# Havanese and sensitive stomachs?



## Cassandra

We have had a lot of threads recently with around various stomach related issues and I thought it might be useful to start a current thread around the general question of whether Havanese have sensitive stomachs. I just had a fairly short round of soft poops (cleared up now) and during our visit to the vet she said that small dogs just generally have more stomach sensitive issues. It made sense to me. Many of us have come to Havanese after having had larger dogs with bigger intestines etc so this is new.

In my case, I suspect too much chewing on a bully stick in both episodes...she has only had two bouts and each time, when I withheld bully sticks, did a boiled chicken and rice diet, it cleared up in about four days.

I was curious if anyone has any thoughts, particularly those with older Havanese. Of course, each dog may or may not have particular food reactions. Cassie has always had chicken or turkey as her primary protein, never beef, but I have seen posts for people with dogs that are reactive to chicken or turkey, but fine on duck or some other single ingredient diet. And, of course, some forum members have been dealing with more serious gastrointestinal issues..I am thinking more about all the posts with these fairly brief episodes of stomach related distress. I wonder if this basically is just a small dog issue, which makes sense to me, rather than a breed specific issue.


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## RitaandRiley

My 2 have food intolerances. Riley can't have beef (diarrhea). Reo can only have venison, lamb, pork or salmon. When he consumes other proteins he has voluminous, very stinky poops and loses weight.


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## krandall

My oldest, Kodi has food intolerances (beef, fish and dairy) but they present mostly as itchies, though he did have some intermittent tummy trouble until we figured that out. Since being on a diet without those ingredients, he has been absolutely fine. Both of my girls seem to have cast iron tummies. No problems at all.


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## NickieTwo

Nickie had some tummy problems about a year and half ago that took about 2 weeks to fully clear up. We of course took him to the vet right away. There haven't been any problems since then nor were there prior tummy problems. So, except for that, no sensitive tummy and hope it stays that way. Now my huskies were the ones with most problems.


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## boomana

Lola has an iron gut. From cat poop to lizards, she's gotten into everything. Tonight she managed to open the cabinet under the sink and get into the garbage, eating a large section of a paper plate that had the chicken wings from dinner on it. So far, she's been fine. 

...hope I didn't just jinx things.


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## articshark

Other than a bout of giardia without runny poop to right after finishing the treatment when she did have runny poop for about 3 days, Java has the gut of steel. I try to keep her on low fat stuff, but she does get vanilla ice cream and a few other fatty treats.


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## davetgabby

food intolerance Dr. Jean Dodds on Dog Food Sensitivities


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## Dee Dee

Im sooooo jealous of you guys with iron gut pups! Sophie's is made of wet tissue paper I think! 
Thanks for that link too Dave! Dr Dodd's nutriscan was very informative for Sophie and I'm sure many other dogs.


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## littlebuddy

Django's middle name is sensitive belly! From day one, he's had belly issues. Allergies to beef, lamb, pork, He's had pancreatitis twice, on more Flagyl to control diarrhea over the past 12 years. He's had more boiled chicken and rice in his life than most dogs. It's very strange how their bellies go from normal to the opposite end of the spectrum in a quick second.

I do have to say however, and I know many will poo-poo me however for years (11), I always tried feeding my dog "the best food out there" with no success. He was never a good eater, days where he wouldn't eat, he'd have diarrhea, and the list goes on. Finally when I switched vets 2 year ago, she put him on Royal Canine, their basic bland chicken for belly issues and for the first time in 10 years, he can't wait to eat his food. He eats every single piece of kibble and I don't have to feed him by hand any more. HE does the happy dance when he knows he's going to be fed. My vet said sometimes we try so hard to give our dogs the best and sometimes the simple stuff is what they need and what works. For me, this has been a life changing event for my dog. His Addison's numbers have never ever been better, they are actually all within the normal range, an occurrence that hasn't happened since he was diagnosed. 

Maybe the answer is keep it simple. Everyone has to do what works for them, all i know, is this has been the best change for my dogs life, health and well being. And best of all, no more sensitive belly!


