1 year old dog with chronic diarrhea, help?

[MunchingonHay]

which is crazy to me since every dog that I have had with issues with chicken, its been beef that gets their stool back on track, stops ear infections, stops the “stinky” dog smell.

When I had my dog treat business and would go to farmers markets every weekend for 10+ yrs. and people would ask for suggestions on what proteins to feed their stinky, itchy, yeasty dog with hotspots I would suggest TCM and to feed a cooling or neutral protein (which been and pork are) and the customer would come back a few weeks later with a happy, non stinky, no skin issues dog.

(I always told them to consult their vet and to take my anecdotal story with a grain of salt)

[anonevent]

Even the humane society’s in house vet can run a fecal test. You just give them a poo sample. I’d want to rule out something like giardia before tons of trial and error with food.

[SonnysMom]

I had a male lab puppy. His breeder feed Orijen grain free. He kept having explosive diarrhea. I switched to a limited ingredient food ny California Naturals. It was 18 years ago so I don’t remember the specific product. And the product may not be the same now.
I would look for a limited ingredient food. Maybe eventually add a pre/pro-biotic.

[sheltona01]

I called my vet and talked to them today. He has had 2 physical exam since we got him with no issues. 1st in Aug when we got him because the humane society recommend it and 2nd in Jan before surgery to remove a growth on his foot. They are not concerned about giardia at all since at this point my other dog would also be infected and she is not. They are more than happy to do the testing but they recommend trying probotic first since he shows no other issues.

[Simkie]

@sheltona01

They are not concerned about giardia at all since at this point my other dog would also be infected and she is not.

But she may be.

To have a vet not prioritize a fecal exam for a dog with loose stool is bonkers. It’s literally the first thing to check.

Do you have ANY other veterinary resource available? Because this one is letting you down.

This is literally the flow chart. See how “fecal” is listed as a first step for every type of ugly poop? It’s such a cheap & easy box to check. It doesn’t always tell you everything and false negatives are possible, but it’s such a good place to START.

[shiloh]

one other thing to try if you have uled out anything infectious or have dealt with that is to try some apple pectin. Found at natural food stores it’s a good way to bind them up. I used one or two tablets for a 15 lb cat so of course you may need to scale up. It really works.

Good luck - cute dog!!

[pony_baloney]

My previous rescue had the most awful diarrhea; sometimes it looked like some organs came out. Turns out she had whipworms, probably from the hell-hole rescue place she came from. Can’t remember which drugs she was given but it cleared up right away.

[Pico_Banana]

Parasites/worms can cause diarrhea. I’ve had two greyhounds with drug resistant hookworms. You should see evidence of them on the fecal if you haven’t treated specifically. They will cause diarrhea/upset stomach in many dogs. Worms are often, but not always, contagious so the fact that your other dog is fine doesn’t tell you much.

Panacur will not touch these suckers. You could try using Advantage Multi and see if it improves things. It has a different active ingredient. For my dogs, we had to use a combo of Drontal and Advantage Multi for a very long time to eradicate them. And if they are drug resistant hookworms, you will eventually need to switch to a different test (McMaster) to see if they are truly gone or if you’ve just killed the adults but there are larvae still hanging around.

For immediate treatment of symptoms, try psyllium powder. It’s just fiber like the pumpkin, but more effective. It should at least turn the diarrhea into a more gel-like poop.

[Equibrit]

I had the same problem - tried everything. This was a dog with big fears and worries. In the end I tried apple pectin. The pectin will form a protective layer in the digestive system and help heal any irritation, as well as improving stools.

https://www.herbco.com/search.aspx?searchterm=Apple%20pectin

[Posting_Trot]

Adding some plain, whole-milk yogurt is an easy thing to do, and it might help. You could add about 2 Tablespoons twice a day to the diet, so it wouldn’t be expensive.

In terms of the food, I’ve had good luck with Honest Kitchen food. They make various recipes of dehydrated food, that you add warm water to, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then feed. It’s pricier than Purina, but it might be worth trying. My dog, who has had a sensitive stomach (although not the persistent loose stool you’re reporting about your dog) has done well on the chicken and whole grain recipe and the beef and salmon recipe.

What kind of dewormer have you been using with the dog? I’m wondering about tapeworms and encysted strongyles, and possibly about resistance to various dewormers.

[Ghazzu]

Is there any evidence of anemia? That’s the most common clinical sign of hookworm infection. Is there any blood in the stool? (Typically dark and tarry–digested blood)

[sheltona01]

He is on NexGard Plus which is for Fleas and ticks, Heartworm, Roundworms and Hookworms.

[sheltona01]

No signs of blood. His poop is lighter than the food going in.

[Ben_and_Me]

Light colored diarrheal poop could be something like exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. But you’re not going to diagnose that on the internet.

See above for an appropriate flow sheet for workup. Your vet can send blood work to Texas A&M GI lab but I would also recommend a fecal - both of which a “country vet” can do.

All that being said, my dog had a full workup for chronic small intestinal diarrhea - Texas A&M panel, multiple fecals, giardia ELISA, abdominal ultrasound, hydrolyzed protein diet trial, etc.

The only thing that worked for him is Fortiflora SA. It’s Fortiflora with added fiber.