Desperate for advice - food and poo and diet and things (updated @ post#87)

Chaps

I've mentioned it before but I now need to start making a decision what to do.

From day one Woody's stools have been frequent (whilst small), hard first thing then gradually getting softer, whippy-er and squirty towards the end of the day/walk.

We've been to the vet who advised first step - cut out everything except his food (at same time we went from Hill's Nature's Best Puppy - chicken and rice to Arden Grange Sensitive - white fish and potato).

We did this and things seemed much better (although still frequent and soft they were formed) so we reported back and were told to re-introduce a treat.

We gave him back his dentastix (one a day) and again, everything seemed fine until about two weeks ago when he got bad diarrhoea.

I took him back to the vet who was convinced this was related to his food intolerance (which she's convinced he has) and said the only two options are ZD diet (£48.99 for a 10kg bag!!) or open surgery to investigate his digestive system!!!

I said we would think about it, as was convinced the diarrhoea was a bug and we had just ordered two more 15kg bags of his food.

As suspected the diarrhoea cleared up and he is now back on normal food and one dentastix a day, but the past few days his stool have been very loose/squirty. Not diarrhoea worthy but still not right.

He is absolutely fine in himself but I'm now wondering what to do.

An ideal world would be to keep him on the food and treats we have and then put him on ZD as a trial, but what will that really show us? Also, will leaving him that long (we have months of food) possibly aggravate the situation further.

What do you think? Would really appreciate all the advice I can get on this.

Have you tried a natural diet!!

One thing I would not be going for surgury, until you have exhausted all options

Surgery would be the very last thing I want for him, trust me! Even if last resort I'd still wonder as he's so fine in himself.

By natural, do you mean RAW? I have researched this and I'm afraid it is not a diet I could handle doing myself. Too much raw meat and prep involved so whilst I know some of you swear by it I wouldn't want to do it.

Hi Pidge

Unless you actually TEST for food allergies, via an elimination diet, you will never know if he is actually allergic or intolerant to anything. So for a vet to drastically suggest opening him up (what the? ) before actually diagnosing any real allergies or intolerances is a little extreme. And of course the vet would push the food they sell.

As for the intermittent loose stools and diahhorea, has Woody had a fecal sample done before? it could be something bacterial like giardia. I have had dogs with giardia and the stools will be normal and times and total mush at others, all on the same day.

Avoid the Hills stuff like the plague!!!!!! (just my opinion of course)

Incidentally, why the dentastix??? Could you find a healthier treat for him? It seems you are putting loads of thought into giving him great quality dry food, then spoiling it with poor quality treats. Burns do some good treats. Their venison ears are particularly good. Your vet sounds like a money grabber tbh. I wouldn't be impressed, especially as he just has loose stools, rather than any blood or anything else nasty. I would be looking for a new vet!

Have you tried the usual stuff - like wafcol salmon and potato and cheese or sardines for treats? Only I have a friend with a standard poodle who had a bad tum for years till she realised he was allergic to chicken and rice.
BTW my dogs had dentastix once. They lasted 3 seconds. I don`t see how that is supposed to clean their teeth.

I'm a bit confused cos most dogs stools get looser the more exercise they have and dentastix which someone once gave me for my lot not only disappear in an instant they also gave them all a squity bum. Maybe you should try and find a different less manufacturered treat. Oh and cheese also doesn't agree with mine it gives them mucousy poos.

I agree about the Dentastix. Mine have them sometimes, but they have guts of steel. I would not feed them to a dog with a sensitive stomach. I would not feed any of the popular commercial dog treats (with the exception of James Wellbeloved Crackerjacks, Burns Kelties, etc.) to a dog with a sensitive stomach come to think of it.

I understand that , its not something that would suit me either

Have you tried Chappie, cheap and cheerful, many people swear by it for dodgey tums.



Also agree with the above.

Dogs stools do get looser as they are exercised Pidge, is this whats happening..do they get looser as the day goes on when he is out on exersice.

Same with the dentastix... if you are investigating what causes the problem ALL these treats loaded with additives should be stopped.

My vet says a lot of dogs with sensitive tums have an intolerance to beef . This was the case with a dog I had when I stopped feeding her anything with beef in it she was fine . If however I even gave her a treat containing beef she got diarrhoea