Diarrhea x 6 weeks

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

Hello

 

We have a 5 month Goldendoodle, Woody.  He has diarrhea for 6 weeks now.  We have taken him to 2 different vets through the course of these 6 weeks.  The first stool sample showed nothing, but the vet prescribed us 2 antiobiotics and an Iams RX food (which now after reading the forum, I will never do again).  This treatment didn't work, after getting frustrated with no answers, I decided to switch vets, one week later, roundworms and giardia showed up in his stool, the new vet prescribed another round of antibiotics for a period of 10 days and a different food, Natural Balance.  His stools firmed up while on the anitbiotic, but once the pills were done, the stools softened again, so we took him off the nat.balance and started feeing boiled hamburger and rice. We took him back to the vet, he did another stool sample, and bloodwork.  Stool sample came back clear, blood work showed some elevated levels, and the dr is considering doing a ACTH stim test (for Addisons).  The vet reccomended another round of antibiotics and another type of food..Science diet light...which again, after reading the forms, I cant wait to go home to throw it away.  I am at wits end, I feel like I cant get a straight answer, and of course, I feel terrible for Woody.  I cant imagine being sick like that for this long..I appreciate any advice! 

 

Thank you in advance,

Jill

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh yes, we are definitely passionate here in TFG.

This group is also a little different, less "opinion based" and more structured  than most others. There is no shortage of chat forums all over the internet where people share opinions and anecdotes about food and what has worked for them. The problem for me was that the information was not reliable, and when my own dog developed a serious health issue (not directly food-related) and I went looking for information in dog-owners forums and groups, I got a lot of "what worked for me" advice that turned out to be not only incorrect, but potentially harmful. So my purpose in starting this group was to present information that has some basis in fact and in science. A lot of blood sweat and tears has gone into the research and information here.

But if you look through the many discussions, you'll find a lot of sharing, caring, and laughs, as well. Hope you enjoy it.

[Kathy Hoppe]

I totaly agree!!! I belong to a button group, bead group, bakelite group, lampworking group, and a few others and this is the first group I've NEVER heard/read a harsh word... (knock on wood) I don't know what I'd do without this group.

Kathy & Lauscha

[Bonnie and Kona]

I love this group, Karen and am continually grateful for your comments. Thank you so much for starting this group and keeping it focused on factual information and not just "what worked for me". You are a blessing!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks for your support and your participation!

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

Like I said before...THANK YOU all for your input. I already found a store near me that sells Orijen...I am going right after work to pick it up! I appreciate your opinions and the research of trial and error that has been done to get here! We should get some vet's to read these posts...maybe knock some sense into them!!!

I hope this diarrhea battle will come to an end soon, I will be sure to keep you updated.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jill, we've also had a lot of cases of dogs with stubborn cases of giardia, as well as dogs who continued to reinfect themselves...drinking from standing water outdoors, etc., so if this continues, I would definitely get another fecal done, and make sure they are using the "snap" test. If Woody's stool never firmed up after the antibiotics were discontinued, it's possible the parasite is still present.

When I first started looking for answers to a health problem in the forums, I was stunned by the number of people who immediately assume that food has soemthing to do with any illness or health issue. My years as a personal trainer and exercise physiologist had already taught me that most people don't know much about nutrition, but I was truly surprised at how many people think food can cure disease. What bothered me most was that people were experimenting with various diets based on advice in forums instead of seeking real answers as to the true underlying cause of the diseases. In my dog's case, he was suffering terribly while I hopefully tried various suggestions in an attempt to avoid really facing the problem medically. I will never forgive myself for that. This group is also my attempt to spare other dogs from what Jack went through.

If there is a physiological reason for Woody's diarrhea, a parasite or an underlying illness or disease, food in itself is not going to make a difference in the long run. I am not sure that the Orijen or any dry food is going to help if he's got active severe diarrhea. Are his stools any firmer on the hamburger and rice diet?

Another suggestion in terms of food would be to try a limited ingredient canned food like Wellness Simple Solutions. The extra water content combined with the easier to digest consistency of canned food might help. One reason the vet suggested the Natural balance is because it's a limited ingredient food and therefore easier for an out-of-whack digestive system to handle than a more complex, nutritionally dense food like Orijen.

Whatever you choose, I would give canned plain pumpkin and plain unflavored non-fat yogurt with meals. I hope this info doesn't leave you with more questions than answers. Please keep us posted.

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

I will...what is a "snap" test?..and yes..my head is spinning...but its no different than the past few weeks...at least I feel more confident with the advice I am getting here!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are a couple of different kinds of fecal tests that vets do. But for giardia, the snap test is more reliable. often, a vet does what's called a float test, and giardia can be missed. That may have been what happened with your first vet. Or it may simply have been that it can be hard to diagnose giardia, as the cysts are not present in every sample, and there is a 10-14 day incubation period.

I will also tell you that the drug Panacur is more reliable in eliminating giardia that metronidazole, yet some vets continue to give the latter instead of the former; why i don't know. Some vets, like mine, give both.

We have a lot of dogs here with digestive issues, but since Woody has had worms and parasites in the past and is so young, I would look at this as either a stubborn parasitic infection or the aftermath of long-term antibiotic use, and it can take a month or more for the digestive system to get regulated after that, even in an older dog with a mature digestive system, let alone a puppy. Hang in there.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Okay, so now I'm going to add another opinion to the mix....just because you aren't confused enough.  Have you considered home cooking, at least for a while?  It is not a "miracle cure" for all dogs, but it is for some.  I went through a lot of what you're describing first with Guinness.  I tried everything...or just about.  The Vet diagnosed IBS, and suggested RX food.  That wasn't an option for me, so in desperation I started home cooking.  Well for Guinness, it really was a miracle cure.  It cured his diarrhea and loose stools, and I'm still cooking for him because he seems to thrive on it.  For me it's not a big deal....I cook a "batch" every three days.  He's now at the point where he can eat half Acana and half home cooking, which is great....but it took almost a year for his tummy to get to the point where it could tolerate ANY kibble.  Then there's my Murphy....a completely different story.  Again, bad tummy issues that surfaced when he was an "older puppy".  I started down the same path of trying different foods....none of them worked, and ended up with him on home cooking.  That was great for a while, and then he couldn't even tolerate that.  We had him on probiotics, pumpkin, Pepcid, every "good food" imaginable (and some not so good).  Still nothing worked.  During this whole thing he got giardia...of course he did, because things wern't difficult enough.  We just found a food that he does really well with....Honest Kitchen Embrace (freeze dried raw).  At least for now, our "soupy poopy" days are over, and he's doing great.  I guess the moral of this story is to not give up.  You will find the right answer for YOUR Doodle...and the answers seem to be as different as our dogs are.  We're all here to help you....so just keep posting and we'll keep giving you support and ideas.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's about time you showed up at the party, Jane.

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

We are currently home cooking his food...we are mixing equal portions of rice, boiled ground meat, and whichever dog food the dr recommended...though now we are switching to Orijen...(thanks to you guys!)  Woody was on Panacur and metro...now he is just on metro only, we give that to him twice a day...and after only giving him 3 pills, his stools have already hardened..i just don't get it....  We are def not going to give up..there has to be a solution to this..as always, thanks again group!!!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

You may need to keep him on the home cooking until his tummy is stabilized and he's off the meds.