Sensitive Stomach Suggestions

[Grey_Admirer]

Hi everyone. First, a little history. I have an almost 4 year old handsome boy that's been in my home for 2 months. When I got him from the foster, his stool was soft but we just figured he needed to adjust. I kept him on the food he was eating (Natural Balance Limited ingredient salmon and sweet potatoes) and added pumpkin and yogurt to the mix. His stools were ok but never really that firm. At our first vet checkup, they recommended that I switch his food to duck and potato. I did slowly over a week and it just a mess. I went back to the salmon mix and we were ok. Then three weeks ago, he got liquid diarrhea out of nowhere; no new food or treats and he hadn't eaten anything outside. The vet put him on a Flagyll and told me to purchase the super pricey Royal Canin special protein (venison and potato) and ONLY feed him that for 10-12 weeks. At a $40/7lb price point, that is not happening and I do not like the ingredient list. What's worse is that I'm feeding almost twice as much because the first two ingredients are a starch.

 

Does anyone else have a good recommendation for us? On the advice of our local organic pet store, I did buy Pure Vita Salmon and peas. I didn't notice any significant change but maybe he wasn't on it long enough before we saw the vet. I'm lucky that my boy is not a picky eater and gobbles up whatever is put in front of him. I think we are headed towards raw but I don't have the space to keep the amount of meat frozen that this would require. Help! The vet is now talking specialists and to be honest, I don't trust her recommendations. Obviously a new vet is on the horizon 😑

[RaineysMom]

has he been tested for worms?

[Time4ANap]

As above, test for worms, and even if negative I would ask the vet about doing 2 rounds of Panacur or other deworming product. Panacur should not hurt his sensitive stomach. (2 Rounds = Give it 3 days in a row, wait for the period of time the vet advises and then do another 3 days of Panacur.) It is not unusual to have a negative test for worms or parasites. It just means there weren't any in that particular stool sample. It doesn't mean that the dog is negative for worms overall.

 

Rocket has a sensitive tummy and things like Salmon, Sweet Potato, pumpkin etc make it much worse. He has done well on Turkey and Potato (Rachael Ray Grain Free) and in the past has also done well on Precise Foundation Chicken Meal and Rice. Precise also makes a lamb based food for Sensitive stomachs that is pretty good called Precise Sensicare. It's strictly a matter of finding what works for your hound, and just because something says it;s for a sensitive tummy doesn't mean it's the answer for your hound. Good luck - it takes a little while to get it all figured out and find what works.

[JohnF]

My dog has ended up with a sensitive stomach after a bout of bad enteritis. I find that feeding Royal Canin veterinary Gastro Intestinal cans for as little as 3 consecutive days puts her back right again. Once parasites are ruled out you can start over, otherwise you'll be trying dozens of random foods and that's not good.

 

Several on here found that the mid range Iams green bag (healthy proactive) firmed their dogs up.

 

Once you've worked out which named meat sources are better for your dog then you can buy top range kibble from Acana or even Orijen and hope for some success. Sometimes though they can't stand the high protien levels.

 

TOTW High Prarie used to be good for my Peggy but they changed the probiotics in it and the poops never firmed up again even after 2 weeks. So I changed to a similar UK brand called Canagan. It's expensive but much less needs to be fed.

[cleptogrey]

Flagyl often needs second or third rounds. I'm suprized that your vet didn't put him on a bland diet of boiled chicken breast and white rice. That always works unless it's more than what meets the eye. Boiled lean ground turkey or beef can be substituted. I firmly believe in feeding affordable foods and expressed that to my vet when hill's ID diet was recommended. There are affordable simple subs out there. Neither of my dogs tolerate any form of fish. Holistic select makes a good quality duck and oatmeal. I just changed to Purina pro plan as I dealt with Annie's chronic colitis. One serves what works and stocks up on cheap white rice. The rice cooker is my best friend. Slow and steady with changes and don't go broke in finding a fix.

Edited January 19, 2017 by cleptogrey

[Grey_Admirer]

Thank you to all! I did the first two rounds of Panacur and they did another fecal sample (negative). I'll see if I can get a true second round of it and try that. Maybe he doesn't tolerate fish. This round of diarrhea I did the bland diet and it was a few days before things even got close to normal. I'll see if I can get a sample or smaller bag of Pro Plan.

[Grey_Admirer]

Thank you for the recommendations!

