Best Homemade Diet for Dogs with IBD

Your fur bundle may not be a small bundle, but they are still the bundle of happiness and joy in your life. These canines are not just pets for those who have them, they are the emotional anchor, the stress buster, the companion, the anchor. There is not a doubt that for someone who gives so many needs, equal, if not more, care is needed.

We need to take care of their health. When it comes to a dog’s health, IBD is probably the most challenging condition for a dog, we need to make sure that they get the best homemade diet for dogs with IBD.

Let us first understand what a dog with IBD is. Inflammatory Bowel Disease or (IBD) is a gastrointestinal condition that is inflammatory in nature, where the gut wall is inflamed because of the presence of inflammatory cells. The GI tract lining then thickens, which affects the nutrient absorption by the digestive tract, also altering the speed of food passage. It thus affects the waste material release and gets altered, resulting in a cramped bowel or an in pain dog. Alongside diarrhea or vomiting in your dog.

The general symptoms of a dog with IBD are:-

• Disinterest in food or a low appetite
• Presence of blood or mucus in the stool
• Distended or tender abdomen
• Bowel movements not regular or pain giving
• Decreased energy levels
• An intermittent and or chronic case of vomiting
• The extreme situation of diarrhea or loose stools
• Excessive passing of gas or flatulence
• Extreme Weight loss
• The coat which is distressed

While these problems may seem generic and seem to be caused by a host of other health ailments, when these become more often than not and are chronic and you face this for some time, then the diagnosis for this disease becomes imperative as a dog with IBD must be under a lot of suffering.

Why did your dog get IBD?

The causes of IBD in dogs hasn’t been well-established, though some of the possible reasons for IBD are-

• Parasites
• Bacteria
• Non-functional and poor immune system.
• Food allergies
• Adverse drug reactions

Certain dogs with IBD are also suffering because of over-vaccination. Over vaccination has made their immune system hyperactive and hence upset their body routine. The most common food allergies in dogs are caused by beef, milk, corn, wheat, chicken, soy. Good additives in packed food and even food colorings in some near natural food products are also culprits for this. They cause dietary intolerance which affects digestion and impairs immunity. This is not a genetic disease, hence every dog and his case is treated separately.

How do you diagnose a dog with IBD?

If the symptoms are observed in a pet, then it is imperative to make an appointment with a veterinarian as soon as one can. The vet will then proceed to ask the dog owner about the pet’s detailed health history, his meal habits, the symptoms and the extent of it. A comprehensive blood test along with stool and urine checkups would bring him closer to identifying the disease. An ultrasound can also be conducted to make sure the dog is suffering from IBD and not other reasons like parasitic infection, metabolic disease or cancer.

The doctor may also order a food allergy test to identify the presence of any allergies or not. In some extreme cases, the doctor may perform invasive measures like colonoscopy, endoscopy, etc to obtain a sample and perform a biopsy.

Why conventional treatment shouldn’t be followed?

The veterinary prescribed diets don’t always contain the choicest and best ingredients. They often use poor quality ingredients. The expensive, protein hydrolyzed diet acquired through a vet just provides synthetic proteins which go undetected by dogs’ immune system.

Also, medical treatments often include immunosuppressant drugs. These synthetic drugs just suppress the white blood cell producing lymphocytes. They also provide long term damaging products like antacid, corticosteroids or anti-nauseating medicines. This treatment plan may work in the short term by repressing all the symptoms, it doesn’t cure the body and returns it to a similar state in the event of medicine discontinuation.

So how can this IBD be treated?

A homemade diet for dogs with IBD is the answer.

It may not be true that every dog recovers from a homemade diet for dogs with IBD. But, the experience of a research conducted by a down owner has made us come to many first-hand accounts whereby dogs with IBD and other digestive and serious conditions drastically improved or even got better with the change in their diet to homemade diet for dogs.

It may seem a little far fetched to imagine that a change in diet may bring a change in these debilitating conditions, but they work due to multiple factors. Poor quality products, artificial colors and flavorings, preservatives, over-processed, antibiotics, hormonal supplements along with the carbohydrates in processed dog food are hard to digest by their digestive tract.

Homemade diets are fresh, not synthesized, natural, whole and nutritious and complete. Processed foods are low on nutritional value and homemade diet for dogs with IBD can give them the nutrition they need. One can also alter the diet as to what is suiting the dog and what is not.

What should a homemade diet for dogs with IBD contain?

This needs a discussion with the vet as to which food products would give the dog the best benefits. Choose a nutrition plan which gives them the maximum health benefit possible. Most dogs with IBD need a grain-free and carb-free diet.

The homemade diet pattern you can choose from our:-

• Energy Dense Meals- Meals should be energy-dense in order to help them have smaller meals multiple times, which would inhibit GI secretions. In case the dog with IBD suffers from vomiting, then a potassium-rich diet is needed to replace fluids.
• Fat should be avoided- high-fat diets cause osmotic-diarrhea which would again deplete the dog’s body of fluid. Moderate fat should be included.
• Protein-rich meals- When a dog suffers from diarrhea it has protein loss in the body. Hence protein is extremely important in a homemade diet for dogs with IBD. To achieve the best results, one needs to hydrolyze the proteins or break them so small that the dog’s GI system doesn’t get affected and react to it.
• Fiber- The intake of fiber depends on a dog to dog, the best would be to consult a vet on the best course for your dog.
• Vitamins and minerals- Dogs suffer from a major zinc deficiency when they have IBD. The pet needs a diet that provides for this important supplement. Water-soluble vitamins are also needed.
• Probiotics- They are the God sent cure in most dogs. Probiotic supplements or rich food increase the good fauna in the gut and make the symptoms much better.

