I need dog food advice (sick puppy - TMI)

[LisaR]

Our puppy is 5 months old. We have been feeding her Innova Puppy Dry Food from the time we got her (we did ease her over by mixing in the Purina food the breeder was feeding). We have nicknamed her double dumper because she always takes a double dump within about 20 feet of the first one. The first one comes out nice and we can easily pick it up and dispose of it. The second one is always soft and very hard to pick up. We have added pumpkin and yogurt and talked to the vet. We have switched her to homemade plain chicken and rice for a little while and nothing has helped.

Two days ago she started with diarrhea. She had it all afternoon and evening but was fine yesterday. In the middle of the night, she woke up with diarrhea. It was so bad that it was just like water. Needless to say, she went to the vet this morning. He doesn't have any explanation. They ran a few tests and right now it just shows that she has way more bad bacteria in her gut than good bacteria.

He put her on medication and canned Science Diet ID. He said she could have gotten into something, eaten some grass, leaves, etc with fertilizer on them or her current food may not be agreeing with her.

The question is, what do we do when she gets better? I am not a big fan of listening to the vet on this one because he suggests Science Diet and I find that is typical of most vets. It isn't my favorite choice. Would you go with a lower fat food even though she is a puppy? The Innova is chicken and turkey. Should I go with something that contains a different meat? Not really sure what I am going to do in a week from now when she is done with the ID. The good news is she is acting perfectly fine. She is her normal playful self and you would never know she was sick.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Sarah_Rose]

We have a dog who did this for the first 6 months or so that we had him (we adopted him at 2 years old). We eventually switched him to a grain-free kibble and the problem has all but cleared up (he still gets diarrhea when he's stressed, but that's a whole different issue). Many companies make grain-free kibble, but the people who make Innova kibble also make EVO, which is grain free and we had good experiences with it. We're currently feeding Orijen, which is a bit more expensive but we really like it, as well. I would try grain-free first, and if it doesn't improve try changing the protein source. We periodically feed Orijen fish formula to our dogs, just for a change in protein.

Also, we always keep a bottle of pet pectillin around for diarrhea emergencies - it is pretty much just kaopectate, but with dosing designed for pets. Our vet recommended it for diarrhea that doesn't clear up after 12 hours of witholding food, and you can buy it at most pet stores (we've gotten ours at our local pet store, and at Petsmart). It helps soothe inflamed digestive systems, and always clears up diarrhea with our dog within 1 or 2 doses.

Edited to add: Our vet also recommended Science Diet Prescription Diet, and we also ignored the suggestion. We cleared up the problem with LESS grains, not more!

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

Our puppy is 5 months old. We have been feeding her Innova Puppy Dry Food from the time we got her (we did ease her over by mixing in the Purina food the breeder was feeding). We have nicknamed her double dumper because she always takes a double dump within about 20 feet of the first one. The first one comes out nice and we can easily pick it up and dispose of it. The second one is always soft and very hard to pick up. We have added pumpkin and yogurt and talked to the vet. We have switched her to homemade plain chicken and rice for a little while and nothing has helped.

Two days ago she started with diarrhea. She had it all afternoon and evening but was fine yesterday. In the middle of the night, she woke up with diarrhea. It was so bad that it was just like water. Needless to say, she went to the vet this morning. He doesn't have any explanation. They ran a few tests and right now it just shows that she has way more bad bacteria in her gut than good bacteria.

He put her on medication and canned Science Diet ID. He said she could have gotten into something, eaten some grass, leaves, etc with fertilizer on them or her current food may not be agreeing with her.

The question is, what do we do when she gets better? I am not a big fan of listening to the vet on this one because he suggests Science Diet and I find that is typical of most vets. It isn't my favorite choice. Would you go with a lower fat food even though she is a puppy? The Innova is chicken and turkey. Should I go with something that contains a different meat? Not really sure what I am going to do in a week from now when she is done with the ID. The good news is she is acting perfectly fine. She is her normal playful self and you would never know she was sick.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

I'm assuming (and hoping) that the vet tested her for coccidia. I bought a puppy for my daughter, a chihuahua. It came down with coccidia. She has awful diarrhea. Eventually she just got so dehydrated and weak. I had to take her to the E.R. With a chihuahua even a little bit of diarrhea can do harm to them because they are so small. Anyway, long story short she was in the animal E.R. and almost died from these silly little parasites. At least your puppy is acting normal. I would try something with a different meat as far as her food. There are lots of good brands out there that she could eat.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1622&aid=727

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

My guess would be the pumpkin and yogurt causing this. Hamburg and rice is good also.

We adopted our dog May 1. He came with Science diet and had been eating that right along. We kept him on the dry food and he is doing great.

He did have worms though, and had soft stools as well when we first got him.

 

[LisaR]

Thanks for the ideas.
I am honestly not sure what all they checked her for. DH took her. She really is acting fine and is currently pouncing on me while I type!

