Best food to help constant diarrhea?

[Testarossa]

I’ve searched the forums and I’m at a loss for what to feed my lurcher. I had him on purina pro plan for sensitive skin and stomachs for the three months I’ve had him. 80% of his poops were solid. Every time he would have a normal poop on the beginning of a walk he would end the walk with a little squirt of diarrhea. 
 

One week ago I tried iams green bag after reading the praises about it on this forum. I bought the kind for large dogs since he is 30” tall and 85 lbs, and now he’s had constant diarrhea for a week with maybe one or two solid poops. Two days ago I started a bland chicken and rice diet until his poops get solid and then I don’t know if I should try the new iams or go back to the pro plan? He poops way less now but it is solid and slightly orange (I’ve read that’s normal if changing foods). 
 

Any recommendations for food that helps fight the big D would be greatly appreciated! 

[ramonaghan]

Assuming he's been tested for worms and other ickies? If he's been cleared of those, I'd try Olewo carrots. Just add a tablespoon or two to his food at mealtimes (and expect the orange-ish color to continue, since it's carrots). Also, did you introduce the Iams gradually or just switch him over? An abrupt change can cause a problem, but it might just be that the Pro Plan was a better fit. I wouldn't introduce a totally new food at this point; just go back to the Pro Plan and try the carrots. Honestly 80% isn't too bad! Their poops do tend to get softer over the course of a walk and day.

Edited September 22, 2020 by ramonaghan

[Testarossa]

Just now, ramonaghan said:

Assuming he's been tested for worms and other ickies? If he's been cleared of those, I'd try Olewo carrots. Just add a tablespoon or two to his food at mealtimes (and expect the orange-ish color to continue, since it's carrots). Also, did you introduce the Iams gradually or just switch him over? An abrupt change can cause a problem, but it might just be that the Pro Plan was a better fit. I wouldn't introduce a totally new food at this point; just go back to the Pro Plan and try the carrots. Honestly 80% isn't too bad! Theirr poops do tend to get softer over the course of a walk and day.

I did a full fecal test when I got him and he was clear. The only issue with the pro plan was he wouldn’t eat it unless I put some yogurt on it. I really want the iams green bag to work because he ate it like it was going out of style.

[ramonaghan]

3 minutes ago, Testarossa said:

I did a full fecal test when I got him and he was clear. The only issue with the pro plan was he wouldn’t eat it unless I put some yogurt on it. I really want the iams green bag to work because he ate it like it was going out of style.

Hm, maybe try the Iams Minichunks green bag instead? I think that's what those of us who feed green bag use instead of the Large Breed formula. I wouldn't have thought the ingredients differed, but I just checked and there's no barley in the Minichunks but there is in the Large Breed. Maybe he's sensitive to that?

[ShebasMom]

The Iams green bag minichunks helped Sheba get firmer poops.

[RaineysMom]

Olewo Carrots.  BEST stuff ever.  Good luck!

[Testarossa]

32 minutes ago, ramonaghan said:

Hm, maybe try the Iams Minichunks green bag instead? I think that's what those of us who feed green bag use instead of the Large Breed formula. I wouldn't have thought the ingredients differed, but I just checked and there's no barley in the Minichunks but there is in the Large Breed. Maybe he's sensitive to that?

Yeah perhaps. I did change his food gradually over a week. He scarfs down his food so fast that I was hesitant to get the mini chunks because he probably wouldn’t even chew them. 
 

I just ordered the Olewa carrots! I will keep him on the bland diet for another day until his stools are consistent and then try and slowly reintroduce the iams. If it is a complete fail then I will just go back to pro plan with the olewa carrots (I’m thinking it will make the kibble more tempting!). I learned my lesson about buying the biggest size bag of dog food when trying a new food 😬

[ramonaghan]

Sounds like a good plan! Keep us posted.  

[Time4ANap]

Just one note to add:  A clear fecal only means that that particular sample was free of eggs or worms - not that the dog is clear.  If he came from a group or off the track prior to coming to you, retest him at least three times over a period of time.   Every dog coming off of every track and kennel for the past few years have had a newer strain of hookworms that is resistant to the conventional dewormers.  Some of us have spent 6-12 months of special treatments to get the hookworms and other parasites out of our dogs, so one fecal is just no longer a "clean bill of health."  See the hookworm thread(s) in Health and Medical for more info as there is literally several years worth of info there. 

