GS with loose poop, but only at "end"? Help!

[tpup]

We adopted a DARLING german shepherd, 1-2 yrs old estimated. Female. When we got her, she had tapeworm and was being fed “Solid Gold” food. We slowly transitioned her to our dog’s food (Dick Van Patten Ultra Balance) and we treated her for tape worm (saw them in poop, vet confirmed), and at the same time, started her on Dasuquin for her hips. (she has not-great hips - was kept confined to a crate most of her puppyhood and didn’t move alot ) The vet said Dasuquin was one of the best joint supps. A week after the tape treatment she still had loose stools (drippy, plops of diarrhea) DESPITE a clean fecal - we stopped the Dasuquin just in case it was that. Vet put her on metro and I.D. type food for 10 days. We are done w/the metro, and she is still on half regular food, half canned I.D. Her poop has solidified…and basically it’s “soft” but formed, but the END of each poop is always a plop of diarrhea. We cannot get her poop to be “normal”. It is now always formed but the last 3rd is diarrhea. And it’s always in that order.

What else can we try? We tried yogurt. No change. I have heard German Sheps can have belly issues. Vet says give it time.

Our next attempt will be to try a different food AGAIN. Her poop at the foster on the Solid Gold was very, very soft (not normal).

Our other issue is that she needs to go on glucosamine of some type soon. We will try a different kind - maybe Synovi.

Any thoughts?

[Raincityrider]

Congrats on your new Shepherd! Sorry you are in a rough patch. My GSD went through several rounds of abnormal poops from slightly-not-right to emergency room worthy over roughly a year period. We did so many rounds of fluids and metronidazole I lost track. My vet was stumped and I was making up batches of rice and pumpkin on what felt like an hourly basis. Not fun.

Assuming yours tests negative for parasites and giardia and isn’t a likely candidate for pancreatic insufficiency I wouldn’t rule out trying another food change. We discovered that our dog does not do well on kibble containing wheat (not an issue with Ultra Balance) but surprisingly he also doesn’t tolerate beef or chicken well. He would become very itchy and lose fur around his eyes on a beef based diet and this would loosely :o coincide with episodes of digestive upset. Finally, we switched him to Taste of the Wild Salmon and there have been no more bathroom issues. Dr. Time probably helped out too since GSD’s seem to worry with their intestines. Mine also gets a squirt of salmon oil per feeding for its anti-inflammatory properties. I have no idea if that’s helping the digestion but I am too afraid to stop just in case. :lol: I hope your new girl feels better soon!

[tpup]

Thanks RainCityRider! Will try those suggestions. She may also just need time give her rescue history and where she came from situation-wise.

[Casey09]

Pre and pro-biotics might help. A lot of people use canned pumpkin to add fiber. I might be inclined to try a different protein source, like a fish and sweet potato food. I have had this problem and I think it is sometimes trial and error. I have one that I really wanted to eat a certain brand of food, but he just didn’t have normal stools on it and while it is a quality food, I also know that it isn’t good for him to constantly have an irritated digestive system either. A lot of people also have success with a home cooked or raw diet. For dogs with a sensitive stomach, I do think that some of it is trial and error. Mine now eats a brand of dry food he does really well on, and I can mix in a substantial amount of meat mixed with one of the pre-mixes. It took me a while to land on the right food for him, though.

[Anne_FS]

Congratulations on your German Shepherd Dog! Bless you for taking her. They’re awesome. Here’s my favorite joint supplement (I have GSDs, too), just mix it in their food: http://www.amazon.com/Dogzymes-Phyto-Flex-Tissue-Support-1-Pound/dp/B00F4IJ1MQ

I agree with the vet on give it time. She’s changed food, got rid of parasites and may still have to heal up intestinal damage, had meds, etc. Give her time.

Any photos?

[bdj]

While I don’t think you’ll hurt anything by adding some pre and/or probiotics and canned pumpkin, etc., I think the best thing to do is wait it out. It can take time (sometimes a lot of time) for a GI tract to settle into the “new normal”, and if she’s had a long-term tapeworm issue, there may be a lot to overcome. If she’s already got generally good poops and it’s just the last bit that’s loose, I wouldn’t worry about it.

In your position, I wouldn’t change anything else right now, and just let her body try to adjust to all the changes it’s had to handle recently - just think about it:

1. New home
2. New routines
3. New food
4. New joint supps
5. Metronidazole
6. Another new food (the ID)
7. Another new food (yoghurt)

Seriously, any one of those things could have sent her GI tract into a tizzy, and she’s just handled 7 of them in relatively short order (based on your OP, a couple of weeks?).

My formerly HW+, fresh from the shelter guy took the better part of a year to start having consistently “good” (as in firm all the way through) poops. Prior to that, his bowel movements were very similar to what you describe, OP. Things have settled now, but it took a long time (probably at least 6 months), and it’s not like either of us could do anything about it in the meantime, except just keep feeding him well, and letting his GI tract sort itself out.
There’s hope - my guy just got home from his second “road trip” with me inside of a month, and he’s had good solid poops through both - no backsliding, even though his routines were pretty shook up while we were traveling!

[tpup]

Thanks everyone! Happy to report we’ve had a few normal, formed poops with just her food, no meds and just a Tbsp. of I.D. at this point. We’ll give it several days and attempt to add the joint supplement in VERY slowly. If it starts again we’ll know the culprit but jumping up and down now when she poops LOL

[WorkingDrive]

I’m so glad to hear your GSD is doing better The mention of prebiotics and probiotics added to her diet is great, and it won’t hurt her. Our dogs are on the HerbSmith Microflora Plus. It is absolutely fantastic.

Because you had mentioned your Vet telling you digestive issues to which GSDs are prone: the main digestive issue common in German Shepherds is pancreatitis and EPI. Having experience with EPI, I can definitely tell you that your dog is not a candidate for an EPI diagnosis.

Enjoy your Shepherd! I have a bunch of mama’s boys