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!!

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

What human probiotic were you using?!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

VSL#3. Jack takes it for his IBD. It's used in human patients with ulcerative colitis and ileal pouch disease.There was a $100,000 study done by Albert Jergens at the Iowa State vet school, funded by some of the AKC breed clubs whose breeds are prone to IBD, to see if it could help dogs with IBD be maintained with less medication, if your vet is interested. It worked for Jack, we were able to cut back some of his drugs after a couple of weeks. It must be kept refrigerated and it's pricey. I buy it at CVS. 

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Thank you so much ... We were giving him proviable dc when he had his lasts bout of diarrhea. We continued to give these to him every day until we ran out (about 3 weeks after he started feeling better).

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Hi Haley   Many puppies go through bouts of diarrhea with nothing particularly wrong.  Diarrhea is many very loose stools, no form, in one day, if this happens three days in a row, you need a vet trip.  I have found that cooking a large amount of rice and hamburger and mixing together with a little less hamburger than rice, packaging in single servings and freezing is an easy way to stabilize a dogs digestive system.  Chicken can be use instead of hamburger but choose only one.

Feed the rice/protein mixture everyday at every meal for at least a week or until you get only two or three stools that stayed softly formed.  Then pick a good quality dog food and begin to add it in slowly, replacing about 1/4 of each meal with the dog food.  Change gradually over two to three weeks to all dog food.  Stay on the dog food you choose and don't change.  If necessary add a tablespoon of pumpkin to each meal for awhile.  Remember, pumpkin will keep stools soft but not runny.

Pumpkin, sweet potatoes and green beans are all fibrous, which means they will both help form runny stools and loosen too hard stools that cause real straining to poop.  Some dogs do well on dog food with a spoonful of pumpkin all the time, but most dogs will settle into good digestion without pumpkin. 

  I have Pet Plan insurance, which regrettably I got after Roo was diagnose with Addison's.  But it has really helped with his congestive heart failure.

[33bn7f8evnuyd]

I didn't realize we were all deleting our past post to make ourselves look better.  No I am not going to be attacked here! It is sad that a bunch of people gang up to attack someone new because their opinion is different!  Ignore my comments all you want.  I simply had a difference of opinion. While I understand Karen has helped a lot of people, it is certainly NOT okay to condescend AND be that abrasive. I thought this was a community where people can share their experiences NOT a dictatorship and sycophantic minions.  I thought rule number 1 on doodle forum is to be nice. 

[BG and Gavin]

Haley, how is Yeti doing today?  Did you end up at the vet's?  It is so concerning when they are ill.

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Hello! Thank you so much for checking in. Yeti seems to be doing really well with solid stool for the second day in a row. We are still on a bland diet for now, but will start to wean him off soon. We did not go to the vet yet, however if he starts to have loose still we will take him in immediately incase it is due to some kind of worm. He is eating all of his meals and drinking slot of water throughout the day. I am almost certain it was a reaction to his heart worm medicine so I will be monitoring that very closely for next month.

[BG and Gavin]

So glad for the positive report!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am glad that Yeti is doing better.  Charlie, our new guy, seems to have a sensitive stomach.  When he has a bout of diarrhea, I fall back on the human probiotic, Karen suggested mixed into some canned pumpkin and his kibble.  I know he came to us with parasites, but there was and is other stuff involved.  We haven't figured out the triggers, but at least we have a solution that works for him.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Glad Yeti is doing better!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

This is good news.  I had to move Murphy to Revolution which is topical because of his GI disease.  I hope he keeps improving!

[Debbie and Toby]

I hope Yeti is feeling better...