Meatball’s Food & Allergy Journey

When we first brought Meatball home as a foster dog on July 4, 2023, we knew he needed help. What we didn’t know was just how complicated that help was going to be.

He was only supposed to be our foster dog. Famous last words, right? By August 6, 2023, he was officially ours. I realized after an honest heart to heart conversation with my husband that we both felt like Meatball was already where he was meant to be. From the day we brought him home, he settled into our routine and lifestyle immediately and became our family.

But before he became the snack-loving, bandana-wearing, couch-potato CSO (Certified Snack Officer) of Cogs Dogs, he was a very uncomfortable rescue dog with chronic bloody diarrhea and the worst ear infection I had ever seen.

And I do mean the worst.

The Beginning: Ear Infections, Bloody Diarrhea, and A Lot of Guessing

When Meatball came into our care, his body was clearly fighting something.

His ears were severely infected. His stomach was a mess. He had bloody diarrhea that just would not stop. We tried what felt like everything: ear flushes, antibiotics, different foods, different treats, vet visits, and more vet visits.

Eventually, we were able to get the ear infections under control after the vet found a foxtail lodged in his ear and got him the right medication that had to be specially formulated.

The bloody diarrhea, though, was another story.

The Allergy Testing Decision

At one point, we decided to do allergy testing.

I know allergy testing for food sensitivities and allergies in dogs can be controversial. I’ve heard and read plenty of times that it is not always reliable, and I completely understand that. But at the time, we were desperate for more information.

We needed a starting point.

When Meatball’s results came back, they were very detailed and honestly overwhelming, but it gave us some more insight. He had several severe food allergies and sensitivities, including chicken, along with other proteins, milk, peas, buckwheat, and more.

Chicken was a big one.

We immediately stopped giving him anything that contained those ingredients. No food, no treats, no “just one little bite,” no mystery ingredients hiding in the fine print.

And almost immediately, the bloody diarrhea stopped.

After months of feeling like we were getting nowhere, that felt huge.

When Things Got Better…But Never Fully Normal

For a while, we thought we had cracked the code.

And in some ways, we had. Removing the ingredients that showed up as major issues on his allergy test made a massive difference for him. His ears improved. The bloody diarrhea stopped. His body finally seemed like it could calm down.

But he was never what I would call completely normal in the digestive department. Since then, Meatball has had on-and-off episodes of extremely soft stool. Not just “a little loose,” but multiple piles of mush, straining to go, and scooting his butt on the ground. He was very uncomfortable.

In the past, when this happened, our vet would prescribe medication, and it would clear up. Then we’d usually go several months or longer before another flare.

It wasn’t ideal, but it was manageable.

Until recently.

The Last Few Months Have Been Different

Over the last few months, Meatball’s stomach issues have changed.

What used to be an occasional flare up has turned into chronic diarrhea. And eventually, the diarrhea starts to include blood again, which our vet believes is likely from his colon being extremely irritated.

The medications still help while he’s taking them. But as soon as he stops the medication, the diarrhea comes right back.

And this time, it’s been the worst we’ve ever seen.

This time around, we did extensive bloodwork and stool testing. Everything has come back normal.

Which is good, obviously. Normal test results are better than scary test results.

But when your dog is still clearly uncomfortable, still having diarrhea, still straining, and still not improving, “normal” can also be incredibly frustrating.

Trying Another Novel Protein

Because Meatball had done well avoiding common allergens before, our next step was switching his food from duck to another novel protein: kangaroo.

We hoped maybe his body needed a protein he hadn’t been exposed to before.

Unfortunately, we saw zero improvement.

Actually, it seemed to get worse.

So now we’re at the point where our vet has discussed the possibility of IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease).

IBD is a chronic gastrointestinal condition where the gut lining becomes inflamed. That inflammation can interfere with digestion and nutrient absorption and can cause symptoms like chronic diarrhea, discomfort, and flare-ups that don’t fully resolve with simple food changes or short-term medication.

