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Fortiflora For Dog With Stomach Issues...advice On How To Use Needed..


Guest StanleyCDog

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Guest StanleyCDog

Hello,

Just received my order of Purina FortiFlora. It was recommended by many to me on this site. My Grey Stanley who I have had for 4 weeks has horrible D. The kind that is keeping us up all night every few days. The Wellness food my rescue recommended just doesn't agree with him. Stanley has been on a chicken and rice diet for almost 2 weeks and has been better. My vet wants to have me transition him to Iams Vetinary Formula Intestinal Plus/Low Residue food. I tried adding 1/4 to his 2 plus cups of food per meal once this past Friday and the D reared its ugly head all night Friday into Saturday. So he has been only on chicken and rice since then. Should I just start off adding the FortiFlora to the chicken and rice and see how it goes! Do I add it all to one meal or break up between breakfast and dinner? How long should I wait before I start adding in the Iams?

I would appreciate any advice/experinces anyone could give! I love that I found this site as I have felt a little helpless and on my own for the past month before greytalk...

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Fortiflora was recommended to us by our vet for Wendy's gas issues and it has worked like a charm for the past 8 years. She gets one whole packet sprinkled on her dinner every night. I don't see why you couldn't add it to the chicken and rice. BTW, I buy it on Amazon. Good luck!\

Irene ~ Owned and Operated by Jenny (Jenny Rocks ~ 11/24/17) ~ JRo, Jenny from the Track

Lola (AMF Won't Forget ~ 04/29/15 -07/22/19) - My girl. I'll always love you.

Wendy (Lost Footing ~ 12/11/05 - 08/18/17) ~ Forever in our hearts. "I am yours, you are mine".

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There should be directions on the box/packets, but I think I remember giving it once a day.

 

Remember, this is just a probiotic, not a miracle. It will take a week or so to take effect - maybe as long as two weeks. Hopefully your vet also gave you something to help sooth and coat his stomach like metronidazole

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

52592535884_69debcd9b4.jpgsiggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly

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Have you tried giving your dog unsweetened pumpkin or sweet potatoes? Also metamucil works by adding fiber. All these things will bulk up the stool.

Irene Ullmann w/Flying Odin and Mama Mia in Lower Delaware
Angels Brandy, John E, American Idol, Paul, Fuzzy and Shine
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I've tried the Fortiflora, it basically gets the system back in check like a probiotic should, but is by no means a drug. Kasey received one packet with every meal for about three days and then went to once a day.

 

Have you ever found the cause of the D? Switching foods often can cause D because his system just isn't settling down. If you've only had him for 4 weeks, there could be a lot of issues at play here. I assume you are feeding kibble? Have you considered feeding a bland diet of some cooked rice and broth for a couple of days to see how his stomach reacts? It's best to start at square one to figure out what is going on. Also hopefully you are eliminating any and all scraps or other food that might be messing with his stomach. I'm assuming the vet has done all the tests for Giardia, etc.?

Proudly owned by:
10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 2010
12.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015

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Maintenance is 1x/day, but twice a day won't be a problem while you help build up his gut.

 

Be aware (as you do other treatment options) that adding probiotics while taking antibiotics is a waste of money (the antibiotics kill off the probiotics).

 

Good luck!! And please let us know how things are progressing.

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Has your Vet ever prescribed Flagyl (Metronidazole) for your pups diarrhea? I would definitely recommend a course of that and then the probiotic. When we first adopted Dylan, we had a heck of a time getting his stools firm, but we did. Good luck. Give your Vet a call today and get the Rx.

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Guest StanleyCDog

Hello all,

Thanks for the input. My dog was dewormed with Drontal 2 weeks after I got him then the follow up dose of anthalban 2 weeks later. Also was on a 10 day course of metronidazole 500mg. Nothing was helping D so rescue kennel said it was the food that probably didn't agree with Stanley. Started hi on a bland diet of boiled chicken breast and rice and it will be two weeks this Friday that he has been on bland diet. Just started adding purina FortiFlora last night to his dinner. Tried pumpkin while he was still on his Wellness food but that was not helping at all, if anything making it worse. He has been finally sleeping thru the night for the past week so I just started today adding a tablespoon of the Iams Vetinary intestinal low residue formula. Will see how it goes. The fecal I submitted this past sat came back negative. Will submit another at the end of this week to see if it remains the same or we catch some persistent little buggers!

Thanks for everyone's suggestions!

