Essential Tips On What To Feed A Dog With Inflammatory Bowel Disease 2024
What to feed a dog with inflammatory bowel disease and what to avoid
If your dog has IBD, then you want to know what to feed a dog with inflammatory bowel disease as nutrition is important to improve the health condition faster.
Inflammatory bowel disease in dogs is a chronic condition that may last for more than three weeks and it is caused due to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and can affect middle aged dogs.
Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) differs from irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) as the last one is a non-inflammatory disease and it affects gut motility.
In this article, we will discuss what to feed a dog with inflammatory bowel disease and what is the proper nutrition that helps improve the dog’s condition better and faster.
First, let’s know more about the nature of the disease, how it is diagnosed and how it is treated.
What is inflammatory bowel disease in dogs?
Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the digestive tract and because the inflammation persists for a long time, that can cause damage to the lining of gastrointestinal tract in a way that causes prevention of food to be properly digested.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in dogs is a multifactorial disease affecting dogs and it is characterized by chronic enteropathy that can significantly impact quality of life.
These enteropathies are typically viewed as antibiotic-responsive, food responsive, steroid-responsive, or refractory, independent of immunosuppressive therapies (idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease).
The small intestine, the large intestine, or both can be affected. Lymphocytes and plasma cells are the most common cells infiltrating the lamina propria of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
What causes inflammatory bowel disease in dogs?
There is no specific reason for this disease, but there are some conditions associated with inflammatory bowel disease such as:
- Auto immune
- Bacterial infection
- Parasites
- Food allergy
- dysbiosis(Alteration in gut flora)
- Genetic predisposition
Signs of IBD
If you notice any of these following symptoms, you need to see your vet to check if your dog has IBD or not.
The signs are:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Lack of appetite
- Lethargy
- Fever
- Picky eating
- Weight loss
What to feed a dog with inflammatory bowel disease and types of food that improve the condition
What to feed a dog with inflammatory bowel disease is a challenging matter because you will always be concerned about if this food can cause inflammation or not.
Most dogs can respond to dietary changes as a treatment, but there is no specific food that can used as a treatment, but the vet may recommend the following:
Highly digestible ingredients
Highly digestible ingredients are one of food choices known as what to feed a dog with inflammatory bowel disease as these diets made with high-protein meats like chicken, turkey, and fish are preferred for the dogs with inflammatory bowel disease.
Also, highly digestible vegetables like green beans, sweet potatoes, and carrots are highly recommended with this disease as they also offer vital minerals and vitamins.
You must avoid cauliflower and broccoli if your dog has IBD.
Limited ingredients
You can offer your dog with IBD a limited-ingredient diet.
These diets depend on the presence of a single protein source and few other ingredients.
Novel proteins
Sometimes, the protein in beef, chicken, or dairy may cause an immune system reaction so at that time novel protein is recommended.
A novel protein is a type of protein that the dog has not ever had before. The vet recommends this novel protein in the hope that the immune system will not be triggered to respond.
Probiotics and prebiotics
Your vet may recommend prebiotics and probiotics as they can help gut flora to have a balance of good bacteria and also can relieve the symptoms of IBD.
Probiotics
-Probiotics are fermented foods that contain live bacteria within them
Prebiotics
-Prebiotics are the foods that can maintain the good intestinal bacteria.
-Prebiotics(soluble fiber) can help to increase beneficial short chain fatty acids and make a gel-like substance that can enhance stool consistency.
-Therefore, that can lead to decreased inflammation and regulate bowel movement.
| Probiotics food | Prebiotics food |
| Plain yogurt | Bananas |
| Kefir | Steel-cut oats |
| Miso■ | Garlic |
| Aged cheeses | Ground flax, chia seeds |
| Fermented veggies | Artichokes |
| Raw honey | Asparagus |
| Pickles | Leeks |
| Fermented cabbage■ | Chicory root |
| Kimchi■ | Yucca |
| Tempeh(grain free)■ | Onions |
| Microalgae | All vegetables |
■Those foods contain both probiotics and prebiotics components.
What to feed a dog with inflammatory bowel disease and what to avoid
As we mentioned above, there are some types of good that can help manage the symptoms of IBD, but also there are some types that must be avoided as they may cause deterioration of the condition.
There are some types of
carbohydrates that must be avoided as these goods are pro-inflammatory and cause disturbing the normal gut flora.
Also, foods containing wheat, lactose, sucrose, and corn should be avoided.
Stay away from trans fat( in baked goods or any food containing partially hydrogenated oil), fast food, and processed food.
So good nutrition should contain:
- A variety of vegetables and fruits
- Healthy fats
- Lean protein
- Decrease intake of saturated fat
Nutrition is very important for the dog with inflammatory bowel disease as food can be the main treatment for the condition if it is chosen correctly.
Therefore, knowing what to feed a dog with inflammatory bowel disease is something that may save the dog’s health from deteriorating.
Now after we discuss what to feed a dog with inflammatory bowel disease and what to avoid, let’s get a quick look at medical treatment.
The vet may recommend these medications for treatment of IBD
- Parasites medication such as fenbendazole
- Vitamin B12
- Antibiotics such as tylosin
- Gastroprotectants and antiemetics
- Immunosuppressant therapy such as corticosteroids
The therapy differs from one dog to another according to the cause of disease and the severity.
Summary
As a pet owner, you need to know about what to feed a dog with inflammatory bowel disease as nutrition is an important matter that may help quickly improve the dog’s health condition.
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