We had a Dalmatian that started having these issues at the same age as your B. Vestibular disease got worse causing her to lose her balance and fall when walking, loss of strength in her hindquarters and incontinence. I am not aware of any treatments for the VD, but there are a number of human treatments for strokes that might be able to be used in dogs.
Help with diarrhea
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First off - I would not TOUCH any Science Diet food even if they gave me 500 pounds free. When it was originally designed it was wonderful food but in the course of going commercials poor quality ingredients and too many additives.
A couple of thoughts on the persistant loose stools though:
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There are some digestive disorders that one could look at Ipsid , giardia that could cause this. Need vet bloodwork.
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check lable of dog food for soy/corn etc. I don't think that the Merrick dog foods use much of this but they might.
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You might be overfeeding your dog - 1 can a day plus dry sounds like a lot to me.
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Old tummy recipe - boil a pound of cheap hamburger, brown rice and stewed or whole tomatoes (need to have the little seed things cause that has a pectin that is a binding agent) boil until rice turns to mush and feed only that - after about a week if symptoms have gotten better slowly add the dry food.
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Another thing to try is a powder called Tylan (it's for pig scours) this was an old time remedy for dogs with loose bowels. You can find it at farm supply stores and sometimes can find it in a small packet so you don't have to buy a lot. Us just a pinch in the water.
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YOu might also need to add some good bacteria in the dogs tummy - plain yougurt or other kind of acedocepholis is a good choice.
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If your dog was on one of the recalled dog food - try some garlic capsules - impurities, chemicals and heavy metals attach to the garlic and is flushed out.
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in the end your dog may have some food allergies - so a switch to something like Oatmeal base, with duck or venison or something like that might help as well.
Good luck.
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You might want to try mixing in some pumpkin… that helps with loose stool... and how loose are they? Are they just soft or are they watery...? And how big is the can? If a small can then I think that is fine mixed 1/2 and 1/2.. but how much dry food are you adding? And how long has this been going on? She might have giarida (spelling?)... which will give them loose stool and many times while they use a stool sample to detect, it is very often missed...
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Thank you all for your suggestions. I started feeding Lillie (after the recall) a 13.2 oz. can of wet Merrick food in the am and 1/2 cup of Merrick dry food in the pm. Then I slowly switched to 1/2 can of Merrick wet (1/2 of the 13.2 oz) can and some dry food in the am and then the same in the pm. Unfortunately, when I take her out she doesn't seem to have a bowel movement. She saves it for when my husband takes her out. He claims it is diarrhea. Today when I walked her this morning, she had loose stool.
I'm not sure if this is a good idea..but, I went to the pet store. They told me not to change from Merrick to Science Diet. It's like going from filet mignon to a cheap hamburger! Anyway, the woman at the store suggested Wellness Formula. The few flavors that are available all have sweet potato in it. According to the back label, there is no wheat, corn, white rice, artificial colors/flavors/preservatives and no by-products. She said I should slowly mix this with the Merrick food and see if there is a change in Lillie's bowel movements. I figured I would try this for awhile and if no change, go for bloodwork. What do you think? I feel really stupid!! My other dogs ate wet and dry food and I never had any problems. I didn't even give them as good a food as Lillie gets.
Please help…I don't want to do the wrong thing by Lillie. I appreciate it..
Thanks,
Jodie:) -
When my 2 get a bout of upset tummy, my vet recommended fasting for 24 hours (even put ice cubes in the water bowls so the pup can't drink too quickly and over-do it on water), then start on an easy to digest food (ie:boiled hamburger and rice or - this works for me - scrambled eggs w/ a small dollop of cottage cheese - as someone already mentioned, canned plain pumpkin works great, too!). Start to reintroduce her regular food slowly.
As a side note, Wellness is a really good dog food! Also there is a couple single protien sources of Nature's Variety kibble on the market - like venison or lamb. Of course, switch dog foods gradually - all at once and that can lead to worse problems than you're having now.
Merrick's is an extremely rich food - I've found a 1/4 can a day per dog works out OK - more than that, and they get gas or loose stool.
Hope Lilly is feeling all better soon! -
Thank you, thank you. I will buy canned pumpkin tomorrow and try that with a scrambled egg and alittle cottage cheese. I didn't know that Merrick food was rich. I only know that Lillie loves it. I guess I was giving her too much. The back label says 1 can. I just came back from taking Lillie out…she had a bowel movement. It was loose but not diarrhea. I'll try anything because I feel so bad. She is doing better than I am. Nothing seems to bother her. I gave her some Merrick wet food and alittle Wellness and she devoured it. No loss of appetite here. Thanks again.
Jodie:)
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Just my opinion but you are feeding her too much…. a 13.2 oz can is way to much with dry for a Basenji.. again IMO.... My kids get (the bitches) 1/2 cup dry with a "spoon" full of either canned or if I have made veggies...
I would cut back on the canned and/or the dry and see if that helps... along with the pumpkin... I am not so sure that I would take her off the food completely...
By the way, never try to go by what the bag/can lists to feed..gggg.... we would all have small ponies.... way to much food.
If it is just "loose" I would say that she is getting too much food and is not digesting it ... so it is running through
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By the way all, don't know if you have seen this, but Three Dog Bakery has a "wet pouch" food… chicken and veggies... I just saw it today.. and my kids love it.... (again, I add only one spoonful with the dry).... It is low in protein and fat... so should be good as a filler for all dogs regardless of age...
