Poop Is A Four Letter Word

[NewGrey2017]

All -

 

We got our red fawn male in late October 2017. He came straight from the track in WV via an adoption agency. Adoption agency gave us 1/2 a Drontal pill, he'd had a whole pill the day before. On Nov 1 we gave him Interceptor. First week of November, we took him to the vet and he tested positive for hooks. That sparked 2 rounds of Panacur. Still positive at 3++. We tried Interceptor and Drontal on the same day, that came up about 2AM. So we waited a few days and gave Interceptor again and Drontal the next day. That stayed down, but still positive for hooks at 3+. We did a round (7 days) of Flagyl (metronidazole). Our vet wrote to the Greyhound program at OSU and their clinical trials have had success with Advantage Multi followed 24 hours later by Drontal. So we did that this week. Waiting for time to pass to do another fecal check.

 

When he raced, our boy was 71 lbs. When we got him he was 64 and dropped to 62. We've been able to get him back to 68 by over-feeding him.

 

Through all of this, he had and still has the worst diarrhea you can imagine. I've searched this site and we have added Olewo Carrots to his diet. He is starving all the time.

 

He goes about 4x per day right now. Maybe one of them is okay. The rest are anywhere from very soft to "move your shoes back".

 

So here is his current diet served 5AM and 5PM (ie he gets this 2x a day)

 

- One cup Kirkland Chicken, Rice and Vegetable , wet with water

- One cup white rice

- One cup boiled chicken breast tenderloins

- 1 1/2 TBSP Olewo Carrots, reconstituted (approx 1 cup)

 

I'm sure I'm not the first to go through this, so I'm hoping to benefit from some experienced members. Will nothing work until the hooks are dead? Should I ask for another round of flagyl? Is there something else I can feed him or should stop feeding him?

 

Thanks.

 

 

[Hubcitypam]

Iams green bag. It's the beet pulp that regulates the water in their intestines. Been there done that...wormed and fecaled Rex within an inch of his life. standing script for Flagyl. Carrots and something else backfired on us and made it worse.

Edited January 12, 2018 by Hubcitypam

[palmettobug]

Rice can cause upset, too. I think a lot of people are having the same problem as you with the hooks, multiple rounds and still positive.

 

Green beans are a good, filling favorite. I get either the canned or the SteamFresh from Birdseye.

[RaineysMom]

I would try stop feeding any chicken and try another protein (but look at the ingredients, chicken is in a LOT of things you don't realize). Our Zeke (who we are still having eating issues with) cannot have chicken of any kind.

[Remolacha]

another thing to try instead of rice is oatmeal. very bland, and they usually like it. I am sorry for what you and your boy are going through, hooks are nasty and hard to get rid of! you might try tylan powder, it has helped a lot of dogs, but it is very nasty tasting (so I am told) so you have to give it in capsules.

[FiveRoooooers]

Moistening the kibble is great but sometimes adding too much water to it can cause poop problems. You can try using just enough water to moisten his noms but not enough that the kibble floats or is soaked.

[Houndtime]

another thing to try instead of rice is oatmeal. very bland, and they usually like it. I am sorry for what you and your boy are going through, hooks are nasty and hard to get rid of! you might try tylan powder, it has helped a lot of dogs, but it is very nasty tasting (so I am told) so you have to give it in capsules.

 

I do like oatmeal better than rice. Over cooked pasta is also an option. I have wormed dogs and it did not result in diarrhea. I think his stomach is not getting a chance to settle. You might try Slippery Elm Bark. It is a powder than you mix with a little warm water and make a slurry with it. It is given before meals and coats the stomach.

 

I have used the Veterinarian's Potato Diet (look it up) and in 12 hours, my dog, who was sick, was better. It is a little work for you, but worth it. Boil, one white potato, one sweet potato, one leek, one turnip. Use larger potatoes. Mash together and if desired add a small amount of protein. I added two tablespoons of (human) shredded chicken. You can also add a tablespoon of pumpkin and even some oatmeal. Half the vegetable mash so it is one day's food. You can only do this mixture for 4 or 5 days. I can tell you that it worked for us. Fuzzy had diarrhea for 10 or 12 days and nothing was working and this diet did. Good luck what ever you decide to do. I am sorry that your boy is having this problem.

[cleptogrey]

vet visit, may not be worms but just a dirty gut. sometimes numerous rounds of flagyl are necessary. my dogs had the very worst stool from the kirkland kibbles-- all of them!

