# 9 month old puppy with diarrhea for the last 7 months



## ananprep (Aug 9, 2014)

Hello. I was hoping to get some advice/help about my puppy. We got him at about 13 weeks old and he was on some puppy chow food. I didn't want him on it so I switched him to Nature's Variety raw and kibble mixed. He ate it up but started getting soft stools and on and off again diarrhea. Then it seemed to become a steady firm poop and end with a thick mush. This went on for a while. I eventually took him off the raw and just kept the kibble. I also switched between lines on Nature's Variety with the chicken, beef, etc. The diarrhea got worse to were I had to give him chicken and rice for a few weeks to firm him back up, which it did. Then the vet said to slowly start introducing kibble, which I did, but the poop started to slowly become unfirm to almost diarrhea. Did fecal tests at the vet and once there was ringworms, got that fixed, than another was clear and then another had some coccidia thing. (the fecal tests were in a span of 3 months) once each of his fecals were cleared and his diarrhea coming back, the next thing was changing his food. The ver prescribed Hill's I.D. which did firm up his poop right away. I made it very clear to the vet that I want him on a natural food, not some filler by product food. So I put him on Nature's Variety L.I.D. salmon food mixed with the I.D. The vet said to slowly get him off the I.D. well he still had the poops going as firm at first then softer. it never stayed firm for the entire poop "session". It seems like the poop didn't cook all the way or something. So I did that for 3 weeks and the vet said to switch his food again, so I did to a different brand, Merrick classic chicken. I did the same with this food as in slowly adding kibble to the I.D. and then slowly adding more kibble and taking away more I.D. to get him off completely. I finally had him off the I.D., took almost 1 1/2 months but his poop stayed the same with some just soft stools in between. He had a skin bacteria a few weeks ago and he was on antibiotics which he finished last week. For some reason these last 4 days his poops have been getting softer and softer until yesterday he started exploding poop and still going. I called the vet and they said maybe the food he is on is too rich for him. Well I don't' know about this too rich thing. So I decided to take matters in my own hands and do some trial and errors since I don't know what else to do. Last night I got a bag or Merrick lamb and I started to add a very little to his chicken food and he is also on powder probiotics. I feed him this morning the same thing and his diarrhea is still going but it's not as watery and its becoming less. He also had a little mucus blood in his poop a few hours ago so I called the vet again and they want him on some medication right away and advised me to get him on a different food called simple solutions or something they sell at Petsmart. I looked up the food and the reviews and forums aren't that great. The vet also suggested getting a referral to a Dr. that will look in his stomach and do an ultrasound and put a tube in him to see what's going on. I asked what's the cost on that and she said about $2K. WOW.

I'm trying the Merrick lamb and slowing adding it to the chicken to see what happens and if that doesn't work I guess i'll try L.I.D. foods again and see where that goes. I really don't know what else to do and I don't have $2K right now to do those testings since I just had a baby.

Anyone here went through or is going though this with their pets? I'm so frustrated and I feel so bad for my puppy since it's been going on for so long. it doesn't seem to bother him at all. he is normal, playful crazy self. Please help!!!


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

try a different Vet.


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Wow, that's a lot of food changes in a short amount of time. And yes, a food can be too rich. I used to have boxers, and any time I tried a kibble above 25% protein/15% fat, my dogs' poo became very loose. Sometimes dogs just can't handle a richer kibble. The food that worked for them was Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream - no other variety. The other varieties have higher protein/fat % except the lamb, which made them itch. Grain free with moderate protein is the only thing that worked for them.

The other, obvious possibility is an allergy. Running allergy tests through your vet is a possibility, but pricey.

A third possibility is that your dog has a digestive disease such as IBS or colitis. That may be what your vet wants to check for, but 2k?? Wow!


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Sounds like my poodle... 

Try something super simple. Precise Natural Foundation. It's a moderate protein and fat formula, and has beet pulp, which helps give the gut-flora a place to grow and work its magic. It's still a nice, quality, safe food. 

Not all dogs can do the high protein/fat foods. I would rather keep him on I/D where his tummy is normal than keep trying with all the fancy high-protein foods. I monkeyed around with my own dogs for about a year before I went back to mid grade, SIMPLE foods. They are all doing much better. No more diarrhea and vomiting, butt-washes daily, accidents when they couldn't hold it to get outside quick enough, accidents overnight, painful-overfull anal glands because there was no firm stool to express the glands naturally.... 

Don't put your pup through this... the high protein/fat type foods are NOT always tolerated well by dogs, no matter what you read on the internet, how awesome the food is made out to be. 

Hope this helps.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

i had GSD dog many years ago that didn't do well on the preminum foods. after lots of testing my Vet said "try some cheaper food".
i switched to Alpo and from that point on he was fine (nice coat, no itching and no more diarrhea, weight was fine). i added meat, fish
and fowl as a topping.



Shamrockmommy said:


> Sounds like my poodle...
> 
> Try something super simple. Precise Natural Foundation. It's a moderate protein and fat formula, and has beet pulp, which helps give the gut-flora a place to grow and work its magic. It's still a nice, quality, safe food.
> 
> ...


