rabbit poop

[Lora]

Hi, Julius seems to have chronic diahrrea from eating rabbit poo.  (we think)   The vet found no parasites and gave him some meds to harden things up...not really working but he acts fine and eats normally.  Ugh.  He keeps making messes in the house.   Also, he has a mild ear infection...any chance that he could have loose stools from this as well?   We monitor him but can't keep him from finding fun things to eat in the grass.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's doubtful that an ear infection would cause diarrhea. However, antibiotics can definitely cause diarrhea, since they destroy the good bacteria in the gut along with the bad, so you should always give probiotics and/or plain unflavored fatfree yogurt when your dog is on any kind of antibiotics. Make sure to allow at least two hours between the meds and the probiotics/yogurt.

Whether the diarrhea is being caused by eating things in the yard, I don't know, but it's crucial that you supervise a puppy when he is outdoors, and that means being out there with him. That way you would know for sure whether he is eating rabbit poo or anything else, and you could prevent him from doing it. Keep him on a leash or long line if you have to. It's also an excellent opportunity to work on training and teach some commands, like "leave it". If he gets giardia from eating something in the yard, you will not only have to be out there with him at all hours picking up poop, you'll have to disinfect the yard with bleach too, so better to prevent it entirely.

Sometimes giardia can be difficult to diagnose, and requires multiple stool specimens and tests. 

Regarding making messes in the house, that's a housebreaking issue. Even if he didn't have diarrhea, you don't want him going indoors. Again, supervision is the answer. He can never be allowed free run of the house unless you are able to watch him, stop and correct him when he starts to "go", get him outside to finish, and then praise him to the moon. So if you are unable to do that, he needs to be tethered to you or in his crate. That way you will be able to prevent the messes in the house and successfully housebreak him at the same time. Good luck. 

[Lora]

Thanks! He has only made messes when he is running towards door-but not making it in time. I am very interested in the probiotic idea... Kids used to do the capsules broken into a drink... I wonder how much I can give my 30 pound doodle . Thanks so much!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would not use the probiotics that your kids took. Try Gentle Digest capsules by Ark naturals; you can order them on-line or find it in the better small boutique type pet supply stores. And add a  tablespoon or two of yogurt to his meals, that helps also. 

[Lora]

Thanks I will contact my vet to get her opinion.   Will try yogurt idea too.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The problem is, your vet probably sells Purina's Fortiflora, which contains some pretty bad ingredients. Most vets are not well versed in probiotics (or nutrition in general) and usually don;t even recommend them when they put a dog on antibiotics. 

Some other good probiotics for dog (recommended by JD's internal medicine specialist) are Proviable DC and iFlora for pets. 

[Lora]

I'm sure vets are similar to doctors in their different opinions... I am just getting some info to make a decision . Weird but I know 3 vets so I'm excited to see if they differ... Will keep you posted. Thanks!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

We had a pet rabbit when I was young and I remember my toddler nephew running after him eating the "raisins".  Yup, supervision is  a full time job!  Good luck! 

[Julie Mills]

My labradoodle used to have diarrhea from his food.  It was good organic expensive food...but didn't agree with him. He was on prescription dog food for two years and now eats Science Diet sensitive stomach.

He is soo much better now...he's 5 and eats all kinds of table scraps (meats mostly).  Our vet had us give him a few tablespoons of canned pumpkin a day to help firm up his stool.  Anytime any of mine get a tummy ache, I give them some pumpkin....always helps and they LOVE it!

 

My two females love to eat rabbit poop and it makes me crazy...I just try to make sure they are well fed and supervise them.

Good luck...the puppy year can be a challenge but you'll be rewarded with a great dog for their whole life if you put the time and agrevation into him now.

[Star and Goldie]

Did they specifically test for Giardia? That is a separate test from the regular fecal check. I'm currently dealing with Giardia right now (which is NO FUN btw) and I had to specifically ask for the test in addition to the regular fecal. You may double check with your vet and see if they tested for that. Sometimes, as Karen eluded to, the test can show negative for Giardia when they really actually have it. I guess it picks and chooses when it wants to show up. But these sound like definitely Giardia symptoms and I'd definitely have another test done to be safe.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The giardia cysts are not present in every stool sample, which is why they often miss it. It also has a 10-14 day incubation period.

[Lora]

Hi! Got the ok to use probiotics during runny stools. He has been doing great and vet gave him some pills to harden things up... I'm praying that whatever made him have runny stools is gone... The vet of course said that teething probably wasn't the culprit but he lost a crud load of baby teeth in a very short amount of time... Probably coincidental ... FYI. The probiotics didn't work that great after 3 days but would still try it with some of the other ideas people came up with. He hasn't been having accidents since the diarrhea stopped 6 days ago! Yay!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The pills the vet gave you are metronidazole, and they destroy all the good bacteria in the gut along with the bad. It is crucial that you continue to give probiotics while he is on the meds. Be sure to allow at least two hours between the meds and the probiotics. 

The problem with giving metronidazole is that when the meds are discontinued, the diarrhea often returns, and is often much worse than before. I hope that's not the case for you.