My dog has IBD. How long do these painful flare-ups typically last?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Alfe! It sounds like Alfe is having a flare up! If this has been going on for over a week I would have Alfe seen today, before the weekend. He likely needs supportive care to get through this flare up. I agree cerenia, fluids and maybe temporarily increasing his steroids (if blood work and belly X-rays are normal) may be what he needs. Hopefully he is eating at home and this can be outpatient and he'll be back to himself quickly! I hope this helps and I wish you and Alfe the best!

Yes, many dogs with IBS are treated long-term with daily prednisone. We normally try to wean them down to the lowest dose that is still effective at controlling their symptoms to help minimize side effects, but this is a very common treatment strategy for this disease.

Hello, thank you for your question about Chester. Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic condition in dogs secondary to an underlying allergy leading to inflammation in the GI tract. It is different in every patient. Meaning that some patients require Prednisone long term while other patients can be weaned off the Prednisone completely. Since Chester has been maintained on Prednisone every 4 days for quite some time without any flare-up I think it would be reasonable to consider discontinuing it at this time. However, if you are concerned that he is prone to having flare-ups it is not problem to keep him on this low dose of Prednisone. Hope this helps, good luck!

There is no specific test for IBD except intestinal biopsy which is a very invasive procedure. an expert ultrasound can be done to achieve an approximate diagnosis for IBD but this is not a 100% test. i would suggest going ahead and follow your vet's recommendation about this, i usually recommend a prescription diet and steroid treatment for severe cases of IBD.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! He is adorable! I think that a course of prednisone could potentially be added to better control the IBD so it has an all day effect. Another thing that can be tried if your veterinarian (who knows all his medical history) thinks is a good idea is changing him to another IBD type diet such as Royal canin ultamino. This diet has proven to be very effective for both IBD and skin allergies. Good luck and have a great day!

Dietary management is key for reducing the severity of both IBD and pancreatitis but it is not always easy to find a food which suits both conditions. A restricted, low fat diet such as royal canin gastrointestinal low fat or hills i/d low fat can be very helpful in such cases. Depending on the degree of the heart disease, your vet may wish to prescribe heart medication or continue to monitor closely for any changes

Good job on keeping Archie on a low fat diet. That is the best option for long-term management of his pancreatitis. It is definitely possible that he is having flare ups causing the intermittent vomiting and diarrhea. I would have him evaluated by his veterinarian to ensure there isn't another cause though. Some of these dogs can have alterations in their cobalamin and folate levels. Correcting this can alleviate some of their clinical signs. Other animals will need an abdominal ultrasound to ensure the rest of their belly is normal. As far as your other question, the dog will usually flare up within about 24-48hrs of eating a higher fat meal. Good luck with Archie!