What's the consensus on Chewies? Can they cause Diarrhea?

[BillChris]

Okay.. I have a question. I am concerned..my poor girl goes thru diarrhea to what looks like constipation with runny poop... Could it be from a blockage from a chew..I don't think it is only because she still eats good and isn't vomitting.. I have had her at the vet so many times now.. They have ruled out giardia, or any other parasite. She has been on pumpkin and off...We give her Fortiflora per the vet, I have cut out all chewies for the moment thinking it could be that. We do feed her TOTW Pacific Stream (kibble) which seems to be a favorite on the boxerworld forum. I have even taken her off the TOTW and fed her only boiled chicken and rice...and it still isn't stopping the diarhea..

Now the good news is...she is not lethargic, still plays like crazy...and doesn't act like she is in any kind of pain, still eats and drinks like normal. She is almost 8 months old and I can say that she's had the diarhea it seem for the past 2 months or more. She has weighed about 38-40 lbs back and forth for about 3 weeks now. We feed her a cup of food in the am and a cup of food in the pm.

Do any of you have any ideas what else I could look for. My husband and I have talked about what could have caused all these issues... We don't know, but the only thing that comes mind as to when all this started was after we had her spayed. I don't think that should be any reason to cause it, but I am at a loss...Today I have been off of work and watched as she goes outside...it appears that she is now in a constipated state with runny pooh again.

 

[whiskers]

Have they given you any medications to try? There have been a couple occasions where Juno had random bouts of diarrhea, no other symptoms and fecal exams came back normal... but we usually get a course of metronidazole to give her and that usually clears things right up.

Another thought is perhaps it is diet related. TOTW is a good brand but all dogs react differently. Even if she's been on it a long time, I still wouldn't rule it out as a potential cause. Juno used to be fed Innova and she was on it for like 6 months, with no issue... then all of a sudden she had diarrhea. We tried the metronidazole, we tried a chicken/rice diet, neither of those things yielded any improvement. So we tried a different brand of dog food and lo and behold, the diarrhea went away.

It might not be a bad idea to fast her for a meal and see if that makes any difference.

 

[Caney Creek]

Has she had tests run specifically to check for blockage? If not then that would be my first suggestion. Not sure if a dog can have blockage for two months and still survive, but it's worth looking into. As far as the general consensus on chewies, they certainly can cause blockage, as well as vomiting, diarrhea and upset stomach (whether due to blockage itself or simply getting a "bad" chew).

Sorry you're having such a hard time figuring out what's wrong with your girl. :( Sending her some healing ((((vibes)))), hope she feels better very soon.

 

[Austin's Mom]

I don't know what kind of chewies you are giving her but rawhide is tough to digest and can cause a blockage. I would also try changing her food. And maybe feed her a little more 2 cups a day isn't a lot for an 8 month old.

 

[Gatorblu]

Have the had her on any antibiotics? Or have they checked for pancreatitis? I don't know what you are giving as a "chewie" but sometimes dehydrated chews can be loaded with bacteria. Another suggestion is adding psyllium to her food. You can get it at places where they sell vitamins. I give my boy 1 tsp/cup of food. We had some real diarrhea issues with my boy Thor, his was pancreatitis, and the psyllium was a big turning point for us! Good Luck! I know how frustrating it can be.

 

[BillChris]

Sorry it's been so long since we got online to update status.

Okay so I don't know if many of you know this or not, but if you don't keep your dog food in the dog food bag... You could be making your dog sick! Yep....We use to pour the food from the bag into a storage container...well..come to find out that if you don't go thru your food fast enough, the bottom of the containers food can start to rott, thus leaving bacteria on the walls to mix in with the new food you put in it.

Jasmine had Clostridium which as I understand it is a bad bacteria growth in her stomach. I switched vets and am happier with the way they are treating her. Knock on wood we've had 3 days of solid stool.. I am very happy to not be scooping up pancake piles. We did switch her off the TOTW and have her on California Natural. I've heard good and bad reviews, but I am going with it so that she an have solid poo.

We also have stopped giving her any chew toys, I feel her kong with kibble and stick a carrot with peanut butter to give her a chance to chew for a bit. So far she is happy with that.

I know there are lots of others out there fighting a diarhea issue... I hope this info may help. We found out that the Clostridium if not treated with enough antibiotics at one time will continue.. so might want to ask