Well, we are back to square one...I'm getting worried.

[Donna Vee]

Two weeks ago we finished both medications for the girls and their diarrhea episode.  Things were going well except for their slight loss in appetite which would come and go.  They were eating two times a day even if it sometimes took a little coaxing...  

 

Last night, Ginger started barking in the middle of the night.  I got up to find a nice steamy mound of diarrhea.  Cleaned it up, went back to bed.  This morning.......THREE more.

 

I don't know what to do.  We're going back to the vet today.  I hope he doesn't just throw another bag of anti diarrheal at me.  That's only masking the problem.

[Obsidian]

Donna, I am not sure what all has been will share our experience with you.

Our dood Obi developed horrible diarrhea out of the blue, this went on for what seemed like eternity!

Turns out it was nothing but a food allergy! we switched his food to a salmon based food (purina pro plan for sensitive stomach) as he has a total meat intolerance! (he was on lamb & rice prior).

anyway no medicine helped because it wasnt medical, it was gastrointestinal. After switching his food his diarrhea was completely gone in a week and he hasnt had it since. he turned 4yrs old yesterday :)

good luck!!!!

[Donna Vee]

Thanks Tami, I'll ask him about the food too.  I did just give them pumpkin and veggies last night for the first time but I've seen this "poop" before.  I think it's still a lingering parasite from December.  I'll post back when I know more.

 

Thanks again.

[Nicole]

My labradoodle had issues like this and it, too was a food allergy. Switched to a venison/potato and protein other than fowl/sweet potato food and it cleared up! It can be very frustrating...they did tests for everything under the sun and never found anything much. If she got hold of table scraps, trash, or anything else she would start again and it would take several days to clear up. She, too would not have a great appetite for a week or so.

Hope you find out what the problem is :)

[Donna Vee]

They were both treated for giardia a couple of months ago.  It might just be reappearing.  I don't know.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It can be tough to knock it out sometimes; recurrences are common.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm guessing they had giardia and they still have it. It can be difficult to treat sometimes. Ask the vet for Panacur; the metronidazole doesn't knock out the giardia as effectively sometimes.

I agree, you need to know what is causing the diarrhea, and I can guarantee you that it isn't food alone. It also isn't a food allergy; food allergies rarely if ever cause digestive issues like diarrhea. A food intolerance, or a disease like IBS, which affects a lot of doodles here, might cause these kinds of symptoms, but chronic gastrointestinal issues are always indicative of disease. First step is to get another fecal culture done. Only when that shows no parasites should you consider food issues as being the cause of the problem.

[Donna Vee]

Karen, based on what you told me the last time this happened, I did ask him to check for giardia. As far as I know he didn't take a stool sample and didn't want the one we brought.  He did varify that her stool was loose and did in fact give both of them metronidazole and an anti-diarreal which cleared it up immediately.  We ran through the meds a couple of weeks ago and it just suddenly returned. 

They probably got it from plants in the yard and I have to watch them like hawks.  I stay out there with them all the time now.  Maybe there was still a trace of the giardia left and it took this long to reappear...I don't know.  The vet is usually pretty thorough.  I can't bring in stool today because I don't know who's is who's. I'll have to follow her around this afternoon.  Her apt is at 4:00.  Maybe I'll get lucky.

Thanks again.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Donna, what tests did the Vet do initially to determine the cause of the diarrhea?  My Vet only diagnoses a food intolerance after all other potential causes are ruled out.

[Donna Vee]

Thanks for the reply Jane, see my post to Karen above.

[shelly]

WOW! It just seems weird that they BOTH have a problem... makes me think it's not an allergy... are they from the same litter?

[Donna Vee]

No they are a few months apart.  Different parents but related.  Penny doesn't have a problem anymore, just Ginger. They both had loose stool in December but Ginger's was always worse. Penny's was loose, Ginger's was puddin'.  He just treated them both for giardia because chanced are, if one had it, the other did too.

[shelly]

:o(  So sorry she's still not better!  It's terrible when they are not feeling well... puts a damper on your every being.