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Post by aheller on Feb 16, 2007 15:08:39 GMT -5
Hello,
I wasn't sure which forum to post this in, so I figured I would start here.
My girlfriend and I adopted Charlie last week (he is almost 16 weeks and about 25 pounds) and he has been having a problem with runny stool. He has been going consistently during his walks, at least 3 to 5 times a day, but when he goes, it is really soupy, like the consistency of watery pudding. When he is done, he continues to walk around in his poopy crouch, like he still has to go, and will keep trying over and over. When he does this, he has some discharge (a clear or brown opaque liquid) dripping out.
This problem only developed in the last two to three days, so I am wondering if it might be the food we're feeding him.
I am not sure what the woman caring for him previously was feeding him. We are currently feeding him Wellness Super5Mix. It recommends 2.5 to 3.5 cups a day for puppies between 20-30 pounds who are 3-4 months old, so we have been giving him 1.5 cups in the morning and another 1.5 in the evening. We also use single kernels as little treats when praising good behavior.
I feel bad because I don't know if it's the food or if it is causing him any distress or not. I don't want him to be uncomfortable. He did have an accident in his crate last night and I don't know if maybe it was because he was physically unable to hold it long enough to give us the sign that he needed to go out.
Any thoughts? Should we try a different kind of food? Can anyone recommend a good puppy food for our little guy?
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Post by Dom on Feb 16, 2007 16:00:56 GMT -5
It probably is changing his food. Many breeders give the new owners a small bag of the food so they can mix it with the new food. I would probably take the pup to the vet just in case. It may be worms, food, or practically anything. Puppies can get dehydrated quickly. I normally don't worry about loose stools but runny stools could cause other problems.
I wouldn't change his food again if that is the food you plan on keeping him on. His body will have to adjust all over again. Whenever we changed our dogs food we would mix the old with the new. They still had loose stools for a few days. Not runny.
Since he is having problems just clean out his crate with a sanitizer. Keep an eye out for worms and set an appointment with the vet. You may need to bring a fresh fecal sample with you.
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Post by Dom on Feb 16, 2007 16:19:33 GMT -5
Also, take into consideration his treats, chewies, and toys. Sadie can't eat processed beef treats to this day. She gets sick and trust me she has an iron stomach for most things. Elsie also has stomach problems with anything fatty so we limit the time she is allowed to chew on RMBs.
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Post by aheller on Feb 17, 2007 15:47:05 GMT -5
Hello,
Well, I brought the little guy to the Vet today. She examined his stool and she said that he has a bacterial infection (Campylobacter) probably brought on by stress. She gave us some medicine (Chloramphenicol, 2 tabs a day, 12 hours apart for 3 weeks) and said that he should be put on a bland diet for 5 to 7 days (boiled rice mixed with boiled ground beef and/or boiled chicken).
I am glad that we identified it before we started switching his food again and I hope the medicine clears it up soon, he seemed to be so uncomfortable. I am also glad that his messing his crate was because of illness and not training.
Thanks for the info, Dom!
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Post by Dom on Feb 19, 2007 8:36:10 GMT -5
Ahh the poor little guy. I am glad you found out what was wrong with him. Since he has a bacterial infection, make sure you clean everything really well. You don't want it to reinfect him or infect yourself. Good luck with the potty training once he feels better.
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Post by aheller on Feb 19, 2007 16:21:01 GMT -5
Ugh! Now we're having the opposite problem.
We mixed up a batch of "bland food" as the vet instructed (white rice with boiled ground beef and boiled chicken). and have been feeding it to him since his Saturday evening meal. The vet told us to give him the same amount of the bland food that we gave him in dry food, so he's been getting two cups in the morning and two more cups in the evening.
After pooping on Sat right before his meal and one more time on Sunday morning, he has not had a movement since. We have been taking him out just about every two hours, putting him in the crate afterwards, taking him out a little while later, playing with him for a little while, taking him out again, etc, etc.
Nothing. We're going on 35 hours now.
He appears to be fine. He is running around and is very active during play time. His appetite seems fine also, he downs his food without hesitation. I have noticed that he has not been drinking much water, if any at all, but he is still peeing every time we bring him out so I am fairly certain that he is properly hydrated.
I left a message for the vet and am waiting to hear back.
Does anyone maybe have some insight to what is happening here?
Thanks.
