Hi there I have a 9month old redfox lab. The last 6 weeks or so his stools have become sloppy, sometimes a normal poo then straight after he will have diarrhoea, he's not going more often just when he does the stools are not usually normal. I've tried a few foods, he was on the raw diet for a while but I've gone off that due to a friend's dog getting ill as a result and we have no freezer space so this is not really an option for us. We've tried barking heads, burns and simpsons but just the same with them all, we did it slowly as you should with no big changes at once. The Last few days I've given rice, raw veg, oats and live yoghurt but same still!! He's not poorly or unwell and up to date with vaccines/worming etc... Tonight we've given white fish and potato only so will see tomorrow how he goes on that! Just feel at a loss with it. Any ideas? I can't afford expensive food but don't want cheap either. Are the supplements good? Thanks Steph
Hi there! Sounds to me like your pup has been through quite a lot of foods, and I wonder if that is precisely the problem. It is hard on their guts to keep changing foods over and over. Diarrhoea as you have described can also be a result of overeating. Or it could be an allergy or sensitivity to something. Does he have any other symptoms such as itching or biting at his paws? Anyhow I think I would be checking with the vet to rule out any medical causes. And then pick the best quality food you can afford, with simple ingredients, and try him on that for a good long time. Switching over carefully and slowly. Very slowly. Your vet might have some suggestions on foods to try. But I would try to avoid switching foods over and over. Pick something and stick with it. Otherwise you will never figure out what might’ve caused this.
Yes it sounds like a lot of different foods. I would go to the Vets - best to rule out anything nasty. I use Pro-Kolin when my puppy 10 months has diarrhoea. I have had a lot of problems with her digestion. Pro-Kolin really helps.
Were the poos normal (firm/well formed/kickable) on raw food? When did the change in poos happen? It sounds as if you've tried several foods in a 6 week period which may have muddied the waters on the cause. A common cause of soft/runny poo is overfeeding which often happens if we follow the manufacturer recommendation of how much to feed our dogs. I would look to introduce a kibble with preferably only one meat source, avoiding chicken which is known to be an allergen in some dogs. Feed it for several weeks and reduce quantity to firm up poos. It would be worth a visit to the vet as well to have tests to rule out any intestinal bugs causing problems.
I suggest a Vet visit as well. Food allergies are actually not very common, but food intolerances are. Moot point probably. I agree, too many food changes. Since I have been down that path, watching where I step, I suggest that after the Vet visit, if you try a new food, do not try another kibble. Kibble will have multiple ingredients, you will never know which is a culprit and which is ok. Our new Vet put Oban on a home cooked diet of a novel protein and a novel carb. That worked immediately to stop his much worse than your dog diarrhoea. Then we s l o w l y introduced one new food at a time. For us the novel carb was sweet potato which is soothing to the gut. Good luck. One idea, a slightly loose poop after a normal one is common in some dogs on a walk. We call it excitement poop. It is not a concern, if not too loose. This chart might help you describe the degree of looseness when speaking to your VEt, or us. See page 12. Oban was worse than #7 https://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com/media/1202/gi_quick_reference_guide.pdf
I have lots of experience with my girl when she was little. We went through months and months of diorrhea and blood. Eventually we found out she was wheat intolerant. A few foods have agreed with her, but it took a few weeks for her poo to be normal on them. Foods she has done well on was: Wainwrights grain free, Bob and Lush (but was very expensive) and is currently on frozen BARF blocks of Natures menu (a third each morning) and Barking heads in the evening with occasional raw bones or fish.
Remember that most brands have multiple formulas, so you don's necessarily have to change brands, but if you do change brands, you may have almost exactly the same ingredients in another food. A common diet for getting diarrhea under control is home made chicken and rice, but it is not a long range solution.
Some dogs are intolerant of chicken. It can actually be the thing that causes the problem. Once we realised it was the chicken we were being told to give him his tummy improved.
Tilly seems to be allergic to some foods, which cause her to be itchy, and perhaps more ear yeast problems. The chicken and brown rice based kibbles (Blue Wilderness) seem to work ok for her.
