Poop question

[Laura & Chewie]

Since Chewie, 6-1/2 months, has been on Fromm's (almost 3 months) his poop has been great...very firm and regular...usually twice daily. Last Wed. night into Thursday 3:00 am he started barking in his crate. He never does this, so I figured maybe he had heard a noise...told him quiet and he settled down. 1/2 hour later he started again, so I took him outside and he had loose stools. He went again at 6:00 am. I fed him a lighter breakfast along with a tablespoon of pumpkin. He didn't go anymore that day (Thursday) and by Friday morning was back to normal. He didn't act sick at all and had his normal appetite. Saturday afternoon he again was loose, so I gave him another spoon of pumpkin and again he went right back to normal. Tonight after dinner it started again...two days after the pumpkin just like last week. He is acting perfect otherwise.

I called the vet and she said he probably is eating something he shouldn't outside and it's upsetting the good bacteria present in the digestive system. She said since the pumpkin helps give him a spoonful a day for a couple days and see if he can work through it. If it continues with the pumpkin or after stopping it again, bring him in as he might need an antibiotic to get over it. He just had a fecal test last week that was negative.

I am thinking that if one spoon of pumpkin stops it for 2 days, it must not be anything too serious. Would you continue with the pumpkin or take him in sooner?

TIA!

[Laura & Chewie]

Update: Chewie has been fine for the past week...been giving him a Tbl pumpkin/daily...until this afternoon. He had loose stools again. I figured this was enough, so off to the Vet we went. The will repeat his fecal floatation to be on the safe side and also obtained a sample rectally for a fecal cytology. They said he has bacteria overgrowth...very common condition that causes diarrhea. She prescribed Metronidazole and put him on probiotics (Fortiflora). Hopefully this will clear it up for good. He still is acting fine and has his usual good appetite.

All I know is I have been researching pet insurances, and after a $170 bill today, my assigned task tomorrow is to finish my comparisons and make a decision...LOL. All recommendations welcome.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

These are sites that list various different pet insurance policies for comparison purposes; I haven't looked at them, but The Wall Street Journal happened to mention them in an article on pet insurance yesterday:
http://www.petinsurancereview.com/
http://dogtime.com/pet-insurance/center/home
http://www.petinsuranceguideus.com/

Hope the meds work quickly and Chewie is fine soon...for good!

[Laura & Chewie]

Thanks Karen. I had previously done quite a bit of research and narrowed it down to two or three (I think), but they all work differently, pay differently, cover differently that I found it hard to compare. I was leaning toward one, but they didn't cover genetic problems...another did cover them but didn't seem to pay as much. I will definitely look at these links and also do a search on here to see what some of our members recommend. Like I said, it's my assigned task for today....LOL.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Fortiflora is a great supplement - this cleared up Peri's issue when we first brought her home. Just remember you can buy it online. Any of the petmeds places have it and it is less expensive. I keep it onhand just in case....

[Laura & Chewie]

Good to hear. The vet charged $29 for a one month supply. How long did Peri need it? I understand it's also something that can be used on a regular basis.