how much pumpkin?

[rufftie]

hobbs seems to be having a bit of the runs. he is eating and drinking normally and his activity level is basically normal. he hasn't eaten anything unnatural-blanket, toy, etc. would like to try some pumpkin before running (hehehehe) off to the vet. how much does one feed a 40 lb dog?? t.hanks

[Sue R]

I'd start with maybe a heaping soupspoon (about an ounce or 2 tablespoons) and see what that did. I don't really measure but usually just scoop out with a spoon and plop it in the dish.

 

Fortunately, we don't run into this with their current diet like we used to with a different diet. But if I need it, I always keep some cans on the shelf!

 

Best wishes!

[GentleLake]

I really don't measure either. Just a glop that's probably 3 tablespoons.

 

Another thing you can try is instant mashed potatoes. Don't reconstitute them; just sprinkle on top of his food. I'd guess I use maybe a few tablespoons.

 

Good luck.

[beachdogz]

two heaping tablespoons (out of the silverware drawer) usually does the trick for me.

[Sue R]

Have you considered fasting him for a meal or two? One vet tech and multi-animal owner advised me that fasting for a meal or two (12 hours after the last loose poop) can allow the digestive system to rest and recoup, and not keep feeding the bacteria or condition that is causing the issue (hehehe, too).

[GentleLake]

^^Definitely. It usually works well, giving the digestive system a chance to purge and then rest a bit.

 

I wouldn't do it with a puppy (I know Hobbs isn't a puppy, but for the record) or a dog that's ill. My ~16 y.o. has intestinal disease that make her prone to dire rears, but I don't fast her. I'll boil some rice and hamburger or ground chicken, which is easy on the stomach, because she looses weight really fast when she has a flare. So you do have to consider your individual dog before deciding to fast. For a healthy adult, though, it's often all that's needed.

[Sue R]

Thank you, Roxanne, for the caveats.

 

Actually, I have used fasting (with care) for one pup who would have very nasty bouts of intestinal distress. When nothing else would help stop the problem, a short fast (maybe less than or just 12 hours) would do wonders *for that particular pup*. He also suffered from several issues, including Vitamin B malabsorption, damage from a high infestation of Giardia, and an infestation of hookworm (the malabsorption was a genetic issue or possibly the result of intestinal damage due to the Giardia and who-knows-what-else long-standing infestations he came to me with at 12 weeks of age).

[rufftie]

thanks all! I hope too much pumpkin isn't a problem. before I got any answers he got a fair scoop of the stuff on his breakfast. his stool is a bit more solid, but far from normal. I think i'll try the pumpkin one more day before the fasting. I generally just feed one meal a day, so his system already gets a long break. because we do train for agility, he does get other food during the day, but not now while he's sick.

should I be keeping him quiet? I still let him run and play with the other dogs and he's enjoying it.

[GentleLake]

Sue, I probably should have been more clear that I meant a young puppy and that even a young puppy could skip a meal. I just wouldn't do a 24 hour fast like I would an adult.

 

Interesting, Tilly's issues stem from Vitamin B malabsorption as well. I can usually control it with bi-weekly B-12 shots and limiting fat in her food.

 

Rufftie, diarrhea doesn't necessarily mean a dog's sick. It can just be a way for the body to eliminate something it's not dealing well with, even a change in the water, or it can be stress related. Unless it's been going on for a few days or becomes chronic, occasional dire rears aren't usually much cause for concern.

 

And I doubt too much pumpkin should be a problem. Interestingly, it's good for constipation, too.

[beachdogz]

I have used pumpkin for more than one day....and I have a friend who uses it as an additive all the time!! I, also, have heard that it is good for constipation. Go figure.

[Sue R]

If we had realized what was possibly contributing to all of Bute's problems with digestion, including the Vitamin B malabsorption, we might still have him. Of course, there appeared to be complicating issues that made diagnosis a little more difficult and, by the time we requested the *right* bloodwork (with the advice of the vet), it turned out to be too late for him. I was not proactive enough in his case and I feel enormous guilt for that.

