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

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

I really swear by Fromm dog food, it's the best I have ever used. I heard so much about this chicken soup on here and thought I would give it a try. SO trying to wean Hannah and Honey off Fromm onto Chicken Soup ( I liked the idea of the food having Turkey, Chicken, Fish, Fruits and Veggies all in one), miss smarty pants Hannah walks right over to the bag, engulf's her head into the bag and helped herself to her dinner before I could get the food into a storage bin. Honey not wanting to be left out of this decided she wanted dinner out of the bag also, for two weeks we dealt with nothing but loose, runny, disgusting poops from Honey. I finally put Sweet Potato over her food for a week, and she has not had one loose stoll since. I also put about a tablespoon of yogurt over their food, and they love it. Yogurt is good for their stomachs because of the natural cultures, and did not give them runny poops. They do like the Chicken Soup, but I still feel Fromm is the better food.

[Kelly Gallagher]

So here we are a full 24hrs later and now we seem to have the opposite problem...Maddy is not pooping now! She went a little bit this morning 8:30 after she ate ....not even when she woke up after sleeping for 9 hrs! She has not gone since then. We've walked her...played soccer with her....nothing. I guess I'm supposed to be happy the the loose stools are gone..but she needs to go, doesn't she? She is still on the chicken & rice until tomorrow morning and then I'm supposed to call the vet and I suppose he will tell me what he suggests from there.
Should I just start her new food tomorrow night...(which I still haven't decided on by the way - lol) or do I have to transition out of the chicken and rice. What do you think?
THanks

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Just a few options from reading your post and the others' replies.

First: It is not that abnormal for a young puppy to have runny poops. That said there are some parasites, giardia being one, that can be missed several times in a poop test. However, since she seems to do well on chicken and rice, it is unlikely that it is a parasite or illness. Why not stay with a chicken and rice only kibble? Introduce the kibble very very very slowly. About 1 Tablespoon for two days, then 2 Tablespoons for 2 days, etc. Once puppies bowels get irritated they can take awhile to settle down.

For severe diarhea, one spoonful of pumpkin in every meal is not going to hurt her at all and will make her poop somewhat firmer. However, pumpkin, strange as it sounds is good for both constipation and diarhea. So as long as she is eating pumpkin she will not have firm stools, generally they will be very soft, but hold a shape.

Last winter somehow ( dogpark probably) we got Giardia in our dogs and it was over 3 months getting everyone well. It was not fun, but the pumpkin saved my sanity.

[Kelly Gallagher]

Soooo here is what I've decided after waaaay to much thinking, reading and stressing - lol. I have decided to switch Maddy to TOTW Salmon formula. The protein % is more in line than some of the other forumulas - it's 26% and that's about what I've seen with other large breed puppy formulas. I like the ingredients...it contains acidophilus and other probiotics which I know will be good for her belly. Plus I like that it's very simple as far as ingredients go. I'm hoping she likes it. The vet wants me to mix it with 1/2 rice for the next few days, thru the weekend, and see how she does. If the stools get really loose again he wants to see her..if not try to be on all kibble starting Monday. Wish us luck!
Thanks for the support..it has really helped!
Kelly

[Patrice Schneider]

HI Kelly,

Doodles can be that way, very fussy. I know how this can be. Dewey still at 2.5 years still has a few issues and what we call Deweytude! He will spit food out, turn his head, snurf at me (as if to say how could you - especailly around dog food!). Just so you know when you change food they can react with diarrhea, icky I know. I found the poodle in him was very sensitive...so I have ended up doing the following; chicken breast broiled or bbq'd with a drop of salt and a drop of garlic and olive oil. He is now 80 lbs of solid muscle and very healthy. On top of that we add kibble. He tolerates, again the "tude" Evo small bites red meat kibble. Then he gets a sardine or anchovie once a week. 4 times a week a dollop of yogurt ( only whole milk - he walks away from low fat!). He will not eat rice, snurfs and walks away (it is his poodle coming out!) - He also stays away from wheat treats, oats and barley seem fine. Paul Newman treats go over very well. He also gets a pet tab daily. He loves any food that is over $5 a lbs! So I use them as treats. I found keeping simple ingredients were the best bet. Have patience, they do grow out of it (mostly). Maddy may not be a dog food kinda pooch....

[Kelly Gallagher]

Actually Maddy has loved any food I've put in front of her - lol. She took to this new TOTW salmon and potato great! So far we haven't found anything she won't it...we joked about how when she first came home to us she was eating deer poop (yuck, I know)..and when I put hot sauce on it she still kept at it and then I tried vinegar..still kept at it. Fortunately she's grown out of that habit now...thankfully it didn't take long! Thanks for the well wishes. So far so good!

[20xlhzzaoccks]

I wish you all the best, Im sorry it has been such a struggle for you. We went through something really similar with my dog Steve. He has a really sensitive stomach and was having diarrhea several times a week. I tried a bunch of different foods including Blue Buffalo, Fromms and California Natural. He has been on TOTW for about 6 months and that has seemed to do the trick for him. He doesn't have diarrhea at all anymore. Unfortnately it seems like all dogs are different and you just have to try different things until you find something that is compatible with their system.