It isn't the pumpkin or yogurt that is causing this. I tried that 6 or 8 weeks ago for one week just to see if it would make a difference. She hasn't had it since.

Now she is dragging a pair of DD's PJ pants across the floor. Time to intervene. She sure doesn't seem sick.

 

[Jockaroo]

It's been nearly 15 years since I had a pup, but one thing in your post stands out. Your comment about the bad bacteria outweighing the good. Consider adding a probiotic supplement. These are two I've used and had good luck with, but you may find something else.

Probios
http://www.probios.com/petTabs.html
Fortiflora (from the vet)
http://www.purinaveterinarydiets.co...g-2010-PVD&HBX_PK=purina+fortiflora&HBX_OU=50

You don't mention what type of medication the vet gave you. If it is an antibiotic, you really need the probiotic. Pumpkin is wonderful. It softens things that are too hard and solidifies things that are too loose. But it has its limits.

I am looking at puppy foods ssst:research). I'm looking into Blue Buffalo, Merrick or Wellness. Good luck. I second having a fecal run to check for parasites if this hasn't been done. Parasites aren't passed in each BM or in all parts of the stool.

 

[LisaR]

I just looked at the receipt and it says "fecal parasite intestinal."

The vet did not put her on an antibiotic. This medication looks to just be a probiotic. It is a liquid that we give twice a day for three days and then a pill that we give once a day for a week. It is called Proviable.

I am trying to figure out what would throw her system so out of whack to begin with. She hasn't been on any medications.

 

[LindaR]

Once her dietary issues and upset tummy has been "fixed" you can give her probiotic supplements every day. That's what I had to do for my dogs.

 

[Nette]

Our golden had similar issues. We switched both dogs to Raw Meaty Bones and the problem has disappeared.

Basically we're now feeding them what they were meant to eat, which isn't grains. Their teeth are cleaner and their breath is better and their poops are smaller, less smelly and dry up in a matter of hours and fall apart.

 

[golfgal]

I would find a food with less "fillers". That is why she poops so much. Find a food that lists meat as the first ingredient and doesn't have a lot of "stuff" after that.

 

[cdepauli]

You haven't mentioned what kind of dog you have and her activity level. Innova is a very high calorie mega-nutrient and protein rich food. Neither of my dogs (a Yorkie and a Jack/Pom mix) did well on it because it was just too much for their little systems.

I feed both dogs Canidae dry (which is moderate in calories and high in nutrients, just not mega high like Innova) mixed with Merrick wet (this is like crack for dogs! Haha, they love it and it smells pretty darn good to me).

So you may want to try a food that isn't so packed with protein and nutrients, especially as your pup grows and her dietary needs change.

 

[sunnyday123]

What kind of puppy is it? My Newf can't have anything with protein higher than 25% so she doesn't grow too quickly. I researched dog foods more than I researched formula for my baby!! The pumpkin would help firm up, if anything, and if the rice and chicken didn't help, she probably does have some sort of parasite.


Try going to the dogfoodanalysis.com website and check out the foods. 4 stars are the best, I believe.

 

[piglet too]

My only suggestion, aside form a grain-free food, is to also find one that does not have chicken in it. For some reason, not all dogs can handle the processed chicken that you find in foods. My dog was having a lot of issues that have cleared up since we put her on a chicken-free and grain-free diet. (funny thing is that she does fine with raw chicken, which she gets once in awhile) Try finding a pet specialty store that carries some of the more "unknown" brands that you won't find at the big box stores like PetCo. EVO is a good brand as it Natural Balance.

 

[kathie859]

had surgery two weeks ago and had no appetite. When she was ready to eat the vet suggested a scrambled egg mixed with a few tablespoons of cottage cheese. This seemed easy on her system. Maybe try this and stay away from grain for right now.

 

[LisaR]

I would find a food with less "fillers". That is why she poops so much. Find a food that lists meat as the first ingredient and doesn't have a lot of "stuff" after that.

Have you seen what is in Innova? It is not full of fillers. It is a 5* rated food.

I do believe it is too high is fat and protein or she is allergic to one of the ingredients.

For those that missed it, she is a Miniature Schnauzer.

I searched and searched for the perfect food for my older dog when all of the recalls started. I am limited because we only have one specialty pet store in this area that is well stocked. They sell a lot of Innova so I went with that because I am always worried about these types of foods spoiling. Some of their other foods sit too long on the shelf. I have to go see what else they carry and come home and research some more. She is more trouble than the kids! Good thing she is cute.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Your dog probably has food allergies. We had this when we got our pup, DH put her on Natural balance sweet potato and salmon. She does great on it. No additives...excellent food.

We just got another brand new pup and we are switching him over to that too. They had him on science diet , and even the rescue people said to switch him to something better!!

