OT--Dog question

Status
Not open for further replies.
Mindy & Max

Mindy & Max

Active Member
Yep, I know, my cats are healthy and I have no questions about them...

But is there a board like this for dogs?

We're having issues with random bouts of diarrhea in our dog (approx. 10yo Australian Shepherd/Collie mix). They always strike in the wee hours of the morning so we wake up to the mess in the dining room and kitchen, which is just not pleasant. They seem to be happening every 30-60 days, but the one this morning was less than 3 weeks after the last. We'd thought maybe he was getting into something outside...possibly the stool or dead animal leavings from the neighbor's outside cat...but as it gets colder and starts to freeze outside, we were thinking it might stop. Clearly this is not so. We haven't changed his food at all, and have been very particular to make sure of this.

I just have no clue what to do. Otherwise he's healthy. He usually has one diarrhea episode, and then he's fine--it's not like it keeps happening for days every time it happens. The vet has no clue. I have young kids, having this happen in the house is very problematic (not to mention disgusting!). And honestly, if we had carpet on our floors it's very possible that Guinness would have been put down already. Thankfully we have laminate, so cleanup isn't that difficult as long as we can get it done before the kids wake up. ;-)

I would appreciate any suggestions anyone can give. We're about at our wit's end on this. And DH is ready to go after the neighbor's cat with his shotgun. We didn't have these problems until those neighbors moved in--and theirs is the first and only outside cat our neighborhood has. That's the only thing we can think of that has changed. We don't supervise Guinness while he's outside--we have just over an acre and the lots on either side of us are empty. He knows his territory and doesn't wander.

Oh crap. And I just remembered the other neighbor told me that cat has ringworm. If Guinness IS getting into something left behind by that cat, do we need to be worried about the ringworm? He's up to date on all his shots...we keep the kids away from that cat, but I never connected the issue with the dog to that. Could that be it?
 
Has your vet run the stool samples yet? That would be step one, to rule out possible intestinal parasites, giardia or coccidia- all of which could cause that problem. What type of diet are you feeding? Is it possible your dog is running across "novel" (ie. not his own) food- neighbor's cat food, something like that?? Easy way to find out/prevent it (although it means a little extra work for you and DH) is to only allow your dog outside when he is on a leash and you are monitoring him. I know it seems like a hassle, but trust me it could wind up saving your floors and your sanity, as well as avoiding unnecessary medical tests. An alternative would be to set up a kennel outside, that way the stray critters could not access it and leave "presents" to be consumed.

So many things can cause intermittent bouts of diarrhea that the first step is the stool check, and from there a little detective work. Our Dobie wound up having SIBO (a bacterial disorder of the intestines) and putting him on a course of flagyl, new diet and B12 shots cleared him right up.

Good luck!
Sheryl & Clouseau (Ga)
 
They did run the stool samples last spring, and when we've called back about the intermittent diarrhea, they've said it didn't need to be run again. Next time he does it, tho, perhaps we'll have to take a sample in anyway.

He is eating mostly dry food (too much canned gives him diarrhea--LOL), Iams weight control (sometimes large breed if we can find it, but sometimes not--this makes no difference to his stomach), with a spoonful of Alpo canned in it. He won't eat it without the canned food in it anymore since the cats were switched to all canned.

We've had the kennel idea, but it's not feasible at the moment, and it's likely we'll not be getting another dog for quite some time after he goes. They're just too much work with little kids underfoot.
 
Canned pumpkin. Thankfully, it's the season for it so it'll be easy to find. I've had and seen luck with it in really extreme cases of diarrhea--the latest being a 14-year-old dog of my sister's that had constant liquid stool for months--which he would then eat (ahem). After weeks of nagging her, she finally tried it and the next day, the diarrhea was gone.

I would, however, have the stool checked again. I have a cat-poop eater, too. So nice of them to leave snacks in my yard for him. You also may want to look into a diet change. Just like kitties, their systems just don't function like they used to. You can also try enzymes which help them digest the food. I like the Dr. Goodpet Feline, so I would recommend their canine. I know Prozyme is pretty popular, too.
 
