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

[Heather & Jake]

Yes definitely switch cold turkey with no kibble.  Good luck with your next meal and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works better!  One tip I learned that might help is hydrating it longer than 10 minutes (say use pretty hot water and leave it out on the counter for an hour or longer) can make it easier to digest.

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

OK, I will try this for the next feeding! I will keep you posted..on a better note, he LOVES it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Think of it this way: Something about the kibbles he's been eating is irritating his digestive tract or not agreeing with him. The idea is to find a different kind of food that won't do that. Adding the HK (or any new food)  to another food (kibble) that doesn't agree with him won't fix the problem by somehow making his digestive system be okay with the kibbles that it couldn't handle before.

For those whose dogs have improved on the HK, it's because it's a different form of food that doesn't cause the same problems the kibble did. But if you continue to feed something (kibble) that the dog can't digest properly, the HK won't help. Sometimes we tend to think of food as medicine...If I feed this, it will fix the problem. Instead, think of it as a different form of food that your dog's digestive system will tolerate. 

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

Ok, I will try that too! I was using hot water, then waiting the 5-10...it was torture for him,,but I will wait longer now..thank you!

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

OK, so I should just feed only the HK...dont add any protein?

[Heather & Jake]

Yes.  The embark is complete in itself so you do not need to add anything extra and it will be the best way to see if it will work.  We started adding in goodies after the first week or so, you don't want ot overwhelm him.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree that this is the best approach, although we did add a little cooked chicken just to make it a little more desirable.

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

SO, same thing again last night and this morning, stools were very soft, not formed..and he even woke me up at 2 am to take him out, which resulted in even looser stools! I know I need to give it more time, which I will, but I am getting nervous...then to top it off, I have everyone around me saying to just listen to the vet and go with the science diet, b/c having loose stools for 5 months is no better...noone seems to understand!!! beyond frustrating.

[Heather & Jake]

Oh that is really frustrating, I'm sorry :(  As we know, not all doodles are the same and what works for one may not work for another. 

You may want to skip a meal, (he won't starve) to give his tummy a little break and then try again.  And completely opposite of what I said last night of not adding anything... bones firm up stools.  Is there a butcher around you where you can pick up some chicken necks?  On only HK Jake can still gets some soft semi-formed stools in the evening but since I began adding raw chicken necks they are super firm.  And yes chicken bones are safe to feed but only raw, never cooked.  I also add in plain yogurt for probiotics, this might be a thought if he's handled it well enough before.

Another thing I've read about and not tried myself is Slippery Elm Bark.  It is a innocuous herb that soothes the stomach and digestive system.  It works by coating the GI tract with anti-inflammatory mucous.  It helps stop the muscle spasming that is accompanied by diarrhea, and can be used for a number of other ailments as well.  It is easy to find in a vitamin shop, pharmacy, whole foods, etc.  It is not a *cure* to be used long term for since it does coat the GI it does effect the absorption of nutrients but short term it is fine to help the GI to settle down.

I'm interested in what Karen has to say but I'm thinking if this doesn't work it may be time to do a food trial and/or more vet testing for underlying illness...

[Heather & Jake]

And if you still have the Perfect Form, Slippery Elm Bark is an ingredient in that which also has pumpkin seed in it and is high fiber... might be worth a shot?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Stay with the HK for at least a week. Try giving him a tablespoon or two of plain canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) with his meals. Some plain non-fat yogurt will help, too. I would also limit treats to tiny little bits of plain cooked chicken or turkey. Nothing else.

He has been on antibiotics so often and so long, all of the helpful flora in his gut has been destroyed. It is going to take time for his sytem to function properly.

However, the consistency of the stools is one thing, and the frequency is another. The only time in 34 years that I've ever had a dog wake me in the middle of the night to go outside, that dog had giardia. So you're going to have to keep an eye on that. I have never seen a stubborn case of giardia respond to metronidazole...it takes Panacur.

To those who say that feeding Hill's is better than having a dog with loose stools for five months, I would tell them that I am looking at the bigger picture. I'd say that I want my dog to live as long as possible, and feeding him garbage won't help accomplish that.

It is possible that you may need to consult a specialist if this continues for more than another week or so. But let's give it a week and see.

 

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

I have been giving him the pumpkin, I usually freeze it,and put in his kong when we leave. We stopped giving treats a while ago due to the fact of his stomache issues. I will continue on the HK, I'm not giving up hope yet. I am giving him 1 cup, 3 times a day. And every night for his "snack" he gets a scoop of chobani non-fat greek yogart. I did buy the perfect form a while ago...should I use it with embark? I dont want to mess around with too many things. Also, if it does come to the point where I need to go to a vet, or a specialist, I am unsure where to go to. I have been through 2 vets, and both pressured me on the Science diet/Iams, though I did tell them that I didn't agree with that, SO, if I do have to go to the vet soon, I'm going to need a new one! Thank you all for your support, this is BEYOND frustrating...