Diarrhea and treatment

[Jackie]

I'm not sure if I should post this here or on Health group. But many of you know so much about food, etc. I thought I'd start her. :)  Beckett has had diarrhea for a few days.Other than the diarrhea, he's fine. He's playing, etc. No lethargy(or I would be worried cause we had a problem almost 2 yrs ago but knew he was sick by the way he acted...it was an abcess) He hasn't gotten into anything and I haven't changed his food. He eats Fromm food,  I called the vet on Tuesday and they said to wait 10 hrs. and then give him 1/4 cup of boiled chicken and rice with added yogurt or cottagge cheese. I've done that since Tuesday night at 10ish. They said if not better by Friday that he might need to be seen so that they make sure he isn't dehydrated. He is drinking water and I just gave him an ice cube, which he ate. My question is... is it too soon to be worried? He is acting fine. I also thought that maybe I should try stopping the yogurt first. Could that cause a problem with his stools? He's never had it before, so I'm wondering if I should try just the chicken and rice for a few days and see if he's better? When should I start giving it to him again...tonight or wait till tomorrow moring? He last ate at 10 ish this moring.  Would the ice cube upset his stomach? What are the symptoms of dehydration? His gums are nice and pink. Sorry for all the questions :)  My plan would be to either feed him tonight before bed or wait till morning and just do the chicken and rice. I also would do it for the weekend and see how he is  Monday. As long as he's acting fine. What's everyone's opinion? Thanks. :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd bring in a stool sample to the vet now. It's very possible he's got giardia or some other parasite, and that wouldn't affect his behavior at all. If he does have giardia, no dietary changes are really going to help, and the sooner you get him started on meds, the sooner he'll be better.

An occasional bout of diarrhea is usually not a big deal, but if it's been going on for a few days, and there haven't been any changes in his diet, something's wrong. I wouldn't be worried, but I'd at least bring in a specimen now, rather than wait until Monday. If the specimen is negative, at least you''l be able to rule out a parasite, and the charge shouldn't be too much.

[Jackie]

Ooops, sorry, I meant called on Wednesday afternoon, got my days mixed up. lol. (thought today was Thursday :) )

Karen, how could he get giardia?  Would it be from food, an infection, etc. He isn't pooping much cause hasn't had enough food, I guess. Went this morning and it was loose. But last night it seemed a little better than it had been. I didn't know if it could be the yogurt also. 

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, with giardia, they usually poop a lot, so that might not be the problem. But they can get it very easily, from contact with the giardia spores that may have been left by another animal's fecal matter, (even if the poop itself was removed), and also from drinking standing water.

[michele, puddy & milo]

I agree with bringing in a stool sample asap. And, I think it is never a bad idea to have the dog checked for dehydration. It is not always obvious. The gums are the way my vet seems to check - for color and for tackiness - I have a hard time identifying the tackiness, but if the gums feel sticky at all it is an indicator of dehydration. I think they are supposed to be nice and slick. If there is vomiting in conjunction with the diarrhea, I always go straight to the vet. We've had a couple unexplained episodes of that and they lead very quickly to dehydration.

 

Also re: giardia, it often doesn't show in a stool sample. That's one of the fun things about it.

 

I always err on the side of caution. A few days and no dietary changes, would mean action for me.

[Sheri Wilson]

With 3 dogs and a cat I seem to always have a health issue.  I do agree with the others that it is possibly a parasite.  One of my doodles came to me with giardia.  She had constant diarrhea or soft stools.  I would use pumpkin and firm up the stools and then they went the other direction to loose until we went thru 3 treatsments of flagyl. So you definitly need the stool sample and if the problem continues then you need to do another sample.  When I have a dog with an upset stomach they are fed white rice with some chicken broth.  This give the intestines a chance to rest.  If all is well I then add a small amount of boiled chicken in with the rice and broth.  Gradually, going back to their normal food. If skin is dehydrated in a dog or human you can do the pinch test.  Pull the skin up between the thumb and forefinger like you are going to pinch it and then let it go.  It should immediately go back to normal.  Skin that is dehydrated stays up in the pinch positon and is slower to go back to normal. Hope this helps but the vet is in order.

[Jackie]

Sorry, I haven't been on here this weekend but just a quick update. I did take Beckett to the Vet's. They couldn't find anything. They think that the bacteria in his intestines just started to multiply and his body couldn't get rid of it as usual because there was too much of it. She doesn't know how it started, maybe a viral, etc. But they put him on meds. amd still the chicken amd rice diet for a few days till poops firm up. I hope I'm explaining this well. lol Thanks for the help.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jackie, Make sure to give him some plain non-fat yogurt with his food- I'd skip the cottage cheese for now. The probiotics in the yogurt will help while he's on the antibiotics, those can cause diarrhea themselves because they destroy the good flora in the gut along with the bad. Please keep us posted on how Beckett does.

[Jackie]

Thanks Karen. I already fed him for the night but I'll put some in his food in the morning.

 

[Jackie]

Karen, I only have fat free Greek yogurt. Is that ok? How much should I give him.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

As long as it's fat free, it should be fine. I don't know how Greek yogurt compares to regular yogurt in terms of the number of live cultures, which is what provides the digestive benefits. Maybe someone else knows?

[Jackie]

Yeah I just looked at the container. It says it has live active cultures. It lists 4. How much should I give? Would a teaspoon be good?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd go with a tablespoon two or three times a day.