 

try working w/ your local pet store and find something that agrees and make sure you can return the opened bag if it doesn't work. do remember to transition over slowly. if not IAMS then how about purina pro plan focus? they have lamb and rice for sensitive stomachs. mine use their salmon & rice for tummy and skin issues. limited poop with it and great coats. i am shocked at the decline in poop quantity!

 

rice has never been a problem w/ my hounds. oatmeal and pumpkin go right thru them(but not oatmeal in a kibble). yams and white potato as well as pasta agree with them. but it does sound like a couple of rounds and maybe small maintain dose of flagyl high be in order.

 

interceptor is a good heart worm med that keeps the hook worm population at bay. far more expensive than heart guard, but it might be worth it.

[greysmom]

Do a search for recent threads on hook worm treatments in the Health and Medical section. Hooks are horrible in the SE right now and some strains are apparently immune to normal treatment options. It can take months of constant treatment to get a bad infestation under control.

 

You *must* get the hooks under control before you can even begin to address his other issues. With all the treatments he's getting you should be adding in a probiotic to help his gut cope. At this point I would go for the good stuff and not mess around with yogurt or any other OTC probiotics. Get some Forti Flora from your vet.

 

He's eating so much because it's going right through him. Really keep aware of his hydration as it can go downhill quickly with diarrhea. If you're feeding rice, make sure it's *very* overcooked and mushy. Oatmeal or pasta may be better choices for you. They both have more fiber and offer better nutrition.

 

You can try switching him off chicken since he's already got diarrhea. But make sure there's no chicken in ANYTHING he's getting, including treats. We have a girl who is allergic to chicken (it's one of the most common allergens for canines) and it's hard to find things without any.

 

Good luck.

Edited January 13, 2018 by greysmom

[Hubcitypam]

Natural balance has a ton of limited ingredient diets.. Wal Mart's Pure Balance salmon is amazingly good too...Think Pro plan sensitive stomach salmon doesn't have chicken.

[cleptogrey]

Natural balance has a ton of limited ingredient diets.. Wal Mart's Pure Balance salmon is amazingly good too...Think Pro plan sensitive stomach salmon doesn't have chicken.

that's what i serve.

my salukis had hook worms,(came with it and it took forever to clear up). they never had the runs with them but positive stool samples. so, i tend to think there is more going on than worms. there are limited ingredients in the purina pro plan focus. the lamb and rice has a higher caloric intake than the salmon.

 

the potato/yam/turnip mash is wonderful and they love the taste.

Edited January 13, 2018 by cleptogrey

[NewGrey2017]

We just ran him over to the vet. He weighed in at 66 lbs and that is with breakfast in him. Got another 7 days of flagyl and picked up a small bag of Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach Salmon and Rice at the pet store next door.

 

I should have mentioned, before arriving at the diet above, we've also tried pumpkin, green beans and plain yogurt as supplements to the kibble.

We also tried switching his kibble to a beef, lamb and rabbit blend that met with very negative results.

 

Fingers crossed on the flagyl and Pro Plan. We'll ease back the white rice and maybe try to switch to oatmeal over time. (I assume you mean the plain old long boil Quaker Oats?)

[Remolacha]

We just ran him over to the vet. He weighed in at 66 lbs and that is with breakfast in him. Got another 7 days of flagyl and picked up a small bag of Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach Salmon and Rice at the pet store next door.

 

I should have mentioned, before arriving at the diet above, we've also tried pumpkin, green beans and plain yogurt as supplements to the kibble.

We also tried switching his kibble to a beef, lamb and rabbit blend that met with very negative results.

 

Fingers crossed on the flagyl and Pro Plan. We'll ease back the white rice and maybe try to switch to oatmeal over time. (I assume you mean the plain old long boil Quaker Oats?)

 

Any kind of oatmeal as long as it plain oatmeal with no ad ins. The 5 minute kind is fine. Hope the new food works!

[JohnF]

Consider trying: Royal Canin Gastro-Intestinal recovery diet cans and nothing else for a week. Then gradually switch via (real) white fish and turkey to an acceptable mid-range kibble diet.

 

example supplier:

 

https://www.chewy.com/royal-canin-veterinary-diet/dp/35359

 

Give food 3xD until a better enough to have it in larger amounts.

 

Use a probiotic like ProKaolin.

 

example supplier:

 

https://www.protexin.com/products/pro-kolin/28

 

 

Keep up the parasite treatment. If it is cyclical rule out Giardia.

 

Your dog's digestive system is probably way too inflamed for any easy or simple resolution. They need to be calm too,

[XTRAWLD]

I think you might be trying TOO many different foods and additives. You gotta pick something easy and stick with it for a few days (preferably longer) before switching to something else. These guys have very sensitive systems and trying this one meal, and then that another, and something else another time without consistency is bound to encourage further problems, and then you can't even figure out what it was that was the trigger when D does flare up if it's not worms that's doing it. Try broth, it's encouraging enough to convince eating and keep them hydrated during D.

