TRIED EVERYTHING - my pup is still having diarrhea all the time!

[Alex]

Hello All! I searched and searched to find a group like this in hopes you all can help me! I have a 6.5 month old F1 male goldendoodle named Lincoln. We got him at 8 weeks from the breeder who had him on Eukanuba. He was a little irregular so we switched him to Blue Buffalo around 3 months...which was disastrous. After weeks of diarrhea we tried switching him back to Eukanuba, it didn't go away. So we did the chicken and rice thing, the pumpkin, the probiotics, etc. NOTHING WORKS! Since then, I have tried him on Taste of the Wild (salmon) - still irregular. A few goldendoodle owners at the park swear by Fromm so for the past month I've had him on that, still...constant diarrhea. In between all of this we have had multiple vet appointment: stool samples, stomach x-ray, blood tests for giardia, antibiotics, Rx probiotics, you name it, we've tried it. At this point the vet wants him to be on a prescription diet for the rest of his lift which I was totally on-board for until I read on this site it doesn't really work? Everything came back negative from his tests. He's a super happy, playful, active puppy his stools are just terrible. I bought NutriSource on the recommendation for a limited protein from a few people but haven't tried it yet. I've had him on chicken and rice for a week to try and stabilize him but I'm so scared of getting feeding him something that will upset his stomach again. Any advice or suggestions are more than welcome!

[Alex]

Thank you for the advice! I have not ordered the proviable yet so I will go to CVS and get the VSL#3 today. I went out and got him the Wellness Simple Turkey and Potato this weekend and began the switch yesterday (with the yogurt) - still horrible diarrhea. I'm hoping he gets used to it and that he improves over the week.

[Alex]

Thank you again everyone. We just switched him to Wellness Simple Turkey and Potato with the yogurt yesterday morning. I'll get the VSL#3 today. Poor guy still has horrible diarrhea. I'm hoping he gets used to the new food and stabilizes this week...

[Barbara Korber]

Hi, sounds like you've tried just about everything, including pumpkin, but that has been the saving grace for us.  We had a severely epileptic golden retriever prior to our doodle.  He took a lot of medications and hence had a tendency toward loose stools.  I always fed him Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Duck & Potato (twice a day) with a large scoop of Libby's 100% pumpkin mixed in.  It seemed like Libby's worked better than any other brand???  Now I have continued the pumpkin with my goldendoodle (he's 3 now).  He eats the Natural Balance, either Duck & Potato or Salmon & Pea, along with a large scoop of Libby's pumpkin twice a day.  Anyway, just thought I'd share our experience.  Gus & Barbara  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Unfortunately, we had to remove Natural Balance from our recommended brands list a few years back when they were sold to Del Monte. The protein content in their LID formulas is also too low for a growing puppy. That's one reason the name of the food is not "duck and potato", but "potato and duck"...because there is more potato than duck in the formula. 

I myself was feeding NB when they were sold, (my guy has inflammatory bowel disease) and I switched to the Wellness Simple Solutions line. It has higher protein and fiber than Natural Balance, and better ingredients. 

[Alex]

I'm glad you found something that works for you guys! Thank you for sharing.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Hi Alex ~ Sorry you and puppy are going through this.  Are his stools good when you feed him chicken & rice?  If so I would continue him on that and then slowly add in a recommended grain free kibble (a protein you have not tried before - lamb maybe - such as Wellness Lamb LID or one of the other LID brands that are on the recommended list.  Good luck.  Be sure to re-read Karen's advice - she is our food guru and gives very reliable information.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Also, if he gets treats, be sure to only give plain, single ingredient treats like Pure Bites or dehydrated sweet potatoes. You can check our recommended treat brands list for brands that are trustworthy. 

[Shari Becker]

Lots of great advice here! Lexi had very loose stools as a puppy, and it took us a lot of playing until we got her on track. Lots of probiotics, we used slippery elm tea, yogurt, pumpkin and boiled potatoes.

Just a few extra thoughts:

First, some dogs don't respond well to rice. If they can't tolerate grains, it is a grain. So the rice and meat can make some dogs worse. We feed Lexi boiled meat and pumpkin or sweet potatoes whenever her stomach is off, but we keep giving it to her for a number of days after she begins to firm up. 

Second, I just want to add that treats can really do a number on a puppy's stomach. Zukes made her so sick. Bully sticks made her so sick, too. I'd take your dog off all treats and give only small pieces of sweet potatoes or boiled chicken. Lexi does fine on cod sticks, too.

Third, I totally agree with the grain-free kibble. I'd even do single protein. We did not do puppy formula for Lexi because most had chicken as their base, and she seemed to react badly to chicken. She can now eat chicken.

Fourth, you might want to consider an alternative food. Honest Kitchen is a great option to firm up a pup's belly. My vet says that most dogs reach a tipping point with it because it has so much fiber. So it healed Lexi's stomach, but then it started making her have to poop all day long. Other options are Real Meat, which is essentially just dried pieces of meat. I think Zignature has a similar project (don't hold me to that). Finally, you could try Stella and Chewy's Freeze dried. This is a raw product, but if your dog's stomach is so sensitive, it's the only raw I'd try. Stella and Chewy has the strictest safety standards and the food is less processed than kibble. 

Lexi now eats a mixture of frozen raw and kibble. We have found Open Farm to be a great option for her, and we are revisiting Acana now, too. Good luck. I hope it gets better.

[Melissa Tremblay]

I was wondering if you could replace rice with sweet potato in a bland diet. What is the ratio meat vs sweet potato that you use? 2/3 sweet potato and 1/3 meat? I'm thinking of switching to honest kitchen aswell since Benji had diarrhea on and off since we've had him and it seems to be related to food intolerance. Very informative post. Thank you

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You can definitely replace rice with sweet potato in a homemade bland diet; it's what I usually advise. I use a 50/50 mixture. 

[Alex]

Thank you Melissa! Following the advice I received on this post we actually switched him to Wellness Simple Turkey and Potato a few weeks ago. It was like a miracle, from day two on that food he was completely back to normal and has been ever since! Seriously this food and this website is a God send as I didn't know what to do anymore.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm so glad the food worked for you, Alex.