Help With Sudden Soft Stools

[Guest martimarti]

Hello friends! My five year old greyhound developed soft stools yesterday, and I'd love some help and guidance!

 

He is still acting normal- his appetite and energy are unchanged, and he is still his bright, cheery self. We're 99.9% certain he hasn't eaten anything unusual (he's always leashed on walks with us, and is well-supervised at home) and we haven't changed his diet. However, his last three bowel movements have been unusual. I'm still able to pick it up, but the consistency is quite soft (like soft serve or a "cow patty"), and there seems to be a bit of grey mucous on the exterior. Last winter, we went through a bout of HGE, so I think that experience scarred me a bit- every time I see any unusual bowel movement, I become a nervous wreck.

 

I called our vet, and the soonest he could get us in for an appointment is a week from today (next Thursday). They didn't sound concerned when I described his symptoms, so I made the appointment, and asked to be put on a wait list in case they get a last minute cancellation and can fit us in. Until then, the plan is to fast him tonight and then introduce a bland diet in the morning. However, if you have had a similar experience and have advice to share, I'd love to hear it! Thank you in advance for your help.

[XTRAWLD]

Hmmm, mucous certainly means that his stomach is upset. I certainly wouldn't get too worried at the moment, and you are on the right track to start fasting and get him on a bland diet (rice and low sodium broth is best). See how he is in a couple days. If it gets worse though, try to get an earlier appointment. They do have their moments just like people and they can lick a blade of grass and pick something up on a walk faster than you can blink! Even an odd table scrap might not agree with him. Crossing my fingers for you that it passes in a couple days.

[GreytXpctations]

Suddenly soft with mucus could be parasites. Hookworm can be picked up just by walking through the grass patch outside of PetSmart, and may not show symptoms for a month or so. Or, your food manufacturer could have changed the formula. Both are things that we have gone through here this year, with similar results.

 

If you haven't opened a new bag of food around the same time that this started, then it is likely not that. Hooks can be picked up anywhere, and depending where in the country you are, whipworm can show the same symptoms.

 

Those are the first two things to come to mind, given the info provided. Have you had him long? 5 years old could be fresh off the track or several years.

[KF_in_Georgia]

You might be able to take a poop sample to your vet and leave it for testing. If they see a problem, they can prescribe without seeing your boy. That might save time and perhaps prevent a bigger problem from developing after a delay.

 

Try taking out small paper plates you can slide under his butt when he poops. You then can bag the whole plate and all for the vet. That'll be easier than trying to pick it out of the grass, and also will help prevent spreading trouble if he's acquired a parasite.

[Guest martimarti]

Suddenly soft with mucus could be parasites. Hookworm can be picked up just by walking through the grass patch outside of PetSmart, and may not show symptoms for a month or so. Or, your food manufacturer could have changed the formula. Both are things that we have gone through here this year, with similar results.

 

If you haven't opened a new bag of food around the same time that this started, then it is likely not that. Hooks can be picked up anywhere, and depending where in the country you are, whipworm can show the same symptoms.

 

Those are the first two things to come to mind, given the info provided. Have you had him long? 5 years old could be fresh off the track or several years.

 

Thank you for your thoughtful response! We did open a new bag of food at the end of last week, so that definitely sounds like a potential culprit here! He's on a heartworm preventative that also prevents hookworm, but it's probably still worth a shot to see if we can get his stool tested for any parasites.

 

We've had him for almost a year- we adopted him last January after losing our first grey girl to bone cancer last November.

You might be able to take a poop sample to your vet and leave it for testing. If they see a problem, they can prescribe without seeing your boy. That might save time and perhaps prevent a bigger problem from developing after a delay.

 

Try taking out small paper plates you can slide under his butt when he poops. You then can bag the whole plate and all for the vet. That'll be easier than trying to pick it out of the grass, and also will help prevent spreading trouble if he's acquired a parasite.

 

I didn't realize this was something a vet's office may do, and is a great idea! Thank you for sharing. I'm going to call them and see if I can bring a sample by later this evening. So smart!

[MaryJane]

As someone already suggested, bring a poop sample into the vet's and they should be able to check it before the appointment and if necessary, prescribe something. It would be a good idea to do a rice & hamburger (90% lean) diet although, I would not fast if you do the bland diet because it is easy to digest. You might want to add some cooked oatmeal to the food as it has fiber and can help to firm up the poop. You might also consider getting some probiotics from either the vet or Amazon as that can help settle the GI tract.

 

If it is hooks, be aware that there is a drug-resistant strain of hooks and that getting rid of them is not easy. There is a thread on this problem - I suggest that you read up on it.

[KF_in_Georgia]

 

I didn't realize this was something a vet's office may do, and is a great idea! Thank you for sharing. I'm going to call them and see if I can bring a sample by later this evening. So smart!

 

 

 

Sometimes a vet will check in-house. Other times, they'll send the sample to a lab. Either way, you shouldn't have to wait until next week to get information.

 

[Guest martimarti]

Hmmm, mucous certainly means that his stomach is upset. I certainly wouldn't get too worried at the moment, and you are on the right track to start fasting and get him on a bland diet (rice and low sodium broth is best). See how he is in a couple days. If it gets worse though, try to get an earlier appointment. They do have their moments just like people and they can lick a blade of grass and pick something up on a walk faster than you can blink! Even an odd table scrap might not agree with him. Crossing my fingers for you that it passes in a couple days.

 

Thank you for sending your good thoughts! Hopefully he'll be feeling more like himself in no time