A homemade diet for a dog with IBD is not as complicated. One needs to keep in mind the three basic principles:-

• Balance over time- Remember just like humans, every meal needn’t be a well-balanced meal. It should provide adequate nutrition over a period of time and not in every single meal. The need for every single meal to be well balanced comes when the same kind of meal is served every day.
• Variety- This includes feeding your dog most of the natural products from vegetables to fruits the different kinds of animal protein like chicken, turkey, beef, fish, lamb, etc. It also means feeding the protein in the form of various parts like liver, thigh, etc.
• Calcium- Calcium is the nutrient that is most needed. A feed with bones manages to give them enough calcium, in case you are giving them a portion of food without the bones, then calcium needs to be added.

Some myths associated with raw foods for Dogs with CBD

There is a fear amongst dog owners about raw foods. They tend to wonder whether raw meat, fish and bones harm more than they give benefits.

The harmful bacteria in uncooked raw meats will damage the dog’s stomach- myth

What we forget is that dogs are not humans. They are carnivores by natural origins and that their digestive systems are formed in a manner to handle the bacteria. Their stomach acid is powerful and way stronger than that of humans and adept at killing the bacteria fairly well. They also have a more simplified digestive tract than ours, hence it is difficult for the bacteria to get absorbed by their intestines. Therefore a diet in raw foods is one of the best homemade diets for dog with IBD as the bacteria isn’t a cause of worry.

To bone or not to Bone?

Well, the answer to this is fairly simple. To bone when giving raw and uncooked bones, not to bone when giving cooked bones. Cooked bones make them dry, splintery and hard and devoid of any health benefits.
Raw bones are digestible by dogs because they are softer, flexible and their nutritional benefits. Not only do raw meaty bones have a food pleasure for dogs, but chewing them keeps the dogs’ teeth and gum strong.
In case the bones are huge they can be ground in smaller particles or even cut it. The best homemade diet for dog with IBD will entail a good portion of bones to provide enough calcium.

Recipe’s for the Best Homemade Diet for Dog with IBD

Some of the recipe’s for the best homemade diet for dog with IBD

1. Chicken mix

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, chicken thighs or breast
• 1 pound of sweet potato with skin
• 1/2 pound broccoli or any other green vegetable
• 3 ounces of chicken liver
• 2 eggshells
• 1/2 cup chopped pumpkin
• Salt
• This is optional- 5 drops Vitamin E

Directions

When the pet dog is suffering from IBD, we must take proper care of their meals. If it is possible then it is imperative in providing the dog with homemade dog food for IBD. This is a very good recipe that is high in fiber and hypoallergenic. Coupled with probiotics, this is by far the healthiest of meals for your dog in comparison to store-bought meals.

We start to prepare this recipe by cooking through the chicken thighs and chicken liver. One could cook them separately or even together in a pan over medium heat. One may bake or microwave the sweet potato or boil them. It is beneficial if you keep the skin of the sweet potato on and then dice the sweet potato into small chunky pieces that you seem are good for your dog.

Next, we need to steam/ boil the broccoli stalks till they soften up. Then all the ingredients are mixed together in a bowl. The recommended serving size for this homemade dog food for IBD, IBS and Colitis is about a 1/2 cup for every 25 pounds of body weight per serving. You’ll need to feed 2 servings per day. For example, if your dog weighs 50 pounds, he would need 1 cup of food in the morning and 1 cup at night.

This mix can be stored for a week or so. This can be made in bulk and stored in the freezer for 2-3 months.

2. Rice-based meal

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw white rice
  1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  1 large boneless chicken breast
  2 tbsp. Probiotic plain yogurt

Directions

This is a low resource dog food recipe that is quick and easy to prepare. Start with cooking white rice as you would normally cook the rice. While it is cooking, on another stove boil the boneless chicken. After the chicken is well cooked, it needs to be shred into bite-size pieces edible by your dog.

Then comes the step where we mix entire ingredients together in a large bowl. This is easy and you can do it after a long day of work. As the rice and chicken cool down, the fastest and best homemade diet for dogs with IBD is nourishment. This is not a long term feed recipe, just days when the dogs’ gut is troubled.

What you can actually do is to mix this homemade dog food for diarrhea with every day. One needs to mix 70% of this concoction alongside 30% of other everyday food. This shall help the dog’s stomach.

The other alternative is trying to give 50% of his everyday meal at his daily feeding time while supplementing the dogs’ diet with a healthy snack (that is this cooked rice recipe) throughout the day. Don’t overfeed him with a normal diet along with snacks as it increases his calorie count consumption during the entire day by much too high a limit.
The leftovers are very easy to store in an airtight container and when it is refrigerated, they last up to 5 days. One can make this food enough for a week and store it in a vacuum container in a deep freezer for nearly 3 months.

3. Raw Diet with Bones

This is one of the best homemade diet for dog with IBD

Ingredients

• 6 cups of water
• 2 cups brown or any other raw rice
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 16 ounces vegetables like broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination

It is a fairly simple recipe for the diet with IBD. Take the water, ground turkey, rice, and rosemary in a pot that you then keep in the oven. Then you have to keep stirring it till the well-grounded turkey is completely broken up and then is properly and evenly distributed in the mixture.

Then you have to bring the cooked mixture to a deep boil over high heat to make the cook even. You then need to reduce the heat to a low setting and then simmer it for nearly 20 minutes. This is the time for you to add the vegetables, and then cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and cool it.

It should be stored in the fridge until it is to be used. It is better to try and give a homemade diet for dog with IBD.