Callie is on week 2 of tummy issues - could this be food related?

[Frannie & Callie]

Ever since Callie ate poop, she's been having bowel movements that range from full out watery diarrhea to super loose stool. She has been tested for everything under the sun and the doctor put her on a course of giardia meds, just in case the test was giving a false negative. She did prescribe some canned food, which I gave her for a few days and then switched her to rice and poached chicken that I make at home. I've also been giving her a little canned pumpkin. She's gotten better - better meaning that she's in better control and isn't going in the house anymore, but she's still having super loose stools and spending a long time on them, trying to get it all out (sorry for the over share). She continues to be perky, happy, playful, and hungry. Her usual food is Orijen, and I started mixing it back into the chicken and rice to start transitioning her, and it's making her stomach worse. We'll probably end up back at the vet (she's drinking but I'm still concerned about dehydration) but wanted to see if y'all had experience with this or any advice. Thanks!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sounds like the right amount, assuming it's nice big heaping tablespoon full, and if she wants a little more than that, it won't hurt either.
You're lucky...JD won't go near pumpkin.

[Frannie & Callie]

Heaping would be a good description :).

Callie says that JackDoodle can call her, and she'll tell him ALL about how delicious the pumpkin is, and how a little stays in your beard for a snack later!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Could she also tell him that carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, yogurt, bananas, and cheese are delicious, too? He won't eat any of those, either.

[Frannie & Callie]

I've never heard of a dog not eating cheese. Callie will include all of those in her conversation with him - she has had every item on that list at some point and loves them all!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank you Callie, I appreciate it. Can you imagine a dog who doesn't like cheese? He's silly, isn't he? Of course, maybe if I made the cheese look like a tennis ball...nah, wouldn't work. He'd drop it in my lap for me to throw and mess up my clothes.
Jackdoodle is the opposite of an animal rights advocate...he doesn't eat anything that didn't at some point have a face. Except lima beans. Crazy dog.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

wow Karen...JD won't eat cheese??? That is the only thing T will eat when he goes through a fasting period. And I know it isn't good to give him too much of that!

[Tammy & Gracie]

No wonder you don't homecook Karen! LOL

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I left peanut butter off his list of "won't eat" foods, too. Sigh.

[Frannie & Callie]

Ok - cheese is one thing, but PEANUT BUTTER??? Callie has never known the wonders of peanut butter at my house (I'm allergic and she's always so up in my face that it seemed a better route) but I know she would love it. Will Jackdoodle eat cream cheese? (if you can't tell, I'm absolutely fascinated by your dood's palate!)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No cream cheese. That's a huge problem with a dog who at many times in his life has had to be given up to 9 pills a day, and never less than two.
No cream cheese, no peanut butter, no cottage cheese, no yogurt, no pumpkin, no mashed-up bananas, and (hold onto your hat....) if it has a pill inside it, no liverwurst!
I will accept all the sympathy anyone wants to give me. I tear my hair out from this dog. My last dog, a poodle, ate anything. Anything. Brussels sprouts, even.

[Julie B.]

This sounds a lot like the problems I have had with Sydney. I agree with much of what has been said, definitely stick with the bland rice and chicken or rice and burger mixture. I bet she has or has had giardia so the Metronidazole should help with that. I would also ask the vet for some additional antibiotic, like clavamox because I think this helped Sydney's irritated stomach and colon. She has improved a lot and I have her back on her normal food but everyday I worry about the runny poops coming back. It seems we have fought this since I brought her home 2 months ago... You also want to get that Giardia tested again (2-3 weeks after you finish the metronidazole) because it can be hard to find in a fecal. Ask for the Elvira test ( I think that's what its called) because it is more sensitive to giardia. One more thing and hopefully your vet told you this, after you finish the giardia meds you have to bath your dog, especially around the rear end to get rid of any egg sacks that may have some out in her poops otherwise the giardia cycle will start all over again if she injests them. I also wash all toys and bedding to try to get all of the potential cysts. As I have mentioned before, Giardia is a pain in the A@# for not only the dog but for the owner! LOL Good luck with it all.

[Sandra Griffith]

Is it possible to replace the good bacteria with probiotics as we do with humans? I don't know as much about this in dogs so I'm just putting it out there as a brainstorming type idea.