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Loose stool/diarrhea in the pup


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So when we adopted Maizey she came from a foster home in VT. We live in northeast Massachusetts and the foster had her on a raw diet from a company in VT so no way we can get it and DW won't feed raw. It was raw ground chicken/bones/vegetables, etc. The foster gave us a 5lb "tube" of the food to mix in with the dry we feed the other two. We feed Fromm Chicken a la veg. We did the usual switch protocol till we ran out of the raw, however the puppy is having loose stools still.

 

We have been doing some boiled chicken with the dry food for the past couple days which helped a bit stool was formed initially but loose after that. Last night for dinner she had only the dry (ran out of chicken) and this morning she was back to very loose again. Today is day 12 we have had her and the raw food ran out on Friday the 25th.

 

I'm trying to determine whether she is really adjusting to the new dry or the brand doesn't agree with her. She was on the raw for about a month.

 

What is interesting is she doesn't wake us up in the night with an emergency. She did wake me up at 4:30 this morning because she had to pee but she settled right back in the crate until about 6:15 when DW got up. Her BM was on our walk around 7:45, not sure if that helps but I find a bit interesting.

 

Cheers,

 

Tim

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I assume that the food that you use is probably not grain free, please do correct me if I'm wrong! Grains are really hard for a dog to digest particularly if they haven't eaten them in a long time or ever as may be the case with your dog. You may try a grain free food, as it will be closer to a raw diet than regular kibble, and if that helps slowly transition to your normal food.

 

The pup may also have alergies to something in the kibble, which the foster wouldn't have noticed on a raw diet.

 

Or if you have a pet store near by see if you can get a frozen or dehydrated raw food to help ease the transition. I know all of my local pet stores have pre-packaged raw food.

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Hi! Hope your pup feela better with her tummy soon. I am a raw feeder and my 11 month old is eating raw since we took her (she was 2 months and 1 day old). As far as I know it's very bad to mix raw with kibble as the digestion time is different so this may cause problems. It is better to switch her immediately and sufffer from loose stools for 2-3 days if they occur (Coconut was perfectly fine with raw since the very begining). Another thing, in no way I want to force you into feeding raw but if there is no possibility to buy premade raw from petfood companies (which I have never done) why not buy human grade meat (cheaper and you always know what your pup is eating)? All I know is that my dog does not digest cereals and a lot of dog kibble brands and treats (which are a lot tastier and healthier if you make them yourself, easiest recipe - boiled chicken breast) have as one (and very often as the first ingredient) cereals.

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Maizey is FKA Annabelle? Interesting that she ended up with her sister's name!

 

There are any number of reasons this could be happening. Food allergies, as mentioned, are a possibility. You might try another brand or formula of the kibble you're using.

 

I'm assuming that her stools were fine when she was just eating the raw food she was sent home with. If not, consider things like stress (like moving to a new home) and even different water can cause temporary loose stools.

 

 

As far as I know it's very bad to mix raw with kibble as the digestion time is different so this may cause problems.

 

AFAIK, this is one of these old wives' tales. Honestly, it just doesn't make logical sense to me -- both canids scavenging on their own and humans mix food types regularly (yes, I know human and canine digestion aren't identical) -- and some of the newer raw mavens are dissing it as well. (I'll try to find a source and post it.) When my old dog was sick and very picky about food, I was mixing raw and kibble and she had absolutely no problems. Considering that most of her issues are digestive, that's saying something. ;)

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It is interesting! DW wanted to keep the 'ey' sounding names and she loved Maizey. So we have Tobey, Izzy, Maizey. We have also had Zoey, Lexi and Gracie. Annie was an option as well. FWIW I prefer classic BC names; Fly, Drift, Sweep, etc. I lose everytime ^_^

 

Fun fact about us: When we first started dating we lived about 90 minutes apart so only saw each other on weekends. We both loved Grey's Anatomy so Izzy, Lexi, and Zoey (Arizona) were named for the TV shows characters. We used to have phone dates on Thursday nights and watch Grey's together. We did that for three years before moving in together.

 

Back on topic: Her stools were large for her size IMO when she arrived but yes, they were normal. didn't think about the water. I am considering going to the grain free Fromm Beef. Izzy has a sensitive stomach to anything other than chicken but the little one may benefit from grain free.

 

Maizey is FKA Annabelle? Interesting that she ended up with her sister's name!

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If she's had periods of stools that were OK after she came to you, I doubt it's the water. That would more likely be something that would happen as soon as the switch was made. I used to have a dog who was sensitive to changes in water so we always carried water from home for him.

 

Raw fed dogs' stools are usually smaller than kibble fed dogs', so I wonder what hers being larger may mean? Guessing maybe it was the vegetables in the premix -- I've never fed premixes and think they're a waste of money, often being filled with unnecessary veggies, too much bone, etc.

 

I'd probably try some other foods to see how she does on them. I'm still guessing it's a sensitivity to something in what she's eating now.

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By larger I mean in comparison to the other two, Tobey is about 40lbs and Izzy (being a mix) is about 50lbs. The puppy's when normal was almost double the size/amount of the other two.

 

Here is a link if anyone is interested in the raw food she came with: http://www.vermontrawpetfood.com/ourproducts.php It was the chicken/veg/fruit mix.

 

I've made brand switches before and never saw an upset stomach go for this many days, though each dog is different of course.

 

Good call on the water.

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It could definitely be food-related (as discussed above) or stress-related.

 

Have you tried giving probiotics?

Have you brought a fecal sample to the vet for testing - including a giardia screen (usually you have to ask for that as an additional test)?

