Chronic Soft Stool

[Guest gordysmom96]

I posted last month about my girl's constant bout with loose stools. She was prescribed tylan 400 mg 2x/daily. She's been taking this pretty consistently but still has bowel issues. Rarely are they solid. I've tried boiled rice & chicken and she will eat it then ignore the chicken. She loves chicken broth, canned Castor & Pollux turkey or chicken w/ veggies with Simply Nourish senior kibble.

 

She's lost several pounds and I'm at the point of either getting blood work to verify pancreatic issues or....??? Luckily, she hasn't had any accidents in the house, but needs to go within 30-60 minutes after eating. Any advice? Greys have such sensitive GI tracts, however, hers has been affected possibly by chemo meds.

[Time4ANap]

Have you tried adding Olewo carrots to each meal? They have really worked well for lots of us here.

 

Rocket has been on Tylan for several year for stress colitis, but the carrots really firmed things up. Also, we just tried Purina Focus Large Breed Adult Food because he was having stomach issues on his previous food, and with a 10 day slow changeover, we now have a much smaller volume coming out of him, and it usually bounces when it hits the ground.

 

There is also a senior version of that food as well, but the local store didn't have it so we ended up with the regular large breed version. The senior has a higher percentage of protein, but also is a few percent higher in fat. So far the Adult Large Breed version has been great. Someone else on GT whose hound has similar issues to Rocket also had great success with it. That's how we found out about it.

[Guest gordysmom96]

I tried Olewo before, but she wouldn't invest it. So picky! I'll try again. Her vet wants her on a low fat diet due to elevated pancreatic values. If your Purina food isn't above 10% I'll give it a try. I read someone tried Iams green bag and it firmed up their dog's stool. She seems like she's in distress. Although, she is more fussy and whiny around me then when only my husband is home. She has behavioral issues too.

[MaryJane]

I've had 2 greyhounds that could not tolerate chicken - would cause diarrhea. I would suggest switching out the chicken for cooked hamburger (90%). Also try adding cooked mashed green beans which have fiber.

 

If it continues, add cooked old-fashioned oatmeal (5 minute cooking time) to the food - about 3 to 4 tablespoons and you can mix with a few drops of honey and milk. You might want to try a probiotic to add good bacteria to the intestinal tract.

[Guest gordysmom96]

MaryJane, I forgot to mention she does take a probiotic (TruBenefits Entero) daily plus 1-2 tsp. Pumpkin. I'll eliminate the chicken and give her the canned turkey veggie food, and add puréed green beans which she'll eat. It's frustrating.

 

I read rice water can help.

 

Not sure if the vet can help other than Rx another med.

[Time4ANap]

I tried Olewo before, but she wouldn't invest it. So picky! I'll try again. Her vet wants her on a low fat diet due to elevated pancreatic values. If your Purina food isn't above 10% I'll give it a try. I read someone tried Iams green bag and it firmed up their dog's stool. She seems like she's in distress. Although, she is more fussy and whiny around me then when only my husband is home. She has behavioral issues too.

 

I think the one we are using is about 12% fat. They have a Large Breed Weight Management formula that is 9% so you may want to try that one. https://www.proplan.com/dogs/products/focus-adult-weight-management-large-breed-formula

[FiveRoooooers]

One of mine had chronic runny stool until we dispensed with the pumpkin. Might try that ?

[Guest gordysmom96]

One of mine had chronic runny stool until we dispensed with the pumpkin. Might try that ?

Deedee gets 1-2 tsp pumpkin with her breakfast daily. Thinking it may be a chicken allergy. She'll eat chicken based kibble, OC which Simply Nourish is that, but finicky with fish based kibble. Maddening! She used to be raw fed and ate chicken necks and sometimes beef mix. Stopped that last summer when she became disinterested.

[Time4ANap]

Deedee gets 1-2 tsp pumpkin with her breakfast daily. Thinking it may be a chicken allergy. She'll eat chicken based kibble, OC which Simply Nourish is that, but finicky with fish based kibble. Maddening! She used to be raw fed and ate chicken necks and sometimes beef mix. Stopped that last summer when she became disinterested.

