Acid Reflux Help?

G

Gypsy0211

Forums Regular
Hi, everyone. New user here. (I plan to put a post in the welcome thread once I can get a photo of my girl, Gypsy!) I joined mainly because as Gypsy has gotten older, I've noticed a few things about her that I was hoping I could get help with here. And every time I Googled something specific to a Sheltie, this forum popped up--so I figured it was a natural fit!

Gypsy's always burped after eating, and has a pretty sensitive stomach. Her poops are usually normal, but her breath is terrible. I thought it was her mouth, so I've been diligently brushing her teeth with coconut oil since July--I read it was good for dog gums, and slowly but surely plaque has been popping off her teeth.

Still, her stinky breath remains and to me, it seems like it's coming from the way back of her throat, like acid. I have acid reflux myself and take Nexium, along with yogurt. I've given her yogurt and kefir to no avail. I don't even know if I'm feeding her enough kefir/yogurt for her weight. I wasn't able to find dosages online.

With the yogurt, though, it seemed like her arthritis acts up even more. I swear to you, she has problems with milk-based products. She threw up a small piece of American cheese I gave her two weeks ago and it wasn't the first time. So, I'm thinking a probiotic is the way to go.

Is there any specific brand that has worked for your Shelties, when dealing with reflux? There are so many brands out there--so sorry for repeating myself and starting a new thread. I have no idea where to go! :gaah

She takes Nordic Naturals Fish Oil, and Dog Gone Pain for some arthritis in her back legs. I've stopped feeding her Iams Dog Food, because she seems to have a seriously hard time digesting it. She pants and can't get comfortable, and it's only after she eats it, so I've been making her chicken and rice, or something similar and she inhales it. In fact, she reminds me to hurry up and warm up her food! HAHA!

Any suggestions welcome and appreciated. Thanks so much, Gina and Gypsy xoxo
 
Gypsy0211 said:
With the yogurt, though, it seemed like her arthritis acts up even more. I swear to you, she has problems with milk-based products. She threw up a small piece of American cheese I gave her two weeks ago and it wasn't the first time. So, I'm thinking a probiotic is the way to go.

Is there any specific brand that has worked for your Shelties, when dealing with reflux? There are so many brands out there--so sorry for repeating myself and starting a new thread. I have no idea where to go!
Click to expand...

Dogs are lactose intolerant so can get upset stomachs from dairy food. For starters I'd be reducing the amount of dairy foods you give her or switch to a lactose free alternatives. Even though yoghurt and Kafir only have small amounts of lactose, lactose accumulates, so giving several small serves of low lactose will add up to a larger amount of lactose and an upset stomach as a result (reflux is also a side effect). Definitely no more cheese. I've been lactose intolerant since birth so have gone through all this myself.

Does she take any medications for her arthritis - these can cause reflux.

A very nice vet did some research for me on things to help my male sheltie with a sensitive stomach (esp on probiotics). What she found was there is little evidence supporting probiotic additives for dogs with sensitive stomachs, however there is more evidence with pre-biotics. There's nothing inherently wrong with adding probiotics, but you may want to look for one that has both pre and pro in it.

It also sounds like you are adding a lot to her diet. I'd go the other way, cut back her diet to the bare basics and then slowly reintroduce other things. That way you can monitor if something specific is upsetting her. If she was having problems with Iams but is okay with chicken and rice you may be facing a food sensitivity.

Btw - how old is Gypsy?
 
Caro said:
Dogs are lactose intolerant so can get upset stomachs from dairy food. For starters I'd be reducing the amount of dairy foods you give her or switch to a lactose free alternatives. Even though yoghurt and Kafir only have small amounts of lactose, lactose accumulates, so giving several small serves of low lactose will add up to a larger amount of lactose and an upset stomach as a result (reflux is also a side effect). Definitely no more cheese. I've been lactose intolerant since birth so have gone through all this myself.

Does she take any medications for her arthritis - these can cause reflux.

