sensitive stomach!

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Shay14

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Help please, this is my first post, third Sheltie - first one with any tummy trouble :eek2: Our 8 month old pup Ronan Seamus has been on Fromm's Gold puppy since we brought him home. He has done well and liked it, however every now and then he will get loose stools. The last bag we got he really didn't want to eat. Shortly after, he got very sick with fever, diarrhea, vomiting, etc. We took him to the vet and after much testing it was determined he just had a virus and maybe sensitive stomach. He was put on Purina EN cans, along with some meds, and he has done very well. After about a week we tried to ease him into a new food. I just think Fromm's might not be right for him, whether he is tired of it or intolerant to something in it. I did a lot of reading and decided on Origen, that was a mistake, because I think it was too much protein for him. If anyone can give me some direction, I really need to transition him off the EN and cannot keep going backward with diarrhea issues! I would sure appreciate any help!
 
I moved Lacey off of Merrick classic Puppy which is chicken, brown rice and pea. She had started having loose stools. I changed her off of chicken to NutriSource grain free lamb.

We had been feeding both our dogs Merrick chicken foods and recently both of them had been having loose stools. Once I changed them both off of chicken it stopped and they both are fine. No loose poops at all.



I'm not sure if it is the change to grain free, or the change off of chicken, but I'm extremely happy with the results and neither of them have grumbly tummy's anymore.
 
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I am not a vet... but here are some thoughts.

Are you supplementing at all? Sometimes (and this could be a bit of an old wives' tale, but stick with me here), I think their gut bacteria can just get out of whack. You won't see liquid get-to-the-vet stool, just intermittent "pudding" stool. It can come and go, and doesn't seem to be related to a particular issue (like dog ate a whole roast chicken/dog ate a pound of liver/dog ate a dead thing it found outside).

I find it is worthwhile to keep them on some kind of probiotic. I use Nature's Farmacy's product, but there are others out there. It takes a few weeks/few months for the "good bacteria" to build up, but once it's in the system it really does make a difference.

Do keep in mind that there are dogs out there who spend their whole lives on Ol' Roy. Sometimes you are feeding a really excellent food (it sounds like you are very conscientious in this department), but there's a different piece missing from the puzzle.
 
I agree with Megan on the probiotics. I have one dog who has had major issues, resulting in inability to gain weight. The breeder suggested a food she uses for one of hers -Holistic Blend by My Healthy Pet. It made a real difference, Liam no longer has these issues after almost three years. No more vomiting, no more loose stools, he has gained weight.

Try the probiotics for at least a month.
 
sensitive tummies

Two pups, two different scenarios...Kaleigh is my laid back, does what she is told, eats only her food, doesn't have tummy issues. Savannah is my put EVERYTHING she can in her mouth from the day she came home. She is my sensitive stomach one, but I tend to believe it is what I don't know she has eaten that causes the upset. I watch over their diet. But she supplements it with leaves, twigs, mulch, bird droppings, rabbit droppings, deer droppings, dirt, dead fish, bugs of all kinds, plant parts, tissue paper, etc, and it is my notion that it is that stuff that causes upset. I think you do your best to avoid known reactive stuff...wheat, corn, soy, beets, fillers, preservatives, colors, dyes. then watch which meats are reactive...some dogs don't do well with poultry, others have issues with certain fish, and some fed the same thing over time can develop issues with it, when before it didn't bother them. Some need less protein, because they aren't as active. I agree the probiotics are beneficial, anything that helps digestion is good. Could it be the treats, chewies, or additional stuff other than her basic diet. Is she getting into people food (maybe junk food-sneaking stuff) you don't know about? If a dog won't eat a certain food, I wouldn't push it, I would get samples and try something different. Also if a tummy is upset, you gotta go with really bland food to quiet it down until it can balance out. It can be hit and miss with this issue, so you gotta be patient.
 
We have Oberon on Merrick's grain-free puppy, and intend to keep him on Merrick's grain-free when he switches to adult food (he's six months now, so we have another six months to go). He has had one episode of vomiting (before we started the Merrick - when we were feeding him Nutro Ultra) and one episode of diarrhea. Both episodes lasted about a day, and were not food-related, as far as we could tell. Each time our vet told us to feed him a mixture of cottage cheese and plain boiled rice, starting with a tablespoon of both. Each time he was able to keep that down/in. We kept him on that for a day, and then slowly re-introduced his regular food.
 
I have a dog that has a sensitive stomach. He's been diagnosed with a mild case of IBD.

I agree that a probiotic is a good thing, but would also recommend trying some limited ingredient foods. Some dogs tolerate certain proteins better than others. For example, my boy does tons better on fish than on beef or chicken. He's done really well on Pure Vita Salmon.
 
Thank you everyone, I really appreciate your responses. You've definitely given a lot of helpful information. We are going to go grain free, poultry free and start some probiotics and hope that will be the end of our troubles!
 
I've had problems feeding too 'rich' a food (ie Blue Buffalo), and also anything with turkey in it. I also could not feed Wellness Core, but other types of the same brand seem okay.

I had one that could not eat chicken, turkey, duck, or fish - pretty much any of the 'sensitive' or 'limited' ingredient dog foods contain some of these. He could really only eat beef. So, I cooked him ground beef & rice with veggies in it for most of his life.

Hope you track down the culprit soon.
 
You've gotten great advice and it sounds like you're on the right track. I second the probiotic recommendation. I also use the Natures Farmacy probios; my dogs have done very well on them. My Pixie, now 9, had terrible stomach issues as a puppy and changing her to limited ingredient, single protein food solved the problem. It also may be a protein issue, so getting off of chicken/turkey could help. You might try duck or lamb.

Sometimes, puppies grow out of this. Pixie did, and now can eat anything, but it took about four years until we got to that point. Fortunately, there's a larger number of excellent limited ingredient food choices on the market now; when we did it years ago, there was only one. Natural Balance makes a wonderful line of limited ingredient foods and treats. Good luck, and let us know how your pup does!
 
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