More Diarrhea-ick!
 

My puppy has been suffering from acute diarrhea, she has bouts of it for a day or two at a time, every couple of wks. The vet doesnt know what it is, all tests are fine, blood, stool, etc.... but we've switched her to Hills ID for a few months now. Still she gets it every few weeks, so when that happens, the vet has me put her on meds for 5 days, and she is always fine after 2. Last night she got into some buttered egg noodles, and then she had diarrhea all night. Our other yorkie had NO problems but I'm hoping this is just a sensitive stomach issue or something she will grow out of. Does anyone know if the noodles she got into would harm her in that way? She also is being trained on Puperoni with our dog trainer, but maybe thats too harsh for her? She gets that every day and doesnt have issues everyday, but maybe thats too much for her tummy in general?:confused::confused::confused:

Thanks!

I would keep going to the vet. I have one boy who has a very sensitive stomach, and really bad alergies to boot. I finally have him on prescibed alergy food and treats. He gets nothing else but veggies, and then its only tiny bits at a time. The medication we have had go 10 days. Its really important to keep them on the meds for the full 10 day period, otherwise it reoccurs. Has the vet done stool tests?

It could be her tummy. I've learned from people on YT that maybe giving her some canned pumpkin (the real stuff, not pie filling) sometimes can help. If she has a sensitive tummy, maybe trying some boiled chicken and white rice could work. I hope she feels better.

Buttered egg noodles????? This would definitely cause diarrhea. There's nothing wrong with people food, but it has to be carefully selected. Butter is the likely culprit. Avoid foods high in fat. Puppies don't like changes in their diet, find a food and stick with it. Diarrhea is a result of too much variety. While an older dog may not experience the diarrhea, fatty foods can cause pancreatitis. Puperoni is not a snack I would use, for training tiny amounts of food should be given. I used cheerios when Joey was a puppy; they are just the right size. The point is you need something tiny when training and healthy as possible. Now I use his regular food for training, and also green beans.

If she has been on Hills ID for months w/ no change - I'd get her off of it. What is the protein in that food? And, what is the protein in her former foods that caused the same problems? What is the protein in Pupperoni? If there is a common protein or ingredient, you then want to look for a new, novel protein for her. And stick to only that protein for everything, for at least 3 months.

The noodles won't hurt her, but butter can easily give loose stools.

Has the vet done a fecal test? What is the med you're using?

I have seen this situation often in yorkie babies. I have found that it is from the preservatives in the foods you are feeding a lot of the time. I only give mine organic food and treats. I have never had any luck with the food from the vet. I would STOP everything you are feeding her and start over again. I cook chicken sweet potatoes and green beans a 1/3 of each. The puperoni treats are nothing but chemicals that would not be good for a small dog especially not one with a sensitive belly. I always keep Kero syrup, Pepto Bismol and Calcionate syrup in the house at all times for when they start feeling bad. Has your vet given the baby any liquid Albon for the diarrhea and to make sure you don't have anything bacterial going on. I would also make sure I had Pedialite down for the baby to drink. You certainly don't want her to get dehydrated when she isn't feeling well. Good luck I no how useless we can feel when our babies get sick and don't no what to do.....Hugs to all

Yeah the noodles were an accident, and we pretty much knew we were in for a bad night with that. But at least i know now that it was probably the butter that did her in, so i actually feel better knowing that since i cant figure anything else out! The puperoni we give them is VERY small, we do small shavings of it b/c we are doing training courses with them. I just bought another brand that has the same texture but is all-natural, so im going to try them on that in a few days.

I want to take them BOTH off ID, but we've had trouble every time we've tried switching the puppy off. Since one of them is a puppy still, she requires a different formula than our older yorkie so our vet told us to put them both on it so the puppy cant get into her big sisters food and vice versa. Should i just wait until our puppy is a year (May) and try to switch them off together to an adult formula? Our oldest is NOT a fan of the ID unless its the canned food, and i feel so bad that they are on it. But how can I even switch our puppy off the ID if she is still not completely stable on it? I feel like im destroying this poor baby's digestive system! :( Our oldest yorkie can tolerate anything, she is pretty solid and doesnt have bad reactions should she get into some human food, but our baby cant tolerate a thing. I need to find a human food or some REALLY special treat to give them (for one of our commands they are learning) and I dont know what to give her! She doesnt like carrots, gets diarrhea with apples, chicken and rice still dont stop her diarrhea, so im at a loss! Whats bland enough but still good enough for them to be a REALLY great but only special occassion treat??

Thank you!! I'm going to have to get them off this asap. So i should just cook human food for a while? How long should I do that? What do I switch them to? The Dr has her on meds but i dont know the name off hand, its at home. She only wants her on it for 5 days at a time when she has these bouts. She said that unless she is lethargic or not hungry or not active, its nothing serious right now. She is SO active and happy, just really gross poop! Wait Pedialite like for children? I've never given them that, anything i should know about that before getting it at the store?

Are you saying she gets the diarrhea every couple of weeks even though nothing besides the Hills and Puperoni are given? Remember, any new food added can cause diarrhea, even a healthy food, that why it's recommended that when switching food, you go slowly, and even slower for those with a sensitive stomach.

