Anyone got any suggestions for helping a slightly squitty tummy in a pup? I'm thinking the equivalent of an adult person taking an Immodium... Breagh is just about 4 months old. She is in robust health, full of energy, shiny coat, regularly wormed etc but, I think because she hoovers up so much rubbish, often has very loose poo - not watery or explosive, just very loose. She has not been vomiting and no other symptoms. I'm just looking for something that will help to balance her tum and firm things up a bit ;D She is not over-fed, she has a "waist" so its not due to excess feed (fed on moistened kibble - JWB). Answers on a postcard??
Re: Squitty pup! I give my two probiotic yoghurt if they have iffy tums , its seems to calm and redress the balance and they love it Sam is 36 kilos and has two large desert spoons on his dinner so maybe a teaspoon for Breagh. When they eat something gross and get a really seriously upset tummy , I give Prokolin, its brilliant for " firming them up " , you can buy it on Amazon cheaper than Vets . What you have to be careful of though, if its just an upset tummy , Prokolin is great but if its a bacterial infection, you want it to be flushed out and not kept in the gut, so dont use Prokolin if you suspect an infection . Labs are such grazing dustbins , upset tums and the squits are par for the course
Re: Squitty pup! Sometimes dividing the daily ration between even more small portions (for example four or five meals instead of three) can settle an upset tum. Some dogs just don't cope very well with three meals a day until they are a bit bigger, larger meals seem to pass through too quickly. I agree with the probiotics, definitely worth trying that first. You can get it in a powder form if dairy doesn't agree with her.
Re: Squitty pup! Thanks Kateincornwall (can I call you Kate?) and Pippa I did wonder about the yoghurt - I'll give it a go and see if that helps
Re: Squitty pup! Our vet recommended natural yoghurt as well as chicken and rice if it doesn't clear up. Riley eventually cleared up but we think antibiotics to treat a rash stripped his stomach of good bacteria and then a bug from somewhere probably in water (as he's not a particular Hoover outside) meant he had a poorly tummy for a while. We've also put him on wheat free food in case of wheat intolerance.
Re: Squitty pup! I used to be astonished at the amount of poop that came out of my pup. Quite often it was runny and a bit 'squitty'. We moved to the raw food diet a week ago, and since then her poops have been small and firm. And she only poos a couple of times a day. It's a massive change! My old dog had a very bad period with upset stomach, gas, vomiting and runny poos. He lost quite a lot of weight, and it turned out he had some nasty bacteria in his stomach, so he had to have a series of antibiotics and a special diet for a while until it all calmed down. He is ok again now and slowly slowly gaining a bit of weight. If your pup has been having runny poos for a while (i.e. not just every now and then when she has eaten something disgusting in the woods, but on a regular basis) then I would definitely take a sample in to the vets to have it checked. Good luck! Karen
Re: Squitty pup! Guess who was up all night last night with a poorly pup? Breagh developed diarrhoea and was in and out of the garden all night; it seems the previous bit of squitty-ness has turned into enteritis The vet gave her an anti-spasmodic jag this morning and some kaolin-type jollop, she also recommended chicken & rice/pasta for a day or two. After making a difficult decision we're also going to try a basket-weave muzzle for a few weeks to see if we can break her habit of eating rubbish. I'm quite concerned at how a pup can be ill with enteritis and STILL want to eat moss/cat food/straw/mud etc etc etc (but turn her nose up at boiled rice - suprise, suprise!) I'm not sure how effective wearing a muzzle will be long-term, but maybe it will give me the chance to show her that "leaving that" can be rewarded with a special treat - usually she swallows the dead rat/sheep poo etc as quickly as possible then expects a treat to follow!
Re: Squitty pup! Oh dear , I am sorry to hear this, poor baby and poor you too : I have a similar problem with my two re cat poo which always causes the runs , and try as I might to pre-empt the snatching of the gross stuff, its hard as its not at home but in fields . Hope the muzzle is a fix for her and that she is a lot better soon .Oh yes, the kaolin stuff is called Prokolin , you can buy it off Amazon and save a bundle , I have it in my fridge
Re: Squitty pup! Hi Kitty, How's Breagh doing? I know it's scary when they're so little. We had dreadful problems with our wolfhound when he was still under a year old, he was negative for all parasites, his allergy tests came back clear for everything except for rice, which made senstive feeding a little difficult! After multiple scares and various drugs the solution was a pre-biotic, we used Pro-Soluble on his food, and slippery elm powder three times a day in honey. He still has a dodgy tum, even now at over two after stealing something yesterday he had the squits this morning but a tablespoon of elm at lunch time has done the trick. It's not cheap, at least not in the quntities required for such a huge hound, but it works - or at least it did for Finn. If you want more info I have a list of the drugs he took and the tests taken but I hope you don't need any of that and that Breagh being a Lab has already bounced back. Good Luck Kerryn
Re: Squitty pup! Many thanks for all your replies. Breagh seems to be fine now; she had a couple of days of chicken & rice and a gradual re-intro to kibble, plus a good few days on the kaogel - this morning her poo was perfect!! ;D We took her to the Galloway Country Fair yesterday, which she thoroughly enjoyed and met with her usual energy, so hopefully that's her back on her four paws and raring to go! I haven't introduced her to the muzzle yet; something to work on in the very near future.
Re: Squitty pup! Thats good news, its funny how we can be so pleased over normal poo Pleased that she enjoyed her little self at the Country Fair, brilliant socialisation too
Re: Squitty pup! Kate, you're so right - Tom was in stitches the other day, listening to my daily "poo report"!! ;D Yup, this summer has been good for local events to attend with the pup; she really enjoys meeting new people and having them make a fuss of her. She's so good with other folk's children, too which is a relief. I think she met more dogs yesterday than ever before and again, coped really well. The best bit though was over by the clay pigeon shooting, where she sat and took no notice whatsoever of all the shots going off just a few yards away - brilliant!
Re: Squitty pup! Thats really good , excellent that she ignored the shots, bless her My old Lab who died last year was very gun shy until she was about 18 months old and then she was fine . Sam doesnt flinch either, its lovely to have a laid back dog, sounds like Breagh is doing so very well
Re: Squitty pup! I had to laugh about the 'poo report' - my other half and I often say we are going to have a full day WITHOUT discussing doggy doos - and we never seem to manage it! So Pippa's article on the pooper scooper was very of the moment for us...
