Loose stool

The beef could be helping the looseness too at this point. Try to stick with one meat at first.
 
No bm since yesterday morning. So at least he can hold it.

Our vet wasn't all that concerned. Thinks it's due to the diet change and he'll adjust. Question: in general, how long does that take? All dogs are different, of course, but I'd like to get an idea what to expect.
 
Deska will often go for up to three days without a poop. Usually it's been raining or after he's had about of diarrhea. It never does him any harm, other than he does a huge one when it happens. With a natural diet you'll probably get less poop anyway.

How are you cooking the chicken? If you are boiling it add in some of the chicken broth with his meal.

When I serve chicken and rice I just cut the chicken into pieces and stir through the rice to give it a chicken flavour.
 
He had a bowel movement yesterday, and one this morning. Smaller than what my husband is used to seeing (he does most of the walking), but normal consistency otherwise. He did throw up this morning before he ate. That's not unheard of for him, but still a little concerning. No food, just some bile. We often attribute that to eating grass (color is light yellow, often hunks of grass in the bile).

Didn't eat well. Not wanting much consistently besides meat (we're sticking to chicken for now). My husband spent a fair bit of time this morning trying to get him to eat a variety of kibble, foods, treats, etc. We'd like him to eat something besides meat, at least until he gets used to the chicken. He seems to want grains from time to time. He's generally been willing to eat chunks of bagel, if we offer (wouldn't touch it this morning) and today he wanted a little granola.

We're not liking some of his food choices right now, and we're not sure how to calculate some of this to make sure he doesn't get too much or too little, but we want him to keep eating as long as he has appetite, so we're going to have to follow his lead.

We're not really sure what's best for him right now? It's a lot of trial and error. We both feel like we're making mistakes. I feel like an inadequate owner.

Should we be giving him probiotics to help settle his stomach since he's probably going to end up eating mostly foods he's not used to? Would that help?
 
Don't be so hard on yourself, you are doing a great job. He will have good days and not so good days eating wise. Keep offering him everything you have, and if he eats it, keep offering it until he stops. I did exactly what you husband is doing, and it can take its toll on you. It is a helpless feeling, but it is not your fault. Not sure probiotics will help. Nothing tastes or smells good to him. Dogs with kidney disease can have very acidic systems, enough that they can develop ulcers in their mouth and esophagus. Our vet checked for this at every visit. He told us we could give him Pepcid or Zantac, but I cannot remember what the dosage was. Someone else in this Forum may know, or ask you vet. It may help settle his stomach. Is he drinking water? Could he be dehydrated? Have you thought about sub q fluids? I did not think I could ever do this, but we did, and it did help. Cody was a real trooper, he did not like it, but he never gave us any trouble at all. Keep up the good work, we are all pulling and praying for you!
 
Boy i lived this recently. I am sorry. Your feeling are normal unfortunately but it isnt you it is the disease. My dog lived primarily on ground turkey and potato for a year. The other option was starvation a year sooner. Even an all meat diet is only extending his life at this point verses nothing at all so cut yourself some slack. My boy hated rice, always did. I pureed the meat and potatoes together. Heating it up gives it more scent as well. I would dissolve a vitamin in water and pour on top.
 
Sigh. Loose bm after dinner. Not as bad as midweek, and it's only been a week, but it's frustrating. I'd like to introduce chicken to his diet gradually, but he's not eating much else. He likes meat, everything else is sporadically eaten. We're not doing bad getting calories and some nutrition in him, but it's hardly ideal.

I understand how my wife feels. Just not sure what best way to go with this is. I feel like he might just starve if we try to force him to eat kibble or vegetables or whatever, so I'm going to feed him whatever he'll as long as he'll eat it. At the same time, I'm wondering how long we can do this. He seems fairly good except for his appetite - still reasonably happy, good disposition, still wants to walk and spend time around us, etc. But I assume his stomach isn't feeling great, and this could go south rather quickly. I don't want him to feel bad every day. Hoping he isn't feeling terrible yet. Doesn't act like he is.

I don't think it's time yet, but the fact that we're thinking seriously about the issue makes me think we're getting there.

Regarding hydration, his blood work indicates some dehydration, but I can't detect any of the symptoms I've read about and he's not trying to drink more. Water consumption is about the same as normal, maybe down somewhat, but he does drink like he always has. Vet has never said anything about him seeming dehydrated or suggested sub-q fluids.

He's got an appointment this week for his yearly vaccinations, so I'm going to discuss all this with the vet again. If I've missed any signs with him, hopefully the vet will pick up on them.
 
And now....... he hasn't had a bowel movement for a day and a half. We're not panicking yet. He's eating well, doesn't appear ill, and isn't straining to go, but it's unusual for him. A lot of things are unusual for him right now, though. My husband insisted on calling the vet. They want to see him tomorrow if he doesn't go by then.

Two questions:
1 - he likes granola. Plain, birdseed like granola, not granola bars or anything with raisins in it. We've been feeding him a little of that to supplement. Is that bad? I thought that would help him with the loose stools he had last week. Also, it's one of the very few foods he will eat consistently right now. He's refusing most things that aren't chicken.

2 - should we keep feeding him as usual. He generally eats twice a day. Already ate this morning, so should we feed him tonight or withhold food? I don't really want to withhold and feel like feeding him might encourage him to go. My husband meant to ask the vet but forgot (they didn't suggest not feeding him).

Thank you.
 
Susan, if he likes his no raisin granola I would go ahead and let him have it...and I would keep his feeding schedule normal...don't skip his dinner tonight just because he hasn't passed solid waste for a day and a half. He needs all the nutrition he can get to keep up his strength...and truly a day and a half without a bowel movement is not that unusual with diet changes.

Trini
 
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