Dog frequently passing mucus

[Horsegal984]

Just an FYI, if you really want to give the food allergy trial a fair shot you have to eliminate EVERYTHING else from the diet that contains any other proteins. Which means Interceptor is a no-no, as well a raw hides and most othe dog treats. The only hypoallergenic heartworm preventions available fight now are sentinel(maybe), trifexis, or the topicals, revolution or advantage multi.

The biggest reason why diet trials fail is due to noncompliance, either intentional or not. It’s frustrating for owners when their vets fail to inform them about things like heartworm prevention, and for vets when we keep giving the talk to deaf ears. So for the record, my professional opinion is that food allergies suck big time, and I feel very very sorry for all the owners who have o deal with them

[threedogpack]

I’ll be waiting to hear what course you take and the results. I’ve had fosters come with hooks and had those symptoms. I’ve had dogs come with something else and those symptoms, that I treated with panacur for 4 days and it cleared and I’ve had dogs get garbage gut that resulted in a vet visit for a short acting inject-able steroid to calm the gut down, probiotics (and they really helped) and metrodiazole (?sp) for a week as well. I have known of dogs with IBD that had similar symptoms tho they did not come and go as much as just stayed.

poor punkin is probably crampy when he has to go so bad as well.

[Whitfield_Farm_Hanov]

Try the Platinum Performance Bio-Sponge for dogs. Works great. Also helps clear c-diff & other harmful bacteria from the gut.
I’d also get him on probiotics ASAP. I give all my dogs probios treats daily. Without them my JRs tend to vomit occassionally. They don’t with probiotics.
Good luck & keep trying. He needs you!

[diffuse01]

This is one of the main reasons I switched my female to raw. She was constantly having mucous coated stools (not quite the the extent you’re describing, but it wasn’t fun!) when fed kibble. Negative fecals, probiotics, numerous rounds of Metronidazole, nothing worked long term.

Switched to raw, all gone. Seriously, it was amazing. Some dogs just CAN’T handle kibble, no matter what you feed (I tried numerous different, high quality, grain free brands). If you’re interested, check out this link: http://preymodelraw.com/how-to-get-started/

I followed it when switching her over. She eats nothing but prey model raw now; gets fish oil daily & vitamin E 3x a week, that’s it.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

[QUOTE=irkenequine;6266300]
To clarify, you mention he’s a recent rescue, as in he’s not a foster correct? You adopted him–how old, from a private rescue, did you find him, public shelter, was he vetted when you adopted him? How old is he? What breed?

I absolutely don’t think he can be blamed for accidents in the house that sound medically related but you do sound aggravated by the situation, understandably so.

I am floored that GI issues could accumulate a bill that high without a definitive diagnosis in such a short time. Has he had fecals run? Did you bring the poop or did they grab some with a loop? What did the fecals say? Any bloodwork? Is he running a temperature? What medications has he been treated with? Giardia and coccidia are always my go-to off the shelter stomach gunk but it could be any number of things, depending on what the vet ruled out.[/QUOTE]

I did not read all the replies, but this was my first thought. Then, my anecdotal note is: My dog has IBD. With my dog she has to stay on a low daily dose of metronidozole (sp?) for her GI issues or her poop is liquid (and has blood or at least mucus–which I believe is from the irritation). Also, when she had a partial blockage there was mucus around her poop (she pooped the whole time prior to surgery). Socks, etc. don’t show up on x-ray. Just some thoughts.

FWIW, feeding raw did not make a difference for my dog (and her treats were chopped up, cooked pork that I made). I’ve also tried every expensive dog food in the book. She does have significant allergies, but they are not food related, they are environmental (ragweed, etc.). She manifests it by scratching at her armpits, but the vet said it is also what causes her GI upset. So, at least in her case, food doesn’t really make a difference. However the two weeks of snow cover we had cleared her right up. Too bad it didn’t last…

[Sansena]

On the chance it is food allergy/ IBS related, try Prozyme canine in his food and saccharomyces boulardii (a very specific pro biotic).

Haven’t read your whole thread, but I have a ‘rescue’ that had intermittent similar problems, among others.

These two items are relatively inexpensive, harmless, and will benefit your dog tremendously if all you’re dealing with is IBS.

All the best…

[QHF]

I read some, but not all, of the replies so I apologize if this is redundant. I’ve had this issue with several boxers - they tend to have sensitive stomachs. I highly recommend the probiotics but also digestive enzymes. I feed my boxer a chewable tymmyzyme for children. If I forget to give it to her by day 2 she starts getting the stomach upset again and will do exactly what your dog is doing. I hope you can find the answer to your poor dogs discomfort

Also forgot to mention - antibiotics are very upsetting to the GI tract. They kill the good and bad bacteria - therefore always need to give probios and GI support during and after a treatment. Wormers are also harsh in this way, so though we try to help them along, often the end result is not a desirable one, but the supplementing will help.

[tradewind]

The truth is most dogs have environmental, not food allergies. People always want to blame food, when grass, ragweed, dust mites are far more often to blame. This from the lecture I attended by one of the top dermatologists in the world. I would still check for worms, and make sure you bring a first thing in the am stool as whips are extremely hard to find on a fecal unless the worm burden is staggeringly high. Whips can and do kill dogs.

[Horsegal984]

Tradewind- while I wholeheartedly agree, there is a reason that food allergies are so often thrown out.

There are 3 surfaces of the body for allergens to contact, what we breathe, what we touch, and what we eat. Very rarely is any one animal so sensitive to one particular thing that it is the ONLY cause of the allergies. Since we can’t control what they breathe, and we can only control what they touch to an extent, the only surface we can control is what they eat.

Since this is a foster dog and OP has expressed money concerns, allergy testing and the subsequent injections is most likely not an option. So it stands to reason to TRY a limited ingredient diet and see if she gets success. Not to mention the fact that if it is a case of IBD then food is far more important than environmental.

[tradewind]

I was not saying food allergies are not to blame, what I am saying is you should look for the most likely and workk your way down. Whips, hooks, etc very often present these symptoms and are inexpensive to fix. So look there first especially since it is a foster situation and the routine care the dog got previously may be quite suspect. Whips are hard to find sometimes and can kill dogs and cause intestinal damage which if, the dog has food issues, a long standing whip infestation will only make that situation worse. A very good vet friend of mine once said, you look for apples before you start hunting around for zebras.

[IFG]

Agree, test for Addison’s disease.