Loose stools - I give up!!!!

[cally930]

We got Beckham when he was 5 months old. He is almost 9 months old now. Since we have had him he has had loose stools. First we thought it was due to testing positive for Giardia. He was on Panacur for a week and still had loose stools. He was then put on another medicine for another week - still loose stools. He was put on chicken, rice and yogurt - still loose stools. The vet recommended prescription dog food -but I chose to try and find other dog foods on my own instead of having to do this. We changed dog foods from Holistic Healthcare to Acana Grasslands and we are now on Orijen Red. Still loose stools. He has been tested twice after this for Giardia - and it was negative. I give up.

What else can I do? Do I go with the prescription dog food my vet is recommending?

Please help. Its been real hard housebreaking him when he can't have a hard stool.

Thank you for any recommendations.

[lovespandp]

Hmm, the only think I can think of is when Pnut was on Evo Red meat he had some loose poo's Too much protein might be doing it.. Might just be dealing with a sensitive stomach... Pnut has a VERY sensitive stomach!!

[yorkieusa]

Read this link and see if it might help you.

Yorkie puppy poop problem. Loose stools in 5 month old. Why? - - Questions & Answers | Vetinfo.com

[DvlshAngel985]

Try the Orijen chicken if like lovespandp said, he's just got a sensitive stomach and too much protein isn't doing his stomach any good. Have you tried canned pupmking for a while? It has fiber that can help regulate him, or benebac, that has helped me with loose stools before that were caused by nerves.

[Britster]

Aw, poor guy! I hope he feels better soon. How much are you feeding him? Overfeeding is often a big problem with the higher protein foods such as Orijen. Jackson is a healthy 15lbs and eats 1/2 cup per day of Acana or Orijen kibble, mixed with a little wet. Some dogs can't tolerate overfeeding as well as others. So maybe lessen the food? Also, maybe just try a different protein source. Jackson got gassy on Orijen adult and he's never been gassy in his life, however Orijen Red he does great on it as well as Acana Grasslands.

[cally930]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

Try the Orijen chicken if like lovespandp said, he's just got a sensitive stomach and too much protein isn't doing his stomach any good. Have you tried canned pupmking for a while? It has fiber that can help regulate him, or benebac, that has helped me with loose stools before that were caused by nerves.

Thank you for the feedback but I was avoiding the chicken only because when I gave him the bland diet of just boiled chicken rice and yogurt - he still had loose stools. I kind of figured he may be allergic to chicken.

[cally930]

Originally Posted by Britster

Aw, poor guy! I hope he feels better soon. How much are you feeding him? Overfeeding is often a big problem with the higher protein foods such as Orijen. Jackson is a healthy 15lbs and eats 1/2 cup per day of Acana or Orijen kibble, mixed with a little wet. Some dogs can't tolerate overfeeding as well as others. So maybe lessen the food? Also, maybe just try a different protein source. Jackson got gassy on Orijen adult and he's never been gassy in his life, however Orijen Red he does great on it as well as Acana Grasslands.

The Acana Grasslands and the Orijen Red - although different ingredients - looks the same. My little guy is only 2.7 lbs - so if you're giving a 15lb dog 1/2 cup - should 1/4 per day be enough? It kind of looks too little to me. I don't free feed all day - but I do free feed to the point that I put their food out 2x a day -let them eat as much as they want and when they stop eating I take it away. Is that wrong? Should I just measure it out and that's it?

Thanks for the feedback.

[Vinniedoggy]

Not sure if girhardia works the same in dogs as it does in humans but (and this may be a bit TMI) I had girardia years ago and had "loose stools" for about a year, even after I was treated with antibiotics. Subsequent tests came back negative, but I was still symptomatic. I later learned that the girardia can live in your stomach for quite some time and may not go away with just one or two treatments. In addition, girardia tests are notoriously unreliable - they can come up negative even when you actually have girardia. I think the parasite just eventually worked its way out of my system. Again, maybe in humans it is different, but that's what happened with me. It was a long and uncomfortable year.....