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How about Oleow carrots? They really work amazing for the Big D and help calm the digestive system. I've heard of people whose hounds have never had a "normal" poop in years and after trying the Olewo carrots they are normal.

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I can relate to the big D. Our Remy was at the point of explosive, uncontrolable, bouts last night in the house, he was howling in so much pain. we went to E-vet at midnight and $360.00 later. Flagyl, forti-flora, and Hills special diet. he had rice and chicken with 1 packet of forti-flora on top. only about 1 cup total of food. he ate it as if it was normal food.

 

i ordered Olewo beets and carrots from Amazon today.

 

keep feeding the rice and chicken, when you add in kibble, make sure it is mushy.

 

I hope Stanley is firming up and feeling better soon.

Peggy - Pete (Wild Pan Thief), Remy (Exotic Ziricote) Buddy the Golden 11-26-04 to 9-18-15, the KATZ - Ozzy, Freckles, Jake and Elwood Hubba, Desert Tortoises Tortilita, and Athena. and when I figure out how to make a PET collage they will all be included in this signature. I included my 2 most recent fosters. Marie a sweet darling of a girl. And Willie, a dog I want to keep. He is a loveable mushy boy.

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Guest StanleyCDog

Well, Stanley has been on FortiFlora for a little over a week and I had started adding the Iams vetinary gastrointestinal formula to her rice and chicken and her poops are back to D. I don't know if I should stop the food or the FortiFlora first to see if it is one or the other. I love my dog and would make him chicken and rice permanently, however this is not feasible if I go away and need to board or have a pet sitter. Considering the oleow carrots, but don't want to add another thing until I figure out the other stuff. Getting up at 3 am and then 5 am for poor Stanley is not fun!

Stanley is a him, not sure why I called him her twice. My last rescue whippet was a girl, I guess that is it!

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Just thought I'd share this for those that are using forti-flora. I have a dog (non-grey) who after multiple bouts of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, has to be on probiotics for maintenance. The fortiflora was too expensive for me so I did research to see if there were other options and "Probios" was recommended. Rascal had had 3 HGE episodes in 4 months before probiotics, but none since I started him on the Probios powder (I think we're at about 8 months since the last attack). It's much cheaper than forti-flora but seems to be doing the job. I give it to my other dogs, too, since there doesn't seem to be any harm (and it's not expensive)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Probios-CHR-404-PROBIOS%C2%A0POWDER%C2%A0CHR404-240-g/dp/B001BM1QRC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1441370272&sr=8-3&keywords=probiotic+powder

~Amanda

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It will start to seem overwhelming as to what to feed, add, etc. One of my greys did not do well with anything chicken. Only beef or fish. When he had the explosive stools, cleared of all parasites by the way, the vet put him on a Hills prescription food that contained corn and chicken and things went from bad to worse! I kept him on a boiled mushy rice and boiled hamburger beef with as much fat removed as possible. Once his stomach settled I slowly introduced beef based kibble mixed in.

 

Once things regulated themselves, I stuck with only beef or fish based grain free kibble. Also added Olewo carrots, which I think work wonderfully. Probiotics, pumpkin, yogurt, never worked for him. If he got a chicken based treat, mushy poops resulted. Guess you will see that it is a trial and error process. Some greys have no trouble with anything they eat and some are very sensitive.

 

Try to just settle his stomach with very few ingredients. It may be a process of elimination as to what he will tolerate. Even Milbones set my guy off. Good luck -

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Guest StanleyCDog

Greyhound lady,

Do you mind if I ask what beef based kibble you are feeding your grey? The rescue recommended Wellness which was too rich for Stanley. Moved him to chicken and rice and he was able to go through the night with out having a big D episode in the middle of the night. My vet recommended the Iams vetinary low residue gastrointestinal formula(which is also Chicken) and after two weeks on chicken and rice and doing better I started adding in the iams and his poops are back to D. Don't know if I should give it more time or try a beef based food. This is getting frustrating. He doesn't sleep well through the night. He is very restless and I think it is his stomach because he gets a long walk and a run in the back yard every night.

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Guest Lillypad

Heard on good authority (long time hound breeder and trainer) that buttermilk is a great natural and live culture source of pro-biotics. My hound loves it.

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It really is frustrating. I had to do a lot of trial and error, so I know what you are going through. Also, what works for one, may not work for another.

