Non-stop diarrhea!! Anything I can do??? UPDATE!

[Sue, Lola, Pongo & Hubby]

Hi all,

I noticed a very loose poop yesterday with Lola, but didn't think much of it since it's been an up and down situation for months now....but since yesterday evening, she needed to go out every hour or hour and a half, and its not good. It's past the loose category, and very runny. I was up with her all night, and she just woke me up again about 5 min ago. It seems to be an emergency situation every time too, she runs to the back door, and then runs to a spot in the backyard to do her business. It doesn't seem to be getting any better, and I don't know what I should do. She seems to be fine otherwise...she's eating, drinking, wagging...her usual perky self. I can't think of what this could be...she hasn't really eaten anything (that I know of) out of the ordinary. Any ideas??

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

The first thing I would do is bring in a stool sample to the Vet....this is how Murphy reacted with giardia.  In the meantime, I would put him on a very bland diet (chicken & rice or boiled hamburger and rice) and make sure he's hydrated.  Please keep us posted.

[Sue, Lola, Pongo & Hubby]

Thanks Jane.I've never really had to deal with this type of thing before...how much rice/chicken do I give her? 50/50? And how much food in total should she get of this combo???

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

When you call the Vet about dropping off the sample, she'll tell you whether or not she needs to see Lola.  My Vet prefers to run the stool check first (as long as the dog is otherwise acting normal and not showing signs of dehydration), but yours may be different.  As for the food, I give about half boiled chicken and half white rice, with a little of the chicken broth.  I give about the same amount (cups) as their regular food.

[Sue, Lola, Pongo & Hubby]

ok, thanks for all the info, Jane!!

[Diana Erhart]

Take her to the vet.  This is how my Charlie acts when he gets a bacterial infection in his digestive tract.  It doesn't get any better until you get some meds.  Then it is usually back to normal bowel habits in about 24 hours.  The first time this happened to Charlie, the poor guy, I waited a few days thinking it would get better and never did.  You don't want her to get dehydrated too.

[Sue, Lola, Pongo & Hubby]

exactly, that's what I was thinking, too. I'm always the one to jump the gum to call the vet, and it's usually nothing, with a high vet bill. Since it's been going all night and hasn't really subsided, I might call the vet. Poor doodle...thanks, Diana.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

This would call for the vet to check out at least the sample.Good luck!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Give her some canned pumpkin and a bit of yogurt. That should ease her stomach and the pumpkin will firm up her poop a bit. Make sure she is staying hydrated too. Let us know what the vet says.

Is it possible that she got into something at home? This happened to Sophie once but it all cleared up before the vet's office even opened so I never did figure out what caused it.

 

Poor girl. Feel better soon sweetie pie!

[Sue, Lola, Pongo & Hubby]

Thanks, Sherri!!! I've tried the pumpkin (we've found out the hard way that yogurt does not work with Lola), and we're going on 2.5hrs of no poop. Of course, my luck has kicked in and out vet is closed today....so I'm hoping this is over and done. It's weird because in the past when she's had bouts like these, it showed in her personality...but she's been her usual happy self...so I hope it was just something she got into and its run its course. I'm crossing my fingers...I'd rather not have to go to vet emerg.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

crossing my fingers too. Sophie's bouts of the runs has never affected her personality or energy level. We have some very resiliant doodles!

I hope it has run it's course. Keep us posted.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with Jane. I'd have a fecal done, and you may have to bring her in if they don't have a recent weight for her. If possible, get a couple of different stool samples, because if this is giardia, the cysts aren't always present in every part of every sample.

Do NOT let them give you Rx food, no matter what. Do the chicken & rice (I use 2 parts plain white rice to 1 part chicken, and cut the chicken up very very fine) or you can do very lean (93% or better) hamburger and white rice...that actually works better for me. Drain all the grease from the beef after cooking and then rinse it in hot water before mixing with the rice.

If it is giardia, you want Panacur. Metronidazole alone won't do it.

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Leslie and Halas]

I hope she's feeling better.  Halas has had soft poops lately, and the pumpkin has helped him.  For what it's worth, my vet just had me drop off a poop sample to check - I didn't have to take Halas in, since he didn't seem to be feeling bad.