One Tough Pup’s Battle with IBS
Digestive disorders have become somewhat of the norm in the Dodson household, since my husband Jason was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 2009. Since Crohn’s Disease runs in Jason’s family, we’ve known there would always be a chance that any children we have might also have Crohn’s. We were so surprised, however, when we learned that the first addition to our family, Bentley (our 8 month old Labradoodle) seems to have inherited Jason’s problematic belly!
We adopted Bentley at the end of September 2010, when he was just 3 months old. He was skinny and skittish, and as sweet as the day is long! In the 5 months that we’ve had Bentley, he has more than doubled in size, sometimes seeming more like a horse than a dog. As steady as Bentley’s growth has been, his puppy-hood has been filled with the battles familiar to all of us dealing with Crohn’s, Colitis, or IBS as a patient or loved one. Bentley’s initial symptoms suggested a food allergy. Yet, after months of only eating hypoallergenic food (arguably more bland than rice cakes) and still having problems, our vet gave us the surprising news that he believed Bentley was suffering from IBS. Who knew?!?! We’ve been pleasantly surprised to learn that pet companies are responding to the needs of dogs with digestive orders by offering everything from probiotics to specially digestive foods and treats.
So, what have we have learned from Bentley and his on-going bout with digestive disease? First and foremost, attitude is everything! Bentley has taken his belly ups and downs in complete stride, and with the same enthusiasm that causes us to love our dogs so much to begin with. He accepts his changes in diet eagerly, excited about even the blandest dog food as though it were a royal feast. He thinks of probiotic powder as a yummy seasoning salt, and takes acid indigestion pills like they’re treats. He never lets an achy belly keep from a nice long walk or a wild, crazy run through the dog park. He loves to meet new people, and takes a rub on his belly as an offer of lifelong friendship. He’s never too sick to steal a shoe, chew up an important document, demolish a chew toy, or catch a ball. Bentley has become our excited little champion of IBS, and we’re so excited to have him walk with us this year in our continuing fight against digestive diseases!
Rachelle Dodson
No comments:
Post a Comment