Why is this happening?

[mmsimon]

I am not sure where to post this as it is both a food/health topic. Sorry if it is in the wrong place.

We got our dog 6 weeks ago. After 1 week we gradually changed her over from Eukanuba to Canidae. She initially did well with normal stools until more recently. 3 weeks into her new food and after 1 week of antibiotics she has mushy stools, and still does. It started near the end of the antibiotic treatment and has been persisting since (going on 2 weeks now). We have supplemented with yoghurt (1 tsp/meal) and pumpkin (1 tsp/meal, but now 1 tsp/ 1 of her meals) and still cannot obtain a solid consistency. Sometimes it borders solid but most of the time its mushy. It seems like a lot of detail about poop but I am hoping with this detail someone will be able to help me figure out what is going on. Could it be the Canidae? Still the effects of antibiotics? Any similar stories or advice? Thanks :smile:

 

[Poohsmom]

First of all,I'm sorry your little one is under the weather. :( Poor baby.
Why is she on antibiotics?

I had my 4 on Cannidae and they loved it-but it gave 2 of them really soft stools. Especially Dozer. I eventually got them all switched over to Natural Balance Potato & Duck. The stools are back to normal. Maybe it's just too rich for her system.

Me and the kids are sending her some get better real soon vibes.

Sue and the kids,
Pooh,Bownser,Dozer & CIssy
Buddy & Dusty,romping at the bridge

 

[adobeboxers]

Canidae was too rich for my boys, they both had loose stools and one kept throwing it up...I slowly switched them to canidae and after trying it for about a month nothing improved so I then switched them to Nutro for sensitive stomachs.

It could be the food or a combo of things. I hope your baby feels better!

 

[courtney323]

It's probably the antibiotics

 

[gmacleod]

Almost certainly the antibiotics. Soft stools and increased thirst are a pretty standard side effect. See what happens after she's been off them for about a week.

 

[Elyse]

You might want to try to mix in some boiled rice with the food. Both of my babies are on Canidae. Porter had a pretty sensitive belly so whenever he has soft stools, I mix in boiled rice with his kibble an it usually does the trick. I have also found that mixing in yogurt when he has soft stools makes him a little runny.

I agree about the antibiotics and would try to wait it out till they are out of his system.

 

[KonaKoffe]

It can take several weeks after you stop the antibiotics for the intestines to recover and get a balanced system of healthy bacteria growth and yeast. Antibiotics do not distinguish between the bad bacteria and the good bacteria necessary for a healthy intestinal system. It kills it all allowing the yeast to take over causing diarrhea and in some cases a yeast infection. The plain yogurt helps to replace the necessary bacteria because it has beneficial bacteria in it (probiotic as opposed to antibiotic). A balance between the healthy bacteria and the normally occurring yeast keeps each other in check.

Note: Yeast feeds on sugar that is why you want to use plain unsweetened yogurt.

 

[mmsimon]

Thanks guys. She has been off the antibiotics (which she was on for a secondary infection on her itchy, probably allergy affected feet) since February 20th! It's good to know that maybe it just hasn't been long enough yet. I am aware that the antibiotics have probably killed the good bacteria and have generally caused an imbalance. It just seemed like a long time. Perhaps I will get the probiotic powder to add to her food rather than the yogurt for now. The yogurt seemed counterproductive to me as I know dairy is difficult to digest, especially in times when the system is not functioning optimally.

I really haven't done anything other than that. Perhaps I should give her system a break from her 'goodies' until things firm up? It really isn't THAT bad, just smooshy but most of the time 'formed'. Problem is that she recently lost 5 pounds so I don't want to fast her or deprive her in any way. Her goodies are peanut butter (nonsweetened) and treats of various kinds (wellness, canidae, innova, go natural; just the good stuff). Should I forego these?

Has anyone heard of using rice bran?

Eagle Pack makes 2 remedies I am thinking of trying. The one is just probiotic powder, designed for easing the transition to a new food. The other is for diarrhea and contains rice bran and probiotics. Has anyone heard of using rice bran for such a situation? Sounds a bit counterintuitive to me. Bran usually softens things doesn't it? Has anyone heard of or tried these products? Thanks for all the help

 

[gmacleod]

I would ditch the treats for a while, they're unlikely to be helping (especially things high in fat like PB). And I'd have the same doubts about bran as you do.

If the stool just won't firm up, how about a day or two on a boiled hamburger and rice diet? That ought to put things right, if the problem is dietary upset. Then you can transition back to the kibble.

 

[mmsimon]

Okay gmacleod. Thanks for that. I have never fed this...how much should I give her? Is chicken okay? We don't have any ground beef, and I am not sure how she would react to that (or if she has been fed that before).

How do I reintroduce the kibble back? And over how long?

If I do this, is it best then to use just chicken (or ground beef) for training? She currently shows no signs of not feeling well and we generally do some aspect of training every day, and want to keep that up.