 

Chicken may not be the problem for Stanley, but rather the other ingredients in the Iams. I knew right away when my guy had anything chicken, the big D reared up - even with fresh chicken, so for him that clued me in. Stanley seems to do ok with the chicken and rice. I would suggest you try buying a small bag of chicken based grain free kibble (limited ingredients) to see if he will tolerate that. This way you may be able to eliminate a protein (chicken) that disagrees with him, if he still has trouble. Add it slowly with the rice and chicken mixture so he adjusts to the new food. Try to stay as simple as possible with what he eats, like treats, this way you will notice when his digestion goes off, what may have done it.

 

He might be restless at night because he gets hungry and his stomach feels empty. Do you give him the rice mixture close to bedtime?

I know this can be overwhelming, but it will all come together. Congratulations on your new grey and feel free to ask lots of questions. We all go through this :).

 

Also, the kibble I use is Acana Ranchlands and Acana Pacifica, as well as Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. I rotate between fish and beef, but this is after many years of lots of brands. Just stay really simple for now. Good luck.

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Sorry that Stanley (and you) are still struggling! But we all know that you're working through the issue, and will find the culprit soon!

 

I do a home-cooked/raw diet (my girl likes raw, my boy likes his cooked medium rare with a bit of gravy topper ... sigh.) Anyway ... if you do need to board Stanley, you should be able to make up meal packets in quart-size, Ziploc freezer bags and prepare food in advance. I freeze 1 day's worth of food in a gallon bag (with 1 hound, you could get 2 day's worth in a gallon bag), and then thaw in fridge a day ahead of time (both of my go-to friends will microwave the food for 30 secs to heat it up nicely just to further spoil my pups).

 

So please find what works, and THEN worry about the inconvenience for your helpers. And if you think that you'll be preparing meals long-term, I can highly recommend getting an electronic kitchen scale!

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Guest StanleyCDog

Thanks everyone for suggestions. Stanley is back to chicken and rice with one packet of FortiFlora a day for the past two days and his poops are getting better. Seeing a specialist in all natural dog foods today to try a third food. Thinking of a non chicken one this time, since both the wellness and Iams vetinary formula were chicken and didn't agree.

Stanley is warming up to us so nicely. I just want to get his stomach better so he feels good all around and sleeps better. It has been so obvious when he is having stomach problems.

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Guest OPointyDog

Sounds like you are trying the right things. I know first-hand how frustrating it can be. Our guy Mika had diarrhea like that for about 4 months, and for awhile the only thing I could find that worked was a bland diet of rice and boiled hamburger. Every dog is different, but you have to keep trying to find a good match for your dog's system. Deworming and probiotics are a good place to start, I think.

 

In our case, it turns out that it was finding the right balance of protein/fat/fiber. It seems counter-intuitive, but when we switched to a high-fiber food, it was like we flipped a switch and his problems all went away. His poop looks like it comes out of a mold every day! He's on a prescription high-fiber food (Purina DCO).

 

Many greyhounds have trouble with some of the "richer" foods that are really high in protein and have lots of fat. I think you'll find that many people on this forum would recommend the green bag of Iams, which has beet pulp in it, and slows down the passage of food through the digestive system for some dogs. It has worked miracles for a lot of hounds.

 

For some dogs, I know it's a food insensitivity to certain proteins - poultry and pork are hard for some dogs to digest. Some don't tolerate beef well. You will have to figure that out through trial and error. It's rough, but you'll get there!

 

ETA: Our female gets fortiflora every day - she eats Iams, and then I put half the packet on in the morning and half in the evening, and I wet it and turn it into a broth. I think it must taste good, and encourages her to eat her food.

Edited by OPointyDog
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When I gave it to Sabrina. I sprinkled a packet on her breakfast & another on her dinner. Just give it time. As far as the food your vet recommends I didnt find it necessary to do that. I went to a grain free . I switched to Acana Grasslands & my current dogs Daphne & Penny eat it. I have NO problems.

 

Good luck to your fellow , Caroline


Doggyfood Advisor is a good place to see reviews on the quality of many dog foods

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Caroline, Mom to Daphne (49B-50215) and Penny (41D-55779)
Remembering Bridge Angels Margo and Sabrina

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  • 1 month later...

Fortiflora didn't help us get back to solid stools, but Proflora does! If he gets stressed with house sitter she gives him a 3rd one mid-day and it firms his bm right back up. it's a wonderful thing but oh how I hate Entirely Pets; the only place we've found it.

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