Malabsorption/irritable bowel....

AS the title says.Is it easily managed in a dog who presents with weight loss/ravenous appetite and copious dire rear if their diet is altered in anyway...like having a treat or chew etc??? The dog has always had a fnny tum like this but the weight loss has got worse lately, as has the appetite. Is fed on a popular mainstream kibble.....

Have you tried a gluten free diet, as our Mollie was very like you are describing - vet gave up on her and said to have her PTS at 8 months old but we tried several things and the one that worked was the gluten free diet, she is thriving 7 year old now as long as no one gives her wheat or gluten.

I have had to get Royal Canin hypoallergenic kibble for my dog who has developed the symptoms you have mentioned .
I first got it from the vet but now I buy it online and get free delivery if I spend more than £60

Slippery Elm Bark Powder is what I have used in the past for colitis, and it is also excellent for IBS/IBD.

It is completely natural and I mix it with a little tepid water to form a paste and the dogs love it. I give 1 teaspoon of powder with each meal or 3 or 4 times a day if severe.

http://www.naturallygreen.co.uk/slip...25g-p-304.html

Here's an explanation of SEBP:

I also detailed the differences between IBS and IBD on this thread which might be useful for you.....

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php...15#post1425515

Finn had the weightloss part of your question. It seemed to be rice he has a problem absorbing. He is now settled on a fish & potato diet which is working.

Hector has the same problem.

first of all get a blood test done to check for Vit B12 levels. this is the one of the main causes of malabsorption. even if it rules it out and your dog is borderline.

i tried all the above, with no avail. only the injections helped.

We were prescribed Buscopan for the IBS symptoms, you can buy this over the counter which works out cheaper. We were also prescribed weak amounts of codeine for when the diarrhoea really got out of control. I switched to Denes wheat and gluten free diet, and the combination of all three things kept it all under control for years. Sadly our boy is no longer with us, but I have to say that had we not switched to Denes, then just the meds alone would not have controlled it enough to make life as comfortable as it became for him. Butchers also do wheat and gluten free at half the price, but he preferred Denes texture. THe IBS started one year during a horrendous bonfire night which seemed to involved fireworks going off for weeks. Two vets thought it was an infection, the third vet took one look and said "well he is terrified, it is IBS", he was "cured" within an hour!

Thanks everyone, seems it is a common problem? It isn't in one of our dogs, in a bitch we know of (well it's suspected) she has always had a dicky tum,but has lost weight and condition and is hungry and this is what the vet suspects it is. I wondered how easy you have all found it to control and if there are known triggers to attacks. Sounds like stress makes it worse for example?
Have all your dogs presented with symptoms though out their lives or is it something that onsets later in life. Does it cost a fortune to control????

Could it be worms??? Has the dog been regularly wormed? Got all the symptoms, i.e. weight loss, loss of condition, ravenously hungry, diarrhea??? Sounds that way to me

Nope H not worms....