Loose Stool
For the past 3 weeks to a month Finn has had diarrhea and we're having trouble pin pointing the cause. We started switching his food by slowly mixing in the new kind and he was fine, then after getting neutered the vet put him on antibiotics as well as glucosamine supplements for his hips and next thing we know he has diarrhea. We finished the food switch so he is now eating only the new food, then we stopped the antibiotics and I even cut back on the supplements giving him half a tablet instead of a whole one and he still has loose stool. I've now stopped the supplements for the time being and tried adding yogurt to his meals and nothing helps. He had one or two semi normal stools over the past week but the rest are not so good. I don't know if his system has still not recovered from the antibiotics, if the supplements were to blame or if it's his new food even though it didn't bother him until about the same time he started taking the antibiotics. Any suggestions?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lili on
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I can understand your reluctance to having to purchase Finn's food at the vets. I'm having that experience now with my Niki boy. His diarrhea was arrested through diet management which included the Fortiflora and EN by purina, beef with rice and vitamins. It's expensive and adds to my errand runs but this regimen has solved Niki's problem. I've also noticed that the one eye which used to tear frequently has not been tearing so I'm thinking that allergies were part of the problem also. Treatment through diet is slow going but in the long run I think it's best. I wish Finn the best of health.
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Permalink Reply by Wendt Worth Corgi's on
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Stool sample is a must...need to check for intestinal parasites but even a negative result doesn't always mean the dog is clean just means that stool sample was clean and most vet offices don't have the equipment to do a broad band test on stools unless they send out to a lab. Also..dogs can be lactose intolerant to yogurt..try probiotics. Plain pumpkin can help the loose stools as well. Fendbendazole is a great dewormer and is effective against Giardia 85-97% of the time if given for 5 days and is a safe dewormer. After the first dose wait 10 days and do again for 5 days. Retest dog no sooner then 21 days. Albon is another choice for treating Giardia as well. Fish sol is over the counter and is great for treating diarrhea and is a good antibiotic. Ultimately you need to test the stool before treating or trying to stop the diarrhea.
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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They did a stool test this week and they did send it away. He came back negative on everything so the vet thinks a chage in diet is in order. He said if that doesn't fix it they would need to do bloodwork. He is on FortiFlora which is a probiotic sold at the vets office (powder form). He's been on it for a couple weeks and it doesn't seem to be making a difference. He also had a round of Flagyl which is supposed to treat Giardia and other parasites but that didn't fix it either which is why the vet doesn't think that's the problem. We just bought a new food today so we'll start the transition tonight and see if this food makes a difference. I hope it works!
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Well it sounds like your atleast weeding things out but I have to say how frustrating for you. I'm sorry none of this has worked. Glad to hear the probiotics are powder form. I'm going to sleep on this and if I can think of anything that I think may help I will definitely let you know. I wish you the best of luck and sure hope there is an end to this shortly.
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Permalink Reply by Monty'sMom on
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Monty went through a similar cycle of tummy issues, we actually thought at one point he might have Addison's. However, we tried a different antibiotic, and the second month of probiotics and a change in food and he is now doing great. We used Solid Gold Hunden Flocken Lamb and Rice mixed with pumpkin. We figured out he is definitely sensitive to chicken and as I found out today pure peanut butter (what a mess!). If you want to rest is tummy try boiling a burger (bison is great) with some rice and pumpkin. Puts him back on track each time if he happens to eat something he isn't supposed to. Also, watch his treats, a lot of them have chicken or chicken by-product in them. We stick with protein treats of bison, turkey or lamb though he also does love "little buddy sweet potato" treats. I noticed that duck would make Monty gassy so we have to stay away from that protein in case this new switch doesn't work. We are now doing best on a fish only diet. First we did Wellness but now he is on Orijen and doing even better. If I hadn't given him peanut butter today he would have made it 3 full months with out a messy bum! By the way I still give him a daily probiotic and pumpkin to keep things going well.Good luck!
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Finnigan's new food seems to be working. He has had solid stools all week! I guess maybe he does have an intolerance to chicken afterall. I'm so glad the food fixed the problem and it didn't turn out to be something serious. For any one with similar issues, I would definitely suggest Natural Balance L.I.D. Duck and Potatoe. :)
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Permalink Reply by Susan Stanton on
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YAY! I was just thinking about you guys, and going to search for this thread to ask how things were going. Glad to hear it -- go Finn!
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It certainly is a major breakthrough. Thank you for thinking of us. You know, today though he has seemed a little backed up. He even wimpered a little when he went potty. I hope that is something that will pass. Always one extreme or the other. I think he's just trying to drive us nuts. :) A new problem that has come on suddenly is peeing at inapropriate times. It's been several months since he's had an accident in the house and over the past week he's dribbled, once while laying on his dog bed, once while playing catch it the living room and a couple times on the front porch and twice he has started peeing while my husband was carrying him down the stairs to take him potty. He used to pee on us like that when we first got him but I don't know what has gotten into him lately. Like I said, I think he's just trying to drive us up a wall!
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HI Alice, have you tried giving him a little pumpkin puree with his meal each day. The pumpkin is high in fiber and helps regulate him both with the runs or constipation. He may have IBS which can be regulated with a high fiber diet. IBS often causes one to go from one extreme to the next (I have it so I know). As I mentioned, Monty gets pumpkin each day to keep things going. If I skip it I notice he is one or the other. I was using Libby's pumpkin (not the pie mix) but just bought a can of organic pumpkin at our natural dog food store. Seems company's are picking up on this trend, there are several companies selling it through specialty stores and catalogs.
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