loose stool

My 7 month old shipoo has continually had loose stool. Initially when I took her home from the pet store she was oK that was at 4 1/2 months old. She initially had a cold and I took her to the vet who put her on medication.. She seemed Ok. The next thing I knew her poop was watery and sometimes mucus in it.

Took to vet again and did fecal test - negative. Was put on Flaxyl and chicken and rice and things got a little better and when finished medicine got mushy again. Had fecal test again - negative - vet put on albon. Got a little better and finished med and got mushy again. This time I tried chop meat and rice.

Don't know what to do next please advise. Oh, I've also tried to give plain yogurt -worked a little then went back to mushy. Also tried metamucil same thing happens. Please help.




Hi
It sounds as though your pup has had a lot of dietary changes over the past few weeks, and even with the best of intentions this can cause, or worsen, puppy diarrhea.

Your vet seems to have tested for worms and other parasites, and has treated her for Giardia and bacterial infection. Even though the fecal tests came back negative, I would say this was the correct thing to do as a negative test doesn't necessarily rule out a parasitic or bacterial infection.

Although Albon and Flaxyl both treat certain conditions, they can also have the side effect of causing tummy upset, diarrhea and so on. All in all, I think your pups intestinal tract is probably quite irritated due to all the changes, and needs time to settle down.

The loose stools and mucus indicate inflammation or colitis (basically irritation) and this can be a sort of 'vicious circle' as the inflammation causes diarrhea, and the diarrhea then causes more inflammation and so on. There are anti-inflammatory medications that your vet can prescribe that may help reduce the inflammation and help your pup to end this cycle.

I think continuing to give her natural yogurt once a day is a good idea, it will help to balance the bacteria in her gut. There are also a couple of wonderful herbal products that you may want to consider using.

Canine Plantaeris for Dog Diarrhea is an all-natural product that helps to regulate a dogs' digestive system and boost immune function. It's very gentle, but effective, and helps to heal and soothe irritated intestines/colon.


Canine Inulin PK for Dog Worms is another natural, herbal product. This one helps to fight intestinal worms, and repairs the damage that they cause internally. It also helps to boost a dogs immune system.


I'd personally recommend that you choose a dog food that has been developed for dog with allergies/sensitive stomachs - you can find some of the best ones on my Dog Food Allergies page. Then stick with that. Meantime, talk to your vet about anti-inflammatory meds, or consider one of the above treatments. Give whatever you choose at least 2 - 3 weeks before determining whether or not you think it is helping as it may take a while for everything to settle down.

Hope this helps, I wish you the best of luck and hope your pup is doing much better soon.