Diarrhea

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Hello! (As I write hello my auto correct is trying to change it to "Help!" Which is also extremely appropriate haha)
I was wondering if anyone with experience or knowledge could help me out with the protocal on diarrhea. I know it can be caused by a multitude of things, however what I'm fuzzy on are the exact measures to take when experiencing a bout of loose stools with your dog. I also know that diarrhea can mean some potentially serious medical issues, so it's best to have your puppy checked out the the vet if it lasts a certain amount of time. I've tried to search DK to see it there was already a similar post, which I'm sure there is, but for some reason when I search a topic I can one get a few hits to come up. I've made a list of questions I'm curious about below.
1. Is there a food I can have on hand incase of a random bout. I know pumpkin is good, and ultimately sweet potatoes and chicken is our go too if he starts having a series of loose stool. Is there anything else I can have ready for him to have? I've heard green beans are good for diarrhea. How much do you give him and are they okay to maybe give him as a snack?
2. Water. I'm terrified of a dehydrated puppy. I've been up every 2 hours tonight with Yeti being sick. I've been really encouraging him to drink water after each potty trip. Is that okay or will it upset his tummy even more? Is forcing him to drink a bad idea?n
3. How long would you wait to take your dog to the vet when it comes to diarrhea? As I stated earlier I realize it can be pretty serious, but sometimes I feel I don't let it try to "run its course." (If that's even a thing for dogs haha)
4. When dogs have diarrhea, do their tummys get upset? Is there anything I can give them to help ease the tummy ache? I feel so bad when he is having to get up throughout the night to go.
5. What little I could find in my "dehydration or diarrhea" search told me we need a high fiber food without grains. Yeti eats wellness core puppy (he is 6 1/2 months old and weighs ~30lbs). Is there a better food for him to be on? We have had him 4 1/2 months and this is our 4th (if I'm remembering right) bout of diarrhea. I feel that is probably not normal.
6. Is there anything to do at the first sign of soft stool to possibly prevent it from turning into full blown diarrhea?
7. What are signs of dehydration? I know our vet looked as his gums the last time we went in for this problem. Is there anything else I can lookout for and be aware of? I know what he eats and how much exercise he gets plays a huge factor, but is there any set amount of ounces of water he should be drinking a day? When he is sick I do mix water with his meals to make sure he's getting at least a little.

I know this is long, but I find myself completely unprepared when he gets sick and I want to be able to help/comfort him as best as I can. Thank you to anyone willing to read this long post and willing to offer advice or share their experiences!!

[Debbie and Toby]

Yes, we have PetPlan. Have had no issues at all, they have covered everything per our plan. There were some recent discussions about their rates going up, I would definitely compare the different plans with different companies, make some phone calls, and then decide which company and plans work best for your budget. Lower premiums offer less coverage. But at least in the case of large expenses you would have some coverage. Have had PetPlan for 7 1/2 years, been happy with them, but rates have gone up quite a bit since we started with them.We would have too many pre-existing issues now to switch to any other company. So we are planning to stay with them. There are also some discussions on DK about who every one uses.

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Thank you so much! I'm going to have my mom help me look over some companies. She's worked in the human insurance business for over 30 years and might be better at comphrehending the information better than I haha!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I have PetPlan too.  I have one Doodle with IBS and another with IBD and environmental allergies.  I've had numerous large claims, and their service has been amazing.  I am so thankful that I got this insurance before all these serious conditions started.  The premiums have increased as the dogs aged, but that would make sense to me as I'm sure the experience drives this.

[33bn7f8evnuyd]

Petplan reviews:  Here are some non-fake reviews posted on Yelp by people who have actually had it. 238 reviews...I think it would be enlightening. 

https://www.yelp.com/biz/petplan-pet-insurance-north-america-newtow...

It seems like the unhappy customers are those who have filed multiple times.  They are very good at following through the with the first few claims.  This was exactly my experience for the past 8 years on pet insurance. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm pretty sure that the reviews by the members here aren't fake either, aren;t you? And perhaps a bit more meaningful for their friends: http://www.doodlekisses.com/page/search-results?q=Petplan&cx=00...

[33bn7f8evnuyd]

I'd like to clarify, a lot of pet insurance review sites are affiliates and you have to be discriminatory. I am not by any means implying the reviews here are fake. 

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

Wow, this conversation has gotten so off topic.

I sympathize with your situation. But lets bring it back to your pup and your problems and not insurance.

Karen has been quite helpful to me in the past when my Georgia was a puppy. Georgia had a few issues with diarrhea. I worked with my vet at the time. He prescribed Metro something or other. I read on one of Karen's posts that it wasn't good.
I continued on and off with this medicine as when I started to discontinue it the diarrhea came back.

So I went to a holistic vet. The initial visit was expensive, but the costs for medicines and herbs etc was way cheaper than what I would pay at a regular vet. And follow up visits were about the same as a regular vet. 

Bottom line, after a few weeks with the herbs she recommended, her diarrhea issue was gone. 

So I'm just not clear from your original post if you got any drugs or treatment from the vet.

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

He hasn't been to the vet yet. We are hoping to get in tomorrow if they can squeeze us in. I know to ask for panacur if there is a parasite. The other 3 times we have been for the same issue he has tested negative for any parasites which is happy and sad all at once. Happy that he didn't have to endure any medicine, sad that were still unsure of what's causing the diarrhea. I truly believe in my heart it is from his heart worm medicine.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Yes, I got off topic. I would start by taking a fecal sample to the vet to rule out parasites. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

When we adopted Charlie last June, his fecal came back showing some parasites so our vet prescribed Panacur.  We also gave him Proviable.  He only got worse, finally ending up with explosive diarrhea.  Another fecal was negative for parasites but the vet prescribed Metronidazole.  That worked only while he was on it, but the diarrhea returned with a vengeance as soon as we quit giving it to him. 

At Karen's suggestion, we switched him to Wellness LID kibble, a human probiotic and nothing else - no treats etc.  We kept this up for a month after his poop was firm.  We stopped the probiotic then and then gradually switched him to Orijen (what my other dogs eat).  It worked and he is fine.  Whatever caused Charlie's tummy troubles, it seems that he needed a long time with a strong human grade probiotic, limited ingredient food and nothing else - not treats, no toothpaste, nothing.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think with a lot of these dogs, it just takes a bland, simple diet and some time to establish a strong colony of good bacteria in their guts, especially after they've been on metronidazole. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

And a great probiotic like VSL#3.  I really think that was the final thing that Charlie needed!  Thanks to your suggestion, Karen.