[Hubcitypam]

I've posted this probably 100 times over the last 15 years...so with apologies...My Rex never had any poops I could pick up as oppose to hose in and a had a standing script for flagyl. One Easter pre dog door I came home to a kitchen filled with bloody mucus filled runs. Seemingly every food in the book didn't agree with him. I tried California Natural, Fromm's, Wellness, Solid Gold and every other premium food on the market at the time and nothing worked. We fecaled and tested him within an inch of his life.

One day I got so mad I tossed a green bag of Iams in the cart. I had fed it for years before "super premium" foods came out and "those in the know" lectured me on the demon corn. One day into transition Rex started firming up so I sped up the transition. By the third day you could bounce his poop off the sidewalk. He never had the runs again. It's the beet pulp. You can do your own unscientific mixing in of beet pulp with other foods but it comes in huge bags for horses. Good luck with your boy.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Hubcitypam

[MaryJane]

There might be a few things interacting here but, the simplest is to increase the fiber and see if that helps. You can try adding cooked (5 minute type) oatmeal to his food and if it helps, you'll usually see it after 1 to 3 days. I'm also going to suggest that you try a bland diet - white rice with cooked hamburger and mashed up green beans for at least a week or 2 and that should help calm down his GI tract from all the food switches that have happened. I'm suggesting the hamburger for two reasons - it has less antibiotics than chicken and it seems that dogs are not as allergic to it (from my experience). Once the poop firms up, then you can switch gradually to a new food at the level of abut 1/4 cup a day and if there is a problem, you usually see it when it gets to about 1 cup ... so buy small bags.

[greysmom]

Dogs just off the track, farm, or adoption kennel often will have worms - even if they have been de-wormed once or twice previously. Hooks are particularly nasty and hard to clear because they can hide in other tissues and re-emerge sometimes months later. It's not uncommon for people to do as much as 6 months of de-worming to finally get rid of them.

 

In addition to de-worming you need to keep your yard scrupulously clean and scoop poop as soon as possible. Once you have them in your yard you will always have them and without monthly de-worming the problems will return.

 

Don't buy into the dog food hype. Find something you can afford that fits in with your particular sensibilities that is reliably available in your area. If dogs have food allergies, the two most common items are chicken and corn, so if you suspect your dog needs a different protein or carb source due to food allergies, those are the ones to stay away from first.

 

If you want to do a bland diet at home you need those two factors - a low fat protein source and a carb source for fiber and energy. Low fat protein sources include: ground meat beef/chicken/turkey/pork (lowest fat % available) boiled or cooked and rinsed, poached or roasted white fish, cottage cheese, eggs. Carb sources include: overcooked brown or white rice (use twice the amount of water and cook till mushy), peeled white potatoes, sweet potatoes, overcooked pasta, oatmeal, many types of beans, chick peas, regular green peas. You can also add in vegetables as your dog will eat them, cooked or raw. Note that I did not put Pumpkin on the list - in many dogs it exacerbates intestinal upset. You dog will be fine for several months without the extra vitamins and minerals in commercial dog food until you get this under control.

 

Good luck.

[Hubcitypam]

Having grown up among a plethora of ranches and feedlots I can tell you that antibiotic use in cattle is not uncommon. Not sure how the ever present Sanderson Farms ads about antibiotic free chicken weigh in.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Hubcitypam

[Houndtime]

I also feed Iams in the green bag. For diarrhea, I feed home cooked oatmeal mixed with boiled chopped meat, white potatoes or noodles. Rice is sometimes hard to digest. Don't be trying too many new things. Try one thing and stick with it for awhile. Small amounts of canned pumpkin can help by adding fiber. Worming again is a good idea, too. Good luck. This too shall pass! I promise.

[MaryJane]

Having grown up among a plethora of ranches and feedlots I can tell you that antibiotic use in cattle is not uncommon. Not sure how the ever present Sanderson Farms ads about antibiotic free chicken weigh in.

 

 

I agree that antibiotics are used with cattle however, there seems to be less use with cattle or at least more targeted use -- at least from my "googling" decades ago. The way chickens are raised are also alarming and while normally relatively clean animals, the cages they are kept in are a cesspool as they are never cleaned and the chickens are jammed in there. The way chickens are slaughtered is pretty disturbing in that it spreads bacteria even though they do a "bleach" wash. This is not saying that cows or pigs are treated any humanely when they are killed - they are not, it's just that there is less bacteria in the internal cuts of meat as they are larger animals - for example, a roast is unlikely to be contaminated on the inside and outside can be quickly seared to kill any bacteria. Although, some stores are now using needles to tenderize the roasts and with that, adding in potential bacterial contamination.