We used Olewo Carrots with ProPlan Large Breed Focus for years and our boy with the bad tummy did well.  We have seen dogs that did not do as well on the one for Sensitive Stomachs just depending on what their issues were, and it a trail and error type thing.  The best food is the one that works well for your hound. 

[Testarossa]

1 minute ago, Time4ANap said:

Just one note to add:  A clear fecal only means that that particular sample was free of eggs or worms - not that the dog is clear.  If he came from a group or off the track prior to coming to you, retest him at least three times over a period of time.   Every dog coming off of every track and kennel for the past few years have had a newer strain of hookworms that is resistant to the conventional dewormers.  Some of us have spent 6-12 months of special treatments to get the hookworms and other parasites out of our dogs, so one fecal is just no longer a "clean bill of health."  See the hookworm thread(s) in Health and Medical for more info as there is literally several years worth of info there. 

We used Olewo Carrots with ProPlan Large Breed Focus for years and our boy with the bad tummy did well.  We have seen dogs that did not do as well on the one for Sensitive Stomachs just depending on what their issues were, and it a trail and error type thing.  The best food is the one that works well for your hound. 

Thanks for the info! He is a lurcher and was not a racer. We got him from the humane society.

[keeperdean]

Can’t say enough about Olewo carrots. Have had my Grey on them for 2 years. Nary a loose stool.

[MerseyGrey]

We use Olewo carrots and these have improved the consistency of Buddy’s poop but like your dog, he has firm stools at the start of his walk which becomes looser with each poop. We introduced a slippery elm supplement which has improved it a bit more but he’s still a bit loose, but he is also currently on antibiotics to rid him of a bug called Isospora which he has picked up from his habit of eating poo. So hopefully once his course of antibiotics are finished we will be able to assess better but I think for us we have to accept that this is how Buddy’s crap factory works. 
We also had him on a bland diet of chicken and rice which produced fewer and smaller poops, but they were still very soft (but that could have been his tummy bug).

[HeyRunDog]

Grace does 3 poops on her morning walk. The first is always nice and firm but they decrease in size and firmness each time.

I read somewhere that because greyhounds have large heart and lungs compared to other dogs their digestive tract is shorter to make room for them so there is less time to remove the water from their waste.

[cleptogrey]

have you spoken to your vet about using flagyl/ metronidazole an antibiotic. some vets like that, some prefer Tylan Powder. both help clear up GI crud/bacteria. often the 2 week regime of antibiotics needs to be repeated, so be aware of it. if you are feeding bland food and not making any head way it really sounds like a round or 2 of antibiotics. annie had chronic colitis and needed to stay on flagyl for 6 months. we did start weaning her off of it after month 3. she went back to the gut of a garbage truck- nothing bothered her.

a good probiotic while on antibiotics and i use Vitamin RX CLAY- a tiny bit goes a long way for loose stools. and they both help replace the necessary flora in the gut. 

also, try LESS food. yup, if one is overfeeding and some dogs do indulge they will be producing way too much waste. my 65lb female only ate max. 2-3cups of pro plan depending upon activity level. the 74lb male- 3-4 cups of kibble daily. but i always keep my dogs on the thin side as prescribed by my vet.

[Hubcitypam]

I'm the broken record on green bag Iams.  We tested, fecaled and Flagyled and wormed Rex within an inch of his life and nothing worked but IAMs...  Never bought large breed.   Maybe there's a difference in beet pulp levels?  Look at the ingredients.  They are in descending order.

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by Hubcitypam

[Testarossa]

I switched back to pro plan and then introduced the olewo carrots...what a god send! His poops are like night and day now.

[zimsmom]

On 10/2/2020 at 9:04 AM, Testarossa said:

I switched back to pro plan and then introduced the olewo carrots...what a god send! His poops are like night and day now.

Excellent news.  Diarrhea is the pits.  I did 3 loads on laundry last Friday; Maya was not feeling well. 

[Moo]

I didn't want to make a new thread cos I know things like this are asked a lot. I think I've caused my grey to have a bad stomach, as he's had diarrhea for about 3 days now, and it's coincided with me switching his food. It was 100% my fault as I ran out of his old food and had to put him straight onto the new (a mix of wet and dry).

 

Should I immediately stop his new food and give him rice and chicken, or should I persevere and it'll settle down? His new dry food has probiotics, and I was putting a sachet of Purina probiotics in his food, which I've now stopped as I'm worried I might be overloading his stomach a bit. Or should I continue with the sachets too?