Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be quite painful and uncomfortable for your and in some severe cases IBD may be life threatening. In addition to the medications prescribed by your vet, you will need to carefully monitor your dog's diet in order to keep IBD under control. It may take a few trials to find the diet best suited for your dog but after time the condition can become manageable and your dog will be able to have some relief.
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Diet
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If your canine has been diagnosed with IBD, begin a food trial using hypoallergenic diets in order to determine which foods are safe and those that cause irritation. Discuss this with your vet to make sure the test diets are safe for your dog and not in conflict with any other pre existing conditions. Typically, in order to verify the diagnosis and begin initial treatment, feed your dog an unfamiliar protein and carbohydrate source for two or three months. For example, you may want to try a turkey and potato combination for a few months and try to make sure that your dog does not ingest any other foods, including treats. This should begin to clear away some of the IBD symptoms and give your dog's intestinal track rest.
Other combinations may need to be tried before finding a mixture that completely eases IBD symptoms. The key to your dog's diet will be including foods that consist of highly digestible proteins but are also low in fat. Any carbohydrates that you include in your dog's diet will need to be low in gluten. Try to avoid anything containing rye, oats, barley and wheat.
Supplements
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As long as the dog is on a restricted diet, you will likely have to supplement your dog's diet with nutrients. Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce inflammation in the gastrointestinal system. You can give your dog 1 gram per day combined with 200 milligrams of Vitamin E.
If your dog has a severe fat intolerance, you may not want to try omega-3 oil but, generally this supplement is safe and helps ease discomfort. You may also want to try a hydrolyzed fish protein, such as Seacure, to prevent malnutrition.
Probiotics may also help restore beneficial bacteria in the intestines. There are several probiotic supplements manufactured for canines, but you also can use the probiotic supplements manufactured for humans. In addition to the new diet, you will likely need to add phosphorus and calcium with a multivitamin mineral supplement until you determine if the diet may be expanded. If you do give your dog any type of vitamins, make sure they are natural and derived from safe, raw and whole foods.
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