[nagdu] Any experiences with diets that work in dogs with LPE?

[Applebutter Hill]

Hi Friends,
Last December, after Hunter had been very sick for months, he was diagnosed
with Lymphocytic-Plasmacytic Enteritis (LPE), a form of canine Inflammatory
Bowel Disease (IBD). It's an autoimmune disease in which lymph and plasma
cells get into the lining of the small intestines. The cause is not known,
but it is associated with allergic reactions to protein and the treatment
includes medications and a grain-free, novel protein diet.
 
We took him to a veterinary gastroenterologist who followed protocol in
ruling out other things, and the diagnosis was ultimately made through
endoscopic biopsies of the esophagus, stomach and small intestines. No
cancer was found, though endoscopic biopsies are not as reliable as
laparoscopy in this regard. 
 
To this point, I've been sticking with the prescription diets from the vet,
though the ingredients list makes my skin crawl. My philosophies
notwithstanding, he has made quite a bit of progress, gaining back all of
the 12 lbs. he lost and building back some muscle. His coat looks great
again. 
 
He is now 12 years old. We live in the country, and he is on what I call
modified assignment - no long walks, but he comes with us for everything we
do and works fine in stores, restaurants, etc. Instead of our old 45 min
walk daily, he takes me for several walks of between 10 & 30 minutes,
depending on how he's feeling.
He plays fetch almost every day.
 
He still has some bowel control issues, however, and the meds for that
really seem to wipe him out. We went from Royal Canin Venison and Potato to
Hills' DD Salmon and potato. I think it's time to switch to a commercial
formula. We're on the road too much to do a raw diet, so I'm looking for
something we won't have a hard time purchasing. The prescription diets have
soy, meat byproducts, some have hydrogenated protein  and the protein levels
are low.
 
Anyway, I'm looking at Blue Buffalo Blue Basics which has a salmon and
potato formula and Taste of the Wild, which does also. I think they both
have turkey formulas, and Taste of the Wild brags about using food grade
meats, while Blue brags that their meat is processed in USDA inspected
facilities. They are mum about their salmon, however. I will also be
checking out other brands.
 
Does anyone have any experience with dogs with this condition and any
recommendations for a high-quality, grain-free  commercial dry dog food?
Thanks,
Donna & Hunter
 
 

-- The Heart of Applebutter Hill - a novel on a mission:

http://DonnaWHill.com <http://donnawhill.com/>