# Recurring diarrhea



## The Red Herring (Dec 16, 2010)

Good evening! Starting in May, my 1 year-old dog, Otto, has been having two to three day bouts of diarrhea every 2 or 3 weeks. The first time that it happened it was quite unusual for him, so I took him to the vet. She tested his fecal and determined that it wasn't anything serious and that he had probably just gotten into something. 

I was inclined to believe her since we go on a lot of hikes and he has both the nose and the affinity for some pretty gross stuff. The next 4 times or so it has sounded the same, looked the same, and ran the same course, so I figured it had the same cause. However, this most recent time, he hasn't really had the opportunity to get into anything. Any other ideas as to what could cause this? If it were a food allergy, his poop would be more consistently bad, right? 

Further information: he never gets human food, his staple dry food has not changed, we sometimes give him new kibble as treats, and I've dewormed him twice since May. Also, when he has the diarrhea, he needs to get up to go at least two times in the middle of the night (up to 4). It starts mucous-y and gets progressively more watery until it suddenly starts to get better.

He is due for his rabies shot in August, so if this is still an issue then I will consult my vet. However, since it usually passes in a couple of days and I know it is not worms, I don't know if it is dire enough to take him for another vet visit (although I am certainly willing to if someone suspects this is something serious!).

Thanks for any and all :advice!


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

I think I would talk to my vet about treating for coccidia and giardia. They are a protozoal parasite that doesn't show up on a regular fecal, and sometimes don't show up even if you are looking for it - if they are not in the shedding spores stage. Common cause of chronic or cyclic diarrhea problems. Giardia is a frequent problem for dogs who have the opportunity to drink tainted water (ponds/streams)


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## The Red Herring (Dec 16, 2010)

That is a really good possibility. I had actually considered that last time this happened but hadn't known whether it was likely or not. The cyclic nature seemed to point to a parasite if it wasn't something bad in his environment. I can definitely come up with potential water exposures for almost every time. I know that he had not been near any unusual water sources the first time, though. We usually live in New Orleans, and the first time was the week that the Mississippi was cresting, so I know he didn't go swimming that week. Regardless, it is still quite a good guess, and I'll ask my vet about it. Thanks!


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## Fuzzybutts (Jul 21, 2011)

I would discuss colitus with vet. Basically it is IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) for dogs. Can be set off by lots of things. Allergy to food is only one. My dog has it and foods CAN make it worse... but so can stress. We DO find that certain foods can help though. Makenzie is a bit... nuerotic... at times and is simply a bit high strung (very low key most of time, but startles a bit easily). Something worth checking on. Had a collie?chow mix many years ago that had the food version, a single french fry was disasterous.

Main symptom is "gelatinous" (for lack of better word) diarrhea often with bloody streaks in it. Kinda scary looking really.


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## Kelsenater (Jul 31, 2011)

I had the exact problem with my Alaskan malamute/ German Sheppard. she was on blue buffalo dog food and had the WORST diarrhea consistent every day for over a month. I was terrified. Took her to the vet and they said nothing was wrong with her to maybe try changing the food.. I found out that the food I was giving her was way to high in protein and that she has a sensitive stomach.. So i had to switch down to a less protein and fiber food that is still all natural for her. She is now fine. her diarrhea was so bad it was like acid poops. pure water. Scared me to death.. Now i have to watch what treats she eats and what not because i don't want her to have the poops. So that could be the same thing that is happening with your pup.. Sensitive tummy... hope that helps you.


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## The Red Herring (Dec 16, 2010)

The vet has determined that Mr. Otto has chronic colitis (You were right, Fuzzybutts!). She recommended increasing his fiber intake and switching to a grain-free, non-chicken protein food. Can anyone recommend a high fiber, grain-free food? I'm leaning towards a fish and sweet potato variety, but I'm not sure what brand to go with. I'm a grad student, so I would like to try to keep the cost below $45 for a 30-35lb bag. Is that even possible? Any recommendations?

This problem bridges two subforums (health&nutrition), but I hope I can get some responses here! Thanks!


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Try Taste of the Wild pacific stream formula. Great food that isn't as expensive as others. Grain free/uses alternative protein source. Try to switch gradually over a week period. I'd probably add a tablespoon or two of pure canned pumpkin (not spiced pie filling...make sure it is 100%pumpkin), to his food. It has extra fiber and helps firm up poops, which may be helpful when changing foods.


