Jagger's first illness

[penny w]

Jagger has a case of diarrhea. He has runny stool, then keeps trying to go but nothing comes out.

He and Kylie have been snorting around in the dirt the last few days and I suspect he has eaten something he shouldn't have. Took him and a stool sample to the vet today. Stool was fine, he had no temp and no obvious discomfort in the abdomen. The vet prescribed Metronidazole, which has given him even worse diarrhea.

Do I stick with this or just start a bland diet?

[Cindy]

At the first sign of soft poop I always add in Rice and/or canned pumpkin to Gavin's kibble. For really runny/watery poop I will go to a bland diet of rice/pumpkin/boiled chicken. Gavin has a sensitive tummy, so even 2-3 treats can give him a soft stool. Switching foods always gives him issues, even with mixing the new and old food in slowly over 2 weeks. Just make sure Jagger is drinking (and gums are pink) and give him a few days. Bloody stool always = vet visit, but runny poop is a fact of life for me.

[Emmasmom]

Add canned pure pumpkin - make sure it's pure. You may want to pull the food for a couple of days and do chicken and rice.

[penny w]

Thanks, will do!

[mellie]

Sorry Jagger is having the big D. Bland diet, continue Flagyl/metro, plenty of fluids. Any vomiting or lethargy or panting or hunching or pacing should be reported to vet and if D continues I would call back. If he isn't eating this should be reported as well. Get better soon Jagger.

[Jaynie]

Bela tends to get runny whenever we change foods or when we have a lot going on at the house. I guess it stresses her.

I usually pull her food for one or two meals (she's fed twice a day), and have water available at all times. Then I feed her 3/4 cup of pure pureed pumpkin for 2 meals. I then start adding in lamb and rice baby food or turkey baby food. (expensive but less work than boiling a whole chicken.) If she starts to get dehydrated, I dose her with Pedialyte in a syringe every 2-3 hours (she loves the grape flavor). Sometimes I mix the pumpkin with commercially-prepared, low or no sodium chicken broth, which she thinks is very yummy. I usually keep her on the pumpkin (with the baby food chaser) for at least a couple of days, or until her stool comes out looking like (I kid you not) cigar ashes.

If the "big D" continues after 48 hours after you pull the food, you may need to dose the dog with regular strength Pepto Bismol (.5 ml per pound) or as a last resort (like when your vet is unavailable) Immodium (.05 mg per pound). I don't used either of these unless I am pretty sure of what caused the stomach upset (like eating something they shouldn't or if they are reacting to a sudden change in food or water, or a reaction to stress). I don't use it when I believe the dog has some kind of virus or bacterial infection - I take them to the vet for an exam and advice.

I always switch to the pumpkin diet when my dogs have a reaction to antibiotics, and supplement with plain yogurt to restore the good bacteria in the gut.

I am not a vet, of course, this is just what I have found works for most of my dogs over 20 years of experience.

[penny w]

Thanks so much for the excellent advice. He had a slightly firmer stool today (funny the things that make us happy sometimes), but it was still fairly disgusting. He is happy to be getting the rice and pumpkin, and so is Kylie!

[Emmasmom]

It will take a couple of days to get back to normal. Just make sure you reintroduce the regular food slowly.