Edited January 13, 2018 by XTRAWLD

[cleptogrey]

I think you might be trying TOO many different foods and additives. You gotta pick something easy and stick with it for a few days (preferably longer) before switching to something else. These guys have very sensitive systems and trying this one meal, and then that another, and something else another time without consistency is bound to encourage further problems, and then you can't even figure out what it was that was the trigger when D does flare up if it's not worms that's doing it. Try broth, it's encouraging enough to convince eating and keep them hydrated during D.

agreed, be patient. if you dog responds to the PRO PLAN like mine did, you'll be delighted. also, they LOVE the flavor! Annie was on flagyl for many many months, we did reduced the dosage once her stool seemed under control. but as soon as she was off(2 days) she was back to liquid poop. i gave her a half dosage for over a month, then every other day. it took quite a while but she did eventually go back to her normal self. be patient! and good luck

[macoduck]

Just adding that sometimes pumpkin loosens rather than firms up poop.

[MDBeland]

@Cleptogrey

 

My boy is on Purina Pro Plan Salmon and rice as well. He gets fed twice a day - 2 cups kibble with 1 cup water added for his morning meal and the same for his evening meal. He has soft somewhat formed stools. I would prefer firmer healthier looking stools.

 

Do you add water? If so how much?

 

My main concern is that he does not drink enough water. He might drink a cup of water on his own for the entire day this is why I add 1 cup of water to each meal.

 

Any suggestions before trying a different kibble?

[NewGrey2017]

@Cleptogrey

 

My boy is on Purina Pro Plan Salmon and rice as well. He gets fed twice a day - 2 cups kibble with 1 cup water added for his morning meal and the same for his evening meal. He has soft somewhat formed stools. I would prefer firmer healthier looking stools.

 

Do you add water? If so how much?

 

My main concern is that he does not drink enough water. He might drink a cup of water on his own for the entire day this is why I add 1 cup of water to each meal.

 

Any suggestions before trying a different kibble?

 

I'm working the Pro Plan in over the next 7 days. (Man does that food smell.) I use just enough water to soften the kibble, no more. After I phase out the Kirkland food, I'm going to try to phase out the rice for additional kibble. We'll probably keep him on the Olewo Carrots for the foreseeable future as they have made a positive impact (I think). But they do turn his poop an interesting shade of orange. You might want to try a bag of those.

[cleptogrey]

@Cleptogrey

 

My boy is on Purina Pro Plan Salmon and rice as well. He gets fed twice a day - 2 cups kibble with 1 cup water added for his morning meal and the same for his evening meal. He has soft somewhat formed stools. I would prefer firmer healthier looking stools.

 

Do you add water? If so how much?

 

My main concern is that he does not drink enough water. He might drink a cup of water on his own for the entire day this is why I add 1 cup of water to each meal.

 

Any suggestions before trying a different kibble?

why change?? adding soft food will give him more water. some dogs just aren't drinkers. how long has he been on it? mine grew luxurious coats. i leave it pretty soupy, no problem in eating it.

[palmettobug]

Even on some of our hottest days, Johnny doesnt drink what I think he should. He gets wet food and water always available, so I figure he'll drink when he's thirsty.

[MDBeland]

@cleptogeey

 

I never said anything about adding soft food and never will give soft food.

 

I would prefer him having firmer stools but I am concerned about cutting back on adding water to his kibble in order to get firmer stools.

[cleptogrey]

@cleptogeey

 

I never said anything about adding soft food and never will give soft food.

 

I would prefer him having firmer stools but I am concerned about cutting back on adding water to his kibble in order to get firmer stools.

remember the more he poops the softer it gets. you were concerned about the water intake that's why i mentioned the soft food fixes the concern. i only feed soft food when traveling and the dogs go on strike. don't cut back on the water the kibble is soaked in. it's beet pulp that does an even better job than the owelo carrots.

Edited January 16, 2018 by cleptogrey

[NewGrey2017]

remember the more he poops the softer it gets. you were concerned about the water intake that's why i mentioned the soft food fixes the concern. i only feed soft food when traveling and the dogs go on strike. don't cut back on the water the kibble is soaked in. it's beet pulp that does an even better job than the owelo carrots.

 

Are you feeding 100% kibble most of the time with good results?

[MDBeland]

@NewGrey2017

 

Yes Im feeding kibble 100% of the time and take him out 1 hr afterward and hes pretty regular.