We are having the same problem with one of our older droolers but his lasts for 3 days. We feed Canidae Sr with Alpo on top. I know exactly what it's like to get up to runny dog poop all over the house. Last night he managed to include 4 different rooms. Yuck!

We are off to the vet today with dog and stool sample although nothing showed up the last time either. I'm thinking it's the Alpo because two others had a slight case of the runs recently but not this bad..... I'm going to add some pumpkin even though it sounds counter productive :lol: and change the canned food.

Look at the grain content in the IAMS since lots of dogs have allergies to wheat and corn is just about undigestible. Food allergies can cause some strange reactions. Also we had a problem with brewers yeast in one of our other dogs.
 
It seems likely that your dog is just eating something that doesn't agree with him every once in a while; since he's outside unsupervised, it could be cat poo or any bit of garbage, etc. He eats it during the day, it makes it to his intestines at night. To rule out parasites, though, I'd ask your vet for Panacur. You can do FIVE days in a row (once a day, mixes well with food) and in three weeks do three days in a row. This should get both giardia and whipworm, both of which can cause severe intermittent diarrhea and both of which are difficult to catch in a standard fecal test. Since he will be outside in the same area, it's entirely possible that he will re-infect with an intestinal parasite, if he has one, but it's worth a try. You can also use a monthly dewormer with your heartworm prevention like Heartgard Plus or Interceptor.

Ringworm wouldn't cause this (it is a skin fungus, not an actual worm) and your dog is unlikely to get ringworm unless he has significant immune problems. It is generally something that kids and kittens get.
 
Jess--thank you for the info on ringworm in dogs. I hadn't had time to look it up yet, so that is definitely good news! He does not have any immune deficiencies that we are aware of. I'll have to ask DH if he's kept up on the heartworm meds...I have a feeling he hasn't. We were really good about that for a while, and somewhere along the line (wait, sometime after the first kid arrived), our attention to that one has slipped. Next time he's at the vet, we'll ask about the Panacur.

Gail--I'm sorry to hear you have the same problem, but happy to know we're not alone! Sorry about the 4 rooms! Guinness usually gets both the dining room and kitchen, or the dining room and living room--but we have an open floor plan, so it's not like there's much distinguishing between any of them other than the furniture. I'm also starting to wonder about the Alpo since you said you were using it too. Maybe we'll have to switch to a different canned brand. That one was just one of the easier ones to buy in a case at stores I'm already at, like Target, instead of having to make a special trip out to the pet store. Pedigree gives him the runs too, but when he was eating that he was eating nothing else--strict wet food diet for a week because of a shredded esophagus and vomiting blood (he ate a bone too fast and didn't chew it well enough). I'll take the diarrhea over the bloody vomit any day of the week, I tell ya!

Amanda--So how much canned pumpkin? We usually have some in the house all the time because I like to put it in a lot of things...but how much should the dog get? I'll gladly start giving him some every day if it could ward off the runs!

Thank you everyone for all the helpful ideas!
 
Its probably obvious to everyone but me - I just grabbed a can of 'pumpkin' in a hurry, but it was pumpkin pie filling with the spices added. From experience, check that the can is just pumpkin - also not with squash added either. I gave 1/2 tsp 2x a day to my 8 lb cat. Don't know if that helps with amount for your pooch.
 
I have to say I did chuckle about checking the can to be sure it is not pie filling. I do know the can I have in the pantry is 100% pumpkin (I was surprised about that when I looked since it is a generic store brand), and that it is not the pie filling. I can't imagine the pie filling would be good for the dog's digestion! ;-)

So if I filled an ice cube tray with the pumpkin puree and froze it, then put one cube in his bowl morning and night, would that be enough? He's about 85lbs...I think. Maybe 90. I can't remember what he was last at the vet.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top