A little help with suppliments

[Angelgirl]

I'll try to condense this so it isn't a book. My boy Bob is almost 2. For about a year he's had regurgitation after he eats. His 1st vet was positive he had megaesophagus but didn't want to do tests, just have him take drugs. I got a new vet and we had several tests done. Both showed no mega e. I've always fed raw ground because he couldn't handle whole raw. Lately he's regurgitating up beef.. we've been through lamb, rabbit, turkey and now beef. The last thing we have is white fish that he is still doing ok on. I would just like to know if there is a good supplement out there that I can give him since I can't rotate his proteins? We are going to set up an appointment for 1 more test that we have to travel for to see if it's a possible hernia.

 

[RiiSi]

I've heard good thing about Nuvet, so I would try that. I would try that too if I could get it here in the other side of the pond...Hope he gets better!

 

[ddnene]

I use NuVet for my dogs, and it seem to be doing wonders especially the joint formula for my 9 year old boxer. She is jumping around like a puppy again… LOL I have no experience w/raw feeding but I will tag some others to help… [MENTION=1209]savemejeebus[/MENTION]

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, I'm sorry I'm not experienced with pill supplements, but I do give our guys natural supplements such as plain unsweetened yogurt for the probiotics, and for their digestion, on their morning kibble, I also give them 1 Tbsp of pure apple cider vinegar in their drinking water everyday, it has a lot of health benefits, and we add a Tbsp of salmon oil or cod liver oil to their evening kibble, and we give them a cranberry extract capsule every other day that I break open on their kibble. All of these are preventative and are natural things you can give them.

 

[Angelgirl]

Thanks so much for replying [MENTION=3354]RiiSi[/MENTION] and [MENTION=9157]ddnene[/MENTION] Both of my bully's have been on Nu Vet since they were 10 weeks old. We love it!
[MENTION=6311]Vikinggirl[/MENTION] thank you! Mine get coconut oil from the fish I sear , seaweed calcium , and a probiotic powder with some canned pumpkin. I used to give ACV but with Bob regurging I was afraid his throat would get raw and the ACV would make it worse. With not getting any beef or other red meat, I was afraid he wouldn't get enough iron or something. He does get some green beans cooked really well.

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, if you feel he's not getting enough iron, due to not giving him red meat, you can give him other sources of foods that are good iron sources, such as egg yolks, beans, lentils, chickpeas, dark leafy vegetables, such as spinach, and broccoli, and liver.

 

[izstigspunks]

I've heard NuVet is good as well. Have you ever tried feeding him in small amounts but more often? Similar to puppies.

 

[Angelgirl]

[MENTION=1209]savemejeebus[/MENTION] we've tried feeding him small amounts, in a slurry, meatballs etc...everything they say for Megaesophagus....even though he doesn't have it, just all the symptoms for it.
[MENTION=6311]Vikinggirl[/MENTION] I'll try some egg yolks and seared liver. He doesn't do well on broccoli.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! I don't really know what happened in a year to make all this happen to him. He was fine up until about 1 year old

 

[izstigspunks]

How about if you raise his bowl a little. Can't remember where I read it, probably here on ebn, how someone needs to hold their bully's food at a certain height so it'll go down his throat properly and reach his tummy.

 

[Angelgirl]

Yep , it's a foot high I believe. We even have a bailey chair we made for him and he hates it :/

 

[anatess]

Since this has been going on for almost a year, I would assume that he's still healthy so far? My first suspect for regurge is an obstruction but since this has been going on for a long time I'm thinking the vet has inspected his intestines/stomach/esophagus to eliminate the possibility?

How does his poop look? Is it normal?

Anyway, there is a reason for the regurge that needs to be figured out. You'll need to get the vet to do some tests. In the meantime, my suggestion is to try a good quality kibble. Feeding raw/homemade is great but when it is regurged, we need to pack balanced nutrients into a single feeding that has a chance of staying down and kibble is good at this. I would suggest giving him kibbles soaked with a little water so it is already expanded before it gets into the dog's system and then feed smaller meals more often. Yes, this is an allergy balancing act like every new food, so maybe try the Fromm Surf and Turf or the Earthborn Coastal Catch first as they are fish-based protein unless you know specifically that he has allergies to those formulae ingredients.

 

[Angelgirl]

He's had every test except the barium swallow . The radiologist didn't see anything out of the ordinary on his x rays or ultrasound. I had tried at one time feeding him Fromm although it wasn't soaked. He regurged all of it like it was just eaten .

His poo is normal and usually once a day. We need to get the last test done . It's out of state. I want to find out the risks and cost. He has acupuncture every 3 weeks . I thought it was helping but after he started regurging the beef, I'm not so sure.