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## krandall

littlebuddy said:


> Django's middle name is sensitive belly! From day one, he's had belly issues. Allergies to beef, lamb, pork, He's had pancreatitis twice, on more Flagyl to control diarrhea over the past 12 years. He's had more boiled chicken and rice in his life than most dogs. It's very strange how their bellies go from normal to the opposite end of the spectrum in a quick second.
> 
> I do have to say however, and I know many will poo-poo me however for years (11), I always tried feeding my dog "the best food out there" with no success. He was never a good eater, days where he wouldn't eat, he'd have diarrhea, and the list goes on. Finally when I switched vets 2 year ago, she put him on Royal Canine, their basic bland chicken for belly issues and for the first time in 10 years, he can't wait to eat his food. He eats every single piece of kibble and I don't have to feed him by hand any more. HE does the happy dance when he knows he's going to be fed. My vet said sometimes we try so hard to give our dogs the best and sometimes the simple stuff is what they need and what works. For me, this has been a life changing event for my dog. His Addison's numbers have never ever been better, they are actually all within the normal range, an occurrence that hasn't happened since he was diagnosed.
> 
> Maybe the answer is keep it simple. Everyone has to do what works for them, all i know, is this has been the best change for my dogs life, health and well being. And best of all, no more sensitive belly!


The "best" food for one dog isn't necessarily the "best" food for another. If it's working, I'd say don't rock the boat!


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## Sheri

I'm glad Django has finally got a food that agrees with his system!

After years of dealing with this, I've said I'd feed Tucker cardboard if that kept him healthy and his digestive system happy!


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## articshark

I agree with Karen. Java's stools are fabulous on her kibble and yogurt and freshpet diet AND she eats with gusto. I'm not going to change her out even if people are all talking about the "best" food. Because why change what's working? What if any switching causes her to have issues she's not having now? I've even cut down on her raw liver treats because her stools were getting soft on those. And now with the cut back, her poops are right back to being like they should. Her food is working and that to me is the best food for my puppy.


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## Dee Dee

I totally agree with that too!
The only worry I have is something that helps short term may not always be great for them in the long term. The EZ has helped Sophie's tummy a lot but I wouldn't want her on that her whole life, I do worry it can deplete things over time in some dogs (like I could eat pizza and ice cream when I was a kid and look and feel great, now it knocks me off my butt!) I do hope to be able to switch her to home cooking again with the same results we're having now but it's so wonderful having her feel good it will be a while!


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## jef

Dee Dee said:


> I could eat pizza and ice cream when I was a kid and look and feel great, now it knocks me off my butt!


i couldn't exist without ice cream! :surprise:
i run 3 miles a day just so i can eat more :smile2:
now pizza does make me feel bloated but i still eat it occasionally . . .

sofies diet consists of Fromm's heartland gold puppy chiot, water, and now pork tenderloin cubes for training rewards.
she still gets excited and does a dance every time i start pouring the fromm's :laugh2:
no tummy issues so far, thank goodness!


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## Zoe093014

Dee Dee, I was wondering what you were feeding these days now that Sophie has thankfully made a comeback. I am still on home cooking but it's a lot of work and takes a lot of time. I have to add all the ingredients and supplements to make it balanced, while still adding some variety to also balance things out. Zoe is so picky that sometimes she can drive me crazy. If there's one ingredient that ruins the smell for her she will refuse her all dish, and then I will end up throwing it all out. She also definitely has a preference for just cooked over frozen and reheated, or refrigerated and reheated. I would actually like to go back to a good commercial that I know she will consistently eat but she doesn't make things easy for me. I don't have a problem with stomach aches or stools but it's tough to get her to eat sometimes and requires a lot of effort on my part.


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## jill1034

*Sensitive tummy here, we think*

We have an 8 mth old and he has been to the vet every month since we got him. 2 of the 6 months have not been for stomach issues. In May he had a bacterial infection with colitis. Now he has colitis again. He just finished Metrodinazole on Friday 8/26. He had a recurrence of diarrhea on Wed, then blood in his vomit on Thursday. This morning he woke me up and has had liquid stools for about 3 hours now.

We went to ER yesterday and they just think blood was from a tear in his espoghaus when he vomited. They think he vomited from lack of food in his stomach (which he has done before). They did x-rays but they showed healthy GI.