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## ananprep (Aug 9, 2014)

Thanks for the responses!! Well I took him to another vet and they said they believe he jus has a sensitive stomach with is common in puppies, especially pitties. They want me to keep him on the I.D. food for a few months until he becomes an adult and then I can switch him. The vet said that as an adult his system can handle more so he may do better. Since I have a few months to research, what do you recommend as a food to switch to? Like I mentioned before, I really don't want him on that I.D. food for life. Has anyone seen what's in the ingredients? it's crazy!


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

if this was one of mine, i would definitely stick with the hills food until his "stomach settled" and he had consistent "good" poops. Then I would add small amounts of cooked lean meats (boiled chicken to start) to begin adding a little variety, waiting to make sure his stomach stayed settled before going on. After that, I would probably start with a "high grain" kibble to wean to first, then slowly lower the grain level as his stomach allowed. Followed by feeding a variety of the foods that worked. You may end up with foods that aren't, in your opinion, "good" quality but if they work for your dog then they'll have to do.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

did your new Vet check his stool sample, urine sample and did the new Vet do any blood work?


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Id still recommend precise naturals foundation. Mid protein and fat. The company has never had a recall and the quality is very good. I would keep your pup on the ID food for a while. 
It's ok that your dog is not on a super fancy food. Like I said I have four dogs and none of them tolerated Orijen, Natures Variety and similar.


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## ananprep (Aug 9, 2014)

The vet did the stool, urine check and blood and everything is normal. He is healthy and everything is good on him except his poop. He is a happy, very active puppy. 

I started him on the I/D and his poops are getting much better. I just want a better food that can do that for him. I will look into the precise natural food and see what that is about. Thank you for the recommendation!!

I can also look into doing what Celt recommended as well. 

Other than precise naturals, any other brands anyone recommends so that I can look into those as well just incase that one won't be a fit for him?


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Purina beyond is the food my poodle does best on with his sensitive belly but I know a lot of people don't care for it. He did ok on Hills Ideal Balance as well, I know, not awesome but also a simple food that was easy for him to digest. I would so suggest Fromm Gold with its moderate protein and fat levels. Their four star line can be too high in fat for some dogs. 

What I do for variety that people on the internet insist my dog needs is I add a spoonful of a simple canned food.


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## flashyfawn (Mar 8, 2012)

Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach gets good reviews for dogs with a touchy stomach. The others I can think of that haven't been mentioned are California Natural, Natural Balance, and Petcurean Go -- they all have limited ingredient formulas. If this were my dog, I would use the ID for several months and really let his system settle down totally. I would look for something in the low 20's for protein and 12-ish for fat. This shouldn't be hard to find but it might not be grain free. I truly do understand how you feel about the prescription diet, but I had a dog who thrived for a year on a prescription diet, and that was a year she wouldn't have had otherwise. So I'm a little biased towards doing whatever works for that particular dog, though I do understand wanting an alternative especially with this being a very young dog.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

I've read that NutriSource works very well for dogs with sensitive stomachs.


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## ananprep (Aug 9, 2014)

thanks you for l the responses!! I appreciate them so much!!


So here's an update. His poops firmed up since being on the ID....BUT since yesterday, they are getting softer....seems like it's going back to what it was.

I am so frustrated with this!!


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

It will probably take a few weeks for your pup's system to really settle down and be less reactive. it's not just food and illness that can cause softer poops. I wouldn't look for "steady" good poops until September.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

i wonder if it's something in the water? give him bottled water. just a guess but try it for 2 weeks.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Have you tried a digestive enzyme and probiotic? I feel your pain!


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## ananprep (Aug 9, 2014)

Yes he is on probiotics. I add the powder to his food every evening. 

I'll try bottled water and see what happens. At this point I'm willing to try anything to help!!

Thanks all!


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## keylohsierra (Jul 10, 2014)

Our DDR German shepherd had soft stool and diarrhea issues when younger. I used Olewo carrots and beets with good results. Stools firmed up greatly in a few days. Really liked the product for those times.


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## StdPooDad (Mar 16, 2012)

I fed my dogs Canidae for years. Then I decided to switch to Acana, Seamus got sick, so I switched back to Canidae. Then I decided to switch to a "better" food, so I put them on Wellness Core. Seamus got sick and loose stools, even when he wasn't sick. Back on Canidae again, probably to stay. As has been mentioned several times in this thread, even if a food looks better on paper, you need to go with what works for your dog. 


There are a couple other things to use. 
1. Pumpkin as a topping. I put anywhere from a tablespoon to two large "glops" on his food. 
2. Bubbies brand sauerkraut. My vet told me about this, make sure that it's "Bubbies", not just any sauerkraut. You get it it health food stores. I used Bubbies once when Seamus had explosive diarrhea in my bedroom when I was at school. It worked miraculously!


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## Foodie (Apr 25, 2010)

It sounds like your dog has giardia. This isn't easily caught with an in house stool test, have your vet send it out to know for sure or ask your vet if they will just let you treat for it. Good luck.


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