Loose Stool - When Do You See The Vet?

[RedFawnMom]

I know a lot of greyhounds have poop issues, so I'm wondering when you decide to visit the vet vs. trying some food switches, etc. Lucy never had consistently great poop, but this week it's been worse, she has the big D. She is also having horrible gas - not just bad gas, but really, really horrible. She's not needing to go out every hour like she did when she first came to us (she had worms) but she was pacing last night at 4 a.m. and that is very unlike her, so I got up and let her out and she did poop twice. She has been eating a ton of grass and vomited it up on Monday, but I wasn't alarmed because I have read here that it's fairly common, and she seems to do better if I give her a little bit of food mid-day and try to discourage the grass eating.

 

ANYWAY.....last night and this morning we omitted the tiny spoonful of wet food we usually add to her kibble (she won't eat it otherwise -- we started the wet food mix-in about a month ago) and gave her a big scoop of rice. She still had D this morning, so I'm planning on feeding chicken and rice over the weekend and no kibble.

 

So this is really long-winded, but when do you visit the vet for issues like this? Should I see if the food change helps over the weekend, or try to bring her in this evening or tomorrow a.m.? She is eating, drinking, peeing and playing like normal.

[Guest formercatlady]

Both of my pups just went through this and it lasted for 4-5 days. I fasted them for 24 hrs, started the bland diet and kept them on it for 3 days I think and just when I decided to take a "sample" to the vet things started to improve. They both acted fine - still running, playing - other than having the loose poo, so I didn't feel the need to rush them right to the vet.

 

Hope things clear up soon

[Trihounds]

While D almost always means there is some type of irritation, bug, issue, etc, we found the cure to soft poop by switching off kibble to raw food. The bones in raw firmed up our boys overnight and eliminate the paint peeling gas they used to emit.

 

Bumper was hospitalized in Aug for several days due to what we suspect now was an autoimmune issue. He had the big D start while AT the vet, when they fed him hospital food (was a relatively easy to digest one, can't recall what). Anyway, the D, I assumed, was due to stress/food change so I started bringing him his regular raw (which the techs gave without any concerns) and his D stopped and it firmed him back up in 2 days. I'm not suggesting you change foods or switch to raw, just passing on the story that the switch in our house had immediately positive results.

 

Hopy Lucy starts feeling better real soon.

[Guest Energy11]

Seems to be a "bug" like this going around. A good friend in Florida's dog had similiar symptoms. She put her on chicken and rice, and added a little Gatorade to her water, etc., and she was fine within a few days. I'd say, if this hasn't corrected itself by Monday, at the latest, then, yes see the vet, of course, over the weekend if necessary.

 

Hugs and good luck!

[RedFawnMom]

Ok, I feel better, thank you. I do want to wait if we can, as her regular vet works Monday - Thurs and I'd rather see her than someone else in the clinic if we can. I'm cooking some chicken as we speak and we'll stick to that and rice through the weekend and hope it clears up. I think I just needed some reassurance that I wasn't being a horrible dog mom by not taking her to the vet today. Thank you!