Seven-month old puppy still has diarrhea after for days on Flagyl (generic)
- Thread starter dream2012
- Start date
My excitement was short-lived. I started him back on Fromm's Puppy Gold and his stools are, again, loose. This afternoon's stool was looser than this morning's movement! Calling the vet first thing tomorrow. I will return to the bran and ground beef for the next feeding later today. I am wondering if this food is not fresh enough. It is good through next year, but I bought the 33# bag and keep the food in the foil lined bag for optimum freshness. I am down to the about ten cups of food left. Could it be the food and lack of freshness?? I used to store the dog good in a tin, but read about how quickly food can go rancid in plastic and sometimes, tin cans. Just a thought!
Could the food have gotten mold in it? Sometimes with hot weather or temp changes you can grow mold spores in food w/o knowing it. I have to be highly diligent about that because of mold allergies? Also when my girls have any kind of tummy issues I try to get after their environment. Have you changed any kind of detergent, used a new carpet shampoo, changed dish soap. Anything that can have residue that a puppy could be getting from bedding, walking on floors, or even stuff you have used on walkways? Our world is chemically laden, it might not always be the diet. It could just be environmental exposure. Some dogs are highly allergic to bounce dryer sheets and if their bedding or your clothing that they are exposed to has residue that can be the culprit. Just a thought.
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Ann
Moderator
This is the problem I had with my girl who was on the Fromm Puppy Gold too. I don't think it's the food...all my other puppies have thrived on Fromm Puppy. What it boiled down to for us was the multiple protein sources in Fromm. Your pup may need a single protein food for now, which may be why he's doing better on the beef and bran. I would explore transitioning him for the near term future to a single protein, limited ingredient food. Lamb worked for me. And I can't stress the importance enough of adding a daily probiotic to his diet! I use Natures Farmacy Dogzymes Probio Max, and to firm the stool, Propectalin.
Excellent points Ann and Tesslynn. Thinking about previous actions a few weeks ago when the diarrhea started. I did shampoo the bedroom carpet twice in three days. Hardwoods all wiped down with Bruce hardwood cleaner, which I have used for years. I never use dryer sheets and I use Method and sometimes Tide for laundry, depending on what I am washing.
I don't know about the spores in his food. It was stored in the original bag, tightly closed with clips, store in the laundry-mud room. We had an extremely hot summer, but the air was on in the house. No visible mold in the food. My thinking if it was something he picked up on a walk (the summer home has many frogs and toads hopping around at night and it is a cat and mouse game to him) that evening, August 26, it would be out of his system by now, so, perhaps, it is the food.
Ann, I think you might be right. I am going to call Fromms this morning and ask for suggestions. Maybe trying a single protein food will be what he needs. Interestingly, this episode of vomiting, then the diarrhea was the first time ever he vomited. I was loving Fromms Puppy Gold. He loved it, devoured it and had nice stools. The Diggit, pumpkin and apple pectin, helped, too. I might try the probiotic, though my vet does not encourage its use, saying there is no evidence it actually works, but vets are prescribing it all the time. He says it won't hurt, but doubtful it will help.
I don't always agree with my vet, so his word is not "gospel." Many dog owners swear by the product. Will keep everyone updated. This has really been a challenge. Thankful his spirits are good and still has a good appetite. In fact, I am enjoying my coffee and watching Today, my morning ritual, and he is staring at me licking his chops, which means he is hungry. THe small amount of bran and ground beef was not enough, but I decided to feed him small bites several times per day.
I don't know about the spores in his food. It was stored in the original bag, tightly closed with clips, store in the laundry-mud room. We had an extremely hot summer, but the air was on in the house. No visible mold in the food. My thinking if it was something he picked up on a walk (the summer home has many frogs and toads hopping around at night and it is a cat and mouse game to him) that evening, August 26, it would be out of his system by now, so, perhaps, it is the food.
Ann, I think you might be right. I am going to call Fromms this morning and ask for suggestions. Maybe trying a single protein food will be what he needs. Interestingly, this episode of vomiting, then the diarrhea was the first time ever he vomited. I was loving Fromms Puppy Gold. He loved it, devoured it and had nice stools. The Diggit, pumpkin and apple pectin, helped, too. I might try the probiotic, though my vet does not encourage its use, saying there is no evidence it actually works, but vets are prescribing it all the time. He says it won't hurt, but doubtful it will help.
I don't always agree with my vet, so his word is not "gospel." Many dog owners swear by the product. Will keep everyone updated. This has really been a challenge. Thankful his spirits are good and still has a good appetite. In fact, I am enjoying my coffee and watching Today, my morning ritual, and he is staring at me licking his chops, which means he is hungry. THe small amount of bran and ground beef was not enough, but I decided to feed him small bites several times per day.
Ann
Moderator
I really hate using flagyl for puppies, especially for extended use. Interestingly, it didn't work on my girl who had the recurring runs, although it's always been effective on my other dogs. Flagyl is such a strong drug and can have lasting side effects. However, if nothing else is working you have to try it. I did find that it's important to do a 10-day run though, repeated treatments lose their effectiveness if you spot treat them off and on.
What finally did work for her was treating her with Propectalin and a bland diet like your bran/beef. Once she was better, I slowly transitioned her to the new limited ingredient kibble. Good luck and thanks for keeping us posted!
I called Fromms and explained what was going on and they suggested trying their puppy Heartland, grain-free dry dog food. I also have a call into my vet. I will also ask about continuing or discontinuing th Flagyl. For now, I will continue with the all-bran cereal and ground beef. He loves it and is getting several small meals per day. One day at a time!!
Oh, the grain-free Heartland is chicken, duck and lamb, no eggs or cheese. All of their products have probiotics. I think will wait until I talk to my vet. Will keep you posted!
Oh, the grain-free Heartland is chicken, duck and lamb, no eggs or cheese. All of their products have probiotics. I think will wait until I talk to my vet. Will keep you posted!
Caro
Moderator
I'd be avoiding chicken if you can. It's one of those foods that many dogs have a sensitivity to, much more than grains. If he's doing well on beef and rice then think about a lamb and rice if you can't get a beef based product (not all grains are equal and rice and oats tend to be fine). Using a single source meat would be a good way to check if he has a sensitivity to a particular kind of food.