Does anyone have any experience with Irritable Bowel Syndrome in dogs?

I just found out (after a VERY expensive surgery) that my 15 month old boxer boy has IBS. He has to stay at the vet until Monday getting fluids then I can go get him. Thats when I will talk to the vet but I was thinking maybe some of you out there have been through this maybe?? Might know what I should expect... Any help would be greatly appreciated. I just switched his food from Purina Dog Chow to Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice Formula, it has no corn or any fillers like that. I know that is a good start.

Actually i have done the research and dogs can and do get IBS.

Dogs can get IBS, but it is more a stress-related condition than a chronic immune-mediated condition like IBD.

IBS:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content...

http://www.vin.com/vindbpub/searchpb/pro...

IBD
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content...

http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Pro...

Boxers in particular may be subject to a condition called "Boxer colitis" or Histiocytic ulcerative colitis.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_col...

You need to speak to your vet about exactly what the diagnosis is for your dog, to know where to go from here. Good luck.

Poor little guy!
That is a great start. We have a kitty who may or may not have had IBS but through diet (we took her off drugs to experiment with diet), we found out she's intolerant of chicken and/or grains. It took a long time, about 9 months to get it right, but she's doing great now. Also her coat and energy levels are awesome with the better food.
Changing the diet could help a lot. Along with the the vet's advice, do more research on dog food. After the pet food recall in 1997 a LOT of people did a ton of research and built websites, so there's great information out there. Big debate between wet and dry food, but ingredients are the common theme.
Also remember, he'll take a long time to adjust to the new food, and the effects of surgery, so give anything you try three months to see results. If it's horrible, of course take him off of it, but if the results are OK and improving, keep him on it.
Good luck to you and the little guy!

dogs do not have ibs. they can have ibd (inflammatory bowel disease) or sibo (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) but not ibs.

if your dog truly has ibd he will need to be on a hypoallergenic diet such as royal canin's hp (contains a hydrolyzed protein) or novel proteins such as venison, duck, rabbit, bison, quail, pheasant, or a vegetarian formula. lamb is not a novel protein and cannot be used to manage ibd. also, the proteins have to be rotated every 3-4 months in order to prevent "leaky gut syndrome" aka your dogs body developing an allergy to whatever protein he happens to be on, unless he is eating a food with a hydrolyzed protein.

sometimes steroids have to be used in the beginning to get the gi inflammation under control, but the animal is usually weaned off them after a bit. probiotics are also beneficial as are fatty acid supplements.