[cally930]

Originally Posted by Vinniedoggy

Not sure if girhardia works the same in dogs as it does in humans but (and this may be a bit TMI) I had girardia years ago and had "loose stools" for about a year, even after I was treated with antibiotics. Subsequent tests came back negative, but I was still symptomatic. I later learned that the girardia can live in your stomach for quite some time and may not go away with just one or two treatments. In addition, girardia tests are notoriously unreliable - they can come up negative even when you actually have girardia. I think the parasite just eventually worked its way out of my system. Again, maybe in humans it is different, but that's what happened with me. It was a long and uncomfortable year.....

I have heard that giardia is very hard to detect in the first place - and also - that it is very hard to get rid of. But not sure what to do - obviously if the tests are coming back negative - do you still treat it as though he still has it?

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by cally930

Thank you for the feedback but I was avoiding the chicken only because when I gave him the bland diet of just boiled chicken rice and yogurt - he still had loose stools. I kind of figured he may be allergic to chicken.

Have the vet run allergy tests if you want to be sure. That way, you're not stuck guessing. I don't know if it's possible, but I know it's done with kids. You have a lot going on, and it seems that you're frustrated because you can't pinpoint what it is that is causing the loose stools. It would be frustrating to me too if I was just shooting in the dark, not knowing what is causing this to my baby. By the way, the Benebac I mentioned is a probiotic paste, like the probiotics in yogurt minus the dairy, sweeteners, and other stuff that might be in yogurt. I found it at Petco in the small animal aisle. It really did help firm up, and it's another thing you could try.

If you want to try a new food, how about the Orijen fish formula? It's not the red meat, it's not chicken. I would still get an allergy test just to rule that out for my own sanity.

[_Chrissy_]

Have you tried the single ingredient foods like Natural Balance's Limited Ingredient Diet? Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance® Allergy Formulas for Dogs
That may help if it is an allergy issue.
Still grain free.
I have noticed in posts some people here who like the Sweet Potato & Venison Formula and the Potato & Duck. Potato and Duck even has a Small Bites formula. If your dog likes lamb there is even Lamb & Brown rice.
Lower in protein too in case that is the issue with your fur baby.
I hope you can find out what the issue is

[lukes]

It might be over-feeding between wet, dry, treats, and any critter he might come accross. That's the #1 cause of loose stools.

I would stop the free feeding and use measured portions.

[Ellie May]

Any reason why an rx diet isn't worth a try?
IMO, diet of vet's choice. If that doesn't work, then more intestinal blood testing and/or diagnostic imaging. If the stool is still loose after and no problem is detected, it would be time to talk about exploratory/biopsy. It's just not healthy long-term, and he is so young still.

There are a few things that could be tried (omegas assuming that there is inflammation present, probiotics if you are convinced that they work, etc.). But really, if dietary management isn't working, IMO he is too young to not find an answer (if possible). Has your vet tried Metro? Tylan?

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Any reason why an rx diet isn't worth a try?
IMO, diet of vet's choice. If that doesn't work, then more intestinal blood testing and/or diagnostic imaging. If the stool is still loose after and no problem is detected, it would be time to talk about exploratory/biopsy. It's just not healthy long-term, and he is so young still.

There are a few things that could be tried (omegas assuming that there is inflammation present, probiotics if you are convinced that they work, etc.). But really, if dietary management isn't working, IMO he is too young to not find an answer (if possible). Has your vet tried Metro? Tylan?

ETA: Improvement from a food change may not start to show until three weeks in to new food. So each one needs to be tried by itself for a minimum of three weeks.

[Wylie's Mom]

I agree with Crystal. Try the prescription food and see what happens. Depending on those results, you may have to go to exploratory. And then from there, you may need a canine nutritionist depending upon what's going on.

Poor baby. Marcel had giardia twice as a puppy and it was just horrible. I know what you're going thru with the constant loose stools.