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Gastro Issues for New GSD

2K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  Dotbat215 
#1 ·
Hey Everyone!
I have my first ever GSD and I need some advice from experienced GSD owners. My GSD is 5 years old and 94lbs. I have had him a few months now and he seems to have gastro issues which none of my other dogs have ever had.
So when I got him from the rescue is he was on a gastro house diet dry food (don't remember the name). I transitioned him over a week period to Merrick Backcountry w/ freeze dried raw bites. He stool became very soft and I thought maybe it was because of the raw bites. I transitioned him over to Merrick Limited Ingredient Turkey and Sweet Potato, and his stool was still soft so I added pumpkin to his diet which still didn't help. He got a gum infection, underwent a round of antibiotics and started having diarrhea almost every day. Per vet's orders I made him fast for 24 hours and then for a week fed him only boiled chicken and white rice. On that diet he pooped only once a day and had very tiny stool. I then put him on Royal Canin Gastro Low Fat dry food and it has worked great andhe had ideal stool. I have now started transitioning him (with pumpkin) to Taste of the Wild. My questions are as follows:
1) Are GSDs prone to gastro issues?
2) Has anyone given their dog a daily probiotic that works well?
3) Is there any food that works especially well with German Shepherds with gastro issues?


I am hoping the TotW food works out only because the primary ingredients in the Royal Canin Gastro LF seems to be Brewer's Rice and Chicken By Product, which worries me. I asked my vet if that is a diet he can be on long term and she said yes but honestly it worries me that he is not getting good quality protein. Merrick/Fromm/Origen (what I considered high quality brands) have deboned chicken/turkey etc and then meal as the first ingredients. From what I understand about chicken byproducts its not something I would want my dog to eat. Also Royal Canin is about $74 for a 30lb bag. Why is the food so expensive if the main ingredient is a low nutritional value rice? TotW is not as high quality but it is a bit lower and protein and seems to have more fiber in it that will hopefully help. Maybe if I give him TotW with a probiotic it would help?
Any suggestions or advice? Also I know it is not a parasite issue because we have done 2 fecal exams already and they have come up negative.
 
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#2 ·
I don't think it is so much the breed as that some dogs have sensitive stomachs. I do give a pre-biotic daily (Optagest). It is not cheap, so hopefully there will be other suggestions. I would keep him on Royal Canin at least for the next couple of months, since he is doing well on that. You may be able to shop around especially on online dog food places like Chewy and Wag and if you have it on an automatic order there is a discount and the shipping for over a certain amount is free. The antibiotic also which he had to take for his gum issues could have upset the good bacteria in his tummy so a pre-biotic will help to build that up. That along with the Royal Canin should help him, then when he gets better, you may want to consider changing over to the TotW.
 
#3 ·
Can you contact the rescue to find out where to get the food they were using that worked for him? Otherwise I'd stick with the Royal Canin if that's what works for him, and then try to narrow down what it is that sets him off. That's a slow, hard process but it's very important, as it will help you figure out what your options are.

I own a GSD that cannot eat kibble -- not even limited ingredient, allergy kibble. The only food that works for him is a natural diet (beef only, never chicken, due to a food allergy). It took us many months to figure it out, with an elimination diet. We finally got him sorted out with The Honest Kitchen's Preference base-mix (dehydrated mix) plus beef. After he got healthy, we even tried Acana's beef kibble, thinking he'd be okay since he can eat fresh beef -- NOPE! He got sick again.

When we were trying to stabilize him, we also used bovine colostrum (available from any natural food/health store, or Whole Foods, as a human-grade supplement), plus a probiotic --Fortiflora (likely available from your vet, or online). There is some interesting research about the combination of bovine colostrum and Fortiflora improving gut flora stability and diversity in dogs dramatically better than one alone. Fortiflora was recommended by my vet because it's the one that's well studied in dogs (not people!), has proven viability and effectiveness, and isn't a waste of money as many probiotics are (some are essentially inert material: dead bacteria). (For ANY brand of probiotic, with a sick dog, you have to be more careful: look at whether there is independent verification of viability (not just a manufacturer's say-so), and ask their customer service to find out what research they're relying on that the strains they're selling are useful in dogs, as opposed to people.)
 
#4 ·
I do think that GSDs are prone to a lot of health issues including GI tract problems. You might have to keep trying on the food but, it is my opinion, if the Royal Canine or some other less than ideal food works.... it works. Our GSD is on Royal Canine Hydrolyzed Protein and it works great... she itches a ton on other foods. We try to transition her off but keep coming back to this one. So it is not the ideal but it works.
 
#5 ·
Also feeding Royal Canin to a dog with sensitive stomach. Hate the ingredients. Can't argue with the results. Jst went through another crisis of "I hate this crap, have to get her off of it" and my husband said, "If it ain't broke, babe" he is right. Best stools she has had in years and 100 percent consistent as long as I don't feed her ANYTHING else. She was quite sick on lots of premium foods that sound much better in theory/on paper

She is due for another ultrasound and if the results are good, she may well eat this for the rest of her life.
 
#6 ·
My pup has a sensitive tummy and responded very well to the pacific stream flavor of totw.

Our fecal also came back neg, but our vet suggested antibiotics anyway. About 99% of the diarrhea subsided after that. Sometimes these tests don't catch the pests at the right part of their lifecycle.

And yes to the probiotics...im still figuring out the best one but I think it's worth adding.
 
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