Getting Rid Of D - Green Bag Isn't Working

[Guest MrsKuchta]

Roobie has been exclusively on green bag for the last 3-4 days and is still having D. We've tried pumpkin puree, pumpkin treats, and this morning we tried some greek yogurt as well. She was on the medicine for D that the adoption group gave us and it didn't help either. She's going twice or three times a day, usually about 2-3 hours after eating...and except for last night she has been getting up at around 2-3AM to go again. I took away the rawhide bones I was giving her to see if that was it, and it still hasn't improved. Changed treats as well and it hasn't improved either.

 

If the greek yogurt doesn't help, I'm willing to try anything. She's due for her vetting after the holidays to get spayed and we were going to have a stool sample done then...and she just had her dewormer when we got her and I haven't seen anything that looks like worms in her stool.

 

FWIW as well...she seems a little "depressed" as well. It may just be her personality, we haven't had her long enough to tell, but she sleeps a lot and doesn't get excited for treats, walks, car rides, etc. I've touched her belly and it isn't tender or hard.

 

I feel terrible, I can't imagine having D for over a week is an enjoyable experience for anyone, but especially when she doesn't understand why! Help!!

[Guest Celestrina]

1. Take a deep breath. It's still early and she hasn't had much time to settle in. That can cause the big d.

 

2. How much are you feeding?

 

3. Skip a meal and try just boiled rice and ground beef for a couple days. No add-ins or treats.

[Guest MrsKuchta]

She's getting 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups in the evening. Plus treats each time she goes in her crate/goes outside.

[Guest Celestrina]

How much does she weigh? Between that and the treats it sounds like a lot of food. Too much food can give the big d.

[Guest MrsKuchta]

We haven't gotten her on a scale since we brought her home, but she's a good weight...probably 65# or so. They were feeding her 3.5-4 cups each day in the morning at the adoption kennel so we just slowly split that up into about 2 cups in the morning and evening.

[Guest Celestrina]

Three plus treats should be enough.

[macoduck]

Stop the pumpkin. It can have the opposite effect on some dogs.

I'd also stop the yogurt for now. It may be too sweet or rich.

3-4 days on the green bag? I'd give it some more time.

[Guest RMarie]

What macoduck said.

[Guest sirsmom]

She may have a certain bacteria, not necessarily worms that is causing this. Iams works or our dogs by the 2nd day. The vet will give you the correct diagnosis.

[OwnedBySummer]

I wouldn't give any yogurt, either. Dairy (lactose) and dogs don't always go well together. Here's a clip from a website: "Some dogs have no problems digesting dairy products. Yet others experience acute intestinal distress — like gas, diarrhea or vomiting."

 

That's also a LOT of kibble for your pup, who isn't particularly large. Normally comparing kibble doesn't work well but I also feed Iams to my girl, who is larger at 70 lbs. She gets 1-1/4 cups for breakfast and a 13oz can of moist food for dinner and just a few dehydrated meat treats during the day. I realize this isn't a straight kibble-to-kibble comparison but 4 cups a day is an awful lot -- is she crazy active and running with greyhounds every day?

 

Personally, I'd cut back the kibble. If she can't digest the quantity, it's going to come out the other end...

You could also add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of well cooked white rice to a few meals, as rice is a binder.

 

I don't remember from your previous posts... she doesn't have any internal parasites, right?

Edited November 25, 2013 by OwnedBySummer

[RedHead]

I wouldn't add in any extras (no pumpkin, no yogurt, etc). Get some cheap chicken parts (thighs are the cheapest) at the grocery store and boil them in a pot of water with some white rice until everything is very well cooked. Shred the chicken into the rice and feed it with some of the liquid. It is highly digestible and bland so may give her system a rest for a few days. If it is still a problem, I would look into an elimination diet, or parasites. Hookworms are VERY common in greyhounds and very hard to get rid of, so even if she has used a dewormer they could still be there. You can't usually see them either.

 

Good luck!

[cleptogrey]

rice and boiled beef and a stool sample to the vet. most likely after a round or two of that wonder drug flagyl she'll be fine. but don't quote me, i'm not a vet- it can be worms, he may prescribe tylan powder and another round of his choice of wormers. dogs can eat rice and boiled beef for a good amount of time. she needs time to get her gut/intestines back in order. btw, dogs drink much much less when they are eating rice- it's mostly water. but good for the tummy. do talk to your vet about feeding rice for a while then slowly introducing a kibble,1/4c at a time. it is a cheap, good replacement for expensive id diet.

