What Now? Unexplained Diarrhea

[MaryJane]

Have you tried adding oatmeal (long cooking one) into the food? This will usually have enough fiber that it helps to firm up the stool but, it usually does not work if the GI tract is still inflamed (bloody stool).

 

As noted earlier, dogs don't usually develop a problem with food "out of the blue" but, if the dog develops an issue with the digestive tract because of other issues such as worms, bad food, reaction to medicines or because of medicines killing good bacteria, then food that they were originally on could cause issues.

 

You could also add some apples especially the peels into the food as that is also high in fiber. If the dog has been on Flagyl or antibiotic then you need to add some yogurt or probiotics like Forti-Flora to replenish their good bacteria in the gut.

 

I'm not a fan of fasting but then again, my dogs are always on home-made so the food is not processed and because of this, is easy to digest and they would not need to fast. From my experience, fasting was usually recommended because a dog is on processed food which is harder to digest.

 

 

edited to add ..

 

I just reread your first post and it looks like the diarrhea started from a hot dog. There was probably some ingredient that triggered the reaction and this is the same thing that happened with Larry (chicken, bad water, or meds). It took about 2 months (give or take) to get Larry's diarrhea completely under control - he got better and then Lucy had a seizure which upset Larry so much that the diarrhea came back. He went thru the Flagyl twice with 1 week each time with plenty of yogurt, Forti-Flora, slight change in diet. I'm not sure if it is helping Larry but, I'm also giving more treats during the day because I want to make sure Lucy's sugar stays stable.

Edited September 5, 2011 by MaryJane

[PrairieProf]

Chris I found the information I pasted lower here

http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C583962.html

 

Based on the information I wonder if W/D with a 8.8% fat and 27.8% insoluble fiber compared to I/D with 14.3% fat and only 4.4% insoluble fiber wouldn't be more appropriate for Dorie's condition.

 

 

 

Not to argue that the W/D high fiber might not work, but your numbers aren't accurate -- Hill's lists its guaranteed analysis of nutrients on a dry matter basis online, so it's not comparable to what you're used to. I/D dry is in reality ("as fed") 22% protein, 9% fat; I/D canned is 5.6% protein, 2.0% fat (minimums). So it is low fat, but lower fiber too -- it's a low residue vs. a high fiber food.

[4My2Greys]

To get a more accurate comparison between foods you want to compare on a dry matter basis.

 

This from the Hill's website on dry matter %s

¹The nutrient in the product after moisture is removed. It is used to make direct comparisons of nutrient profiles of products with differing moisture contents.

 

If she is dealing with bacterial dysbiosis it is just as important for the food to be high fiber as well as low fat and low protein. The only food that fits that bill is the W/D dry. Goodness knows every knows how I feel about the Science Diet prescription foods, but it seems they can be of benefit at times. However, if your going to use one it needs to be

the appropriate one for the situation and not the one others happen to be using.

I'll say again I'm not saying this is her problem, but at the very least it should be mentioned. Vets may have the training, but they are not always spot on in their diagnoses. If that were the case Nadir would not have suffered with a painful corn for over 2 years while vets diagnosed him with various things from diskospondylosis to having a partially torn cruciate ligament for which they put him on NSAIDs that I'm still dealing with the damage from.

 

ETA: I like MaryJane's suggestion of homecooked even better than the W/D. The low protein, low fat, high fiber could be accomplished with a non-fatty fish and oatmeal combination. Also the addition of pre- and probiotics.

Edited September 5, 2011 by 4My2Greys

[greyhead]

This sounds a lot like what happened with Spencer before we diagnosed his SIBO via a fecal culture. I don't think a fecal culture has been done yet, has it? Spencer's germ was Clostridium perfringens, and it took three antibiotics to cure it. One of them was metronidazole, but it wasn't enough by itself. We wasted a lot of time with changing foods, adding fiber, and testing for worms. He ended up with IBD as a result. It sounds to me like it's time to investigate a small-intestine bacterial overgrowth.

 

 

[greysmom]

We hve been feeding the Canidae Sea Life to everyone with no problems for six months or so. I originally switched only Dude as high protein/high fat/low carbs is what was recommended for his osteo, and everyone else liked it, so we started feedingit to them all. But I never thought about that diet in regards to Dorie's propensity for stomach upset. Particularly if it is trending towards pancreatitis, this is not what she should be eating.

 

I'll be calling our vet Tuesday (they're closed for the Holiday) and will discuss all this with them. Dorie is no better so far today, but she's also no worse.

 

Thank you everyone! I so appreciate your discussions and ideas!

[Guest Scouts_mom]

I have no advise to add to what you have been given, but please let sweet Dorie know that Henry and Mindy are thinking of their ex-foster sister. Get well, sweet Dorie!

[BatterseaBrindl]

For Dorie

 

And Chris

[4My2Greys]

Any improvement with Dorie? Hope your able to get some good information when you talk to the vet.

[greysmom]

I've been feeding her small amounts of canned I/D every 3-4 hours since Saturday night. She is still having diarrhea, but the amount is very small and it's not completely water. And she will go for long stretches without having any - going outside just to pee! She's hungry and her demeanor is a lot brighter. I did add a couple small spoons of rice to her breakfast - we'll see how that goes. So, while it's not all good news, it's not all bad news either.

 

I'll be waiting for EVER to get a call back from the vet, so for now, we're just continuing as we've been.

[greysmom]

Well, not much is going to change for a couple days. Continuing the small, frequent meals of I/D canned, and her metronidazole, and adding in some natural vegetable fiber to see if that will firm up her poops.

 

If that doesn't do the trick then we're on to bloodwork and ultrasounds and things get much more expensive. I will be talking with them again on Thursday to report any progress, or lack thereof.

 

I do really like our vet clinic - or rather, I like the individual vets at our vet clinic. They've gotten to know me over the years so they trust my judgement about what I can do and handle. They don't treat me lke a moron who doesn't know anything or have an ability to understand anything complicated. And they are very conscious of what things cost and trying to keep treatment options as affordable as possible.

 

The clinic itself, in general, I don't like so much. It's a walk-in only place so no making appointments. This means you can go and often wait an hour or more to see someone. It's small so there's not a lot of room if you *are* waiting. It's pretty much a general dog-an-cat place. One of the vets has had greyhounds before, but you never know who you're going to get when you go there. I've been considering changing clinics to one with really grey-savvy vets that some friends of ours use. Ah well. We'll see how things go.

 

Thank you everyone for all your good thoughts and suggestions

[crazygang]

Poor Dorie....hope she improves soon...

 

We use Kaogel prescribed from the vets and Dorwest herbs tree bark powder for malabsorbtion in conjunction with digestive suppliment tablets both bought from ebay....they are supposed to help loose stools and from our experience this appears to work but consult your vet first. There's also a Dorwest Herbs advice line...

 

We feed CSJ Natural (wheat and gluten free) lamb and rice complete dog food with white fish or boiled chicken as an extra tastey treat each mealtime

Edited September 7, 2011 by crazygang