# Anyone try metamucil to firm up poop?



## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Hello! I've been transitioning Tuffy to a new food (from C.Natural to Fromm) but he's still experiencing soft poop. The only time it's really firm is first thing in the morning before breakfast and maybe midmorning and then as day goes on it becomes mushier and mushier. I'm thinking that he might still not be getting enough fiber. Right now I'm giving 50% C. natural (2% fiber) and 50% Fromm (3.5% fiber).I read an article online by a vet that sometimes a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of metamucil will help. FYI I've tried all the other natural remedies--probiotics, yogurt, canned pumpkin, etc. to no avail. Should I give metamucil a shot before I try another formula of Fromm or a different dog brand altogether? Someone on this site also mentioned maybe trying some bran flakes so that's an option as well..

Thanks!


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## NRB (Sep 19, 2009)

Hey there....... My dog has colitis and I feed her Innova adult. The Innova feed results in a small amount of poop 2x a day. The vet wants more fiber in her diet to "bulk up the stool" her words not mine. My dog doesn't have a loose stool problem. The dog's stools are small and normal. She has an inflamed colon problem. Anyway the vet suggested ways to add fiber to the diet by using canned pumpkin or sweet potato or metamucil. She said to avoid the orange flavored metamucil b/c the dogs tend to not like that flavor.

So I know that people on this forum advise the use of pumpkin (fiber) to help get rid of loose stools but I don't understand WHY? I mean I have the opposite problem small firm stools and I'm being advised to use fiber. 

For example, if prunes are a source of fiber for people, and you eat to many prunes... then you end up with loose stools not firm. So again I'm not able to wrap my brain around why people advice fiber to help diarreha or loose stool. 

Someone please explain.


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## digits mama (Jun 13, 2007)

NRB I do know it does work both way rather well! Maybe the fiber in natural pumpkin works because it helps the natural occurance of things In the digestive tract Fiber keeps things going smoothly....Natural fiber is a so much better ballgame...*shrugs*


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

Skyler has colitis, we are in process of trying probiotics right now, today was his first solid poop ever, I hope it continues. Our vet said we need a 3-4 week trial run before we know if it is successful. Our next step is metamucil - she said the same thing about the orange flavor, to avoid it.


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## NRB (Sep 19, 2009)

digits mama said:


> NRB I do know it does work both way rather well! Maybe the fiber in natural pumpkin works because it helps the natural occurance of things In the digestive tract Fiber keeps things going smoothly....Natural fiber is a so much better ballgame...*shrugs*


I'm all for natural fiber. I try to eat a ton of the stuff. Anyway, thanks for the info, that it works both ways. Not that I understand why, but I'll go with it anyway.


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## NRB (Sep 19, 2009)

luv2byte said:


> Skyler has colitis, we are in process of trying probiotics right now, today was his first solid poop ever, I hope it continues. Our vet said we need a 3-4 week trial run before we know if it is successful. Our next step is metamucil - she said the same thing about the orange flavor, to avoid it.


Just for furnther clarification; My dog's colitis was different than Skylers. She had no diarreaha. My dog had 2 normal looking poops with a streak of blood running down the side. Bleeding in the colon. But only for 2 poops, so only a 24hr period. or maybe 48. Vet put her on an antibiotic. Problem never came back (yet) Anyway. I hope the pro-biotic helps your dog. My dog had been on pro-biotics for a month before the blood and has been on them ever since.


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## geekbruin (Jul 22, 2009)

NRB said:


> So I know that people on this forum advise the use of pumpkin (fiber) to help get rid of loose stools but I don't understand WHY? I mean I have the opposite problem small firm stools and I'm being advised to use fiber.
> 
> For example, if prunes are a source of fiber for people, and you eat to many prunes... then you end up with loose stools not firm. So again I'm not able to wrap my brain around why people advice fiber to help diarreha or loose stool.
> 
> Someone please explain.


I've read that pumpkin and bananas are both "maker-goers" and "stopper-uppers." From what I've read, while the fiber will help with constipation, the pectin and electrolytes in bananas help with relieving diarrhea by absorbing water and promoting adsorption. Bananas are also very bland and easy to digest. I figure it's a similar situation with pumpkin.

@kimrisa, you might want to try putting your dog on a bland diet for a few days to see if it's really the food that is making the soft stools. When Sookie was a puppy, we fussed over her food for several days only to realize that she had a giardia infection. And if you dog is sensitive to something in the food itself rather than having trouble adjusting, I don't think pumpkin is going to really have that much of an effect.


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

Skyler is suspected of having "fiber responsive colitis". His stool has always been like a formed frosting vs formed stool & he strains at the end of poo'ing. Every once in a blue moon, when he would actually eat enough pumpkin or rice he would have a tiny bit of formed stool followed by frosting stool. No blood. He has had his poop tested a few times to be sure there are no other causes, such as giardia or coccidia. He also is super stinky & has, at time, had big 'blobs' of mucus slime on the poo. Because of all this it is thought to be fiber responsive colitis. 

I thought the probiotics would be the easiest to try since his most recent poop test was totally normal. My vet wrote out detailed instructions for us to try at 4 week intervals in the event probiotics don't work. 

Unfortunatly my eskie LOVES pumpkin but has to be fresh steamed, not canned. Skyler will only take a few licks of canned but mostly avoids it. In the few times Chloe has had soft stool or constipation (after her spay) pumpkin worked wonders!

Also, he is on taste of the wild food. The vet was happy about this because when she consulted a specialist it was recommended he avoid grains to rule out an allergy.


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks for the advice about the bland diet. I'll definitely consider it. But suppose the bland diet does work...then what? I still have to find a kibble that actually works, right. I'm not interesteding in going RAW at this point. I'm also a little unclear how metamusil is going to help with loose stools since I thought it was used for constipation! So far my dog has been on chicken, lamb and salmon--all with the same effect. I may have the stool tested again. ?


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

What my vet explained to me is the fiber helps absorb the excess water in the intestine which in turn firms things up.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

That is what I was just about to say! 

The fibre absorbs the extra water and it also adds bulk to the stool. 

I am thinking that I might have to give the Metamucil a try. Thanks for the suggestion!


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## kimrisa (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks for the explanation...I'll give it a try. Any suggestion of how much to try....maybe start at 1/4 a teaspoon per feeding or is that not enough...?


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

Looking at the instructions from our vet on Metamucil (in the event probiotics don't work) she said 1 teaspoon, sprinkled on food, twice a day. But our dogs are very different, I would ask your vet for your dog.


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