New Rescue has Diarrhea

Dog Food Advisor Forums Diet and Health New Rescue has Diarrhea

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  • #90721 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    I have a new rescue for the last 4 weeks battling diarrhea.
    The rescue didn’t give me any of his previous kibble and couldn’t tell me what brand it was anyway, just said it varies because they get donations. My other dog eats a super healthy canned Organic Natural Planet so I was trying to do the same for the new rescue, but it’s giving him diarrhea. I’ve borrowed some kibble (low-quality) from a neighbor to see if weaning him would help but he won’t touch it if i mix in kibble because my other dog is eating the good canned stuff next to him! I tried mixing in brown rice which helped a little bit, then I tried mixing in pumpkin which helped firm it a little more but it’s still pretty soft and has some mucus (no blood and only has 2 sloppy stools a day and he acts completely normal and happy), so i really feel it’s his body trying to transition rather than any health problems. I am also now adding probiotics but no change yet. I think this particular dog needs more fiber, can someone recommend a QUALITY kibble with good source of fiber that I can mix with his canned Organic Natural Planet to see if that will help? I would prefer a poultry to match his canned or lamb kibble but one that has a good source of fiber to help me with firming his stools. I prefer to stay with the highest quality brands, (i had a shitzu who had severe inflammatory bowel disease at the age of 4 and had to feed him RAW diet which extended his life another 8 years!, so i prefer the highest quality canned and kibble as raw was a hassle to feed and don’t want to go there again). Again, higher fiber, quality fiber but still high protein is what i’m looking for in a quality dry food to mix in with Natural Planet. Thanks again for any suggestions. Desperate to get his stools firmer!!!

    #90723 Report Abuse
    Susan
    Participant

    Hi, my boy has IBD & the only kibble that made his poos firm was “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & the Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon, a lot of dogs with IBD, IBS & EPI seem to do real well on TOTW kibbles..
    I can’t get the TOTW wet tin foods in Australia but I’ve also heard they’re good as well, what ever kibble you buy try & buy from a pet shop so if he refuses to eat it or has diarrhea you can just take kibble back to shop & say he wont eat it, most kibbles have a money back guarantee, I wouldn’t get any kibbles where the protein is over 27% or the fat is too high normally rescued dogs have had a poor diets & when given good quality foods they have diarrhea or vomiting, it took my boy 2-3 yrs for his stomach & bowel to get better…

    Is he thru a rescue group? my boy rescue group paid for his vet care & vet diet to get him stable then I adopted him & then I had the up hill battle with trying to get him off the vet diet & try new kibbles & cooked food, I found rice irritated Patches bowel more but he does well on boiled sweet potato, pumkin & potates added with lean beef mince or lean pork mince.. I make rissoles & added blended broccoli, parsley, kale, grated carrot, a whisked egg & make 1 cup size rissoles & bake in oven then freeze & then add about 1/4 sweet potato..
    Good luck, just remember 1 thing at a time cause you won’t know what helps & what made this worse..

    #90724 Report Abuse
    crazy4cats
    Participant

    Hi SG-
    Congratulations on your new addition. My pups had a rough start too. And still are a little sensitive and get diarrhea now and then. Pure Vita’s Turkey recipe by NutriSource is a kibble they have done really well on. It has 6% fiber. It’s too expensive to feed regularly, but I watch for specials and sales. Also Perfect Form by The Honest Kitchen is a supplement that has been helpful as well. They just finished a bag of Whole Earth Farms Turkey and Duck which they did great on also.

    Make sure you do a fecal test with vet if there hasn’t been one done yet. It could be due to worms, parasites, coccidia, etc. Good luck!

