Loose Stool

[Guest kdmews]

I need some advice. My 5 year old greyhound has always had loose stool -- soft serve ice cream variety. I have tried changing foods, I have tried probiotics, I have tried just about everything. Everytime I try something new, it seems to work for a few weeks and then we are right back to where we started from. Well, two weeks ago, he injured himself in the backyard chasing a squirrel and had to have stitches in his leg. The vet also prescribed antibiotics (he was getting 1,000 mg. of Cephalaxin two times per day for a total of 2,000 mg. per day). His stool was fantastic while on the antibiotics. He has now been off the antibiotics since Tuesday and his stool is 100 times worse than it ever was before. It is pure water, no form whatsoever. I know he cannot be on antibiotics for the rest of his life, but usually antibiotics cause digestion problems -- in his case, it cleared everything up and now that he is off the antibiotics, he is worse than ever.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do, what I can try, etc. I'm at my wits end.

 

Thanks.

Diane

[Guest Ola]

I'm assuming he's been checked for worms and has the all-clear there, right?

 

Can you try some raw foods? I mean raw meat and bone, like chicken leg quarters or turkey necks. It was the only thing that resolved my grey's "pudding poop". I would try it for a few meals so you can see how he will respond.

[greyhead]

Hi Diane. I totally understand your frustration. It sounds like it could be SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. You should have a lab run a C&S (culture and sensitivity test) on your dog's poop. That can identify which bacteria is causing the SIBO and which antibiotic(s) can kill it.

 

FWIW, we had a huge problem with this in our then 7-y/o Spencer. In his case the bacteria were two strains of Clostridium perfringens, something most vets only expect to see in German Shepherds. And it took all three recommended antibiotics to kill it. He was on the various a/b's for about 8 weeks altogether.

[Guest kdmews]

Yes, checked for worms and all was okay there.

 

I think raw may be the only other option.

[Batmom]

If he was better on antibiotics, might ask the vet to culture the stool for giardia.

[JohnF]

Give your dog some plain live yoghurt mixed in their food. Those good bacteria in the yoghurt will make less space for the bad ones to thrive.

For a potential cure have cultures grown from stool samples and opt for the appropriate antibiotic therapy.

[Guest Stripeyfan]

Kelly has been on ABs since the end of March (plus steroids) after he started with diarrhea which just wouldn't clear up and was found to have worms, which have left him with IBD. The vet thought at first he had SIBO as a secondary problem to damage from the worms; now, she thinks they are having an anti-inflammatory effect, as whenever he comes off them he has D again within 24-48 hrs, yet is able to manage on a much lower dose of them than he'd need for an infection. I know others on here have dogs on low, long-term ABs such as flagyl, without any problems, for this reason.

 

Kelly gets his ABs in the morning and evening, and we give him a probiotic in the middle of the day, as our vet told us probiotics can help the GI tract, even when the dog is on ABs - as long as they're not given together. We give a special 'dog' probiotic that is more potent than yoghurt. It's also helped lessen the side effects of the ABs and the other meds he's on, as they were starting to upset his tummy and he was eating a lot of grass.

 

One other thing - although Kelly doesn't have pancreas problems, we give enzymes to help make it easier for him to digest his food. Would it be worth asking your vet about this, if your boy's problems don't stem from a more specific cause such as parasites? And have they done any tests to check if he's absorbing nutrients properly?

 

I hope you can solve this, let us know how things go.

[Guest Stacie1071]

I need some advice. My 5 year old greyhound has always had loose stool -- soft serve ice cream variety. I have tried changing foods, I have tried probiotics, I have tried just about everything. Everytime I try something new, it seems to work for a few weeks and then we are right back to where we started from. Well, two weeks ago, he injured himself in the backyard chasing a squirrel and had to have stitches in his leg. The vet also prescribed antibiotics (he was getting 1,000 mg. of Cephalaxin two times per day for a total of 2,000 mg. per day). His stool was fantastic while on the antibiotics. He has now been off the antibiotics since Tuesday and his stool is 100 times worse than it ever was before. It is pure water, no form whatsoever. I know he cannot be on antibiotics for the rest of his life, but usually antibiotics cause digestion problems -- in his case, it cleared everything up and now that he is off the antibiotics, he is worse than ever.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do, what I can try, etc. I'm at my wits end.

 

Thanks.

Diane

 

After months of numerous tests, food changes, various medications and pro biotics to help my grey with diarrhea, the vet gave us Arabinogalactan last Friday to add fiber to his food. By Saterday evening, he had the first normal poo since I adopted him in June. Finally something that worked!