Bully sticks and diarrhea?
 

Hi, this is my first post here, I'm finding it a lot more difficult than Facebook, I couldn't even manage to get a profile picture on here but will try again later. I have a 16 month old little yorkie named Mika. On Monday I noticed her stool had become quite soft and when it happened again I fed her homemade chicken and veg dinner with a little pumpkin. She was no better the next day so I began feeding her plain chicken and rice and that evening gave her half a tablet of Apo-Sulfatrim that the breeder had given to me in case she got diarrhea. By Wednesday her poops had become firm again and I included a few kibble in with her chicken. Yesterday I gave her more kibble and all was good. I let her chew on her bully stick, it's a big one that she's been working on for about a month. I let her chew on it when I brush and comb her. Around 4 a.m. she was up and had very loose bowel movement again and was licking her lips a lot. She is still running around as normal and is hungry. I've reverted back to just chicken and rice but wondering if an old bully stick might have bacteria on it. Any ideas from anyone would be appreciated. If she doesn't get better, I'll have to take her to the vet but she doesn't appear sick. Thanks.

I've never had this issue. But JennaPenny just posted a few threads above yours. I need help--immediately. You may want to read it. Sounds very similar to your problem.

Like anything else that is either food based/animal-product based, it can and will collect bacteria. So yes, the bully stick could most def have quite a bit of bacteria on it. I'd throw it away for sure.

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions. She seems to be ok, I am still giving her plain food but she is eating her kibble now and her stools are formed again. I will throw away the bully stick, I don't want to take the chance of it making her sick again.

Yeah, I'd give this a double like if I could. Even if you cut them off, any old residue, I quadruple this.

When our yorkie was a puppy we gave bully sticks. She got diarrhea too so my vet recommended to stop them. We did and no more diarrhea. Susan

It's a good idea to throw it out. My two little ones always got sick on bully sticks. And I think Wylie's Mom is right, any animal based product will collect bacteria.

Recently, I bought a bag of dehydrated chicken feet because they say the collagen in the feet is good for the pups' joints. I tested chicken feet out first, by buying them individually; they were dried in a way where I was able to break it off into smaller pieces (they usually get sick if they eat too much of any treats, so I have learned to give them a little at a time).

With the bag of chicken feet, somehow it wasn't the same hardness but rather more chewy - I couldn't break it off into pieces, so I let them chew on one foot over a span of a few days. Low and behold, they both got sick. :(

This also happened with those ears for chewing, no matter what animal. So I never give them animal part chews anymore. Though.. they absolutely LOVED the lamb tail chew!! :rolleyes:

The only chew I find that they're able to chew on over and over again without getting sick so far, are the Himalayan cheese chews and antlers.

I would toss the bully stick and then, if it stops you will know. If the diarrhea comes back, time for a vet check.

Hello, my furbaby can't eat those bully sticks, they make her sick and poop. Think they might be too rich, she has a sensitive stomach plus you have to remember our babys are tiny so that might be too much for your baby. I would definitely stay away from those bully sticks and find another treat instead. Good luck!

Since noone has mentioned it in the post yet those Hybrid antler horns are something you might want to try for a tough chew vs. animal product.

They cant splinter (like real a horn) are long-lasting and safe for pups too. Come in a variety of sizes. Only real downside I have Found is... they seem to get Lost easily. lol. I'm sure those "missing" ones will turn up someday. :rolleyes:

Nowdays a lot of the animal-based chews are coming from China or other areas outside the USA. No telling how they are processed and we try make it a rule to avoid the imported chews or toys.

Bully sticks and diarrhea
 

Well, it's been a few weeks since I originally posted my question about bully sticks and I have been to the vet because my little one continued to have on and off diarrhea even when I didn't give her the bully stick. She would be fine for a few days on rice and chicken and then the loose stools would come back. So she was given antibiotics and probiotics and special food for a week and I was to slowly introduce her regular kibble back into her diet. All went well while she was on her pills and then two days after she was off them, the diarrhea came back. Yesterday she finished her second course of antibiotics and I have her on a limited diet with a new protein she has never had before in case she is allergic to something. All is well so far but she has not been off the pills for 2 days yet. I was feeding her Blue Buffalo and Wellness and read all sorts of problems some people have had with feeding Blue Buffalo so I am not going to give her any more of that food. I am really hoping that the Blue Buffalo is the cause and not an allergy as that would be the easiest to remedy. As far as the Bully sticks go, my vet didn't think that would be the cause and I do love them for cleaning her teeth while I brush her daily. However, I would like to try those Hybrid antler horns if I can find them. Thanks for all your ideas.

My second yorkie Keally had diarrhea bouts and I did the chicken rice thing . It ended up we took her to the University Of Mn. Animal Hospital to see a gastroenterologist. They tested her and found that she had lymphantasia where they lose their protein. My vet did not like the diagnosis and ruled it IBD. We put her on Science Diet ID and I bought Science Diet ZD for treats. We had her on metronidazole for her bouts but she did pretty good had her for twelve and a half years. The breeder was selling these yorkies with this genetic thing passing on IBD. Our yorkie now is allergic to chicken and definitely can not have bully sticks as I said before. I am not telling you what to do but go with your gut feeling and get more tests done. We had Kinder checked out and chicken was a factor and I feed her Fromms Whitefish and Potato and New Balance Bison . Instead of trying different foods try a vet that will do more testing. I hope your baby gets better and has a happy healthy life. Susan

Try your local Wal-Mart. It is her Fav chewie so far!

Bully sticks and diarrhea
 

I was wondering if she was allergic to chicken as everything she has eaten has been chicken which is why I have been trying a kibble with venison and sweet potato. She has been off the Metronidazole since yesterday and if the loose stools don't come back I will try a little of her Wellness chicken kibble mixed in with the other kibble to see if that is the culprit. I am really hoping it isn't IBD. She is 16 months old and has had no previous trouble until this just came on suddenly. I'll do an update in a few days.

Thanks for the tip on where to find the antler horns, I will look for them. It's so nice to give her something to chew on and clean her teeth while I groom her. She actually looks forward to that time in the evening.