    #90728 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    I bought the Pure Vita Turkey kibble and am going to try mixing it with the organic natural planet canned turkey to see if that helps firm up his stool. I also bought slippery elm supplement as it’s the main ingredient in Perfect Form that you recommended too. I really don’t think he has worms, parasites but will take him in and ask the rescue if they can over the bill IF this new diet/supplements don’t work. I’m going to also continue adding pumpkin for a while into his food and probiotics since i still have both but need to eventually simply his diet to exclude supplements, i don’t mind mixing kibble with canned if that’s what he needs to have firm stools. Thank you ALL for recommending HIGH QUALITY fiber foods. It just goes to show not all dogs are the same, where one dog could only tolerate RAW(my shitzu) and this rescue seems to need some kibble. I’m really against most kibbles, as most have LOW QUALITY ingredients and grains/carbs, but there are so many NEW HIGH quality ones on the market nowadays, it may be the way of the future for keeping a rescue dog healthy. I’ll let you all know if this works.

    #90731 Report Abuse
    crazy4cats
    Participant

    I hope he does well with the Pure Vita. Pumpkin never really worked that great for my pups. Surprisingly, unsweetened applesauce was better. I think because it contains pectin. Check out http://www.dogaware.com. It has a lot of helpful info on digestive disorders in dogs. I would try to add just one new thing at a time so you know what is helping and what isn’t.

    My dogs had both giardia and coccidia when they were young and it took some time to get them back on track when we finally got rid of all their bugs. You could at least rule them out with a fecal so you won’t be switching up food and supplements for no reason like I did for a long time. Please report back on your progress!

    #90760 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    WOW in just ONE full day this is working after a MONTH of struggling over loose stools! I believe it’s the SLIPPERY ELM that firmed it up that quick, but i bet adding the Pure Vita with 6% fiber will help when i remove the slippery elm from his diet. So in case others look at this post – i’m only mixing a small amount of Pure Vita with 100%meat based canned food, so it’s got to be the slippery elm that firmed up the stool so quick, but the Pure Vita will aid to keep it firm once i remove the slippery elm, i plan to use the slippery elm for 10 days before i remove it to make sure the intestines have had time to heal. yesterday, the first day his stool was firmer but still had some mucus, today it’s completely firm and no mucus. I also have been using pumpkin but will be removing that in a couple days. I don’t want to remove everything at once. The pumpkin didn’t help much only some so it’s the first to go.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by S G.
    #90763 Report Abuse
    crazy4cats
    Participant

    Good news! I wish you continued success. 👍🏻🐸

    #90835 Report Abuse
    Michael F
    Member

    One of my dogs did well on Pure Vita but the other dog did not, he can’t tolerate all the fruits in it. My internist vet says he is seeing a lot of dogs coming in for Irritable Bowel problems and that over 90 percent of them have been eating dog foods with berries in and once they are off the berries things improve, he particularly recommends no blueberries.

    There is a product you can order on line called DiaGel, it is all natural and clears up Diarrhea with 24 hours, it is suppose to remove only the bad bacteria and leave the good, just to be safe I add probiotics if this product is used. DiaGel has a long shelf life so I try and keep some on hand, it helps with food transitions, garbage gut etc

    #90861 Report Abuse
    NOSH
    Participant

    I’m having trouble with diarrhea in my puppy as well and have not tried Slippery Elm. How do you buy this and where do you purchase this for dogs? Thank you.

    #90864 Report Abuse
    crazy4cats
    Participant

    First, of course, I’m going to ask if you have seen a vet and had a fecal test done. Here is a link with some diarrhea remedies that has been helpful to me assuming that it is not due to worms, parasites or coccidia.

    http://www.dogaware.com/health/digestive.html

    I’ve used some of the supplements that are recommended on this site. Many of them contain slippery elm.

    Good luck!

