Lolli seems to have a very sensitive stomach. Probiotic advice?

[Jennett Pulley]

Lolli is on Iams (EEEK!!  I know, please don't beat me up.  I am so overwhelmed by the food choices that I am frozen) per our vet and her breeder.  She does great on it but she is a bit (ok A LOT) gassy.  I want to give her something new but I am afraid because she is prone to explosive diarrhea once a month or so. 

Every time we get her stool checked, she's fine.  She has been visiting the lake a lot and has a bizarre craving for goose poop which we try to avoid, but it happens.  The vet gives her doggie kao and the loose stools clear up immediately.  She is never in pain or uncomfortable, it just makes me a nervous wreck.

She had an awesome combination of eating a magnet, drinking lake water and feasting on poo the other day and it wreaked havoc on my pup and my yard.  I do want to start giving her a pro biotic and I want to change her food.  I know there is an awesome post on the food, I simply cannot comprehend it all.

Please someone have mercy on my and pick my food and tell me the best source to get probiotics besides yogurt (the stuff makes me gag).  Also, is there a way to get the doggie kao without spending $75 at my vet each time?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Karen will no doubt give you good advice on food and probiotics but I have been feeding grain free Acana for 2 years and I am happy with it. I have given my dogs Imodium, over the counter human variety. If you are sure this is the usual diarrhea your dog sometimes gets it should be fine. But you want to give only a day or so of this before you check with the vet if she's not better. I have given one dose a day for a couple of days and it has been fine but I stress I am not a veterinarian,. It is safe for run of the mill diarrhea in dogs.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think any dog who was eating Iams and poo and drinking lake water would have stomach problems. We can give you suggestions for a better food and for probiotics, but if she keeps eating the goose poop and drinking lake water, you're going to have digestive issues. You may have worse, because lake water can be a source of all kinds of parasites and diseases. So the first step for me would be to prevent the poop eating and lake water drinking by keeping her on leash in those areas.

There's a probiotic called Proviable that I've heard great things about. Another one that's been recommended to me by a veterinary internal medicine specialist is iFlora. 

When you give any probiotic, it should not be given within two hours or more of any antibiotics.

With the food, it's a little harder to make a recommendation, since we don't know what is causing the problems. I would start with a limited ingredient formula. Wellness Simple Solutions Turkey & Potato Grain-Free or their  Duck and Oatmeal formula might be a good choice for Lolli. Or Acana's Singles line. One more option I would consider is Canidae's Pure line, the Sky formula might be a good choice. The foods I have linked don't contain the same proteins or ingredients that are most likely in the Iams, so if she has some intolerance to something in that, these should not cause a problem.

I'm not familiar with doggie kao (or even human kao, lol) so I can't advise on that except that a healthy dog shouldn't need it on a regular basis. I have also found that you can use the human version of most OTC medications and supplements for less $ than the doggie version. I think F gave you good advice on that.

Please keep us posted and let us know what food you choose and how she does.

[Jennett Pulley]

Thank you for your suggestions.

We live directly across the street from a lake and Lolli is considering trials for the next summer Olympics as a swimmer, so the mouthfuls of water are inevitable.  Unfortunately, there is a large population of Canada geese here, too, so the poop is abundant, even in our yard and no matter how much clean up and LEAVE IT we do, a few tasty morsels are inevitable.

I will take your food suggestion (BLESS YOU for making my decision!) and look for the probiotic, too.  I'll keep you posted!

[Jennett Pulley]

Wellness Turkey and Potato in her bowl!  Let the (possible) toot party begin!  HA!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Let us know how she does with it.

[Jennett Pulley]

Well, she got 1/4 cup mixed in with her regular food and managed to root out every little triangle of it and is now whining for more, so we know it tasted good!

[Chelsie]

My puppy, Sam, who is almost 9 months old loves to eat otter and cat poop. I don't own a cat, but our neighbors cat jumps the fence and sometimes will leave his little nuggets in my yard. We live right up the road from the beach of Puget Sound and we are always on the beach. There he will find tasty otter and bird poop which he loves! Our trainer is working with us for the leave it command...which she says is critical. The key for us has been having a very high value treat, chicken, beef, or cheese, and always call the leave it and then treat. They are puppies so their attention span is short, but keep working the leave it command and it will become a habit to sniff poop and then leave it! Hope that helps. Also, we feed Acana and love it!

[Jennett Pulley]

We're working on it! 

I am so jealous of the otters!!  Are they too cute??

[Chelsie]

They are too cute for sure! There are a few that are very interactive with people...pretty funny.

[Carol B & Pilot]

My 10 1/2 month male went through a time of "not normal" poop, and is now having normal ones (to spare you the icky details).  I started giving him a pet vitamin/digestive enzyme combo that I think helps a lot (and I need to take enzymes myself, so I know the benefits).  I give him Pet Naturals of Vermont from Vitacost (this product http://www.vitacost.com/pet-naturals-of-vermont-daily-best-multivit... ), and it seems to have made all the difference.  When he does get looser poops, it usually happens when he's chewing on sticks he's picked up as we walk (which he doesn't chew extensively, and has to leave outside).  I give him a  sprinkle of a probiotic on his food - a capsule (for people) that I open and sprinkle on top.  I use 1 capsule over about 6-8 meals, so he's not getting a lot at one time (too much can also cause diarrhea).  Good luck!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Unfortunately, this product contains an extremely dangerous form of synthetic vitamin K, menadione, which is used by in lower quality products to save money. I would not recommend that anyone use this for their dogs or for themselves. 

Some information on menadione from the Dog Food Project's Ingredients to Avoid:

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=menadione

Menadione (e.g. menadione sodium bisulfate, menadione sodium bisulfite or menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite)

• has never been researched or specifically approved for long term use, such as in pet food
• has been banned from use in food and supplements for human use in many European countries due to serious side effects, including permanent damage and deaths
• FDA has banned synthetic vitamin K from over-the-counter supplements because of its high toxicity
• vitamins K1 and K2 are metabolized through the lymphatic system, utilizing pancreatic enzymes and bile acids and regulated by the liver. Vitamin K3 is absorbed directly and bypasses the natural pathways and regulators.

Here is a list of negative effects of menadione on the body. 

• causes cytotoxicity in liver cells
• causes formation of radicals from enzymes of leucocytes, with the consequence of cytotoxic reactions
• considerably weakens the immune system
• possible mutagenic effects
• damages the natural vitamin K cycle
• has no effect on coumarin derivatives, which are often present in commercial food due to mold contamination (toxic when ingested)
• causes hemolytic anemia and hyperbilirubinemia, not just linked to large doses
• disturbs the level of calcium ions (Ca2+) in the body, which is an important factor fibrinolysis
• is directly toxic in high doses (vomiting, albuminuria), unlike natural vitamin K
• builds up in tissue and has been detected in eggs, meat and milk of animals supplemented with menadione derivatives
• causes irritation of skin and mucous membranes
• causes allergic reactions and eczema

[Carol B & Pilot]

Oh No! I'm poisoning my dog!  Thanks for the info.  Do you have a suggestion for a replacement product?  I think he definitely needs some enzymes.

I just looked at the label, and that ingredient is not on the label or the ingredient list. On the website, they spell it "meniadone" (and no info comes up on that).  I'm saddened to think this is on purpose so consumers won't know.