Mac Daddy

[fourofem]

I've been fighting really loose poops with Mac Daddy since he arrived. The canned pumpkin seems to finally kicking in but maybe too well? It always takes him a while to get situated to poop....he squats for a while before anything happens. This afternoon he squatted longer than usual and then cried. I checked it out and he pooped a big ball....no wonder he cried. Yesterday was the first day I've seen a semi-good poop from him. Should I back him off on the pumpkin...too much fiber? I had him retested for worms and it came negative again.

 

Second question...with four dogs, I'll never have the perfect lawn but I've never really had a problem with yellow spots from where they pee. Dang, has that ever changed. Wherever Mac Daddy pees, the grass fries...it doesn't just turn yellow...it shrivels up and dies. I hadn't really noticed until the other day when I was cutting the grass. I had a spot (his favorite spot) that looked like sawdust. Looking around, I noticed several more sawdust looking places. What is up with that? Roundup doesn't work that quickly!

[Guest BlackandBrindle]

I'd back off the pumpkin and see if that helps with the poop.

 

Is he drinking as much as your other pups? I wonder if his urine is more concentrated thus the burn spots on the lawn? the only thing that I could suggest is pouring water over the spots after he pees to dilute and disperse it...

[DaisyDoodle]

Something he's eating isn't agreeing with him and his urine pH is off. I had Daisy on Innovo Evo for a while and it looked like I had a chemo doggie here. The lawn was brown wherever she peed.

[Anne]

Pumpkin is one of those things that's good if you can't go and good if you go too much, so I would kind of doubt that the pumpkin would constipate him. And since you mention that he's killing grass with his pee (over and above the normal grass killing!) I guess maybe I would ask if he's getting plenty of water? I worry about that with my dogs, so each of them gets water over their food both meals and that helps a lot on the water intake.

Good luck, and smooches to Mac Daddy.

 

[RobinM]

My back yard is straw in most places due to Polli.

 

As far as the poop goes, time to head to the other dircection, poor boy.

[fourofem]

I add warm water to everyone's meals...maybe I'll start adding a little bit to his. He won't care...he eats like there is no tomorrow. He doesn't seem to drink as much as the others but what can I do to change that? He has the same access all the others have but I have noticed that when he gets a drink, he drinks a lot. I'll try to adjust some things and see how it goes. Maybe he's holding it too long?

[greysmom]

I would seconf taking a look at his water intake. The pumplin should be good whichever way is the right way, but the immediate brown spots seems to point to a high urine concentration. All my pups get water on their food just to make sure they're getting the minimum.

 

Somebody had posted recently about how to check for dehydration - with pictures and everything. You might try searching for that thread as well.

 

greysmom

[Sambuca]

If he's having trouble pooping there could be a couple other reasons as well.

1. He could need his anal glands expressed. Either your vet or your groomer can check that. DO NOT DO IT YOURSELF.

If you don't know what you're doing (which I don't know either) you can pop the glands in the wrong direction with horrible results.

 

2. He could have either impacted or compacted (I can't remember which it's called) feces. Again, that's something your vet would have to check out. I'm a pet sitter and I was walking a dog 1 day and she had trouble pooping and was screaming in pain. This is the problem that she had.

 

I would also recommend adding water to his food.

 

Good luck and I hope he does better soon.

[CaliforniaGreys]

As far as dehydration, you can do the simple skin pull just like we do with people. Prior to the Cushings, Misty never really drank much and I would always worry especially here in the warm months. Always gave her gatorade, she loved it and was a big help keeping her hydrated

[Guest arlosmom]

Try some fortiflora, it seems to help mine and is less messy than the pumpkin. I also worry how long a can will keep after it is opened and sometimes the grocery store has only the big cans.

 

I brought King home today from GFNC. Was MacDaddy a West Virginia dog too?

[fourofem]

I add warm water to everyone's meals...maybe I'll start adding a little bit to his. He won't care...he eats like there is no tomorrow. He doesn't seem to drink as much as the others but what can I do to change that? He has the same access all the others have but I have noticed that when he gets a drink, he drinks a lot. I'll try to adjust some things and see how it goes. Maybe he's holding it too long?

I just reread what I typed...I already add water to his food. What I meant to say is that I'd add a little more than usual for a while. The skin pinch test is good...popping right back like it should. Today has been a really yucky day...rainy...so none of them have been out too much. Maybe he just needs to move around a little bit more. Hah! The boy has already figured out what beds are for! He's a big old slug on days like this! I'm hoping this is all just adjustment...new house, new food, new everything.

 

Try some fortiflora, it seems to help mine and is less messy than the pumpkin. I also worry how long a can will keep after it is opened and sometimes the grocery store has only the big cans.

 

I brought King home today from GFNC. Was MacDaddy a West Virginia dog too?

Fortiflora? What is that? Yes, Mac Daddy is a WV dog, too!!! Is King fuzzy? They told me that was a WV kind of coat!

Edited May 4, 2009 by fourofem

[Guest MAXNAV]

Both of my guys always burned the lawn. Navigator 4 years later still does. He's been tested, everything is fine. I just figure that's the way it's going to be. I do try to have him pee at the edge of the lawn, so we don't have yellow circles everywhere.

[MaryJane]

Have you tried oatmeal instead of pumpkin to get the poop firmer? Oatmeal seems to be easier on the GI tract and it adds fiber. It also helps if there are any underlying allergies in making the pups less itchy overall. I usually find that if it is gong to work - it takes about 24 hours. Since the oatmeal is cooked with water (and I also add milk), it tends to increase the overall daily water consumption and with that, the urine may be slightly less concentrated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest TBSFlame]

Do you have things for him to pee up on? I have several things in the yard for Flame to pee on. I think it is just adjustment from the kennel to home life.

[Guest arlosmom]

Try some fortiflora, it seems to help mine and is less messy than the pumpkin. I also worry how long a can will keep after it is opened and sometimes the grocery store has only the big cans.

 

I brought King home today from GFNC. Was MacDaddy a West Virginia dog too?

Fortiflora? What is that? Yes, Mac Daddy is a WV dog, too!!! Is King fuzzy? They told me that was a WV kind of coat!

 

King is fuzzy and has that WV coat too. They must have come in at the same time. I found out that he did not race. He was one of 11 pups ( huge litter) and only 3 of them raced yet he was 3 on Jan 18th. I wonder why they kept him around so long but I am glad they did because now he is mine. By the way he has D too. Fortiflora is a purina product of probiotics that you get from the vet. It is a powder you put on their food and it seems to help if the poop sample shows no other problems. It does cost more than pumpkin of course but since you are having trouble it might be worth a try. My vet gives me a rebate coupon periodically.

[duncan41]

Used to have a polka dot lawn until I switched to a grain-free, fish based food. Hope Mac Daddy get's some relief - and soon!