Dezi went from bloody to constipated!!!!

[Desiree1027]

This all started last Saturday and poor Dezi had 5 days of diarrhea, being sick and not eating, escalating finally to bloody diarrhea and black stool with blood, then Wednesday the vet started Amforol and she got nothing to eat but boiled chicken from then for 4 days. So then instead, we went 4 days with noooooooo poop. I had no intention of feeding chicken for that long, but I was waiting to see how it was effecting her. I know the chicken has no fat or fiber. Now, they told me to stop the Amforol and I gave her some apple last night to get her to go. This morning, she finally went and had; one dry/normal one, one pile of loose, and of course, one final pile of slimy, watery stuff with more bloody mucous. But, I needed to get her to go.
This afternoon, she was (?)straining(?) or (?)struggling(?) to go and the only thing that came out was a few drops of bloody mucous and one tiny, tiny plop of poo. Now, I hope I did the right thing to get this to stop. I gave her one more shot of Amforol, and went back to chicken but how do I get this whole cycle to stop???

[Wylie's Mom]

It's not uncommon for dogs with severe diarrhea to then firm up and not go for a day - but just for the record, I'm really kinda shocked your vet told you to feed *just* cooked protein to a dog under digestive stress - that pretty much guaranteed constipation to follow. I would feed canned/sliced (or fresh) mashed potatoes (with a bit of butter too), with very small amounts of protein until her digestion stabilizes. Then get her back on her balanced diet.

The real problem w/ feeding just cooked meat is that everything natural is being cooked out of that meat - all the meat's natural enzymes (to help digest it normally), many of its natural vits/minerals, the protein chain is being changed; and there is no balancing of the dog's calcium-phosphorous ratio. So, there is a lot going on to upset the doggy's system.

[Desiree1027]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It's obvious you really know the subject. I considered raw chicken but was afraid it would be too much for her system. I don't know how long my vet expected me to feed just chicken, I thought to continue it until I saw her poop back to normal. The responsibility for this is on me because I didn't know what to do and I am kind of winging it. I always try to apply the info from the past experiences with her because her reactions to things are the best predictors. Should I switch to potato now? And in defense of my vet, she recommended sweet potato but I was afraid to do it. I think it was YT advice that said "only" chicken and nothing else.
What's your input on sweet potato?

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Desiree1027

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It's obvious you really know the subject. I considered raw chicken but was afraid it would be too much for her system. I don't know how long my vet expected me to feed just chicken, I thought to continue it until I saw her poop back to normal. Should I switch to potato now? And in defense of my vet, she recommended sweet potato but I was afraid to do it. I think it was YT advice that said "only" chicken and nothing else. What's your input on sweet potato?

I didn't mean to imply that you should give just raw chicken either - I was just trying to explain how giving *just* cooked chicken (and nothing else) can really lead to constipation. I would probably just use plain white potato if it were me, but it's up to you. Yes, I'd do it immediately - unless you're going to switch her back to her regular diet instead.

[Ellie May]

I think it is important that if you are only going to feed one food when they are sick, it should be a carb (like potato). That is an easy way to start off. If that is tolerated then add in a protein (chicken works well for some and fish works well for others). If this goes well you might be able to add a vegetable. Green beans are probably about the best.

I give Ellie PediaLyte when food has to be pulled.

[mscat]

If she does not improve , please take her in to the vet. I always get nervous when there is blood in the stool, and they have been ill for some time.

[Desiree1027]

Originally Posted by mscat

If she does not improve , please take her in to the vet. I always get nervous when there is blood in the stool, and they have been ill for some time.

She's been to the vet twice and I've been in touch with her regularly as well. I like to consult YT because you all seem to have a better handle on the way the Yorkies operate. The vet has better ideas then my previous one, but when I see how complicated Desiree's system and dietary needs are, I feel that Yorkie owners and the knowledgeable contributors here have input that I can also put into play. I get completely nuts when I see this tiny dog suffer and I think and think of what would be best to do based on her history and sometimes I get scared to give her people food since it's always seemed to complicate her system. I did add mostly potato in with a small amount of boiled chicken and a few pieces of her dog food today and still no poop. Tomorrow she is getting potato only and hopefully, it will help her turn a corner. Thank you all again!

