Diarrhea

[Anick Bernier]

Hi !
I read all the threads talking about diarrhea but i just wanna make sure i am doing everything right. I have 6 months old bernedoodle. He has diarrhea from day one. He was on RC so we switched him to spring naturals grain free, potato free and chicken free. It never helped so we switched him to BB freedom. We had great poops for a week then back to diarrhea. He has pumkin everyday and we sometimes has to do the rice and chicken regimen, which helps but as soon as we introduce dog food, we are back to diarrhea. He doesn't have any treats or bones.
Of course no parasite.
He is not a big eater and he is very picky on what he will eat.
He is not lethargic.
At least once a week, diarrhea is so bad that he wakes up 2-3 times at night to go. And sometimes he has accident in the crate. I feel bad because we work so we cannot stay home to take him out every hour... Any idea ? He can go 15 times a day.

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

I would follow Karen's advice first. Second option might be going to a holistic vet.
Georgia had vaginitis. I saw the diarrhea, that wasn't there prior to the antibiotics for the vaginitis, get worse with all the antibiotics and not better. She got better quickly with the holistic vet. I now have my regular vet (a different vet) and my holistic vet. My regular vet will always suggest the antibiotic drug route. I ask if it is really necessary as I don't want to put her on antibiotics unless it is very serious and so far I always leave without drugs and she gets better.

[Mary M.]

Oh my gosh Anick I just wanted to say I feel your pain. We're going through something less severe but similar. I hope you'll continue to update us on your foods progress.

I considered a visit to the holistic vet in our area but I wasn't quite sure how to work with a standard vet & a holistic vet.

[Anick Bernier]

Oh Mary, it is not my oain but his pain that worries me.... We went with the imodium yesterday cause it was too much ! It helped a little, only woke up once last night ;)

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Completely off topic but I'm so happy to meet someone with a bernedoodle! My older bernedoodle is super picky with food and with the help of Karen and the food group we got him straighten out- thanks again Karen! I'm going through the diarrhea "thing" with my new puppy so I feel your pain! Hope all works out for you and your pup!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Do you have pet insurance?  If not I would get it before there is a diagnosis on his record.  That would result in a preexisting condition and you would not be able to get coverage for expenses related to it.  I have one Doodle with IBS and another with IBD.  They both started out with episodes of diarrhea as puppies and it deteriorated from there.  The expenses for the one with IBD have been in the thousands and I am so grateful that I got pet insurance for him as a puppy.  I sincerely hope that this is nothing serious and can be cured with the meds, but better to be safe.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Good thinking Jane. Diagnostics alone for Jack's IBD were about $4000, and the treatment is ongoing for life, as you know. 

[Anick Bernier]

Jane ! Thanks for the advice, it is a good one. Yes we have pet insurance.
I just bought some canisource food. Raw dehydrated food. I hope it will help.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Anick, I really don't think it's a good idea to be introducing a new food at this point. It just creates one more variable to confuse the issue, and makes it harder to know what is causing the diarrhea. 

In addition, raw foods can be risky for dogs with possible bacterial issues in the gut. 

[Anick Bernier]

Well poppy is only eating rice and beef now and he is losing weight since he is on this diet. We really need to introduce food. What would you recommend then ?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Homemade food contains only about half the calories of most kibbles, so you need to feed twice as much. He may be losing weight partly because he's not getting enough food, and partly because of the diarrhea. He isn't digesting his food or absorbing nutrients properly, and we don't know why. As you said, this has been an ongoing issue since you brought him home, and with all the different foods you have tried, nothing has helped, so most likely, food isn't causing it and food can't fix it. 

Dogs with digestive issues need a very simple, limited ingredient diet with low fat and high fiber. 

I would stay with the homemade food, just increasing the amount, until the meds and probiotics have had a chance to work and you see a big improvement in his stool. As I mentioned, I'd use sweet potatoes instead of rice, a 50/50 mix of the beef & sweet potatoes. He's going to need twice as many cups as you usually feed of his kibble per day. 

I'm not familiar with Canisource. Dehydrated raw products like Honest Kitchen's Embark can work well for dogs who have problems with soft stool, but you have to be sure that there's no type of infection or bacterial imbalance in the gut that's causing the problems. One food that has been a good choice for a lot of us whose dogs have digestive issues is Wellness Simple Solutions. The turkey/potato formula might be a good choice, and it's available in both kibble and canned. You might start with the canned food, that's usually easier to digest. 

[Anick Bernier]

So finally, i decided to introduce canisource which is a raw dehydrated food grain free and allergens free. He is on this food since june 1st and he did not have diarrhea since. And he is gaining weight. 0,5 kg in a week. Woot woot ! We will monitor his intakes closely and followup with the vet in a couple of weeks. We continue the probiotics and fingers crossed everything will be fine. Thanks everyone for your advices !!!!!