 

I didn't mention it earlier but, there is also the hormone use to make the cows grow bigger and that is not great for dogs ... or for people either. Oh my, I think my "veganism" is showing ....

[Roo]

Beet pulp is extremely helpful for firming up stools! PRH gives a little baggie of it to every adopter with instructions to add about a tablespoon to each meal.

 

Iams worked wonders for my boy who constantly had the runs (and who went through a few rounds of Flagyl). It also regrew the hair on his bald thighs for some reason

 

Our sensitive stomach girl couldn't tolerate any foods we tried except for Nutro Sensitive Stomach. They may have changed the recipe since then (this was a few years ago) but it could be worth a try if Iams doesn't work.

[Hubcitypam]

 

 

I agree that antibiotics are used with cattle however, there seems to be less use with cattle or at least more targeted use -- at least from my "googling" decades ago. The way chickens are raised are also alarming and while normally relatively clean animals, the cages they are kept in are a cesspool as they are never cleaned and the chickens are jammed in there. The way chickens are slaughtered is pretty disturbing in that it spreads bacteria even though they do a "bleach" wash. This is not saying that cows or pigs are treated any humanely when they are killed - they are not, it's just that there is less bacteria in the internal cuts of meat as they are larger animals - for example, a roast is unlikely to be contaminated on the inside and outside can be quickly seared to kill any bacteria. Although, some stores are now using needles to tenderize the roasts and with that, adding in potential bacterial contamination.

 

I didn't mention it earlier but, there is also the hormone use to make the cows grow bigger and that is not great for dogs ... or for people either. Oh my, I think my "veganism" is showing ....

 

The Sanderson people say all chickens must be clear of antibiotics before they leave the farm. Besides the drugs to build muscle mass to the best of my knowledge cattle get most of their antibiotics when they are crammed flank to flank in the feedlots just before slaughter. My sorority little sister was from Idabel, OK and her Dad raised chickens for Tyson. His were not jammed in cages but chickens were just plain nasty. I'd gladly spend a day in a feedlot vs. a chicken shed..

[palmettobug]

I think it's egg producing chickens that live in cages. We had several chicken houses around where I grew up; first they were Holly Farms (remember them??) and now they're Tyson. They get crammed in little cages on the back of trailer on the way to the plant.

[Grey_Admirer]

Everyone, THANK YOU! I'm picking up another dose of Panacur and I'll be adding oatmeal to his food. I do want to give his tummy a break so I'll continue with vet recommended food for another two weeks before we try transitioning very, very slowly to another source. I'd heard of beet pulp but I was worried that he'd have to poop more frequently, since he poops every time we go out (4-5x a day!!). I'm hoping that he'll need to go less frequently with a more easily digested brand. I'll keep everyone posted.

[Guest FosterMom2014]

Hi everyone. First, a little history. I have an almost 4 year old handsome boy that's been in my home for 2 months. When I got him from the foster, his stool was soft but we just figured he needed to adjust. I kept him on the food he was eating (Natural Balance Limited ingredient salmon and sweet potatoes) and added pumpkin and yogurt to the mix. His stools were ok but never really that firm. At our first vet checkup, they recommended that I switch his food to duck and potato. I did slowly over a week and it just a mess. I went back to the salmon mix and we were ok. Then three weeks ago, he got liquid diarrhea out of nowhere; no new food or treats and he hadn't eaten anything outside. The vet put him on a Flagyll and told me to purchase the super pricey Royal Canin special protein (venison and potato) and ONLY feed him that for 10-12 weeks. At a $40/7lb price point, that is not happening and I do not like the ingredient list. What's worse is that I'm feeding almost twice as much because the first two ingredients are a starch.