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Post by Nicole on Feb 19, 2007 22:21:07 GMT -5
White rice is very binding (constipating) and if you are feeding four cups I assume a lot of that is rice. If the dog is on antibiotics i would go back to his usual food, maybe a bit less than you were giving, add some water to it and maybe throw in some beef or chicken. Make sure he is drinking water also. You may also want to try some canned food for a bit until his GI system gets back on track. Canned food is more hydrating than dry. White rice does not serve any useful purpose.
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Post by aheller on Feb 20, 2007 14:23:54 GMT -5
Hi Nicole,
Good to know. He has not been trying to go and been unable to, he just hasn't been going at all. We're going to start him on new food tomorrow (slowly, gradually mixing it in with the rice and beef), we're currently in the process of researching different foods and deciding which to go with ( I think I may start a new thread about this). We wanted to wait until one of us will be home to observe how he reacts to new food and my girlfriend will be working from home on Thurs and Fri so she can keep an eye on him.
He finally had a movement last night (after 40 hours!), so he is doing ok. I have been mixing some water into his food as well, trying to keep him hydrated. I spoke with the vet and she said that between the medicine and the rice, it's normal for him to not go for a day or two, but if it was any longer to let them know.
Thanks for the info.
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Post by Nicole on Feb 20, 2007 18:10:47 GMT -5
That is good that he went. His bowels were probably sluggish. Usually if they try to go and strain and can't that is more of an indication of impaction. Hydration is essential for good bowel motility so make sure he keeps drinking.
Wellness is not a bad kibble. I use California Natural which works great for us (it has minimal ingredients but very high quality) and I make a homemade "canned" to add to it. Innova is good too but rich and some dogs can't tolerate it. There are a bunch of threads here regarding food also.
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Post by aheller on Feb 21, 2007 11:27:49 GMT -5
Hi Nicole,
Coincidentally, that California Natural is on our list of foods to consider, but we are pretty set on the Natural Balance (that boy thingy Van Patten food) at this point.
What's the buzz on Natural Balance? Seems to be pretty good and I have read a lot of positive things about it from people who use it. They also started offering a RAW formula, but unfortunately, it is not available in the Northeast.
We want to start him on kibble for now, just to get him eating and pooping regularly, but we may look into going raw in the future.
Edit: They seem to editing out Mr. Van Patten's first name!
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Post by Dom on Feb 21, 2007 13:43:32 GMT -5
I used the below link to compare ingredients in different foods when we picked a food for our dogs. It has a wizard to compare ingredient lists and sometimes give a little info on the ingredients if you click them. I have never purchased anything from this site but their ingredients were up to date last I researched. Admittedly, it has been 2 years since I double checked them. www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=comp-wizWe have tried Innova and we ran into the problem Nicole mentioned. It didn't settle well with Sadie and boy did it give her gas. We do give her the canned version from time to time but it isn't her regular food. We have also tried California Natural and both Sadie and Elsie did well with it. I don't think we have tried Natural Balance. I don't like to recommend a food. There are too many variables. Just make sure it is a high quality food and your dog can tolerate it. Picking a food can be a tough choice if it turns out your dog is allergic to some things. Expensive doesn't always mean better. Decide on a food by reading the ingredients.
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Post by willow on Mar 2, 2007 9:54:12 GMT -5
I don't like to recommend a food. There are too many variables. Just make sure it is a high quality food and your dog can tolerate it. Picking a food can be a tough choice if it turns out your dog is allergic to some things. Expensive doesn't always mean better. Decide on a food by reading the ingredients. I feed mostly RMB's, but also want my dogs to be able to eat a kibble incase of an emergency, and I agree with Dom that expensive doesn't always mean better. I kept trying all the "premium" foods, such as Innova Evo, California Natural, etc. etc., because I wanted a food with good quality protein and not a lot of grain filler's or veg's/fruits etc., and my dogs had trouble with all of them. Maybe because they are getting older and their digestion is slowing down, but I also do not want to give digestive enzymes or probiotics, because those can also cause a problem. I finally went with a "cheaper" brand of food (although even grocery store foods are no longer "cheap") that is a beef/rice formula and my dogs are doing great on it! One other thing. I don't go by the recommendation on the bag as to how much to feed. I find the amounts usually way too much, and simply overfeeding will cause loose/runny stool, so what I go by is puppy or dogs condition. If they are too thin, I feed more, if they are getting too fat, I cut back. Your puppy is adorable and I am glad he is now doing well!
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