Yellow Stool/Diarrhea with Chicken & Rice
 

My comments aren’t specific to yorkies, since Jax is my first yorkie and has never had yellow stools. However, I’ve fostered lots and lots of dogs for a rescue, and I can reassure you that soft, yellow stools aren’t at all unusual in a dog that has had a change of diet or has been under any kind of stress. The yellow coloring is generally caused by bile pigments because food is moving faster than normal through the digestive tract, and stress or diet changes are common reasons for that. Your vet’s advice seems on target. Unless there is vomiting or a change in behavior that might indicate pain, it should be safe to wait a few days to see whether your pup adjusts to the new diet.

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be confusing. I just meant that, while the chicken & rice diet is intended to slow down the digestive process, any change of diet can have the opposite effect for a short time. That’s probably why the vet suggested you give it a few days as long as your pup doesn’t have any other alarming symptoms.

Keeping in mind that a new foster, who is generally entering my home after being in a chaotic shelter environment, is probably under more emotional stress than your little one in addition to going through diet changes, I’d estimate that the digestive issues usually settle within two to four days. That’s why I said your vet’s time frame seemed to be on target in the absence of any other symptoms.

There are some dogs, though, who don’t do well on chicken & rice. If things don’t start looking better in another day or two, you might ask your vet about other alternatives you could try. Some dogs do better on turkey than chicken (most grocery stores sell ground turkey now) and canned pumpkin rather than rice.

Oh, and on the yellow color — the stools should return to normal color after the diarrhea clears up. So if they are still yellow after the time frame mentioned by your vet (i think you said four days) you should have a stool sample tested, and perhaps a blood test, to make sure there’s nothing going on with your little one’s liver. I don’t anticipate that, though, given the timing. In other words, since the stools turned yellow after the diet change, that’s most likely the reason.

In general, the chicken & rice diet is only used for four or five days, since its not nutritionally complete and most minor digestive issues resolve in that time frame unless there’s an underlying problem. However, I’m only giving general reassurances. You should be in contact with your vet and follow his/her advice.

Is he doing better now?

Update
 

Metronidazole is both an antibiotic and an antiprotozoan (for protozoans such as giardia), so I’m guessing your vet prescribed it in case your pup has picked up a bacterial infection or a parasite that hasn’t shown up in the tests. I’ve used it on some fosters and don’t recall any specific issues with it, although any kind of antibiotic or antiparasitic medication can actually cause diarrhea as a side effect, so be sure to monitor for dehydration. (I’m sure your vet told you that.)

Prednisone is, of course, a steroid, and is a medication that’s often prescribed, short term, to treat inflammation, especially when the cause isn’t clear yet. Again, it’s a medication I’ve used and haven’t had any specific issues with, although I would hesitate to give it to one of my own dogs long term (as opposed to short term) as long term use can cause kidney damage.

Everything your vet is doing seems pretty normal for treating a dog with diarrhea when the cause hasn’t been determined. Just be sure to monitor your baby closely and contact the vet about any side effects and/or if the diarrhea doesn’t resolve soon.

Whenever my pups have funky stools for more than 24 hours I take them to the vet. No ifs, ands, or buts. I don't call...I go. I also "most of the time" have blood work done...unless my vet says it is not necessary.
There are SO many things that these pups can have. If your pup has not had recent blood work I suggest you speak with your vet to see what he/she thinks.
As for the Metronidazole....it is the medication of choice for GI stuff. It is like a miracle drug! Why did the vet prescribe prednisone?

After experiencing pancreatitis with Jackson more than once, your story is reminiscent of Jackson's symptoms. I would insist on bloodwork - at the very least it can rule out pancreatitis, especially with a breed like Yorkies predisposed to it. They can run a PSL precision or CPL test to test specifically for pancreatitis as well. I have found some vets aren't super knowledgable on the disease; some are.

For what it's worth, Jackson does not do well on chicken and rice. The rice also caused yellow type stools and rice went right through him.... he does better on a whitefish and potato type diet. Either plain potato or sweet potatoes. We usually do cod. Or boiled 99% fat free ground turkey. Chicken and rice isn't always the best for tummy issues even though so many people think it is. For some dogs it's fine, of course, but for many I see dogs that rice can actually cause more inflammation.

The Metronidazole is pretty standard, as said above, but I am wondering about the prednisone. Our internal medicine specialist was hesitant to give Jackson a steroid even after dealing with 2 months of diarrhea from him in 2018. It was going to be our very last resort. A lot of dogs with IBD do end up on a steroid but doesn't sound like you guys are there yet at all....

If there is a concern for IBS I would urge you to speak with your vet about a novel protein diet.

I also don't see mention of bloodwork and without it your vet is left guessing. There are some conditions that would come to light based on lab values.

Update:
 

I would rather prefer to visit a veterinary doctor. Because I can't risk my "Viru" health at any cost.