[Debbie G]

I had been feeding my 2 seven year old Springe siblings Purina’s Sensitive Skin/Stomach as the boy had flatulence problems as well as skin irritations. Then I added a fiber cereal with water cuz the girl has anal gland issues. Then the store stopped carrying this cereal and I tried a different cereal and then pumpkin to firm up their stools. Their stools got softer and then, 6 weeks ago, the girl started to refuse meals and ended up with bloody soft stools; the boy’s stools were soft , too. I had them both checked for giardia, which was negative. Vet put them on 2 meds for it anyway and put th on Hill’s ID food. Then the boy had bloody stools. Vet had them do another round of the Met….(giardia drug) and amoxicillin . The antibiotic made diarrhea worse . So I stopped that. Had them checked for viruses. Negative. Total cost is now $800 and the vet has no more suggestions. I went to a smaller pet store and they recommended Professional’s Lamb and Brown rice food. After spending 7 days switching over, this food is causing very stinky flatulence, so I switched them back to ID food with a probiotic powder. Their energy level is fine , but their stools are soft and yellow. What is going on?! Is it some obscure parasite or the food? What should I do next? (The girl didn’t eat right away this morning again).

[Anonymous]

Did you ask the vet to change the antibiotic to a different one? Sometimes a dog can tolerate one antibiotic but not another. I assume the dog was unable to complete the course of treatment.
What about boiled hamburger and rice for a few days?

[Debbie G]

I think I forgot to tell the vet the antibiotic was causing diarrhea, but I read that giving an antibiotic for diarrhea is controversial. Also, no infection has been identified. Correct. They only finished a week, but he wanted them on it for 20 days.

I can’t give the boy dog meat. He gasifies it! And the vet said no to rice. I did plain mashed potatoes for a while and then the ID food. Too much work and they weren’t that interested in the potatoes.

[Anonymous]

I would call the vet and tell him what happened regarding the antibiotic. It’s important that they take antibiotics for the prescribed length of time. Sometimes they use a broad spectrum antibiotic to be on the safe side and eliminate potential problems, such as bacterial infections that may be developing.
There are many antibiotics he can choose from, he should be able to find something that is milder on their systems.

[Debbie G]

I think you’re right. They must have been on some other antibiotics that agreed with them before. Also, I remember now that one of the possibilities was something in the lake they swim in – i.e. bacteria. If it is indeed the lake water, though, I’m not sure if we can come up with a permanent solution. That’s where our cottage is and we can’t very well not let them swim there. I’ll call the vet again tomorrow to at least see if a different antibiotic would work. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

If it is a lake that people swim in and you are pretty sure the dogs got an infection due to the bacteria level in the water, I would report it to the Board of Health in that town, after all if it was a child they might do something. Good luck.

PS: Maybe they consumed some of the lake water when swimming, try to hose them down at the end of the day, that should help.

[Susan]

Hi Debbie, its strange that they both have this, sounds like your boy had the bloody poos after a diet change? I’d say he’s probably sensitive to an ingredient in the Hills I/d……
Hills make 2 different I/d formulas for the stomach & bowel, vets normally put them on the I/d Gastrointestinal health at first, but the insoluble fiber is high in the I/d Gastro, also the Hills Z/d has very high insoluble fiber & corn starch as well if you can take back the I/d food & get the I/d Gi Restore Low Fat for your girl the fiber is lower at 1.7% or try the Royal Canine Intestinal Low Fat the fiber is lower at 1.7% & its a soluble fiber & the Royal Canine Low Fat doesn’t have corn or corn gluten, all the Hills diets have corn, corn gluten meal, corn starch etc they may both need to be on different diets…
My boy was pooing blood, light red, he has Colitis, he was sensitive to an ingredient that I was feeding him in his cooked meal at the time, he suffers from food intolerances, he was put on the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic at the time but look for the R/C Hypoallergenic that has a lower fat, I think Purina vet diet makes a Hypoallergenic as well for your boy…In America the R/C is a bit different, the Australian R/C Hypoallergenic is 19% fat which caused another problem, Pancreatitis.. change vet diets to Royal Canine not Hills or another vet diet & ask vet about Tylan Powder its milder then the Metronidazole (Antibiotic for bowel) the Tylan powder taste awful & is very bitter, so a lot of people put the 1/8th -1/2 teaspoon in those empty capsule you buy at chemist & make the Tylan powder capsule up, its easy you get an empty shoe box, make holes for the capsules, open the capsules & put the bigger end in box, then I used a cake piping end as a funnel & made up the Tylan capsules, its online & you can buy the kit on Amazon.. you give the Tylan powder with meal, every 12 hours, Patches poos firmed up with in 2 days also look at S.I.B.O Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth, they recommend that the dog is on either Metronidazole or Tylan powder for 28-45 days to get rid of the bacteria in the bowel..

[Debbie G]

Thanks for the info, Susan. I think we’re on the same page. I called our vet about getting a different antibiotic, so he called an online pharmacy and ordered Tylosin Bitter Block chewable tablets, which must be similar to the Tylan powder. We’ll try that for 21 days. I’m not sure about the food. Sometimes I think it may be a food allergy, but the vet doesn’t because both dogs developed this problem at the same time. We’ll see…

[Anonymous]

I suspect the lake. Look at what’s going on in my neck of the woods: http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/07/21/jamaica-pond-water-activities-shut-down-after-algae-bloom/ (excerpt from article below)

BOSTON (AP) — Jamaica Pond has been temporarily closed to water activities because of a suspected algae bloom.

The Boston Public Health Commission said Monday that the blue-green algae, known as cyanobacteria, can produce toxins that make people and pets sick.

Park visitors are urged to avoid contact with the water and any areas where the algae is concentrated, even on shore.

[Author]

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