 

FIber is "the great normalizer" (or something like that) and so it's good for problems at either end of the elimination spectrum.

 

Sue, I probably should have been more clear that I meant a young puppy and that even a young puppy could skip a meal. I just wouldn't do a 24 hour fast like I would an adult.

 

Interesting, Tilly's issues stem from Vitamin B malabsorption as well. I can usually control it with bi-weekly B-12 shots and limiting fat in her food.

 

Rufftie, diarrhea doesn't necessarily mean a dog's sick. It can just be a way for the body to eliminate something it's not dealing well with, even a change in the water, or it can be stress related. Unless it's been going on for a few days or becomes chronic, occasional dire rears aren't usually much cause for concern.

 

And I doubt too much pumpkin should be a problem. Interestingly, it's good for constipation, too.

[Sue R]

Lisa - We often have winter squash and sweet potatoes in the basement in quantity. When we do, we cook up large batches and freeze the extra, and use it as a daily supplement to the dogs' diets in winter, when natural sources of the fiber they love (grass) are not available. It's cheap, it's nutritious, and they love it! Alas, we have neither this winter...

[rufftie]

This started fri afternoon. As I mentioned earlier, he is eating and drinking normally. Sometimes I see that he is uncomfortable-lies in a weird position or tries to eliminate with no success. I'm currently blaming intakes of sea water. He has a new friend, a golden retriever, who loves to fetch in the bay. Hobbs doesn't want the ball but he loves to fetch Abby!! She's a much better swimmer and I think Hobbs has taken on water. If not better by tues, we will make yet another trip to the vet.

[rufftie]

This started fri afternoon. As I mentioned earlier, he is eating and drinking normally. Sometimes I see that he is uncomfortable-lies in a weird position or tries to eliminate with no success. I'm currently blaming intakes of sea water. He has a new friend, a golden retriever, who loves to fetch in the bay. Hobbs doesn't want the ball but he loves to fetch Abby!! She's a much better swimmer and I think Hobbs has taken on water. If not better by tues, we will make yet another trip to the vet.

[rufftie]

This started fri afternoon. As I mentioned earlier, he is eating and drinking normally. Sometimes I see that he is uncomfortable-lies in a weird position or tries to eliminate with no success. I'm currently blaming intakes of sea water. He has a new friend, a golden retriever, who loves to fetch in the bay. Hobbs doesn't want the ball but he loves to fetch Abby!! She's a much better swimmer and I think Hobbs has taken on water. If not better by tues, we will make yet another trip to the vet.

[rufftie]

This started fri afternoon. As I mentioned earlier, he is eating and drinking normally. Sometimes I see that he is uncomfortable-lies in a weird position or tries to eliminate with no success. I'm currently blaming intakes of sea water. He has a new friend, a golden retriever, who loves to fetch in the bay. Hobbs doesn't want the ball but he loves to fetch Abby!! She's a much better swimmer and I think Hobbs has taken on water. If not better by tues, we will make yet another trip to the vet.

[Gideon's girl]

Diarrhea from excess salt is usually short term fortunately, but try to discourage that in the future as you'll have the same issue every single time. It isn't something that they get used to. And it's important that they be able to get that excess salt out of their system. The extra pumpkin can be frozen into ice cubes and saved for future need.

 

Fiber is the great regulator because it helps the stool to maintain the right amount of fluid in the large intestine, neither allowing too little or too much absorption. It also helps dogs who don't empty their anal glands normally to get that nasty job done naturally.

[GentleLake]

If we had realized what was possibly contributing to all of Bute's problems with digestion, including the Vitamin B malabsorption, we might still have him.

 

I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm not sure all vets know to look for the vit. B malabsorption. I spent hundreds of dollars and many hours with Tilly in a vet's office before taking her to another vet who knew to look for this. She was deficient in B 12 and folate, but 3 other vets didn't even look for it.

