Red Has Loose Stools - Any Suggestions

[Guest valtoy]

I haven't been around much since my Ham died last November from Bone Cancer, but my new greyhound Red is a real sweetie, although a bit accident prone! First a tail cut in January that needed stitches, then he cracked the toenail (the dew claw on the front leg) running and it broke off really short and bled, but I got that one stopped. Now he has had very loose stools since last Friday, but seems to be very healthy otherwise - he is eating well, playing, running, active, not sick, but has sort of a diarreah when we go for walks. No urgency though, sometimes he doesn't go for 6 hours, so he is not getting dehydrated or anything. Had his stool tested at the vet and a few bacteria showed up (but the vet doesn't know why or how and just wanted me to give him antibiotics. I'm not a fan of pills especially if the dog doesn't seem sick, so I hesitated and have an appointment with a "natural vet" for an Eastern and western exam to see if it could be fixed by diet or something else. Have to wait a week though. He seems fine, but I'm not used to having a dog with loose stools for so long...I just can't see using antibiotics and then having the same thing return in a month or so (since we don't know why he got it in the first place) and what then, more antibiotics over and over, ruining his immune system???? I went on the net and decided to try pumpkin puree, and other stuff to see if I can firm them up. Changed his food to Iams Lamb and Rice hard food (from hard minichunks) hamburger and rice for lunch and 2 cups of the Iams for dinner with a tablespoon of cottage cheese. Haven't tired the pumpkin yet...will tomorrow if no change. Any suggestions.

 

Valerie

[MaryJane]

Try some oatmeal and hamburger in the morning meal for about two days and then add some apple (about 1/2 apple) with the peel (no core). This usually works to firm up my foster's stools within a day or two. Both the oatmeal and the apple skin have plenty of fiber.

 

You may also want to add a tablespoon or two of yogurt after the evening meal. This helps to repopulate the "good" bacteria in the gut.

 

 

[Guest BlackandBrindle]

Did the diarrhea start after the food change or did you change food because of the diarrhea? How long since the food change? It could just be him reacting to the new food.

 

Personally, if he has had diarrhea for a week, he needs to be on a bland diet (no kibble at all) imo. Boiled hamburger, a little rice, and MAYBE a scrambled egg for a little more protein, fed in small meals throughout the day...

 

I'd eliminate everything else, including treats and cottage cheese. He could be lactose intolerant? I can tolerate dairy for a while and then all the sudden every bit of dairy makes my system react...

 

For a dog who has had diarrhea that long, I'd say go ahead with the antibiotics. One round is not going to ruin his immune system.

 

Has he been tested for parasites? Giardia is a common one that is not always apparent, as are hook worms. You might want to worm him and see if the diarrhea gets better.

[Ullaluv]

Antibiotics won't destroy the immune system, but some of them will actually cause diarrhea. Tey kill off the good bacteria and let the bad guys run wild.

[Guest SoulsMom]

Are we talking 'liquid poop' or just 'soft serve'?

[Guest valtoy]

I changed his food AFTER the diareha, as I thought maybe his food was bad...no change. The tablespoon of cottage cheese came way after, so that didn't bother him. He is hungary all the time, so I don't want to fast him, so this morning started a bland diet with no dog food, just 1/4 cup of boiled chicken breast to 3/4 cups of rice with 1 tablespoon of pumpkin (found this on the internet last night and thought I would try - the natural vet said pumpkin was okay.

I will try this for 2 to 3 days with no dog treats. I was probably bad giving him dry dog food this whole time and then when he begged for treats, also gave him 2 to 4 Milk bone biscuits every day, so even with the added rice, I wasn't changing enough. No blood in stool -that's good and today it is not as watery, just soft and he is very active. He sleeps all night, so no getting up to go out every hour or anything. I just hope his anal glands don't plug up with these soft stools, that is another problem.

 

I will try some probiotic yogart too for the good bacteria. Thanks everyone.

 

Valerie

[Batmom]

If he's had watery stool for that long, he's got some inflammation in his digestive tract and needs meds. Do not understand why you wouldn't take the meds the first vet offered (probably metronidazole, which is an antibiotic with antiinflammatory properties) and treat your dog.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Personally I think milk bones are garbage. Thats just my opinion. My boy Bart gets loose stool if he has any of those "cute" treats you buy at the pet store. I have to give him kibble or the dried meat treats. When I train him, I usually just give him some pulled boiled chicken.

 

[Guest valtoy]

I guess since I have fed Milk Bones Flavor Snacks and regular since my first greyhound over 10 years ago with no ill effects, I like Milk Bones as snacks.

 

So far, since his change to boiled chicken/rice and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree this morning and 3 time today, he hasn't gone to the bathroom yet, so I hope I didn't bound the poor guy up...ha ha.

 

Anyway, it's better than his having to go every 4 hours and make puddles! He also seems happier and livlier today, so I'm sticking to this diet for 3 days and then when he goes, if it is harder, will slowly get him back to dog food, maybe with a little yogart with good bacteria in it.

 

If not, I still have my appointment with the natural Eastern vet next week. I just don't like giving antibiotics unless absolutely necessary.

 

I don't take them myself and in the case of cancer, I also would NOT go thru chemo.

 

Valerie

[Guest tumeria33]

I just solved this problem myself so I can relate. Isis had full blown diarreah and we ended up taking her to an emergency vet at midnight. Her stool sample came back negative for parasites but she did have an overgrowth of bad bacteria in her intestinal tract. The vet put her on antibiotics for 10 days. That fixed the watery diarreah, but her stools remained soft and muddy. On the advise from this forum, I added 2 tablespoons of pumpkin and some probiotics to her food. It took only 24 hours and she was making normal stools. It did the trick. Use only real whole pumpkin with no other added ingredients.

[Guest LindsaySF]

If he's had watery stool for that long, he's got some inflammation in his digestive tract and needs meds. Do not understand why you wouldn't take the meds the first vet offered (probably metronidazole, which is an antibiotic with antiinflammatory properties) and treat your dog.

Agreed.

 

Do a bland diet, treat him with some metronidazole, and see if it firms up. I would also give probiotics.

 

If the vet saw abnormal bacteria in the stool and was concerned about it, you really need to get that treated. I don't think a holistic or natural vet is gonna cut it.

 

 

[KF_in_Georgia]

My guys love Milk Bone treats, but I don't use them. The ingredients aren't bad--unless your dog (like my Sam) has an allergy to wheat. Wheat is the number one ingredient in many treats...including Milk Bone.

 

The wheat triggers diarrhea in Sam. I cut out wheat-based treats and also changed to a kibble that did not include wheat. You might try cutting wheat out of your dog's diet and see if there's any improvement.

 

 

[greyhead]

We have been going through a bout of serious SIBO -- small intestine bacterial overgrowth -- with one of our greys. It got serious because it took months of the vet not catching it until I insisted that they test his poop for bacteria. By that time he had lost 10 pounds and was to lose 10 more before we were done. During all those months he never lost his appetite or energy until he just about crashed. He was also seeing a holistic vet, for acupuncture and chiropractic and chinese herbs (for spinal issues), in addition to his traditional vet. The holistic vet couldn't help the diarrhea/soft stool and bacterial problem. So follow your traditional vet's instructions and give the antibiotic.

 

Whatever die-off of good bacteria may occur can be easily rectified with probiotics. However, if the bad bacteria persist, your dog will likely develop malabsorption and a permanent inability to manufacture B12 in the gut. He will eat a lot, but he won't be getting enough nutrients. Seriously.