Hello, I am posting this thread in the hope of finding some answers. My 2 year old girl Cali has been having issues with runny poo. Been to the vet twice already and this is the third time. It starts with a bout of vomiting followed by runny poo which lasts for several days. She goes on anti-diarrhea medication and her poo returns to normal for a few days. Then the whole pattern repeats. She has lost a good bit of weight during the past 6 weeks what with being on bland diet including rice and chicken. Has anyone else been through something like this? I am not sure what the next step should be. She refuses to eat pureed pumpkin. I am very worried. The vet mentioned blood tests the next time around. What exactly will they look for, bacterial/viral infections? I would very much appreciate your response.
I think I would get you vet to test her poo for things like Giardia and do her bloods. I would switch from chicken to white boneless fish and not use rice either. My pup had a few months like this and he had an intolerance to chicken a lot of dogs do so the thing the vet asked me to do was making him worse..i fed him white fish then introduced his kibble slowly. He had colitis which caused him problems for a while . ive changed his diet and he's not had an attack for 18 months. Hope she's ok x
I agree, a full fecal float and a specific giardia test would be good. There is a specific blood test that can check for B12 deficiencies, pancreatic enzyme deficiencies, and some other concerns. It usually isn't the lowest cost test but it's worth it as it is specific and if the test shows anything it's usually very treatable. Being as this is the third time and she's lost weight I would definitely do the further diagnostics. They may also recommend radiographs, an ultrasound, or possibly a consult with an internal medicine specialist (all would be good ideas). Basic bloodwork can screen for liver or kidney issues among many other things.
Thank you both very much! Her poo sample was tested already and there were no findings of any concern. Blood work next. As for giving her white fish instead of chicken, how much? I have also tried to replace chicken with boiled eggs but unlike with kibble it is not clear what is the right amount to feed her?
If her tummy settles on chicken and rice, it could be the kibble you are feed8ng her. Which one is she on? My girl was the same with quiet a lot of different brands and it took a while to find one that agreed with her. When she was on chicken & rice, I gave her one chicken breast and a large serving spoon of rice 2-3 times a day.
Thanks @Naya. Her stomach hasn't settled on chicken and rice. As for kibble, I rotate between three different kinds and she has been on those for quite a while now. The absence of any sort of triggers is the mystifying part. I am going to try white boneless fish for the next several days and see how that goes. Again, all of your responses are much appreciated.
Check and see if your vet will do an xray, there may be a blockage causing her to vomit and then have runny poo as mostly liquid gets past the blockage, I have had a similar problem with my last 2 labs and it ended up being something they ate that causing a blockage, One had a couple of little rocks, Whenever this would happen we would give them hamburger and rice, as hamburger is a little more greasier and it seemed to help them pass the blockage more easier.
My dog had similar issues with diarrhea as a puppy when I first brought him home at 8 weeks. He had a number of negative stool tests. He was on chicken kibble, then chicken kibble grain free, then Rx chicken kibble. He was on several round of metronidazole which also made the diarrhea go away, but would return once the medication was stopped. He also tried probiotics. It wasn't until the GP vet gave up and sent us to the Vet specializing in internal medicine when things changed. He recommend changing the protein in the dog food. Once I switched the diarrhea went away. I wished I had known to try something so simple earlier on. I use Acana singles which is a good quality dog food for sensitive GI systems. I alternate between the fish, duck, and lamb for variety. He had issues with diarrhea again 6 months ago when he actually had giardia. I think the Metronidazole messed up his GI system. I have been using Miracle probiotics from Amazon daily with great results.
Thank you all for your responses. Cali has been on three rounds of metronidazole as well. I have stopped the drug and switched to white fish and boiled eggs as suggested by @SwampDonkey. Cali appears to be on the mend. Will continue with fish and eggs for a while till we establish some consistency with poo. This time I will take my time reintroducing kibble. Perhaps I rushed it last time around. I will give Acana singles a try.