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by Desiree1027

She's been to the vet twice and I've been in touch with her regularly as well. I like to consult YT because you all seem to have a better handle on the way the Yorkies operate. The vet has better ideas then my previous one, but when I see how complicated Desiree's system and dietary needs are, I feel that Yorkie owners and the knowledgeable contributors here have input that I can also put into play. I get completely nuts when I see this tiny dog suffer and I think and think of what would be best to do based on her history and sometimes I get scared to give her people food since it's always seemed to complicate her system. I did add mostly potato in with a small amount of boiled chicken and a few pieces of her dog food today and still no poop. Tomorrow she is getting potato only and hopefully, it will help her turn a corner. Thank you all again!

If she is having that much trouble going, have you tried canned pumpkin?

I'm not sure potato alone will fix this problem.
It is easy on sore stomachs though.

[KellyV]

If they have diarrhea bad enough, it's not uncommon for them to not need to go for a few days. She could've just been empty.

If all you saw was a little mucous and tiny plop of poop, it's likely she's straining to get all the diarrhea out, not because she's constipated. I personally wouldn't give her anything to "loosen" her up again because it's just going to exasperate the problem.

I've been told that you should do a bland diet until you see two normal stools, then start mixing their regular food back in. (It may be a week or so. Yes a bland diet isn't balance but it's just a short term thing). Changing anything prematurely could possibly prolong her diarrhea.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by KellyV

If they have diarrhea bad enough, it's not uncommon for them to not need to go for a few days. She could've just been empty.

If all you saw was a little mucous and tiny plop of poop, it's likely she's straining to get all the diarrhea out, not because she's constipated. I personally wouldn't give her anything to "loosen" her up again because it's just going to exasperate the problem.

I've been told that you should do a bland diet until you see two normal stools, then start mixing their regular food back in. (It may be a week or so. Yes a bland diet isn't balance but it's just a short term thing). Changing anything prematurely could possibly prolong her diarrhea.

I agree that giving her something to loosen it up could make the problem worse but I think it really depends on if she is truly constipated or not. If she is, there may not be another choice.

[Desiree1027]

Yesterday for dinner, Dezi ate 80% sweet potato with a small amount of chicken (I didn't think she'd eat the sweet potato by itself) and a drop of butter. Boy did she love it! No poop this morning so I gave her almost all sweet potato for breakfast at about 5:30 this morning (she still loved it). By 8:30, my husband asked me what I fed her because she made a poop as big as her. He exaggerates.

I was so grateful for all of you Yorkie Talk members and the patience you have. I continued the sweet potato and small amount of chicken for dinner. And what is the best schedule for how long to do this?

But, I have to know what to do to fatten her up.

Her skin feels saggy and she is bony from all of this in the last week and a half. What can I give her that's high in calorie and also appropriate at this time for what she's been through?
I am so happy to have found an answer for how to handle this in the future. But I really would like some advice on how and what to feed her for better overall digestive health since she has such a reactive system. Much of this type of thing is also brought on by stress with her, she's very emotional.

[Wylie's Mom]

YAY for poo, yay for poo !!! Oh, what a relief!!! Well, you could go a couple more days of potato/chicken if you like (adding in more chicken now). But, what was she eating before this and what is your long term plan for her diet? Kibble? Canned? Cooking? Raw? Since the current diet isn't truly balanced, you don't want her eating this way too long or there will be other problems .

If she needs to be on a weight gain diet, there are plenty of things you could add to any diet you choose - like peanut butter, bits of cheese (depending), little bit of olive oil (depending), supplemental meats. If you feed kibble, you can also add in canned food to supplement her. Feeding raw is very dense, so it doesn't take a lot of volume for calories. And if you cook, there are a ton of options there - you just really need to be sure you're balancing the cal-phos ratio etcetera.

[Desiree1027]

We're so happy, another poop last nite and again this morning. Thanks for the cheers. Peanut butter, what a great idea, and she LOVES it. I wonder if I could brainstorm with you at some point, but I am going to read your past postings first when I have more time. If I have a specific question, could I PM you? I see you are the

resident expert on diet and I respect your knowledge but would totally understand if you'd rather I continue to post.

[Wylie's Mom]

Oh, lol, I am def. no expert - just one of many foodie junkies here . I'm so glad she is "moving" things along! I don't mind PMs at all, but I honestly think you'll get more value from posting in a thread bc there are so many people here who know so much. Plus, I think it's great to hear opinions that differ from mine too - bc then you can sort of mull over the different schools of thought and make up your own brilliant mind . But of course, you could always PM a few of us AND make a thread too . Maybe that's the best of both worlds .