loose stools

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

Molly has had loose stools for a couple of weeks. I took in a stool sample yesterday and everything came back ok. He told me to give her pumpkin, well that gave her the screaming craps. So today we are doing rice, still bad. Should I take her off of her dog food while doing the rice. We have a vet appointment Thursday.

[Laura & Sophie Doodle]

So sorry to hear about poor Molly. Diarrhea is no fun for the human or pup! When it happens with Sophie we skip on meal and then do rice and plain boiled chicken breast until her stools are firm again. We also add about a tablespoon of pumpkin. It is full of fiber which can firm it up nicely but if you give too much it can have the opposite effect due to fiber overload. I would hold the dog food for now! Good luck!

[Traz, Karen & Dale]

We just went through the diarrhea situation with Traz and he was treated for a gastric problem with medication.  Yes, take her off her regular food while you feed her the rice, boiled chicken and pumpkin.  The rice and chicken are easier to digest than most regular food.  Like Traz, it might take a little bit for things to settle down.  The pumpkin should help firm up the stools.  Note:  They will be pumpkin orange and probably soft, but not runny, as things start to settle down.  The vet had us keep Traz on the "bland" diet for a few days and then gradually put him back on his normal food.  Good luck with Molly and I hope she feels better soon.  Woof woof get well wishes from Traz :-)  

[Wendy and Myla]

Hi Wanda - this is the best place for advice.  I never responded to this conversation because I totally agreed with the responses that you got and there was nothing I could add.  I'm sure if there was a different opinion, more people would have responded.  Please keep adding questions or concerns!  We all care so much on this forum!!!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

You wont get a lot of responses but you will get the BEST responses and that should be all you need. The very best advice.

Hope your pup is well. If your pup still has these symptoms,  do another stool sample test.  Make sure it is fresh and take it right in.  There always can be false results in a lab. 

[Stephanie and Ragley]

Any advice I would have given had already been said and I felt it was unnecessary to repeat instructions :) I hope Molly is feeling better. Not sure what kind of shot and pills she went on for runny stools, but hopefully it was not Metro. A good probiotic such as Proviable DC may help- you can purchase it online on chewy.com

[Wendy and Myla]

I'm glad Molly had a normal stool - Diarrhea is so hard on a pup (and you!).  I've never had to deal with bowel problems with Myla but there is a lot of information on this website regarding metro.  Just go to the top right corner of this page and type in "metro" in the search box.  You will get a list of all of the discussions and links.  You can read all of the information and then discuss it with your vet if Molly doesn't continue to improve.  Please keep us updated!

[Laurie Gibbons]

As read the post I see you are well on your way to solving your issue for your pup. However, I would like to give my experience with my Goldendoodle which is somewhat different just in case someone else has our same issues. After being spayed & having a bit of infection our female, Cake, was put on antibiotics. During that time I bought her a beef marrow bone. She began with the loose stools so I'm not sure if was the meds or the bone. After two trips to the vet & another round of antibiotics she kept having loose stools. I tried the chicken & rice diet & it was a disaster! Rice went straight thru her. Apparently she had an issue with grains. Now after almost 2 months of loose to soft stools we are back on track. What did I do? Kept her on Fromm Gold Puppy Food & virtually no treats. Only small bites of dried Codfish Skins a couple times a day. Stools are almost normal now. I have concluded she has a very sensitive tummy. So we are careful. Good news she never had an accident in the house. She's a great dog! Now if we can just get her chewing conquered shell be perfect!

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Whenever my dogs have been on antibiotics, I am always sure to give them probiotics and fat-free Greek yogurt with their meals. I use Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes & Probiotics. Other folks here on DK use various brands. It's important to provide the "good" bacteria, since the antibiotics kill both the bad and the good bacteria. Pumpkin will help Molly, too -- just don't give too much, as you will have the opposite of the desired binding effect.  When you boil the chicken, be sure to drain it with water. Good luck.

[Sheree Small]

We had about a week of loose stool, no negative results from the vet check, and no known cause.... We did a small amount of pumpkin with each meal (about a heaping tablespoon) and a scoop of probiotics. She resolved in a couple of days back to normal. Good luck