A very nice vet did some research for me on things to help my male sheltie with a sensitive stomach (esp on probiotics). What she found was there is little evidence supporting probiotic additives for dogs with sensitive stomachs, however there is more evidence with pre-biotics. There's nothing inherently wrong with adding probiotics, but you may want to look for one that has both pre and pro in it.

It also sounds like you are adding a lot to her diet. I'd go the other way, cut back her diet to the bare basics and then slowly reintroduce other things. That way you can monitor if something specific is upsetting her. If she was having problems with Iams but is okay with chicken and rice you may be facing a food sensitivity.

Btw - how old is Gypsy?
Click to expand...

Gypsy's 11, but she's been dealing with this acid reflux for far too long! I feel terrible for not addressing it, but I haven't been well myself--and now that I've hit stable ground, I can handle this for her.

I have been giving her lactose free yogurt, just to try it and she seems okay. No improvement with the regurging, though. I'm not sure if she also burps so much because she eats so fast! No reason for it, since she's my only dog and doesn't have to fight for food, but it's how she is. Even when she's laying down for long periods of time, she sits up immediately and starts burping/regurgitating. To me, definitely acid! And when she finally eats, she falls asleep and/or may be having a problem digesting the food. And in the mornings, she's been having plain oatmeal, which I've been giving her forever.

I had no idea that lactose accumulated over time! Good to know, for sure! I was under the impression that Kefir was lactose free, and that it said so on the package, but I might be mistaken. :fl

The only supplements she takes for her arthritis is Dog Gone Pain. I give her Omega-3s for general health, although I've heard good things about it helping ease joint pain, too.

I will definitely look into a product with probiotics and pre-biotics!

Originally, I was giving her chicken and rice to feed her Amoxicillin for a 10 day treatment, but that was back in October. I restricted the Iams as a test, and for sure, she has issues with it. Is there any food you could recommend? She's not a fan of wet food, hasn't been since she was a puppy. I'd be willing to try something wet again, as long as it wasn't a huge commitment.

Thanks so much for your reply! :hugs
 
Can't recommend any specific food as the products here are so different. But food sensitivities seem to be an issue for quite a few members lately so you may want to check out these threads.

This one by SheltieAgility about her dog with IBD http://www.sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=19901

And this one about best food for food allergies http://www.sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=19833

It is really common to develop food sensitivities - my male developed a sensitivity to Chicken and later Turkey. He gets an upset stomach and brings up small amounts of bile, and it actually took quite a while for me to realise what it was. That's why it's always good to start with a bland diet, say rice, and reintroduce other stuff from there so you can pinpoint if it's any one thing.
 
Just wondering how often you feed Gypsy? We have a husky with acid reflux and we split his daily food amount into 3 meals. This keeps some food in his stomach all day long as opposed to once or twice. We were told that is the key to acid reflux in canines. It has worked really well for us.
 
Multiple smaller meals, as Janet mentioned, are good to help with acid reflux. Also, if nothing else helps, there is a medication called Cisapride that used to be used for humans with acid reflux but was taken off the market due to some very serious reactions. However, this medication is still being used by vets with none of the resulting trouble it caused in humans use. It works to tighten the esophageal sphinter muscle that keeps stomach acid/contents securely in the stomach. It can be gotten through any compounding pharmacy in the US for vet use only.

I have only used this med one time for a little dog whose acid reflux was unresponsive to standard treatments and serious enough to be causing longterm damage to the tissue in her throat...there were no negative side effects from it's use. But I would only turn to it as a last resort when all other things, anacids, smaller meals, etc have failed to resolve the issue.

Trini and my gang.
 
Please Google a supplement called "Vibrant Pets". It has made a huge difference in the health of our dogs. Read the testimonials and then decide if it might work for you. I think you will find it very much worth the effort. No, I do not have a vested interest in this business. I am, however, very much a grateful user of this product.

I wish you well in your search for an answer to your sheltie's problems.

Kind regards, Will
 
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