 

I missed the part about pumpkin. Pumpkin, sweet potato etc all make Rocket much worse. Definitely try taking it out of the equation. Whatever you do, be sure to make only one change at a time and only every 7-10 days to give it time to see results. Otherwise you will never know what is actually causing the issue if you switch or change things faster than she can adjust. Same with snacks if you eliminate something or give something new - only one change at a time.

 

Good luck.

[greysmom]

I tried Olewo before, but she wouldn't invest it. So picky! I'll try again. Her vet wants her on a low fat diet due to elevated pancreatic values. If your Purina food isn't above 10% I'll give it a try. I read someone tried Iams green bag and it firmed up their dog's stool. She seems like she's in distress. Although, she is more fussy and whiny around me then when only my husband is home. She has behavioral issues too.

 

The reason the Iams works is because it has higher levels of beet pulp which is just a fiber additive like the carrots.

 

 

MaryJane, I forgot to mention she does take a probiotic (TruBenefits Entero) daily plus 1-2 tsp. Pumpkin. I'll eliminate the chicken and give her the canned turkey veggie food, and add puréed green beans which she'll eat. It's frustrating.

 

I read rice water can help.

 

Not sure if the vet can help other than Rx another med.

 

Pumpkin actually *causes* loose stools in some greyhounds. Try eliminating that first. You can add almost any type of vegetables that she will eat to add fiber. You can also use mashed sweet potato, overcooked brown rice, cooked oatmeal bran, and even metamucil (not the disappearing kind) to add fiber.

 

If you are going to try getting her off chicken make sure you check the ingredients list of everything that goes in her mouth. Chicken and chicken by-products are in everything, sometimes far down the list. Chicken and corn are the two ingredients that most dogs are allergic to, and soft stools can be one sign of an allergic reaction. Just because she will eat chicken doesn't mean she's not allergic to it.

 

If she has behavioral issues, she may be having stress colitis much like Rocket above. Stress can cause inflammation in the intestines which leads to less than stellar poops. You can see Rocket's Dad and other talk about his condition in the thread in the Food/Diet section about Bright Mind food.

 

You also mentioned in passing that she's been on chemo. If she has cancer it could be causing her loose stools as well, and there's not much you can do about that.

[FiveRoooooers]

Thank you Time4anap and Greysmom. Eliminating pumpkin is what I was suggesting, because very shortly after not including it in the diet my dog's stool firmed up. Pumpkin was the cause of the initial problem.

[Guest gordysmom96]

Thank you Time4anap and Greysmom. Eliminating pumpkin is what I was suggesting, because very shortly after not including it in the diet my dog's stool firmed up. Pumpkin was the cause of the initial problem.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I'll eliminate pumpkin and observe what happens. She did lap up a mix of chicken broth, Olewo, canned turkey and white rice with some kibble.

 

She's had persistent itchy neck and I'd suspect it's a food allergy.

[Sundrop]

Hi there! Just thought I'd jump in as we've had a couple of hounds w/ issues like this. I had to put our newest boy, Finn, through a complete elimination diet because of soft stool and chronic itching. Turns out his system doesn't like grains/wheat/corn, any kind of fish (including fish oil), chicken, turkey or beef and any dairy (we tried giving him a tablespoon of yogurt). We've had to go to more exotic proteins and feed him a limited ingredient diet. He tolerates the Olewo carrots (meaning, he tries to eat around it, lol).

 

It took me months to get his itching to stop and his poop to firm up. Also, you really have to give each thing a good 8 weeks to see if it's "working" and be vigilant about food & treats. We switch his food now every 6 months or so (very slowly) to hopefully prevent boredom and future sensitivities.

[Guest gordysmom96]

Hi there! Just thought I'd jump in as we've had a couple of hounds w/ issues like this. I had to put our newest boy, Finn, through a complete elimination diet because of soft stool and chronic itching. Turns out his system doesn't like grains/wheat/corn, any kind of fish (including fish oil), chicken, turkey or beef and any dairy (we tried giving him a tablespoon of yogurt). We've had to go to more exotic proteins and feed him a limited ingredient diet. He tolerates the Olewo carrots (meaning, he tries to eat around it, lol).

