My dog has been diagnosed with inflamatory bowel disease and she also has ulcers. We have taken her to the?

I share your concern, I too have had nasty side effects from medication and so did my dog.

Your vet has been honest with you and you obviously want to resolve her problems.

In my other replies about bowel problems,I harp on about grain free dog food. My dog had problems which were not diagnosed as inflammatory bowel disease, however changing to a grain free dog food which is fish based helped enormously.

I will paste some stuff on grain free dog food.

I have learnt by my mistakes. My present dog had dreadful problems because of the food which I gave her, I experimented with dog food, I tried raw diets, cooked diets and over the years I tried various dog foods. She did not like the raw diets and the dog food that I gave her resulted in diarrhoea. As an experienced dog owner I introduced any changes gradually. Nevertheless my dog still had problems.

Eventually, because of my researches on the Internet I found that the experts have discovered that GRAIN in our dog’s diet causes many problems. I now know that grain creates acidity in the blood. This causes skin problems, digestive issues, allergies, sickness, constipation, diarrhoea, anal gland problems etc.,

If your dog has skin problems or any of the above problems PLEASE CHANGE THE DIET. Avoid Grain, rice, beef derivatives and dairy food. Try a diet which is FISH BASED AND GRAIN FREE don’t forget that rice is also classed as grain.

A rapid change of diet will upset your dog; any change of diet must be done gradually. Do please change to a grain free diet. I have had sixteen dogs throughout the years and they have had various problems. Perhaps if I had known about the dangers of GRAIN they would have had fewer problems.

My cat had this problem a couple of years ago, painful bowel movements, bloody diarrhea, sensitive bottom, etc. Is your dog experiencing any of that?

What food are you feeding your dog? I finally found the right diet and probiotics for my cat, and he hasn't had an issue since. He was already on steroids for another condition, and didn't keep the IBD at bay like it should have. So it may work for your dog, it may not.

Let me get some info....

Here's some great advice on IBD: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_inflammatory_...

Info on IBS if it helps: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_irritable_bow...

EDIT: Dorothy reminded me of something; The food I switched my cat to was grain free. That's when I started to see an improvement. I also gave yogurt as a "natural" probiotic which helped with the quality of his stool, as well.

Im sorry if this answer is not what you are looking for. My toy poodle about 4 Lbs had some serious issues. Drs could not figure it out. she went through so many tests and she just got worse.

they did try steroids and she did much better on them. almost to her old self but then she would one day just go down hill. we did this a few times. Yesterday, she passed away. but while she was on the steroids she did very well and if I could have I would have kept giving them to her.

You mean a Yorkie?

I would say try the steroids. Lots of animals and people are given steroids, it's pretty common. You'll need to watch for the side effects, of course. Do you feel confident in this vet? Sometimes getting a few opinions can help.

I'd say the pain and quality of life are more important in this case. I'm going to take a risk and assume you bought a "teacup" dog or one of the "designer dogs". These animals are usually created by crazy breeders or mills, and so sadly, your pup might have health problems forever. Health problems are endemic in these cross-bred dogs. I'm also gonna guess that you're willing to let her have a shorter, more comfortable life than to attack her with meds and surgeries forever, and I agree that sometimes that is best. Good luck, this can't be easy. And thank you for sticking with your dog through her hard times. Some pieces of crap abandon pets like this. Whatever you choose will likely be the right thing, because you have her best interest and comfort in mind.

I agree with you. A friend's dog is on steroids. They went to the vet yesterday as the dog is retaining fluids making it difficult for him to breathe. Xrays now show an enlarged heart. So, congestive heart failure, I guess. Steroids do make people retain fluids, I am assuming it does the same to dogs.

Find a dog nutritionist or homeopath. Maybe you can find help for him thru nutrition.

Sorry your baby is going thru this. Good luck. I hope you find the answer.

Is it possible for you to see a different vet at the clinic? Or maybe you could ask them to print out a diet sheet of suitable foods for your cats specific needs.