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Pat-
I appreciate your opinion. I can't believe that I have been overfeeding Lillie! Maybe that's why she never begs for food when we are eating! Tomorrow I will start cutting her wet food. I'll still buy the pumpkin and add that. Do you think I should continue with the Merrick food or switch to Wellness as someone posted before that Merrick's food is rich? I'm so confused. I just want to do the right thing.
Thanks,
Jodie -
No, Merrick is a good food… and I can understand the "being confused".... not to worry... If you could post a recent pic of Lillie.. that would help to look as far as her weight at this time.... remember that depending on build, some will always seem lean even when in good weight... My OJ is like that even at almost 16 yrs old... And again IMO... a full can at 13.2 oz is way too much.... My male (again almost 16) is a big boy, over the standard size at about 18" and in good weight, 28lbs... and he only gets (and has for about his entire life) a total of 1 cup of dry, mixed with a "big" tablespoon of wet canned or veggies.... and that is per day... and not many treats other then a cookie here or there....
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I agree with Pat, you are probably overfeeding. I have a girl who does need a high caloric intake to maintain weight but it is a balancing act to get the right amount of calories without giving her too much for her system to process. She does eat a substantial amount but in small meals throughout the day to keep her from getting loose stools. All my others get two meals a day.
A picture would be great since wieghts can vary greatly depending on the build of the dog.
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Here is a recent pic of Lillie. Does she look overweight to you? I have been feeding her smaller amounts and see a slight difference in her bowel movements. I'll keep you posted. Hope it works!
Thanks again for all your help.
Jodie:)
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Hard to tell from this view but I think she looks about 1 pound or so overweight. Look down on her from above - you should see a clear waist and be able to see that there are ribs - if you run your hand down her side you should feel the ribs - without too much fat on it. If you have to work to feel the ribs she is overweight.
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Here is a recent pic of Lillie. Does she look overweight to you? I have been feeding her smaller amounts and see a slight difference in her bowel movements. I'll keep you posted. Hope it works!
Thanks again for all your help.
Jodie:)She is not "under weight" that is for sure… I would not say that she is fat, but I would say she is a pound or two over what she should be. (In my opinion)... I really think that she is having problems with her bowels because she might be getting too much food and she is not "getting" any use out of it...
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are you saying 1/2 cup a day of the high protein/low carb food like EVO? or is it 1/2 cup twice a day? thanks
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If our dogs get too much canned food, loose stool is always the result. Too much dry, then its constipation. Mixing the dry with a spoonful of canned works well for us. Also, you may wanna try dry food and some canned pumpkin. Good luck
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Whatever is going on, I think is new as I haven't noticed any odd behavior {lethargy, lack of appetite, etc}, but today I went out to pick up the yard and there were some piles of pale, very soft poop. Now, it has been POURING rain since last night, so I attributed the softness to the rain. But tonight Keoki picked at his dinner and didn't finish it – usually he is leaping, jumping , having fits until the bowl is put down and then he devours it -- and immediately wanted out side. He RAN off the porch out into the pouring rain {very unusual}, so I watched and from the porch I could see that he had VERY loose stools. I went out and checked, they were very pale but not bloody.
I gave him maybe 1/3 cup of pumpkin about 1/2 hour ago, which he ate up -- but he also just threw it {and his dinner} up.
So... now what?
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If he refuses two meals, I would get him to the vet. Or if his behavior changes dramatically. Often if a dog just has a little stomach bug, they will refuse a meal, or throw up a meal. But if my dogs skip two meals, I take it seriously.
My immediate concern with vomitting and food refusal is intestinal blockage….could he have consumed anything wierd lately?
The pale feces is kinda wierd. I would definitely keep a CLOSE eye on him...particularly with all the wierd food scares lately. You saw the warning about all chicken jerky treats, right?
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If he refuses two meals, I would get him to the vet. Or if his behavior changes dramatically. Often if a dog just has a little stomach bug, they will refuse a meal, or throw up a meal. But if my dogs skip two meals, I take it seriously.
My immediate concern with vomitting and food refusal is intestinal blockage….could he have consumed anything wierd lately?
The pale feces is kinda wierd. I would definitely keep a CLOSE eye on him...particularly with all the wierd food scares lately. You saw the warning about all chicken jerky treats, right?
Ugh, what a night. I was sure I was going to be heading to the vet this morning. Keoki was up whining all night. Had to go potty several times. Threw up {large quantities} at least three times – once all OVER carpet and even the wall -- it was a long night for both of us. There was something in the vomit; I couldn't quite identify it; chunks of white stuff that was softer and brown harder chunks, plus something that may have been fabric or cardboard.
I have NO clue what he got into; nothing is missing that I am aware of.Anyway, this morning his mood was good so we gave him about 1/3 his usual breakfast and he ate it with enthusiam. It's been about an hour and he's kept it down. He has not had a bowel movement yet, but it is pouring rain and so he may be holding for a while. At least he's not rushing out in a panic. I am hopeful that whatever the problem was, has taken care of itself.
Anything I may be missing? Or do you think we're good to go as long as I watch him closely for other signs of trouble?
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I *think you should be okay if you really watch closely. If he did eat a quantity of cardboard, it can definitely make a blockage. If he is pooping, eating, and acting normally, chances are he will be fine…but if any of those things are off, I would get him in. Whatever goes in needs to come out in approximately the same quantity, or he might have a partial blockage.
I hope things get better very soon!
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I *think you should be okay if you really watch closely. If he did eat a quantity of cardboard, it can definitely make a blockage. If he is pooping, eating, and acting normally, chances are he will be fine…but if any of those things are off, I would get him in. Whatever goes in needs to come out in approximately the same quantity, or he might have a partial blockage.
I hope things get better very soon!
And also important that he is drinking normal amounts of water