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Here is a link if anyone is interested in the raw food she came with: http://www.vermontrawpetfood.com/ourproducts.php It was the chicken/veg/fruit mix.

 

IMO, the first ingredient in any raw premix should not be bones! Dogs don't need more than 10-20% bone in their total diet.

 

Even so, I wouldn't expect a dog eating this food to produce stools that would be larger than the other two's stools on kibble. The reason kibble fed stools are larger is that there's more undigestible from the grains or other starches in the kibble. There should be less in a raw formulation, though depending how much bone and vegetable matter compared to meat, I suppose it's possible.

 

Poop talk. Gotta love it. :rolleyes:

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Giardia is unmistakable - stools almost liquid and a nastier than usual smell. You might try switching to cooked white rice and chicken for a few days and see if that helps. If it does, then there's probably something in the kibble you were using that has her guts in a bit of an uproar. It's a process of trying things out and seeing what works for an individual dog.

 

Good luck!

 

Ruth and SuperGibbs

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hahaha love poop talk :P In addition to my main job I work part-time as an EMT so any bodily function is fair game. Her stools have been almost liquid like except for Monday where it was a mix, smells of course but not knock you over bad. White rice and chicken it will be for sure.

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One more thing you can try is fast her for 24 hours. That basically lets her digestive track calm down, so you aren't fighting an already upset stomach.

 

Side note on the rice if it is a grain allergy it may get worse or still won't go away when fed rice. I went through that with Lyka when her allergy started the vet told us to feed her rice and boiled chicken, but it kept getting worse. The vet ran every test short of exploratory surgery to see if something was stuck in her. It was actually our trainer who had us try grain free.

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mmmm fasting, interesting idea. This is a puppy who already will bring her bowl to the food bin drop it there and look at me :D . It is a good thought though. Good call on the rice portion. I didn't mean to type that, DW will be bringing home chicken to boil.

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If she doesn't do well on chicken and rice, my biggest suspicion would be the rice. Wouldn't necessarily mean she can't tolerate other grains, but rice tends to be the least problematic among the grains.

 

So, if chicken and rice doesn't help, then a grain free kibble would be my next experiment.

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Liquid stools after a couple days would be having me head to the vet for a parasite check. After that came back clear then I'd be tweaking the diet.

 

FWIW, I'd add something like pumpkin with the chicken. Grain free and excellent from soothing the digestive tract. Actually I'd fast her for 12 hours, then start in with a couple tablespoons of pumpkin every could hours and then add in the chicken.

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there's nothing like a group of dog lovers for good, explicit poop conversation. Giardia is a possibility if her stool has been liquid for several days. Get a stool sample in to your vet.

 

Food allergies can be quite difficult to track down. My best advice is to simplify her diet, (one protein, one carb - only change one thing at a time, give each change at least a week before you change anything else) and track everything. Treats, toys, chewies. My departed Shoshone would have gotten better sooner if I'd tracked her food from the beginning.

 

And every dog is individual. Shoshone did best on a vegetarian formula kibble made by Natural Balance, her itchies were almost non-existent.

 

Hopefully it is something simple, like giardia, and easily fixed. Good luck!

 

Ruth and SuperGibbs

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When was the last time she was dewormed and what was she dewormed with? If it was before you got her, I'd go with the parasite check and 5-7 days of Panacur regardless if the check came back clear or not. Reason being that sometimes things don't show up on the fecal. Worms are pretty common, and if the pup originated from someone breeding who didn't have a good deworming program may actually take a few deworming cycles to get under control. The dewormer only kills the worms in the intestine so if the pup has a load in her lungs, liver, etc. they will continue to mature and migrate causing stool issues, pups get them from mom and if not managed early on can cause headaches for quite a while.

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All good advice! She is 7 months old now. Came from a rescue and stools were normal upon receiving her if not a bit on the bigger side. Treats have been Zuke's for training and Motherhubbard biscuits. The foster gave her bully sticks and she's had one of those since being here.

 

GHF has all their dogs on grain free, and since she was on raw the grain free would have continued till she got here.

 

Her mood/hunger hasn't changed at all so that's a good sign.

 

Poop sample to the vet as well!

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So i run a small organic farm, and I have been using herbal dewormers and remedies on my goats specifically. My BC Kelty has had bouts of loose stool and diarrhea irregularly. Last month it took weeks. I finally ordered "GI Soother" from Fir Meadow LLC, and gave it to her (I ordered it for my goat) and mixed with with the all creature herbal dewormA, and litterally that same day is stopped. She started again last week and I gave it to her right away. Stopped it in its tracks. Love the stuff and it comes in the mail SO fast.

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My 7 year old was diagnosed with Giardia a couple of months ago. He started having very, very soft stools with a mucousy component, then some liquid, then back and forth between formed, but very soft stools, and pea soup-like stools. (OK, how's that for poop talk? :) ) It didn't smell any worse or different than usual that I can remember, but there was a stronger smell. A parasite test, including a Giardia screen, picked up Giardia.

 

I like to believe that his system was 'fighting off' the Giardia - in that there may have been low level Giardia which accounts for the intermittent symptoms. But I could be totally wrong on that. Regardless, he would have worsened if he wasn't treated.

 

This is the first time in his life that he has had Giardia. I am a little surprised that he hasn't had it before since we take almost daily hikes in the surrounding countryside and he often encounters a pond or a little stream, which he may drink from.

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The wife messaged me to report all is normal this morning. She had a little chicken and Fromm grain free lamb in the late afternoon. She was off the Fromm chicken for about 24 hours. Fingers crossed it was just the grain. Still moving forward with the stool analysis.

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