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Recurring Diarrhea--any Ideas?


Guest irootoo

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Guest irootoo

Hi! We have an eight-year-old greyhound named Audrey who has had loose stools for several months now. Numerous fecal exams, including testing specifically for Giardia, have turned up nothing. After her stools became totally liquid and she had an episode of explosive diarrhea in the house, the vet put her on Metronidazole for five days, FortiFlora for a month, and switched her to Eukanuba Low Residue. She improved almost immediately, and after about three weeks had perfectly formed stools. After only a few days of being normal, her stools started gradually becoming loose again, and after another three weeks or so, her stools were again totally liquid. The vet put her back on the Metronidazole and the FortiFlora, but five days later, it hasn’t helped. I'm going to call again tomorrow, but I'm hoping someone here might have some idea what we are up against or what we can do.

 

(Prior to the Eukanuba, I tried a bland home prepared diet, ground meat and rice, with pumpkin added, and her diarrhea was even worse on that than on her regular food.)

 

I don’t understand why her situation improved so dramatically at first, but now is back where it was. Has anyone else had an experience like this? Any idea as to what the next step as far as diagnosis or treatment would be? I’m very worried, it’s mortifying to take her on walks around the neighborhood, and I don’t think she can stay healthy for very long, having totally liquid stools.

 

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Guest minzenon

Ask your vet about Cronia Virus (sp could be coronia virus). Unless you get the right antibiotics this virus wont go. You have to use the real old type of abs - straight ones with nothing added, oh and they are the cheapest- not saying that it is the virus but recurring d is one of the symptons.

 

 

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Guest wilsontrixie

A friend of mine has a dog who is on flagyl (metronidazole) on and off all the time...the doctor thinks he may have a form of I.B.S., it works, every time he goes on it for a few days, stool back to normal for a month or so or until something stresses him out.

it does no harm to leave them on that antibiotic, that one is actually good for the bowel...

just a thought

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There aren't any antibiotics that work for viral infections. Antibiotics work on bacterial infections. It is also very unlikely that an adult dog has corona virus and has most likely been vaccinated against the self limiting virus every year of their pet life.

 

There are many things that can cause loose stool. The two dogs I am most familiar with lately both had cancer- one has lymphoma and the other had a growth in her intestine. The first dog was treated for many things before the another vet finally looked for another reason for the cause rather than treating the symptoms.

 

Has she been treated for worms? Whips can cause liquid stool. Is her stool just liquid or is there urgency as well?

 

My first greyhound, Nate, always had loose to liquid stool on kibble. When we changed his diet to one without any grains it immediately improved.

 

As for walking- you might try a trick that friend would do to help pick up soft/loose stool- clumping cat litter- bad for cats great for cleaning up messes.

Kim, (PW's) Nate Dogg and Chloe (TJ Zorabell) - always in our hearts, (Racey) Benson and Polly (Racey Pauline)

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Hi, we have been going thru the same problem with our Hobbes for months. Flagyl and other medications seemed to make his condition worse. Our vet has concluded that he has maldigestion or maladsorption problems and will be given Probiotics and enzymes for the condition. As with your grey, he would get better and have formed stools for a few days of treatment and then back to diarrhea and explosive liquid. We tried various diets on him that just didn't seem to work for very long. Boiled chicken and beef didn't help. Food allergies need to be ruled out as well.

 

A few days ago we put him on a serving of mashed potatoes with 1 heaping teaspoon of pure pumpkin mixed in. His stools were a thicker consistency by the end of the day and the explosive diarrhea has not returned as of today. He is eating a can of Hills DD diet plus a helping of the potato mix at each meal, plus a light meal (1/4 can plus potato mix) at noon to get his weight back up. This seems to be working for now and I am hoping it will continue as we add the Probiotics and enzymes to his meals. Hobbes' problems are still a work in progress but we seem to be getting past the worst (I am keeping my fingers crossed). I can sympathize about walks becoming difficult due to cleanup. I even started carrying a bottle of water with me and some paper towels.

 

I know how frustrating and worrisome this is for you. I've been thru it for months with Hobbes. If you need more information I can send you my e-mail address. Every dog responds differently and what works for one dog may not help another. Hopefully your vet will help you find a diet and or medication that will help Audrey. There is a lot of information here on GreyTalk that has been very helpful to us.

 

I hope Audrey does well soon and you can find the best solution for her.

 

Mary (Fiona3)

Edited by Fiona3

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Hobbes - April 2, 1994 to April 9, 2008-----Tasha - May 23, 2000 to March 31, 2013

Fiona - Aug 29, 2001 to May 5, 2014-----Bailey - March 22, 2001 to Jan 20, 2015

Zeke - June 1, 2004 - Jan 26, 2016----Callie - July 14, 2006 to July 27, 2019

Forever in my heart: Chooch, Molly, Dylan & Lucy

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Guest Winterwish

 

Have you tried Solid Gold's Barking At The Moon? It might be good for your grey too.