Now waiting for the vet's office to open. They told us Wed they would put him back on Metrodinazole if he still had diarrhea.

(sigh) We never thought we would get a dog (allergies) and now this puppy has been so sick it breaks our hearts daily.


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## Cassandra

Jill1034, I feel so bad for you and your puppy. It sounds so awful, but he is so lucky to have you. I saw you started a different thread and I am sure others will have some suggestions.

When I started this thread, there had been several discussions around puppies with what seemed to be fairly serious, chronic digestive issues, and I was curious about experiences with less serious, occasional episodes with digestive problems, testing my own theory that small dogs are simply more likely to react to something in food or environment (i.e. a single stressful day). In my own situation, Cassie has had only two soft stool (one had a day of diarrhea followed by two soft days) episodes in the ten months she has been with us, and I strongly suspect it is caused by excessive bully stick chewing both times. She has always had only chicken and turkey as her protein so my working theory is the beef in the bully stick is the cause...we are on a no bully stick regime right now and fingers crossed that I have isolated the culprit. Her vet has said that it isn't unusual for small dogs to have minor digestive episodes more often than bigger dogs. However, these occasional digestive problems are very different from the chronic, on-going problems that some Havanese seem to be experiencing.


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## KarMar

Many of those who posted regarding GI issues seemed to only be experiencing acute problems that have since cleared up, aside from Sophie and a couple others. I think that, as a whole, the Havanese is a hearty, healthy breed, but the forum is a place for people experiencing health issues of any sort to turn, which is why we seem to be seeing quite a bit of it. 

The idea that something can affect a small dog more than a big one is something I believe to be fact. Their systems, no matter how strong, are just smaller. The smaller the dog, the more concentrated the toxins from a single grape or effects of a handful of cheese (in our case) will be. This can also transfer to a stressful event, though the disposition of the dog factors into that a bit as well. Mario is much more affected by an incident than Nino is because they are polar opposites personality-wise.

I think it's also important to keep in mind that dogs' GI systems can toughen up quite a bit as they are exposed to more. Mario has eaten spaghetti dinners, licked the chicken fat from dirty dishes, and munched on bugs more than I would like to admit. After 9 years of life, this kind of thing has no effect on him because he has desensitized himself to something over the years that might be a $200 vet visit for Nino. Even Nino's is starting to toughen up, but the cheese I fed him had such a profound effect that he will be on a kibble-only diet for a bit before we start re-introducing exciting things like raw food and chews, just to give him a bit of a rest. After just a couple days of antibiotics, though, everything was back to normal, and the vet had no reason to think that his issue might be a chronic one.


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## Cassandra

Karmar, I think what you say makes sense and I am also intrigued by the notion that over time these little guys may be better able to handle this stuff in their digestive system, although clearly some have more serious allergic reactions that may be lifetime management. It is very helpful to hear from owners of older Havanese on all these issues!!


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## littlebuddy

Jill1034, I feel so bad for you and your puppy. Django had a bout of colitis 4 years ago. They do recover, just be patient. At the time, in addition to whatever else Django was on, my vet put him on an antibiotic powder that worked wonders and we stayed on it for a few months even after the colitis cleared up. Talk to your vet about a post treatment regiment as well as a good probiotic. When they are on these antibiotics, their bellies take a beating and a good probiotic helps get things back in check. A little help to the system is always a benefit.


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## 31818

KarMar said:


> I think that, as a whole, the Havanese is a hearty, healthy breed,


That has been our experience with Ricky........indestructible in every way, hearty and hardy. He eats anything and everything with no issues. That is why we watch him so closely, to make sure he isn't eating something he shouldn't. He thrives on his regular diet of Honest Kitchen and boiled chicken breast. We don't let him drink standing water on our walkies. Don't want him to ingest any fertilizers and pesticides. Bully sticks will give him soft stools if he eats too much at one time - 6 inches of bully stick is enough at one time, which is once a week for TGIF. :grin2:

Ricky's Popi


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## Dee Dee

That is REALLY good to hear about Ricky!!!!! I hope you know how lucky you are  I truly can't even imagine what it's like having a healthy dog for any period of time.


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