    #90880 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    Slipper Elm can be bought in capsules at places like Vitamin Shoppe. Dogs around 20 pounds can have 1/2 capsule mixed in a tablespoon water and poured over their food. 10 pound dog 1/4 capsule. I helped right away, but I NEED to add here that the KEY is changing the dog food slowly to NO GRAIN but higher CARB (good carb like sweet potato) diet. The PureVita Turkey/Sweet potatoes is excellent for firming up a dogs stool, i just don’t advocate using only a kibble, I mix PureVita with an organic canned that also has NO GRAINS. A NO GRAIN diet will save your dog from my diseases down the road and lots of vet bills, dogs intestinal systems are not designed to digest grains but switching them to a no grain diet gives them diarrhea so it needs to be done slowly.

    #90891 Report Abuse
    NOSH
    Participant

    My puppy came from a kill shelter and she has all the issues from being in a bad place. Kennel cough, regular worms, tapeworms and now that I’ve cleared up much of that mess the diarrhea continues so I assume it is coccidia or giardia or both. I am doing grain free and have started the Slippery Elm. I made a sauce out of it and mix it in her food. The slippery elm has helped the kennel cough quite a bit but done nothing for the diarrhea. I have had her on a tiny bit of organic sweet potato from the start and she loves that so this helps a great deal. This week I will focus on the coccidia. I am going to use natural herbal drops which worked well in the past. If you have any other suggestions, I’d love your advice. Thanks.

    #90892 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    If the only issue is diarrhea increase the slippery elm but also add a quality higher carb diet (sweet potato is great and so is pumpkin). Try a small amount of Pure Vita with your other food you are feeding the dog to bulk up his/her stools. BUT is you feel the dog has a parasitic protozoa your vet needs to kill those simultaneously!!! those have to be dealt with.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by S G.
    • This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by S G.
    #90900 Report Abuse
    crazy4cats
    Participant

    Hi Nosh-
    SG is absolutely right, you should take a stool sample to the vet to determine if she has giardia and/or coccidia. Mine have had both. The coccidia cleared right up with the meds the vet prescribed. I can’t remember what it was called. Metronidazole and Panacur is typically prescribed for Giardia and may take a few rounds to get rid of it. These should be taken care of ASAP if she does have them. They can cause damage that takes a while to heal if not cleared. Grain free and Slippery Elm will not get rid of the diarrhea if she still has “bugs”.

    What kind of dog is she and how old? How awesome of you to save this pup!

    #90906 Report Abuse
    NOSH
    Participant

    I was able to get her and her two sisters out of the kill shelter and they were adopted upon transport arrival to our town. The puppies are about 3 months old on the 28th….the vet wasn’t completely sure but they were about 10-12 weeks on arrival. I have given her July 28th as her birthday as that’s what comes through…. She is a terrier/chihuahua mix and at this point she is 5.4 pounds. I’m a bit concerned with her weight but I’ve never had a chihuahua before so maybe gaining just one pound in 2 weeks is normal.

    With the worming process she went from 4.6 pounds to 4 pounds and I finally have her at 5.4 pounds this morning. I am basically giving her two tablespoons of food every 3 hours and she’s always coming back for more. I don’t want to give her too much food because that can cause diarrhea, but she seems quite satisfied after eating. She has gobs of energy and is extremely loving and playful. She looks exactly like Rudolph in that Christmas show, she’s the same color, but more petite like Clarisse…. We are on day 18 now.

    #90910 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    IMPORTANT! If your dog has Giardia please do NOT let your vet give the pet antibiotics/metronidazole to treat it, it does NOT work, then the vet will give another round when it does not work and then it still won’t work and you will be very frustrated, PLUS antibiotics/metronidazole are very harmful to your pets intestinal system and causes other issues. READ up on PANACUR this WILL get rid of Giardia for sure and is much safer for your pet than an antibiotic that doesn’t work. It has a 96% success rate and it is very cheap to get via Amazon and if it doesn’t work the first time, which i usually does, then you can give a second round, plus a second round will kill any remaining protozoa that might pop up later down the road. The only other recommendation to get rid of Giardia if you want to try a natural method is plant enzymes (google: Dr. Jeans Treatment for Giardia) but they need to be given 5 times a day on an empty stomach, some people get frustration and don’t dose enough and end up not successful anyway so I’d go with Panacur and I normally prefer holistic choices but Giardia is a hard one to get rid of.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by S G.
    • This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by S G.
    #90917 Report Abuse
    crazy4cats
    Participant

    Hi Nosh-
    Your pup is so lucky to have you. It seems like you are doing a great job. She sounds like a cutie. She’s been through a lot. The diarrhea could also just be due to stress. Just keep feeding her small frequent bland meals and have a fecal test done. Best wishes to you!

