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Thread: Loose Stool

  1. #1
    Puppy hallieworthington's Avatar
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    Loose Stool

    My 7 year old lab, Lulu, had her first experience with snow early last week and spent the next day having uncontrollable diarrhea (like, couldn't hold it, up every hour through the night bad). Took her in to the vet and the vet said it wasn't anything parasitic, so she sent us home with an Rx and a change to a bland diet for 4 days. Her stool seemed to go back to normal, but now it's beginning to soften again AND she's going more often. She used to poop once a day, but now she's pooping every few hours when we go outside. It seemed to start after she was eating snow the first time and while she hasn't been sick like she was this weekend, she's definitely having to go more and it's not as firm.

    Could the snow be causing this? The vet didn't seem too concerned about her eating snow, because she said all dogs do this and she's never had one that's been sick from just snow, but I'm not sure what else it could be since she's testing positive for parasites and other bugs. Also, any tips on how to help firm up her stool to maybe help her be more regular like she was before? I feed her Taste of the Wild, so she's on a high quality, grain free food.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    I would try some overcooked rice and boiled chicken or lean ground beef (drained well). Try feeding this only for 24 hours, multiple small meals rather than 2 regular feedings. Slowly begin adding small amounts of kibble over the next few days, reducing the amount of rice and meat mixture accordingly. You can also add a tablespoon of plain pumpkin, (not pie filling!), once or twice a day. Be careful not to overdo the pumpkin as it can work opposite of what you want! Hopefully in a week you will be back to regular kibble meals. If this does not work I would ask the vet to treat for giardia, it can sometimes not show up on testing. If you do treat make sure you do a full 14 day course of meds. You can also try some "Tylan" to help firm up her stools but this will only be a temporary fix as it will not treat any issues that may be brewing.

    I hope your baby is feeling better soon, I hate when they are sick! I have never heard of snow causing this and my 2 have eaten plenty!
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  3. #3
    Puppy hallieworthington's Avatar
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    See, my first thought was Giardia, because my moms golden had it once. The vet did a fecal and said it came back clean. I also hadn't heard of anyone's dog eating snow and getting sick, but this is her first time with snow, so I didn't know if maybe overeating it could cause it. We did the chicken/rice/cottage cheese diet for 3 days after I took her to the vet for the first time, and on day 4 I started reintroducing her dry food and she was fine. It just started up again on Thursday, a few days after she'd been back on solely dry food. She doesn't seem to be dehydrated, which was my main concern, and she's not acting different. Just wondering what the heck could be going on and why she's having trouble with normal bowel movements out of the blue. Im going to try the pumpkin and if that doesn't work, then I'm going to call the vet.

    I'm flying home in about a week to see my family for Christmas and I'll be gone for 10 days, so my roommate is keeping her while I'm gone. I just want to make sure she's back to normal before I have to leave her

  4. #4
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    It is not unheard of for a test to not show giardia and since you have done the rice/meat I would be very suspicious. If the pumpkin does not do the trick quickly I would absolutely ask your vet to treat for giardia.
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  5. #5
    Puppy hallieworthington's Avatar
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    Okay, I'll try starting her on the pumpkin tomorrow and if I don't see any improvement, I'll give the call a vet Monday. Does it come in a can? And how much/how often do you recommend? She's 61lbs.

  6. #6
    Senior Dog doubledip1's Avatar
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    It does come in a can. You can find it in the baking aisle. You want PLAIN, packed pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Libby's brand is available basically everywhere. This is what it looks like.



    I usually give 1-2 tablespoons. If that doesn't help, add more. You can also give plain Greek yogurt, but the pumpkin is cheap, pantry-safe for years, and usually does the trick.
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    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    if you can't find pumpkin ( the stores might be cleared out since you people just finished Thanksgiving?) then bake a sweet potato and try it. You will need less sweet potato than pumpkin, less than half. It will keep, cooked, in the fridge for a few days. Or you can eat it yourself.
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    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Could be giardia, since it takes a send out test to find it in most cases. Could be that she's just ingesting too much extra water from eating the snow. Wrigley had the runs yesterday and I just gave her a chewable Pepto (with some peanut butter to get it down)...one during the day, one with her meal, and it cleared up the problem. Remember, it's often the same with us, just because you have the runs for a day doesn't mean you are SICK.

  9. #9
    Senior Dog windycanyon's Avatar
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    If you aren't already, I'd look into a good probiotic to add to Lulu's food daily, but good to have a more thorough annual work up including bloodwork now that she's technically a "senior" too.
    Years ago, my oldest (only at the time) got the runs and was a little punky after a prolonged snow cover here, but that's the only time I remember any of mine having any issue that could have been related. Vet at the time said it was basically a psychological / emotional thing that some dogs went thru when their grass was taken away from them. I started giving a green supplement (w/ alfalfa-- a good stomach soother too, btw etc in it) and really can't remember the last time I had anyone have an unexplained issue. Mine also love squash from my garden so when I breed, I always hold back some for the new mom whose system can be stressed a few days after whelp. Anne
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  10. #10
    House Broken
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    A 24 hour fast is always good for persistent, intermittent diarrhea. Resting the bowel is paramount. Then, start back with small amounts of bland, fresh food (brown rice/chicken. 3 parts rice, 1 part chicken or cottage cheese). If it persists, start thinking about a diet change. Good luck.

 



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