Both dogs get sick - was it the food?

BryanAndLarrysMama

BryanAndLarrysMama

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We have two male sibling Shelties who will be 1yr old on July 16th. Week before last one of them, Larry, suddenly refused to eat his food. Pro Plan Plus Savour chicken/rice flavour. He would eat his treats (apples, carrot, berries) but no way would he eat his kibble. On the Friday he threw up a few times, even when just eating boiled chicken and rice. That same day his brother, Bryan, also threw up and refused his kibble. We decided to go to the vet the next day. That morning, Saturday, Larry pooped a huge puddle of blood. We rushed them to the vet hospital ER. Tests showed that it wasn't pancreatitis and no foreign objects. Blood tests were all in healthy ranges. They both had a bacterial infection from an unknown source. (Not Giardia). The vet thinks perhaps it was the food, as they were turned off THAT food, but not their fruit treats. It was a new bag, about half way down, when they got turned off and got sick. Larry spent 24hrs in the hospital and Bryan came home. Both spent the week on medications and probiotics, and homemade food. Poor babies.

I have a consultation with the vet to discuss going to homemade meals only from now on. I want to make sure we gt them all of their nutrients, minerals, etc., of course, so supplements will be discussed.

I thought I would share this story and ask if anyone else has had this happen.

BTW They have been feeling super great for the last few days, tons of energy, loving their homemade food, playing like crazy, great appetites and happy.
 
That is a major bummer and hit to the pocketbook. No I have not had this problem, ever. The only thing that made all my dogs sick was a bag of bully sticks from Coscto (yes, USA made) that must have had salmonella on them because all the pups got sick after chewing them.

Mine are on Pro Plan Lamb for Sensitive skin & stomachs - have not had one issue with it. Lots of folks here do home made foods though so you'll get some good tips. So sorry that your boys got that ill, glad they are better.
 
I think it's unlikely, Pro plan have a strong quality control at their plants. But, if you are concerned you should definitely contact the company so they can test the batch of food. Della is on Pro Plan for sensitive stomachs too and never had an issue.

I wouldn't see not eating kibble but taking treats as a sign it's the food. He may have already had an upset tummy but treats, few dogs would refuse that. Heck my boy was dying from intestinal cancer and didn't eat for days but still ate treats at the end.

What you're describing, bloody diarrhea from an idiopathic source, is usually HGE - Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. I've had dogs with this. The cause is unknown and the response get them to the vet PDQ and then hydrate, bland diet and metronidazole (or another antibiotic).
 
Caro said:
I think it's unlikely, Pro plan have a strong quality control at their plants. But, if you are concerned you should definitely contact the company so they can test the batch of food. Della is on Pro Plan for sensitive stomachs too and never had an issue.

I wouldn't see not eating kibble but taking treats as a sign it's the food. He may have already had an upset tummy but treats, few dogs would refuse that. Heck my boy was dying from intestinal cancer and didn't eat for days but still ate treats at the end.

What you're describing, bloody diarrhea from an idiopathic source, is usually HGE - Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. I've had dogs with this. The cause is unknown and the response get them to the vet PDQ and then hydrate, bland diet and metronidazole (or another antibiotic).
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Yep, they were at the ER, overnight, bland diet, metro and some other meds, and rest. They're both crazy happy right now and doing well.
Ive read good things about Pro Plan as well, so I'm really torn. My husband doesn't want to go back to kibble at all, as he is super protective of his boys. Me, I'm still doing my homework. I'm willing to cook their meals, but my main concern is that they get all the nutrients they need.
 
BryanAndLarrysMama said:
Yep, they were at the ER, overnight, bland diet, metro and some other meds, and rest. They're both crazy happy right now and doing well.
Ive read good things about Pro Plan as well, so I'm really torn. My husband doesn't want to go back to kibble at all, as he is super protective of his boys. Me, I'm still doing my homework. I'm willing to cook their meals, but my main concern is that they get all the nutrients they need.
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I agree with Caro on this. I've been feeding ProPlan also, several varieties. Right now they're on the turkey savor and love it. I also feed the sensitive stomach varieties also. I'm glad your dogs are okay! What a scare!
 
I can totally understand not trusting kibble especially when something like this happens. I feed my boys a raw diet...I worried at first it would be complicated or that my dogs wouldn't get all the nutrients they need. I just had Piper's blood work done about a month ago and it totally put my mind at ease as all his levels were normal. I don't give a lot of other vitamins and supplements, you could go crazy with all that are available and could end up giving too much. Mine get glucosamine (a liquid dog formulation) because both have had joint issues in the past as well as kelp powder and fish oil.
Whether you feed raw or home cooked you do feel better at least knowing what they're eating.
 
My boys are on Fromm Adult Gold but receive extra 'boosts' from their Nature's Farmacy 'Complete' supplement. Our Kooper also gets their kidney support supplement as his last blood work showed the beginning signs of kidney issues - he's a senior non-doxie. Nature's Farmacy has some GREAT supplements - but the Complete has a great combo of 3 necessities. Brodie was on the Savor chicken puppy formula when we got him.
 
What a horrible scare! I am so glad everyone is OK now! I would have that bag tested for sure! Wonder if somehow that bag got spoiled and that is why the dogs were reluctant to eat it.

There was a thread a while back about storing your food in containers. After that thread, I no longer dump a whole bag of food into a large container. I just place the bag of new food inside so I always know the numbers on the bag in case of a food recall and not to taint the new batch of food from the old batch.
You might want to check if that bag was on the recall list... http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall-alerts/
 
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