 

It took me months to get his itching to stop and his poop to firm up. Also, you really have to give each thing a good 8 weeks to see if it's "working" and be vigilant about food & treats. We switch his food now every 6 months or so (very slowly) to hopefully prevent boredom and future sensitivities.

 

Wow! Sounds like your grey eats only venison, bison, etc?

[cleptogrey]

some dogs respond better to Tylan, some to Flagyl. Annie who was diagnosed with chronic colitis has been on Flagyl since the summer. she's now down to a prophelatic dose every other day and occasionally i can skip to every 3 days. but that's months now. i did ask my vet why the difference between the two. her response was that it's the response of the dog and the preference of the vet. Tylan used to be cheaper than Flagyl, no longer. She asked me to stick w/ the Flagyl- it worked! 100 pills, 500mg for $28. she takes 250mg. as her dose.

 

i didn't have any luck w/ the carrots, pumpkin or rice and cooked either beef or chicken diet. that's when i finally went to my vet. i had her stool checked, made sure it wasn't pancreatitis and then proceeded. she is on prurina pro plan, large breed. small, poops, maybe 2 or 3 a day vs. cow plops everywhere! my male is also on it- his panceatic enzymes have been in check and he too has reduced his stools to 2 or 3 a day, not 7 or 8!

[Guest gordysmom96]

Next stop is the vet for blood work. Curious why Purina Pro Plan is so effective? Isn't chicken meal and corn or a derivative one of the main ingredients?

 

Good to hear it worked for your two! I'll be glad when hers are firm again. It's no fun trying to pick up cow plops! 😫

[cleptogrey]

your problem may not be chicken or corn. PPP seems to have less stuff in it therefor less waste. also, food for thought-----felix eats and always needs to go out in the middle of his meal or promptly at the end. it's most likely conditioning from when he was a pup going out at the end, but in the middle????....just like a little kid. as soon as there is something in his stomach he needs to poop...3 & 4 year old kids do that all the time. i laugh every day when this occurs. so, you dog needing to go out after eating is not that strange.

[Victor]

Our boy Gilgun has pancreatic issues, too, and soft stool has also been a problem for him. Recently we switched him to Royal Canin gastrointestinal low fat kibble, and it seems to be working well. He no longer has soft stools and he seems to have more energy, too.

[Guest gordysmom96]

your problem may not be chicken or corn. PPP seems to have less stuff in it therefor less waste. also, food for thought-----felix eats and always needs to go out in the middle of his meal or promptly at the end. it's most likely conditioning from when he was a pup going out at the end, but in the middle????....just like a little kid. as soon as there is something in his stomach he needs to poop...3 & 4 year old kids do that all the time. i laugh every day when this occurs. so, you dog needing to go out after eating is not that strange.

Cleptogrey: what is PPP? Pancreatic....? Typically, she needs to go out within 30 minutes of eating. And yes, they are like 2-3 yr olds! She still has a fair amount of energy for an almost 12 yr old. I do think the Olewo carrots are working, or so,etching is, as her stool has been somewhat firm, and we're going from almost liquid consistency to fairly firm. Wahoo!

[cleptogrey]

ppp....purina pro plan

 

glad to hear the carrots are working.

[Mimismom]

One option to try- just use a high fiber food, such as Royal Canin Fiber Response or Hill's w/d. Both of these have produced normal stools in my girl, after months of probiotics and metronidazole. It is so much better to use a therapeutic diet than add medications. Good luck.

[Sundrop]

Wow! Sounds like your grey eats only venison, bison, etc?

 

Right now he's on a duck formula, but he's okay with pork and venison, too. Might try kangaroo next time.

[Guest gordysmom96]

Deedee update: she visited the vet this evening and was rx'd metronidazole, sucralfate, Pepcid, tramadol and Royal Canin GI High Energy and RC Gastro Low Fat canned.

 

She ate 1 c. Kibble RC and 1/2 can canned RC with a little chicken broth and cooked chicken. Fingers crossed she'll rebound and gain weight plus firm up her stool!

 

Waiting on stool culture result....