So Just as we thought we were getting back on track with Poppy the vet has now told us that she has Colitis. She has been put on antibiotics and pro-kolin+. We have also been told to feed her a bland meal of chicken and rice for the next two weeks.

Through reading other posts on here though I really don't know whether I should be feeding here either of these because of allergies etc. My other problem as well is I have absolutely no idea how much I should be feeding her.
Poppy was spayed in the last six weeks and one of the outcomes of this seems to be that she is always looking for more food. So while feeding her, her normal food I could cope with this as I knew she had eaten the correct amount and would just ignore her looking for more, but on the chicken and rice I am just guessing what I think she should have, then when she is looking for more it makes me wonder if I am actually feeding enough/too much.

Please give advise as to how much you think a 30kilo dog should have, and if you think that we should change the rice for potato, and the chicken for fish.

It's two weeks since we have been to the specialist regarding her limp, and we have got Poppy up to two 45minute walks a day, with a 20 minute warm up on the lead and then 25 minutes off lead, this had been going really well until yesterday. When now we seem to be back to square one again with her unable to put weight on her foot at all and feeling very sorry for herself.

Just as we seem to get somewhere, and start to feel like we are getting our 20month old dog back there is something that gets in the way of this. Feeling very down today with all of this.

Poor Poppy . Poor you as well - it's horrible to see your dog poorly or hurting and not know what to do about it!

I woud start off with the chicken and rice for 3 or 4 days, and if her tummy doesn't clear up move on to the fish and mash. As her tummy is delicate, I would split her food into 3 or 4 small meals, and that should help with the feeling hungry too. A spayed dog doesn't have to put on weight - it is usually the result of the dog maturing and needing less energy but still being fed the same amount as a growing pup. Imo it is more likely that her craving food is a result of her tummy upset and her not getting the nutrition she needs because of it. Also, I think if anything you want her to be a little underweight while she is nursing an injury.

It's hard to say how much to feed her as all dogs are different and it varies by the amount of exercise they do. The best guideline is to go by her weight and feel. Daisy is the same weight as Poppy, and when she has a poorly tum I use the coley blocks from Tescos - there are 6 in a box. A light meal for a recovering Daisy would probably be a block of coley and a medium potato. Daisy would eat anything and everything I give her and I could never be guided by how much she says she needs!

Hello

Max had colitis for ages, a diet of fish, sweet potato, and a bit of yoghurt and raw carrot helped at lot. Also, 1 x sachet per day (4g powder) of pro-kolin Enterogenic (can buy in a box of 30 saches from Amazon) mixed into food, with added water.

The first 2 lots of antibiotics didn't work, the 3rd lot seem to have worked.

Good luck, it will pass.

Thanks Bid great advice as always. I sometimes just feel useless and need some reassurance I think with Poppy being our first dog.

Thanks (Penpit) sorry I don't know your name. I had read all through your post actually regarding Max, Im glad that he is better now. I did really feel for you. He is gorgeous by the way.

Another question that I have is regarding Poppy's ongoing Limp. We had really started to get somewhere as I mentioned above now not weight bearing at all. Last night she pulled one of her nails off not just chewed it pulled it clean off. Does anyone think that she may have done this because her foot was sore or is it something that dogs do sometimes.

Thanks for all the advice and support people offer on here it really helps.

No, I don't think that's something they do, unless it was injured. Is her paw sore where the claw was? The bed of the claw is quite deep so maybe her claw was broken which is why she was limping If she wil let you, I would bathe it in salty water and see if there is any blood there - you want to avoid her getting an infection if there is a wound.

I wondered whether the limp was not a step back with her wrist problem and maybe due to this nail, but I am sure the nail was still there before the limp. She is very sore and is not happy for me to touch it. I have managed to have a good feel though all over her pads and in between but cant feel anything.
I have tried to have a look where the nail should be but Poppy really fights me when I try to do this. It looks like there is a hole and it looks quite wet but not with blood. I stopped the bleeding yesterday and have not seen anymore since. I have bandaged it up for now as Poppy keeps licking it and I was worried that might increase the risk of infection.

I think perhaps a vet visit is in order - she may need anti-biotics and a cone to stop her licking it . It sounds as though it may be sore - poor thing