 

 

Also,it's a grainless kibble,and that may be what your grey needs.

 

I hope you'll soon find a solution for you and Audrey.

Edited by Winterwish
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I would try eliminating all grains in her diet, no rice, wheat, corn etc. Also no treats for now since most have grains and preservatives.

Greyhound angels at the bridge- Casey, Charlie, Maggie, Molly, Renie, Lucy & Teddy. Beagle angels Peanut and Charlie. And to all the 4 legged Bridge souls who have touched my heart, thank you. When a greyhound looks into you eyes it seems they touch your very soul.

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more then he loves himself". Josh Billings

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Della is going through the same thing. Bloodwork is fine. Two rounds of worming although no signs of worms. Two rounds of antibiotics and continuing the FortiFlora.

 

All four of ours had the big D a few months ago which we attributed it to a bad bag of food. Della just never recovered.

 

The vet has her on Hills Science diet, the z/d formula which has no allergens. We're not thrilled about Hills because it has either BHA or BHT (can't remember which one) and ethoxiquin (rubber preservative). It seems to be helping a little although she seems loose today.

 

The next step for her would be a protease (sp?) test being sent to Texas and if that comes back negative, endoscopy.

 

She goes back to the vet a week from Monday.

 

I'm surprised at how many on GT are dealing with this. Hope your baby gets better soon. :grouphug

 

 

Alice (missing 12/7/05), Wonder and Ben

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And our beloved Bridge Kids... Inky, Maui, Murphy, Ragamuffin, Della and Natalie

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Guest david_42

Mine have occasional bouts. But Cougar eats dirt and Katie is a scat-ivore, so I don't stress on it. I probably would if it lasted more than a week. They eat the same food (grain-based) month after month, so if it was a food allergy, it would be constant. They have more problems in the summer, when there are more small critters to catch.

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I agree with Greytlady 94 that food allergy could be the problem. When we eliminated all wheat products from our grey's diet (including treats) her colitis came under control. If you change the food, it needs to be done slowly----any change would upset our grey's intestines with undesirable results unless it was very slowly introduced. Once in awhile she would need a two week dose of Flagyl to calm things down. Since eliminating the wheat she has been doing greyt for 4-5 years.

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It's possible that she has a sensitivity or allergy to certain foods, especially since you noted that the bland diet produced really bad results. I would probably try the bland diet again with a different protein and carb source. So if you used chicken and rice, I would try beef and pasta, or fish and barley (the carb source should be really over-cooked and mushy). This way you are limiting her intake to only those two ingredients and can see what the results are on each. With problems like this I would be hesitant to use even a limited ingredient kibble, because it might be one of the preservatives or additives that is causing the problem, not the actual carb/protein and you won't know.

 

My greyhound had stools that ranged from soft-serve consistency to liquid when we first got him. Eventually we switched to a raw diet and now his stools are nice and firm, but you may not want to go this route. A tip for when you're walking her - bring a newspaper and stick it under her bum to catch the poo, or have a bag at the ready to catch it before it hits the ground.

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Guest Winterwish

Yes,I really hope you try Barking At The Moon because of the grain and gluten free qualities.

Edited by Winterwish
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Yes,I really hope you try Barking At The Moon because of the grain and gluten free qualities.

 

(Zoolady and Fiona3 Mary,I'm wondering if you ever tried it too? Dreamer had this problem for years--years. The fact that he goes normally now--well it's life changing.)

 

We did look at Barking At The Moon when we were trying different things but it was too costly for four. Maybe for one it might be possible. Just don't want to introduce anything new until she either settles down or they can't find anything wrong. Tummy gets hard and bloated when she's solid and just the reverse the more squirty she gets. :dunno He wanted her on a food that had a protein that she never had so we'll see what the next appointment brings. Thanks for the idea. Hopefully we get to try it. :colgate

Alice (missing 12/7/05), Wonder and Ben

Alice%20Sig.jpgWonder%20Prof%20Sig.JPGBen%20Sig.jpg

And our beloved Bridge Kids... Inky, Maui, Murphy, Ragamuffin, Della and Natalie

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Guest GreysAndMoreGreys

Just a thought and I'm not sure how long your girl has been away from the racing kennel life but maybe try a raw diet with a bit of kibble. Trying to stay along the lines of a racers diet.

 

Raw hamburger with Purina Hi Pro or Purina One, some macaroni or Rice, canned veggies

 

Just an idea that might work

 

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Guest irootoo

Wow, you guys are awesome! Thank you so much for the information, tips, and support. Short term, the tips about how to deal with the situation on walks are very useful and I'm going to implement them right away (can't believe I didn't think of the newspaper trick, but then, that's just how stressed I am by this). I'm also going to start checking on food allergies, and try feeding her a non-grain diet for a while, to see if that helps.

 

Thank you all so much--it helps me so much just to know that you have been there and understand what I'm dealing with. It's such a challenge emotionally when my guys aren't feeling well.