As I said in my previous post, you really *must* look at ingredient lists. Not texture, not brands - ingredients. And then you have to eliminate the ingredients that have irritated her up until now (ie, get something different).

Why would you wait "until she is stable on ID" to get her off of it? If she's been on it for months and is still having diarrhea, that's a sign to get her off asap, before her health continues to deteriorate. Chronic issues w/ diarrhea is very debilitating for the entire body.

1) You should look at current/past ingredients.
2) Have a fecal test - has she had more than one?
3) What med has she been given?

Yep, still diaehhea every 2-3 wks even just on ID and her treats. The problem is, you never know what crumbs they pick up or what they may have licked that is causing a reaction too. I'm going to go through all her foods, current and old and see what ingredients are consistant.

The reason we have kept her on the ID is b/c its the only food that she can tolerate for any given amount of time. Even if its just a few weeks. We tried switching her about 2 months ago, SOOO slowly, and it happened again. Our vet told us to do it again, even slower, and had her on meds while we did it. No luck once the mesd stopped. The ID at the time was the only thing that would help bind her up, but its still temporary.

Even the old standby chicken and rice stopped working. Again, its not that she has it every day, its just that every few wks, she gets it for 1-2 days.

Ironically, we had her on Royal Canin when we got her and she was fine, but we were VERY stupid and wanted them both to be on the same all-stage food bc they were eating each others formulas and our oldest was getting fat and our baby was not gaining, so we switched her off and thus, our months of food drama began and we couldnt get her back on correctly.

Thanks for all your help, im going to really start researching some healthier all natural food, there are just too many choices and everyone has such different opinions!

Oh, to answer your question, yes, i made them do 3 fecel tests (over a two month period) as well as blood tests and everything is normal. :(

First, the adult without the issues really shouldn't be on a prescription food. I/D shouldn't hurt but there are better choices.

If the vet was worried about the pup getting into the other dog's food, then the pup should be exclusively eating I/D (no treats of any kind). If the pup hasn't been doing well on I/D with no treats, the food does need to be switched.

What food was she on before this?

Never mind.
I see you answered my question already. :)

This sounds a lot like Ellie by the way.

What blood work has been done?

You can't get her back on RC?

Yes you are right, the oldest doesnt need to be on the ID, our Dr just told us it wouldnt hurt her and its still a complete diet. We were just trying to not complicate the situation by giving them different foods. Also, we had another medical issue in b/w this where our dogs were both uncontrollably salivating and our oldest had to be hospitalized for a night, so our Vet wanted her on ID for that reason. That issue was never resolved either, but they have not had that problem since. Anyway, we always had our oldest on Royal Canin. When we got our pup, she was on LIfes Abundance. We switched her to RC puppy formula b/c we couldnt get the L.A. in the store. She was fine, but they were eating each others food and the oldest was getting fat and the youngest was not gaining, so our vet said we could do an "all-stage" food. We figured, OK, lets just get L.A. since its all-stage and our breeder had her on it. NO LUCK. She did NOT tolerate it anymore. We tried re-introducing with the help of the vet and thats when they just said, lets get her stable and put her on ID.

Oh gosh, they tested her for EVERYTHING, im not even sure, when they were salivating, we were doing every test under the sun along with ultra sounds and xrays! But since we were still working with the vet on the eating issue, she was also looking for signs on her organs that could show her any problems for that issue too.

I'd put them back on RC (but i have to check their ingredients too now b/c maybe its the same!) but im literally scared out of my MIND to switch to anything. Whats my safety if it doesnt work? Chicken doesnt seem to do the trick....how long do i try before i know its not working? Is ANY diarrhea normal during a transition? Am i being paranoid??

If this pup has had issues with drooling and GI problems, you may want to consider a bile acids test. I think I'd feed them in separate rooms 3 or 4 times a day so that the adult can eat something better. Of course that won't work if you have to free feed.

If there is a problem everytime you try to take the pup off of the I/D, she may have to stay on it for life. For the once every couple weeks issue, have you thought about probiotics?

no advice, just wanted to wish your little one well. Hope you can find the problem soon.

You are not being paranoid. Dehyrdation caused by diarrhea in a puppy is extremely dangerous.

If you have tried to go back to RC and it didn't work, I'm not sure you should try it again. The ingredients aren't great by the way. This is so hard because a diet that may help is one with whitefish and grain free but these kibbles can be very rich.

But here's my problem, if i switch my oldest to regular food, i would probably go back to RC since it worked for her. What if RC wont work for my pup when im ready to switch her? I dont want to have to switch my oldest again to whatever finally works for my baby. Maybe i just have to accept that they will be on different food, but i am confident my oldest will tolerate whatever i can find for my baby.

People have suggested probiotics, and I actually called my vet today to talk to her about that, but of course she is on vacation! As you can imagine, I'm a little gun shy doing anything new right now, but i know i have to change her diet.

