etc different oils and meals that your not aware of the content, at the moment dont add anything until you see how it settles

Then I would maybe add a little keepers Mix or easy green from Dorwest herbs and stick to that for a few weeks, if ok then try a different protein such as raw tripe, if he reacts then could be he has a problem with beef

By adding just ONE new thing you can see where the problem may lie

jan

THANK YOU! i had a look at your website too, heartbreakingly beautiful whippets. Alfie is my second, (i got him from a breeder in hereford) i was given my first whippet (indie) when i was 16 but he only lived til ten. he was the love of my life, and we were inseparable.

 

[eve]

I forgot to add, do not feed brown rice to a dog with digestive problems.

It is much harder to digest.

Plain boiled white rice is the simplest thing for the digestive system as it contains only simple starches.

This is always recommended by my vet.

If things start to improve, after a few days, a little plain scrambled egg (no milk) can be added.

 

[Trish]

probotic drinks worked wonders with one of mine when he had a bad bout,also give the water (cooled) that you boil your rice in ,full of starch and works wonders also :thumbsup:

 

[Donlin]

Last year my boy Donnie got colitis with the same symptoms which you describe. This did follow possible contact with a rotting carcass found on a walk and after a week or so some blood was also present in the stools. The vet sent a sample off for analysis which came back without showing any bugs. So he gave him a steroid injection and suggested the chicken and rice diet which improved things temporarily. When the symptoms returned he suggested possible food allergy but also said sometimes you never find a cause. However Donnie started to loose weight and a friend suggested a second opinion. The second vet said that you can never trust 1 sample and only after 3 clear samples would you think of possible causes other than infection. Indeed his further samples showed 2 different bugs - campylobacter and giardia which needed antibiotics to cure him. So I agree with others that if it's never happened before and it's been going on for a few days a trip to the vet bearing in mind my experience might be worthwhile.

 

[alfielewis]

update:

I took alfie to the vet and got some pills called salazopyrin. i gave him them for a few days along with chicken and rice diet but i saw no improvement. also he was sick on the first one, and then had another bout of diarhea. so i went back to the vet with him, which was perhaps a bit hasty, as the vet said it takes 4 or five days for the pills to fully work. so he gave me some royal canin special sensetive tum food, wet and dry, and the change was almost instant after that. His poo's are slightly orange still but they are crumbly instead of soft. and he is a MUCH happier dog. vet assures me that although colitis does look horrible and miserable for the dog,it doesnt lead to dangers like dehydration or weight loss.

anyway, he's all fixed up just now, but will find out in a few weeks if he can ever eat anything else ever, or has to be on pills and diet forever.

apparently that can happen but i really hope it doesnt happen to him.

so thankyou all for your help and suggestions, im very grateful.

 

[Noise]

update:
I took alfie to the vet and got some pills called salazopyrin. i gave him them for a few days along with chicken and rice diet but i saw no improvement. also he was sick on the first one, and then had another bout of diarhea. so i went back to the vet with him, which was perhaps a bit hasty, as the vet said it takes 4 or five days for the pills to fully work. so he gave me some royal canin special sensetive tum food, wet and dry, and the change was almost instant after that. His poo's are slightly orange still but they are crumbly instead of soft. and he is a MUCH happier dog. vet assures me that although colitis does look horrible and miserable for the dog,it doesnt lead to dangers like dehydration or weight loss.

anyway, he's all fixed up just now, but will find out in a few weeks if he can ever eat anything else ever, or has to be on pills and diet forever.

apparently that can happen but i really hope it doesnt happen to him.

so thankyou all for your help and suggestions, im very grateful.

I'm glad that things are improving for your boy. I also find the specific tum diet (we had hills i/d) does help a lot, but be careful when you switch over to a normal diet either dry or natural, do it gradually not to set it off again.

um, it quite directly leads to weight loss, since even if the dog has an appetite the food passes through without absorbing any nutrients, and diarrhea also makes the dog lose fluids, that's why with bad vomiting/diarrhea the first advice will always be to head straight for the vets, because it can deteriorate quite quickly, especially important with pups and weaker dogs.