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

The Red Herring said:


> The vet has determined that Mr. Otto has chronic colitis (You were right, Fuzzybutts!). She recommended increasing his fiber intake and switching to a grain-free, non-chicken protein food. Can anyone recommend a high fiber, grain-free food? I'm leaning towards a fish and sweet potato variety, but I'm not sure what brand to go with. I'm a grad student, so I would like to try to keep the cost below $45 for a 30-35lb bag. Is that even possible? Any recommendations?
> 
> This problem bridges two subforums (health&nutrition), but I hope I can get some responses here! Thanks!


our dog has fiber responsive colitis. We feed Pure Vita duck & oatmeal and a probiotics. Our food choice was the highest non prescription food at the time, since their fur is amazing and weight well managed we haven't changed their food. The probiotics we have found to work best for our dog is Vetri Science Vetri-Probiotics BD, we give w each morning meal. When he has a flare up I make some brown rice w either split peas, lentils or pumpkin (I cooked and froze 3 last November). My dogs LOVE this and spin circles waiting for it. We also give him 5mls (teaspoon) of Vetri Science Fast Balance GI before the rice. Works fast to get him back in check. Flare ups are less than once a month now.


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## MinaMinPin (Apr 28, 2011)

The dog might have ingested disease causing protozoan. You must go the vet immediately because it might lead to serious dehydration.


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## The Red Herring (Dec 16, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions! I will look into TOTW and Pura Vita as well as a probiotic. We gave him Pacific Stream as treat kibble a few months ago and I remember him loving it, so maybe that's a good direction to go. I used to give him 2 tbsp of pumpkin in every meal, but he eventually lost interest and I just ended up ruining a lot of dry food (his palate is easily bored). Hopefully he will be a more consistent eater once he is on a kibble that is more agreeable to his sensitive colon! My vet also recommended sprinkling metamucil on his food. What do you all think of this suggestion? Maybe it would be good to rotate between this and the pumpkin to keep him interested.



MinaMinPin said:


> The dog might have ingested disease causing protozoan. You must go the vet immediately because it might lead to serious dehydration.


Thanks for your concern, MinaMinPin, but it seems unlikely that his colitis is being caused by protozoa at this point. Since the problem started, he has had two negative fecal exams, been dewormed twice (single pills), and had a 5 day course of flagyl. If you had read my most recent post, you would have seen that he has been to the vet as recently as yesterday, and he is in no immediate danger.


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

One of mine has stress-related colitis. Doesnt sound like thats whats going on with Otto, but just thought I'd share. Gracie would get a bout after every camping trip. The flare-ups got worse each time, to the point that she was passing a lot of blood and became dehydrated. She was hospitalized for quite some time. We give her xanax if we have to travel with her now (we avoid taking her) and havent had a problem in years. *knock on wood*


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

You will be fine, we found a rhythm that works well once we learned what was wrong, took six months of various testing & needs to get to a final diagnosis. We keep 'butt plug' food on hand at ask times and can now have him back to normal within just a few hours usually. It isn't too hard to manage but probiotics as well sa high fiber food had been wonderful. I love taste of the wild but that was the food our dogs were on prior to the final diagnosis, too low of fiber. Look at Wellness, pure vita & Blue Buffalo. Thier websites have fiber content listed too.


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## The Red Herring (Dec 16, 2010)

pinballdoctor said:


> > Flagyl is an antibiotic that, like most antibiotics, can kill off all the good bacteria in the stomach and intestines. This can result in bloating, fungal infections, and *diarrhea.*
> 
> 
> Okay...I don't really get what your point is here. After his second to last bout of diarrhea, we decided to treat him for giardia just in case the fecal was not detecting it. As soon as we began treatment, his stools became firm and he continued to be very regular for 2 weeks after finishing his course. I understand that antibiotics can screw up the intestinal flora, but his system did not seem to show any negative effects in this case. If you are trying to suggest that using the antibiotic caused his diarrhea, that is chronologically implausible.
> ...


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

TOTW is a good food. My dogs do great on it.


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

pinballdoctor said:


> > Flagyl is an antibiotic that, like most antibiotics, can kill off all the good bacteria in the stomach and intestines. This can result in bloating, fungal infections, and *diarrhea.*
> 
> 
> Its also the drug of choice for gi irritation & colon inflammation.
> ...


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

Pumpkin won't hurt him, but two tablespoons is a lot... and that might be why he got bored. Try cutting back to 1 tbsp.
If he is under 50 lbs, a tsp or two everyday is adequate. In a couple of months, I expect the cost of canned pumpkin to go down, so you might want to stock up.... It keeps well.


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