    #90978 Report Abuse
    NOSH
    Participant

    Well, we made a trip to the Vet today and as usual, it was ridiculous. I’ve never seen such an uncaring and incompetent person in the healing field. Today my puppy would not eat breakfast and the water/diarrhea has a bit of blood in it. She is not lethargic and does not have parvo as the Vet wanted me to consider. She doesn’t have any of those symptoms. I refused the metronidazole and ordered her to give me both Albon and Panacur. I will try these to see if there is some improvement. The kennel cough is back as well and she should have gained more weight by now. The poor little thing just needs an answer which is not fully available and I’m really disappointed after all this time that there is no straight answer for shelter dogs with severe diarrhea. No wonder we have so many of them thrown away in the shelters. I hate medical antibiotics but it’s at a stage where we have to try this as something must be done.

    She looked at the feces under the microscope. FINALLY, after I asked her to do so 6 times. She said she saw absolutely nothing. That is generally what all tests say for both Coccida and Giardia~ nothing. Vets like to play this out for months just to fill their pockets. I’m so disgusted with the medical field, when will it ever end.

    #90979 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    If your pup has diarrhea and you haven’t yet discovered the cause, PLEASE give your pup slippery elm because it coats the villi in the intestinal tract and soothes the lining so it can heal, it will also bulk up the pups stools. if Slippery Elm is not making the stools more solid, buy a guaranteed potency brand i recommend Solaray Brand which comes in a 400mg per capsule and for a 20 pound dog all you need is half a capsule, so if the pup is 10 pounds or under try a 1/4 capsule. Even though slippery elm does not kill any protozoa it helps the lining of the inflamed gut to heal, which NEEDS to happen! So while you are trying panacur to see if it’s giardia or another protozoa at least you’re also healing the gut lining with slippery elm, which needs to happen. Also if panacur doesn’t work then it has to be related to an overgrowth of bacteria. Your pup will still need to heal the lining of the gut so PLEASE don’t discount using the slippery elm while you dose with lots of good quality probiotics, no grain diet, ONE protein (don’t use a food with multiple proteins) higher carb diet (sweet potato NOT rice) and last resort would be to use antibiotics with the no grain diet and slippery elm and probiotics. Keep us informed of the outcome.

    #90983 Report Abuse
    NOSH
    Participant

    Yes, I have been using slippery elm since the beginning and am hopeful that it will soothe the digestive tract and help it to heal. I can get her to eat it most of the time and if I put a bit of raw honey in it she like it all the more. Slippery elm won’t help bulk up the stools if it is giardia or cocicida…..and so this is why I believe it is one or the other or both. I’m using raw goat milk yogurt to help the digestive tract and this is helping to add nutrients as well. This is such a tough battle for just a little bitty girl and it’s really bringing the vibrations down in the whole household. Will this cure the overgrowth of bacteria if that is the case?