The only way to confirm that diagnosis would be to get biopsy samples which requires a surgery under anesthesia.

Since Meatball is still recovering from knee surgery, another surgery is not an option for him right now.

And honestly? Even if it were an option, the idea of putting him through another procedure right now feels like too much.

So Now We’re Trying Fresh Food

Since we can’t move forward with biopsies right now, we’re trying something different.

We’re transitioning Meatball off kibble completely and onto a homemade fresh diet.

This is not something we’re doing casually or by just throwing meat and rice in a bowl and hoping for the best. Dogs need balanced nutrition, and homemade diets can go wrong fast if they’re missing essential vitamins and minerals.

So, I’m using Balance.it to help build a balanced recipe and purchase the supplements needed to make sure Meatball is getting what he needs.

My thought is this: maybe Meatball can no longer process kibble well, even when it’s high quality, made with good ingredients, and uses a novel protein.

Maybe his gut is just too irritated right now.

Maybe fresh food will be easier on his system.

Maybe this will help.

From Kibble to Fresh Food Transition

When transitioning your dog to any new food (even just a different type of kibble), it’s best to do it slowly and over a 1-2 week period. This helps with not causing an upset stomach, diarrhea, or vomiting.

When we started his food changes, we also started soaking his kibble in water to help with digesting it. We slowly started adding in the fresh cooked foods.

As of right now, Meatball has fully been on the fresh homemade diet for about 1 week. It includes cooked ground beef, white rice, green beans, fish oil, canola oil, required supplements for proper vitamins and minerals, and topped with fresh fruit.

He’s still on diarrhea medication since it’s the only thing giving him any relief right now but we are slowly decreasing it in hopes we can get him off of it completely and the diarrhea is related to food digestion/allergy issues.

I’m watching everything closely: his stool, his comfort level, his appetite, his energy, his scooting, his straining, and whether the blood comes back.

And if you see me taking photos of my dog’s poop, just smile and wave. 😊

Why I’m Sharing This

I wanted to share Meatball’s food and allergy journey because I know so many dog parents are dealing with similar issues.

Chronic diarrhea, food allergies, ear infections, itchy skin, mystery symptoms, constant food changes, vet bills, frustration, guilt, and the endless question of, “What am I missing?”

It can feel so overwhelming.

And when your dog can’t just tell you what hurts or what feels wrong, it becomes a lot of trial and error.

I’m not sharing this as medical advice. I’m not a veterinarian, and Meatball’s journey is specific to him. What helps one dog may not help another.

But I am sharing because sometimes hearing another dog’s story can help you feel less alone. It can give you questions to ask your vet. It can give you a new thing to research. It can remind you that you’re not crazy for caring this much.

And selfishly, I’m sharing because maybe someone out there has been through something similar and has insight that could help us, too.

Where We Are Now

Right now, Meatball is still in the middle of this journey.

We don’t have all the answers yet.

We don’t know if fresh food will be the thing that finally helps. We don’t know if he has IBD. We don’t know if we’ll eventually need to pursue biopsies once he is fully healed from knee surgery.

What we do know is that we’re going to keep trying. Because Meatball deserves to be healthy, to feel good, and to be well cared for.

He deserves a life that isn’t controlled by stomach pain, diarrhea, irritation, and constant flare-ups.

And if sharing his story helps even one other dog parent feel less alone or helps one more dog get the care they need, then it’s worth talking about.

Even the poop parts.

Especially the poop parts, apparently. Welcome to dog parenthood.

Have You Dealt With This?

Have you been through something similar with your dog? If your dog has struggled with chronic diarrhea, food allergies, IBD, or mystery stomach issues, leave a comment or message us. We’d love to hear what helped, what didn’t, and what questions you wish you had asked sooner.

We’re still learning.

And Meatball, as always, is still supervising.

With love and pawsitivity,

Susie Cogswell, Cogs Dogs Mom