 

Does anyone else have a good recommendation for us? On the advice of our local organic pet store, I did buy Pure Vita Salmon and peas. I didn't notice any significant change but maybe he wasn't on it long enough before we saw the vet. I'm lucky that my boy is not a picky eater and gobbles up whatever is put in front of him. I think we are headed towards raw but I don't have the space to keep the amount of meat frozen that this would require. Help! The vet is now talking specialists and to be honest, I don't trust her recommendations. Obviously a new vet is on the horizon

I have found that the dehydrated carrots by Olewo works wonders. I hydrate with less than the suggestion, and only add a small amount of oil. Within a day or two the diarrhea is gone and firmer stool is present. It also helps their coat, parasites, etc. Check it out. https://www.olewousa.com/

[cleptogrey]

i tried the olewo carrot thing, with annie it made no difference. yup, oatmeal, rice, potato owelo carrots while she was on boiled white meat chicken and rice....she needed meds. so, if you see it doesn't work do consult w/ your vet. i'm not one to RUN to the vet, i try all of the logical options then go. it took 4 months to get her back on track.

[Grey_Admirer]

Cleptogrey-Wow! I hope we're not on that same trajectory.

 

Finally consulted with the vet again today. He is not a greyhound specific doctor (but there is one who is, which is why the hospital was recommended to me by my adoption agency), so I'm going to make a change soon. He told me he didn't think another round of deworming would be helpful (so he wasn't going to give me more Panacur) and he told me to stick to their pricey $40+ a 7 lb bag formula for 2 months and then we'd re-evaluate. NOPE.

 

I feel like I've learned so much more on this forum and the various threads than what I've gotten for my $600 vet bills.

[cleptogrey]

Cleptogrey-Wow! I hope we're not on that same trajectory.

 

Finally consulted with the vet again today. He is not a greyhound specific doctor (but there is one who is, which is why the hospital was recommended to me by my adoption agency), so I'm going to make a change soon. He told me he didn't think another round of deworming would be helpful (so he wasn't going to give me more Panacur) and he told me to stick to their pricey $40+ a 7 lb bag formula for 2 months and then we'd re-evaluate. NOPE.

 

I feel like I've learned so much more on this forum and the various threads than what I've gotten for my $600 vet bills.

and is he going to pay for the food???? give me a break! that's ridiculous unless your dog has a trust fund that you haven't mentioned!

 

i do agree w/ not worming again, that can be really hard on a dog. did he offer either flagyl or tylan powder? some vets like flagyl, some tylan, it's all up to their schooling(i asked). the dosages for flagyl have been reduced. it was always 500 mg /2xs daily for a 60# dog. now it's a max of 750mg daily and some vets like keeping it at the lowest dosage that works. too much will produce the runs. also, the fosters that i have had off the track as well as my first female had lousy guts initially. it took quite a few rounds of flagyl to clean them up. annie is a different story- she could eat ground tires with no ill effects until last summer. then ...????

 

are we on the same cosmic path? our dogs are the same breed, same types of problems, 2 of many comets in the universe...that's it. i just have a big mouth and tell my vet that she can't expect me to pay that type of $$ for kibble. i guestimated that the ID diet would cost me $190 a month- 2 dogs on it- 6 cups a day. that's more than i spend on food for myself! do call the manufacturer for coupons, why not?

[Grey_Admirer]

and is he going to pay for the food???? give me a break! that's ridiculous unless your dog has a trust fund that you haven't mentioned!

 

i do agree w/ not worming again, that can be really hard on a dog. did he offer either flagyl or tylan powder? some vets like flagyl, some tylan, it's all up to their schooling(i asked). the dosages for flagyl have been reduced. it was always 500 mg /2xs daily for a 60# dog. now it's a max of 750mg daily and some vets like keeping it at the lowest dosage that works. too much will produce the runs. also, the fosters that i have had off the track as well as my first female had lousy guts initially. it took quite a few rounds of flagyl to clean them up. annie is a different story- she could eat ground tires with no ill effects until last summer. then ...????

 

are we on the same cosmic path? our dogs are the same breed, same types of problems, 2 of many comets in the universe...that's it. i just have a big mouth and tell my vet that she can't expect me to pay that type of $$ for kibble. i guestimated that the ID diet would cost me $190 a month- 2 dogs on it- 6 cups a day. that's more than i spend on food for myself! do call the manufacturer for coupons, why not?

I wish he had a trust fund that would make everything so much easier!

 

Long story short-- Iams green bag and Olewo carrots have done the job. I stopped the course of Flagyll he was on, have eliminated any fish products, and have been more mindful of the treats he gets. I'm very thankful that he's so food motivated and will eat anything that's put in front of him. To add a little variety, I've slowly introduced some raw bites into his food and he seems to really, really like that. I think we've found the secret recipe, until and unless something catastrophic happens. Whew!