 

Blessings to you all,

Amanda

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Guest JudiK

My Copper had I.B.S (or Crones' - we opted not to do a biopsy of the bowel to find out), the Metronizide (sp.) helped, but we never got normal poops until vet drew some blood and sent it away for allergy testing. We received an allergy profile which showed that he was extremely allergic to lamb, beef and peas; he was moderately allergic to other things and mildly allergic to a few as well. This profile came with a list of foods (even treats) that we could buy at the pet store which he could eat. For his specific allergy profile, the Eukanaba non-allergic food which we'd been feeding him was one of the worst foods we could have fed. Purina One was suggested <g> - I never would have guessed that, but when we fed him only things he was not allergic to - he became a normal dog!

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Guest 2greygirls

I have dealt with this for years with Marble. Near as my vet and I can tell, after several tests turned up negative, she has some form of IBS. I would seriously look into limiting the corn and wheat products in the food. I feed Nutro Natural Choice Chicken Rice and oatmeal. When she has a flare-up, I pop her an Immodium, and I feed her a little less the next meal. I feed her only her kibbled with add-ins of chicken or turkey, sometimes beef. I find that one package of chicken boiled up will make a nice broth to add in with bits of meat. It lasts all week, so is actually cheaper than canned . After becoming an expert on the various cycles of the Big D ;) I will give it some time before panicking..It might be that your pup has some kind of virus that needs to run it's course, or that there is a food sensitivity, or as others suggested there could be parasitic involvement. Don't dispair, you are not alone.

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Guest irootoo

Hi, everyone! A quick update on Audrey--after reading all the posts, I decided to start with a gluten free meal of wild rice (had some cooked up already in the fridge), ground turkey, pumpkin, and coconut (I had just read it was good for diarrhea). After the first meal, her stool that evening was nearly perfect--and this after having had total liquid that morning. This morning, it was again just fine. I can hardly believe the change that took place after only a single meal--could it really be that simple?

 

I'm heading to the store to find a gluten free kibble to try--I'll probably start with Barking at the Moon, since that's been recommended. (I'm also going to print out this entire thread for my future reference, as I get very nervous about the Big D, and I feel the information you all have given me has been incredibly supportive and useful.) GreyTalk is definitely going to be my "go-to" place for any future questions or problems with my greys.

 

Thanks again to you all--wish us luck!

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Guest Winterwish

Interesting about the coconut! I'm glad your girl has had a couple of good digestive meals. :)

 

One thing tho',--it's always something right?-- but one thing is too much of he pumpkin can bring the D right back,so it might be good to pull back on that for now since it helped the way it was needed.

 

Good luck at the pet store,and even if you have to order a food online,that can be well worth being in the habit of doing.

Here's a website I find helpful,even just to poke around in as far as food varieties go:

pet food direct

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Guest lizmego
Hi, everyone! A quick update on Audrey--after reading all the posts, I decided to start with a gluten free meal of wild rice (had some cooked up already in the fridge), ground turkey, pumpkin, and coconut (I had just read it was good for diarrhea). After the first meal, her stool that evening was nearly perfect--and this after having had total liquid that morning. This morning, it was again just fine. I can hardly believe the change that took place after only a single meal--could it really be that simple?

 

I'm heading to the store to find a gluten free kibble to try--I'll probably start with Barking at the Moon, since that's been recommended. (I'm also going to print out this entire thread for my future reference, as I get very nervous about the Big D, and I feel the information you all have given me has been incredibly supportive and useful.) GreyTalk is definitely going to be my "go-to" place for any future questions or problems with my greys.

 

Thanks again to you all--wish us luck!

Yes, it really can be that simple if you've found the ingredient(s) that she is allergic to and removed it from her diet. Good luck! If it were me and Audrey has more bouts with the Big D I would spring for the allergy test if you can afford it, you'll save more time and heartache in the long run, instead of eliminating an ingredient one by one to determine what she is allergic to. Right now, you've eliminated wheat, but there could be other things you may feed that she may be allergic to. Start keeping a journal of what you've fed at each meal including add-ins and then report how the stools are in the journal as well.

 

Also if you have trouble finding the Solid Gold Barking at a local store, you can review their website www.solidgoldhealth.com and find who a distributor is for your area. Then call the distributor and see if they could contact a store near you that doesn't normally carry the Solid Gold but would be willing to order for you alone. I've done this a lot and the distributors that I have spoken with are very nice and accomodating. And most store are willing to do this to get you to come into the store and maybe you'll buy other items.

Edited by lizmego
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Guest irootoo

Thanks, Winterwish and Lizmego, for the additional information. I didn't know that about the pumpkin, so I'll stop with it now. If this returns, I'll definitely go for the allergy testing.

 

Just went to our local Chuck and Don's and they had the Solid Gold Barking, plus even gave me a couple of sample bags so I wouldn't have to open the whole bag. I must say their return policy is great, too.

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