Thank you so much for all your help and advice, i truly appreciate it! Only YT'ers know how frustrating this is, everyone else just calls my babies "high maintenance!" :(

Have you called the breeder you bought her from and talked this over with her. She might have one that has had this problem and can tell you what finally worked for her. Anything you do need to be done gradually thats for sure. I have really never heard of a medicine that is going to solve the babies problem after only 5 days. I put mine on Albon when they have problems like this for at least 14 days. It sounds like you might be able to wean her back on Royal Canine it is a really good food for yorkies and most of them really like it. It is such a trial and error situation when their little bellies are like that. You might want to talk to a vet that specializes on organic food and nutrition issues. I no of a vet in Salisburg Md named Dr Lewis she is great with these types of problems. She works out of Healing Hands Veterinary Hospital you could try giving her a call or emailing her. She never seems to be too busy when I have a problem I am not sure how to deal with.

Ellie has had soft stool since October. It is frustrating but something should work eventually. You can put your adult on anything you want and either switch her later (it should go okay but if it doesn't, don't switch) or just leave her on whatever it is you are about to put her on. Feeding separately shouldn't be a huge deal and it may be better. It is a good way to see how much each is eating. If one is eating less and isn't feeling well, you wouldn't know if they share food.

There are some dogs who only do well on I/D and they have to live on it. I wouldn't give up on finding something else yet but it may come to that. It isn't normal that there is still a problem every couple weeks though and there must be an underlying issue I would think.:confused: Did the vet do a TLI with Vit B12 and folate?

Again,and what others have mentioned is to always slowly switch the foods. Switching all the time will cause upset tummies and loose stools. the smaller the puppy is the more dangerous diarreah becomes. Not only is dehydration a concern electrolye embalances, low blood sugar are all very dangerous. I do not know anything about probiotics, however it is a better choice to always discuss any diet changes and concerns with your vet. Especially if there are serious concerns about the health and needs of your dogs. :aimeeyork

Yes the soft stool I've learned to live with, since we have them on the wet food, i figured that was a given, but that actually makes me feel better that your baby has them too. But last night i could see the water in her stools, so that made me panic.

Do you have any suggestions for probiotic or all-natural brands you like or have heard good things? I want to start researching and figure out what I am going to take a gamble on....

My goodness, i have to go back and look at the vets notes, most times when im there, im crying b/c im scared so I'm not comprehending what the names of tests she is doing! :( But im writing all your notes down and when she gets back from vacation, I'm going to give her all the info I got from this thread!! :)

Canned or soft food should not cause soft stool.
It is not normal or healthy.
Ellie is on Proviable by Nutramax.
It may not have the best strains in it (that's up for debate) but her vet and I like Nutramax and feel that the potency is more of a sure thing than just going out and getting any old kind. If your vet calls them, they may give you a free sample.

I love this one and use it for my boys, it also contains digestive enzymes - which might also benefit your baby: Nature's Farmacy - Store - Product Details

Have you tried a novel protein like duck or fish for a kibble? Personally, I'd stay away from RC - both bc it contains fillers and allergens - and bc you stated you tried it again w/out success. RC and ID contains so much corn, that that ingredient could be causing irritation by itself. Has she ever been *off* of corn?

It's a tough call, but you could try a duck and potato food, like Natural Balance. Or perhaps Innova Red Meat Small Bites - which also has few ingredients, but is a nice clean food w/ no corn, chicken or fillers.

I agree but NB seems LID seem so low in fat for pups. :( They are also very low protein.

A LOT of people have reccommended Inova actually! Is that OK that it has more than 1 protein? I was also looking up Natural Balance Inc, which is only 1 protein and 1 carb and good for sensitive tummies, i was leaning towards the fish and sweet potatoe....With Natural Balance, i can keep them on the same food, but Inova I would have them on different formulas, which is OK....

I'm not sure off hand what the guaranteed analysis of NB LID (limited ingredient diets) is but I remember it being very low in fat and protein. It would not be my first choice for a pup but that doesn't mean it's not okay. I just personally would be uneasy. Feeding more than one protein is fine as long as she hasn't had them before although doing one at a time is better. I'm not sure that is going to fix the problem because this would start to fall under food allergies then and they aren't common in pups. Having a problem with corn would be more understandable than having a problem meat at this age in my opinion. Maybe it is a grain issue?

As for the fish kibbles that are looking promising, there are reports that people are find fish bones sticking out of the kibbles and not ground up. They may be sharp. So you might want to take that into consideration before going with one of those.

My head is spinning, i feel like it would be great to start her with one protein just so we can rule things out one by one if we need to, but i dont want to skimp her on the fat and protein.

Here are her ID ingredients:

Water, Egg Product, Turkey, Rice, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Pork Liver, Soy Fiber, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Taurine, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Riboflavin, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid.

Maybe corn IS the culprit....how can they put that in a prescription food if so many dogs have problems with that?!?!

I agree :thumbup:. I would eliminate corn first and foremost, esp. if she has never been off of it.

Hills/SciDi are not known, at all, for being very healthy foods. For one, they actually LIST exthoxyquin and menadione in some of their foods - both of which are toxic - and yet vets still knowingly recommend these foods, and make kickbacks off of selling them.