BTW Pumpkin has been great for all my dogs when they have upset tummies! It always works for us.

 

[Sparx]

I use Blue Buffalo cat food.

You can find it here:
http://www.bluebuff.com/

 

[Wonders10]

I feel like I should be writing this post! I have a goldendoodle that has had this problem since he was 3 months old. He's about 19 months old now. On and off of course. Originally I think it was more of a sensitive stomach and he would eat things and get sick, but then he also started catching random bacteria and parasites (I also take him to doggy daycare and live in an apartment complex so his bathroom is shared with every other dog in the complex). In the last 3 weeks I've been to the vet 4 times. It gets expensive! Anyone, this last time he tested positive for coccydia - which is a parasite that he caught somewhere. He has had about a million stool samples and most of the time nothing shows up. He could very well have something and that specific sample didn't show it. Giardea (sp?) is another one that my Vet has said is a 1 in a million chance of spotting it on a fecal. Could it be overfeeding? It sounds like he is able to digest some but not all of his food? I've been told that eating too much food can cause diarrhea in dogs.

My dog was on science diet w/d because of the fiber content, however he was not gaining weight at all and looked sick. And he was always licking his belly, feet, everything. Around Christmas he had a particularly bad flare up and the Vet who originally put him on science diet suggested I switch foods. He has been eating natural balance fish and sweet potato ever since. And immediately gained about 8 lbs - looks much healthier and doesn't lick and clean himself nearly as much. Even his "tears" (he is a white dog) are not as noticeable. I also notice he has calmed down a little bit which could be age but he is also not eating as much sugar and fillers that was in the science diet.

Anyway, don't think I really offered you any suggestion - is there a reason you think you need to switch the food? It could have been something completely unrelated to his current diet. On a sidenote, I know some people recommend the pumpking (as did my dog's breeder) but most people have cringed and told me no no no - it will make it worse. In the beginning I did put a spoonful in his food and it didn't help anyway so I never tried it again.

Good luck - I remember how frustrating and messy it can be!

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I feel like I should be writing this post! I have a goldendoodle that has had this problem since he was 3 months old. He's about 19 months old now. On and off of course. Originally I think it was more of a sensitive stomach and he would eat things and get sick, but then he also started catching random bacteria and parasites (I also take him to doggy daycare and live in an apartment complex so his bathroom is shared with every other dog in the complex). In the last 3 weeks I've been to the vet 4 times. It gets expensive! Anyone, this last time he tested positive for coccydia - which is a parasite that he caught somewhere. He has had about a million stool samples and most of the time nothing shows up. He could very well have something and that specific sample didn't show it. Giardea (sp?) is another one that my Vet has said is a 1 in a million chance of spotting it on a fecal. Could it be overfeeding? It sounds like he is able to digest some but not all of his food? I've been told that eating too much food can cause diarrhea in dogs.

Has your vet ever put your dog through a general deworming? You get a powder that you have to mix with water and give to your dog with meals for 5 days (if I remember correctly). Quite often rescue dogs are put through deworming when they are adopted out (even if nothing shows up on the fecal test) because the likelihood of a dog picking up a parasite from a "shared potty area" is quite high, and many dogs will never show positive results in a fecal test. Whipworms in particular can cause diarrhea and failure to gain weight, but only the eggs show up in a fecal test and whipworms only lay eggs once a month, so the likelihood of collecting a positive sample is very low. If your dog hasn't been put through deworming, I would ask the vet to give you the medication, anyway. It won't hurt the dog and it's worth a shot.

We had a dog when we lived in our apartment who kept getting reinfected with whipworms from pottying in the area in front of the building. We started taking him out to the back of the building (which was not used by many dog owners) and he never got another infection. He never tested positive for any parasites, but the diarrhea would always clear up within days of going through a deworming.

 

[clutter]

I, unfortunately, know more about doggie diaherrea than I would like to.

I think there's a good chance it could be giardia or coccydia, given your pup's age. At one point, during my 8 year old's trials and tribulations, my vet simply threw every anti-parasitic she had on her for a few days. I would consider doing the research on giardia and calling the vet to ask for treatment just to see.

If that doesn't work, I would then switch to a grain-free/alternative protein food. (Another natural balance user here, we do venison/sweet potato. My dd nixed the duck, and my dog has way to stinky 'wind' to consider fish.) Could be an allergy/intolerance.

For us, I had to take my dog to an internist (she has an allergist, too, good thing she's cute!) for mega bucks. She likely has Irritable Bowels (which is a little bit different than for people). I can have her biopsied to confirm, but so far, two months of a low dose of prednisone (the treatment if the test confirmed it) has wiped out most of her issues.

Btw, I get the double dump. My dog's been doing that for years. I simply cannot take her for long walks. She gets excited, double (and triple) dumps, with each one softer than the one before. The meds haven't helped with that.