    #90985 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    maybe/maybe not depending on how bad it is, here is a story so you understand……it’s a horrible battle if the dog as inflammatory bowel disease. years ago my shitzu was so sick, his stools had mucus and were soft, he curled up in a tight ball and laid around all the time, he was restless at night, so finally i spent a ton of money an a colon and endoscopy because the vet did NOT believe me and tons of stools tests were done. The results came back and the vet was shocked – SEVERE inflammatory bowel disease. They told me he wouldn’t live more than 6 months. So i contacted a holistic vet and changed his diet to RAW and holistic supplements, what did I have to loose, it took 18 months before his gut healed and even then he still had bouts if i ever gave him a snack. All he could tolerate was RAW, it was a BIG hassle to feed raw and HUGE expense including the supplements, but it saved his life and he lived another 8 years, the first of those 8 years were NOT easy. He was my best friend, I can’t believe all i did for him, but I loved him so much. He finally passed 3 months ago (from a stroke from tooth infection, yet i scaled his teeth twice a month just not far enough under the gum line) and I’m still grieving, he meant the world to me.

    #90988 Report Abuse
    NOSH
    Participant

    I’m sorry both of you had to go through that as it’s extremely tough and emotionally draining. Healing is a process and I’m afraid most sickness is induced by Vets themselves. It’s a money making business and that’s the bottom line. Frankly I find them useless in most cases.

    Last night after I gave her the Panacur, was the first night we got through without a tremendous amount of kennel coughing. I have always put coughs and tapeworms together as this seems to go hand in hand although no VET will ever tell you this or even ponder the issue. Can you tell me how long it will take before I see some stool forming? She got quite a bit of diarrhea out through the night so we’re still doing a lot of purging.

    #90989 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    I would go out and buy a guaranteed potency brand of Slippery Elm. Slippery Elm will firm up your dog’s stool, so either you’re not using enough or it’s not a guaranteed potency brand. Unfortunately there are many herbs on the market and they are ‘not’ regulated so many have been found to not contain what is stated on the bottle. Since your not sure your pup has a protozoa how can anybody tell you when his stool will firm up? It could be an over abundance of bad bacteria. Plus if the slippery elm isn’t soothing the tummy and firming up the stool then diarrhea could continue even if the cause is corrected as the damage to the lining of the intestinal system needs to be repaired too along with a modified diet and protiobics. It is very tricky, possibly too much damage has been done to the intestinal lining which was what happened with my shitzu and the only thing that helped him was also changing him to a raw diet, but his damage was extreme and verified through an endoscopy (which was very expensive test), so vets are good for something, they help diagnose the extent of the problem. BTW: my vet was shocked that my shitzu had severe inflammatory bowel disease, i kept telling our vet something was horribly wrong with my dog, they dismissed my concern because the dog was always happy when he went on an outing even to the vet, he’d act happy their but at home curl up in a tight ball and vomit/have soft stools with mucous at home and never move, i’d even have to carry him out to pee/poo. I since changed vets and have one that listens to me, as i know the dog best.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by S G.
    • This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by S G.
    • This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by S G.
    • This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by S G.
    #90995 Report Abuse
    crazy4cats
    Participant

    Please just remember that because slippery elm is so good at coating and soothing the digestive tract it may also inhibit the absorption of important nutrients and medicines. I have read that it is best to only use it short-term and to try and give it separate from meals and any medicines you are giving.

    I agree that you should find a new vet if you are not happy with your current one and it is ridiculous to say that sickness is induced by vets in order to make money. However, I do agree that there are definitely some that are better than others.

    Good luck to you. I hope your pups get better soon.

    #90996 Report Abuse
    anonymous
    Member

    Another thing to keep in mind, as much as you don’t like or trust vets, they are the ones you will have to go to, via the 24/7 emergency veterinary clinic for sub q fluids if your dog becomes dehydrated due to diarrhea and other potential complications that may be caused by your noncompliance with the treatment recommended by the vet that examined your dog.

    I wish you the best of luck, but, I don’t agree with your opinions. If you don’t like the vet you went to, get another opinion or consult a specialist.
    I would not assume that I know more than the vet. That could be a potentially dangerous mistake that you may regret.