 

Now when I hear about people's dogs having similar problems, I always tell them to ask their vet to check for this. I always hope it'll save some dog and it's people the torture Tilly and I went through before it was properly diagnosed.

[GentleLake]

Sometimes I see that he is uncomfortable-lies in a weird position or tries to eliminate with no success.

 

That would be very worrisome to me, much more so than just diarrhea.

 

Has he already been to the vet once? If not, and he has a combination of diarrhea, discomfort and straining to go and this has been going on several days already, I think I'd be calling the vet first thing tomorrow morning.

[rufftie]

We were just at the vet 10 days ago for a wellness visit and to update shots. One of the places we like to play will not let you in w/o current shots. I like to go every 3 yrs so all 3 dogs needed something. Every one was in great shape but It cost over $300 so I'm not anxious to go back, but it sounds like I will if things don't turn around ASAP. Thanks.

[GentleLake]

Won't they let you just make a phone call to check in? And many vets don't charge another OV if the dog has been seen within the past couple weeks. It may be worth asking about that.

[Sue R]

The appearance of discomfort and trying to go without being successful would worry me, too. It could be a sign of discomfort within the digestive tract and could be due to several possibilities.

 

If you think that the salt water is an issue, then I would eliminate that activity and see what effect doing that has on his problems.

 

My dogs love the water and playing fetch, and I know they swallow a bit of salt water when we are at the beach and doing lots of fetch in the sound. So far, we have never had an issue and it seems they don't ingest more than is healthful. However, if your dog is taking in too much, that could be part of the problem.

 

This started fri afternoon. As I mentioned earlier, he is eating and drinking normally. Sometimes I see that he is uncomfortable-lies in a weird position or tries to eliminate with no success. I'm currently blaming intakes of sea water. He has a new friend, a golden retriever, who loves to fetch in the bay. Hobbs doesn't want the ball but he loves to fetch Abby!! She's a much better swimmer and I think Hobbs has taken on water. If not better by tues, we will make yet another trip to the vet.

[Gideon's girl]

http://houseofsandanddog.com/puppy-tips/what-to-do-when-your-dog-drinks-salt-water/

Google beach diarrhea and see if the symptoms match. I agree about the straining and not producing. It's a sign of intussusception, which having spasmotic diarrhea can cause, so watch him closely.

[Tess's Girl]

My girl is 40lbs and my vet told me I could give her half a can of pumpkin twice a day for an upset stomach. At the time she was very constipated and the pumpkin worked within 24hrs to clear it up. She tends to have a sensitive stomach, so I give her some pumpkin every now and then. I actually freeze it in ice cube trays and then put the ice cubes in her kong whenever her poo is loose.

 

Your vet probably did a fecal while you were there, but Tess presented with the same type of symptoms and she ended up having coccidia (sp?). We had been to the vet a few days before that and she had gotten a clean bill of health. The vet said that coccidia goes through cycles which is why it didn't show up on her first fecal, so you might want to look into something like that if it doesn't get better.

[Sue R]

I wasn't thinking anything like intussusception, particularly since he's been eating and drinking normally but I wouldn't rule anything out, either, at one stage or another.

 

I do know that if one of my dogs has upset intestines, they can void and often go again, and then sometimes try a few more times. Maybe that's due to irritation rather than anything present in the lower gut that isn't being successfully expelled. It is something that I know I have experienced when I've had very upset intestines, the feeling of needing to go "just one more time" and not being able to go, and not being able to feel relieved. I know, too much information!

 

When I have had a dog with digestive issues, once I have fasted them whatever amount of time I think is necessary, if I feel they should be gradually re-introduced to food with a bland diet, it's CRAP - chicken (poached, skinless breast), rice, and pumpkin - starting with very small, frequent meals and returning to normal over a few days. It does seem to work. Fortunately, I haven't had to do this for some time now.