 

i never use pumpkin, yogurt or anything else when my dogs' guts are off.

[Feisty49]

Annie is on Iams green bag but she occasionally gets really soft poos, albeit formed. What brings her back to better poo is FortiFlora every day for a couple of weeks.

[Guest FreeholdHound]

What worked for Harry was low sodium chicken broth w/ over cooked elbow macaroni (worked better than rice for him). Plain white bread pieces for a treat. You can also add in unflavored Pedialyte. He's 82lbs and now gets 1 1/2 cups of kibble 2x's a day. Adoption group's instructions were 4cups/day plus a 1/4 can of canned --- way too much food for him.

[RaineysMom]

Zeke had D for 3 months after we got him until we knocked out the hookworms that were in him (4 rounds of deworming). You baby most likely has worms

[Piper]

Our pooch had an issue with very loose stools after we adopted her last summer. It took about six to eight weeks to clear it up. At 65 lbs, we kept her on 1 1/2 cups of the same good quality dried food twice a day with a few spoonfuls of rice and a slosh of warm water over everything. We also gave her about half a banana a day but no other treats. The rice and banana really seemed to help bind things together. A few times almost too well. We tried yogurt because she had nasty gas but it seemed to loosen everything up, and although she loved it we quit adding it. Every time there was a change in routine or new people in the house, things would loosen up again. It seems to be the way she reacts to stress. Once she seemed to get used to us and her new routines, the loose stools and gas problem have pretty much dissipated.

[Guest IrskasMom]

What Macoduck said

[Guest Doggone]

Barring worms or some digestive bacteria, I agree with much of the other posters regarding quantity. Autumn is about 70 lbs. and gets @ 1 1/2 cups of IAMS green bag in the morning, and a cup of that kibble with 1/3 can of wet food at night. She also gets the equivalent of about 3 Kirkland biscuits/bones as treats per day.

 

When she came to me she was on some premium dry food from the adoption group. Although she didn't have diarrhea, she made "puddings" and the gas was horrendous! Even after settling in, those issues remained until I switched her to IAMS.

 

I've also learned she CANNOT have rawhide or bully sticks! She loves them, but they put her back into "pudding" mode for days afterward. She now gets only either the Himalayan dog chews, or very hard bones........things that take her a long, long time to finish.

 

Little by little, you'll find out what works for Roobie and what she needs to avoid. Good luck

[Guest MrsKuchta]

Well...we are starting to have formed, but still soft poops. It's better than it was, for sure! I'm assuming that means that she just needed some time to get used to everything and for the food to settle her stomach. We've been giving her 1.5 cups of Iams every morning and evening, no yogurt or pumpkin any more. Poops are slowly getting more solid...but woah gas...I guess we'll get there eventually. Scheduled for vet visit and fecal exam Thursday so hopefully no worms and hopefully they'll be able to figure out her dry skin issues as well. Thanks everyone!!

[3DogNite]

Sounds like your on the right track!

If you've tried all the above, and there is no parasites or allergy to food that you can rule out:

 

try RX Clay to stop runny Poop,, google it - purchase on line, it's not expensive, just sprinkle on food - it absorbs excess water

or

Slippery Elm - get powdered, mix 1/2 tsp with hot water into a pudding constancy and syringe into mouth (no needle) 3 times a day. this will coat the stomach and intestinal track. (I make a big batch and keep in the frig. maybe 2 tblspoons of slippery elm)

or

Digestive enzymes and probiotics

[Padfootx13]

Our dog had issues with loose stools right from the get go 2 months ago and then we put him on a high-protein (grain free) chicken based food with some slow transitioning from the adoption center's instructions. They had him on WD because he had hookworm when he came off the track in March. We tried 1 medium-sized bag of the high-quality diet and while at first his stool didn't change, it eventually turned to full-on D. We fed him rice and boiled ground beef and pumpkin for a few days and that firmed everything up but it wasn't until we switched from the grain free to a lower-protein beef and barley diet that his stool REALLY improved. Now we feed him a little less than 2 cups of kibble and 1 "dollop" of pumpkin each morning and night to sustain his weight at ~65lbs and everything is great! I think it just takes some patience and gradual experimentation. Good luck!