I am so frustrated! Maddy update...

[Kelly Gallagher]

So here we are almost 2 weeks into this with Maddy and things are still basically the same. Maddy has tested negative for parasites...so that's good, I know. But, as soon as I stop the chicken and rice and start re-introducing more kibble mixed with brown rice she has diarrhea again...laced with brown rice - sorry I know that's gross. The Dr. just wants me to try strict chicken and rice ONLY until Wednesday and see what happens and then he wants to see herif things aren't better. Here is why I am frustrated...I know once I do the chicken and rice again she'll be fine and then if I start kibble again the diarrhea will start again. Other than the diarrhea, Maddy has NO other symptoms. She is eating, drinking, sleeping and playing normally. Also she is not going to the bathroom any more than usual either..just her normal 2 or 3 bm's a day. I am thinking at this point it's her food...I switched her slowly over to Chicken Soup large breed puppy about 6 weeks ago. We are 1/2 way thru our second 18 lb bag...is it possible that it took this long for her to have a bad reaction to the kibble? There are 4 main proteins - chicken, turkey, duck and salmon. I'm pretty sure she is ok with the chicken and turkey based on other things she has eaten...but I'm wondering about the duck and salmon. I'm so confused...this is our first puppy and I'm feeling at the end of my rope at this point.
Any suggestions?
Thanks for letting me vent.
Kelly

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

She could be having some reaction to one or more of the ingredients in the kibble. If she does well on the chicken and rice, keep giving her the chicken and rice and get a single protein kibble to leave out.

[Kelly Gallagher]

The only problem with this is it's not feasible for me to keep homecooking for her. Plus we will be going away soon and where she is staying homecooking is not an option. When you say leave out the kibble...Maddy eats 2x a day - morning and evening - are you suggesting that while we are getting her stomach to feel better to leave the kibble out? I don't want to create bad habits since she is perfectly fine with the 2x a day meals. Thanks for your input.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Have you tried pumpkin? I give Guinness two tablespoons of pumpkin each morning, and since I started it there has been no more diarrhea. I don't know why, but it really works for us. With that I have been able to keep him on his kibble.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Kelly, I don't think the proteins are the issue here, I think it's the grains in the kibble. I would go with a completely grain free food like Orijen, EVO, or TOTW. Also, there are dogs who can't handle people food and kibble at the same time; they're fine with each one separately, but the digestive processes required for dogs to digest grains seem to get strained when you combine the kibble with rice. I know Jack had trouble with that. Adding fish or chicken to kibble was not a problem, but if there was rice or other carbs, he'd throw up.
Yes, pumpkin helps, but a young dog shouldn't need diarrhea remedies on a daily basis.
We just had a discussion on this in The Food Group; see if any of this helps:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/will-em...

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

If you are willing to try a new food, try Taste of the Wild Venison/Bison. I switched my chihuahua to it about 6 months ago and he has done fabulously. He has had terrible stomach issues (similar to your Maddy) and would skip some meals at least once a week. No problems since. I know it is supposed to be good for sensitive stomachs. It is rated 6 out of 6 in the dogfoodanalysis.com site and is not that expensive. Ok, there's my plug and no I do not work for Taste of the Wild! LOL
Lady Peri, mini goldendoodle, is on it too and loves it. Best of luck...I know you are ULTRA fed up with this.
Oh one more thing, my vet gave us some sprinkles called "Purina fortiflora" to put on the food. This helped me transition Peri from the puppy food to TOTW...firmed the stools up. And they like the taste.

[Kelly Gallagher]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have done the pumpkin and it helps but as soon as more kibble gets introduced it seems to bother her. As far as the sensitive stomach..I don't think it's that either. She has been fine since day1..this is the first signs of any problems. This is a dog who has eaten leaves, sticks, grass and deer poop (yuck I know) and never had a reaction - no vomit or poop problems. By the way...we do watch her closely it's just that sometimes things get by. I think this is an isolated incident. However, that said...I was thinking of switching foods and TOTW was one I was considering. Since she already has an upset stomach and I am doing 2 full days of just chicken and rice as per her vet. can I just start trying the new food. I'm not sure it makes sense to keep the old kibble in her diet. Another option that was suggested to me is Natural Balance Venison and Sweet potato.

[Patty]

Kelly, I had some of the same issues with Rocky. He was on a couple of different dog foods before I found one that didn't upset his stomach. I also added pumpkin to his food, it helped, but didn't solve my problem.

After all kinds of research, I tried Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance. I got the 1 with limited ingredients - Lamb Meal & Brown Rice. They say it's made specifically for dogs and puppies prone to allergies. He loves it and has been thriving!
Good luck and hang in there!

[Lindsey, Lee, Whopper and Simba]

I just thought I'd add another food suggestion...we have been feeding whopper the grain free Canidae for all life stages. The only reason I'm adding this as a possible choice for you is because if this food works, it's not limited to puppies or a certain growth period so you would be able to continue with this food long term.

[cheryl & oliver]

Lindsey, I use that food too, have been using it for the past 11 years with my other dogs, and I am now weaning Oliver on to it...It is a great dog food, no crap in it, and it isn't made in China...It was one of the few that was ok with the last pet food scare...So now with ollie, we are at 50/50 and next month he will be on the Canidae all the way....It makes their coats beautiful too, at least it did for my aussies...And like u say, u can continue with it and not have to change when they are adults. I know that a lot of the breeders use their food too....Cheryl

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

I agree with all the suggestions. I am however surprised that your vet said to give him "brown" rice. The bran on it is very fibrous and a natural laxative. When children have diahrea doctors reccommend the BRAT diet (bananas,rice,applesauce,tea) but it is always made clear it is "white rice" (a natural bunger so to speak).

[Kelly Gallagher]

I was told it didn't matter. I always have brown rice in the house so that's what I gave her. Now that she is eating just boiled chicken and brown rice her stools are back to normal already.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Kelly why don't you try FROMM dog food, you can buy a great puppy food for Maddy. I think Fromm also has chicken and brown rice, for puppies. She is still a puppy right? I don't understand why you would switch to an adult dog food if she still is a pup. If she is like 2wks to 1 month away from being a year old ..okay to start switching them over to adult foods, but I would not do it younger. Here is their site ...you can check it out..best of luck

http://www.frommfamily.com/