    #91000 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    agreed, there are a lot of vets who listen to your concerns, and will prescribe based on your knowledge of the dogs symptoms first rather than what can be a false negative fecal. change to a vet who listens to your concerns and who you feel comfortable with. Antibiotics don’t have to be the first option unless there is a life-threatening infection, many dogs can get over an over abundance of bad bacteria with change of diet and lots of probiotics and mastic gum is also used to heal the intestinal tract too. because my shitzu had severe inflammatory bowel disease that is what a holistic vet had to prescribe (mastic gum) along with raw diet, probiotics. i found the mastic gum a savior for my Banjo because he was lethargic and very ill too but wouldn’t use it for a dog who is acting normal other than the diarrhea. Don’t let the diarrhea go on for long as was said by others he will get sicker and sicker because he will become dehydrated and not absorbing enough nutrients, therefore you might consider changing the brand of the slippery elm or increasing the dosage to firm up that stool soon.

    #91008 Report Abuse
    NOSH
    Participant

    I’m well aware of my puppies symptoms and her behavior. I’m well aware that she could get dehydrated, she has diarrhea, remember? Slippery elm is not going to firm up stools if it’s giardia or cocchida. Period. I already know this. Slippery elm is given at night time and meds in the mornings. This way the meds become completely absorbed and the elm works through the night to help soothe the intestinal wall. This is common sense.

    And yes, I do know more than this particular Vet. As we speak she is being processed and fired. Too many complaints about her own behavior and her lack of knowledge and lack of compassion. Too many tests being ordered at great expense to the client which are not necessary. Many have complained. My complaint, which has more value than most, tipped the scales. I’m incredibly proud of that because I have the integrity to speak up and declare that I would not trust her with my puppy or any other animal. And no, I did not book an office session with her but the vet I went in to see was called on an emergency surgery and I was not going to waste another day.

    One third of vets are NOT knowledgeable and not sought after because of this. Vet clinics need EVERY vet to know their stuff and to be empathetic, this is required in the healing arts. I would know. If they aren’t generally concerned about their patients, it shows and no one wants to book them. It’s time to get rid of them, let them find an occupation which suits them better. As far as I am concerned, I use vets for serious business, broken bones and blood…..and in this case an ongoing situation where natural healing just won’t prevail.

    There is nothing more RIDICULOUS than NOT complaining about incompetence !

    #91009 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    FYI just want you to know there are different people commenting here and I never called you ridiculous. I do want to know why you feel slippery elm won’t firm up the stool if it’s a protozoa? It did for my dog and i consulted a rescue who uses it to firm up stools when infected with protozoa(s). just a few days ago you didn’t know about slippery elm, i’m wondering what brand you bought and if it had guaranteed potency? all we can do here is give our advice of what has helped and what has not helped. since soothing the intestines to allow them to heal is crucial, maybe you could try the mastic gum that helped my other dog but again i used that for ‘severe’ inflammatory bowel disease.

    #91016 Report Abuse
    crazy4cats
    Participant

    I’m sorry, but I thought your following statement meant you thought that all vets made pets sick on purpose to make money:

    “Healing is a process and I’m afraid most sickness is induced by Vets themselves. It’s a money making business and that’s the bottom line. Frankly I find them useless in most cases.”

    Of course, it’s not ridiculous to complain about incompetence. And for the record, I’m sure you are stressed and frustrated. I’ve been there. I went through something very similar with two puppies at the same time and then they gave it to my cats. Six pets I was medicating. I guess you got this handled on your own. I’m hoping the best for your pup and I hope you find a new vet that you trust for the sake of your pup.

    #91035 Report Abuse
    S G
    Member

    Hey everybody, i just remembered something about my Shitzu (who passed away), okay i told you all that the colonoscopy confirmed severe inflammatory bowel disease and vet said he had months to live and we changed him to a raw diet and he lived another 8 years anyway, he craved coconut oil, we gave it to him as a treat, his body knew he needed it and i have read hat coconut oil kills parasites included giardia, so I’m going to see if my new rescue likes it as a treat. Anyway just wanted to pass that along and if anybody else tries it for diarrhea from giardia, lets all report back with results.

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