I know I am frustrated right now with Kasey's allergies, and so it is causing me to be frustrated with other things too. But I wanted to just vent and see if you guys have the same thing with your dogs also.

Is it normal for dogs to sometimes have looser than normal stools for no reason? He will be going along fine with firm poops, and then out of the blue for a few days, they will be like pudding. He eats raw, has for years, and I don't change anything about his diet. The vet has done several stool samples just to be sure and they have always been normal (even the elise for giardia). Last time this happened the vet had me give him 7 days of Flagyl cause she says it calms down their intestines - I was leery, but it did seem to work and he went back to normal.

He used to have the morning vomit thing, but since I started giving him a snack at bedtime that has gone away (for the last 3 years), but every once in a while like this morning, it will happen for no reason (maybe 3 times a year now).

I just wonder if some dogs are just more sensitive than others and if stuff like this can occur from time to time without it meaning that there's anything 'wrong' - anything that needs to be 'diagnosed'. Maybe since he's an allergy dog his whole system gets thrown off easier than other dogs?

I know it's not his fault - I just get frustrated with all the little stuff because I've done all I can with the allergies and he's still so itchy!! Thanks for listening!

 Quote: Lori Hall

Is it normal for dogs to sometimes have looser than normal stools for no reason?............I just wonder if some dogs are just more sensitive than others and if stuff like this can occur from time to time without it meaning that there's anything 'wrong' - anything that needs to be 'diagnosed'.

Of course!:smile: $#!t happens, right?

The way we feed our dogs is not metered out in a lab. Sometimes things are different. No big deal as long as you get it right most of the time.:smile:

Sometimes I get a cold. Sometimes my stomach hurts. I can only imagine it is the same for every living being.:smile:

I would think coccidia before giardia. This would be a very typical presentation. Albon is the preferred treatment. Do the softer stools also have a sour type smell?

Coccidia is present in most dogs. Stress from travel, illness, (allergy outbreaks) can cause it to flare up. Having Albon on hand for a dog with these problems is always a good idea.

You can buy it generic yourself from Revival (for sheep and chickens, I think), but it is a process to mix it into the right dilution that will both administer the proper dosage and be palatable enough for the dog to eat. It's much easier to get a script from your vet for the doggie version.

T

stress?
not that you are stressing kasey out Lori, but i know with Tucker the slightest change in anything (environment, food, additives etc.) can sometimes cause things to happen concerning his, uh, bowels.

Capone has allergies too, and he sometimes does the same thing. I think he's just super sensitive all the way around. I know how you feel about getting stressed out. Just when you think you have it figured out, along comes another flare up or a loose stool to make you feel like you have nothing at all figured out. Its exhausting.

 Quote: Wendy Lefebvre

stress?
not that you are stressing kasey out Lori, but i know with Tucker the slightest change in anything (environment, food, additives etc.) can sometimes cause things to happen concerning his, uh, bowels.

Stress will do it to JD everytime.

I wouldn't worry too much about the vomiting if it's only 3 times a year. Mine do it - usually after they've eaten something they shouldn't have (like part of my insole this morning that JD stole out of a shoe). The least little thing will do it to his stomach - a little piece of something off of a toy, Callie's hair when he's been terrorizing her )...pretty much anything.

Dana

Edited by Dana Martin (02/17/2011 10:22 AM)
Edit reason: had to fix my spelling so Michael wouldn't harrass me

Lori,

This is sheer conjecture and I would definitely not put a whole lot of faith in it but here goes

I'm on the three day plan when it comes to the digestive tract and BM. If my dog is not exhibiting any signs of distress and he has a change in BM consistancy I figure it is normal unless the frequency has changed or there is no improvement in a couple of days. I've had this happen with every dog I've owned with no consequences so I am going with it is normal....not just dogs...kids too.

The occassional vomiting has also happened; and again if it is a one up with no other symptoms and doesn't continue I let it go as no big deal.

Hopefully Betty can chime in on my last "theory". When you have done everything for allergies and there is significant improvement but a lingering itch I wonder if the the immune system having been compromised for awhile allowed the mites that live on dogs naturally to multiply and cause an infestation? They are SO difficult to find that maybe it is something that is overlooked?

I say this because when Thor had a really bad skin episode related to cancer...after he was cured he was still itching. My vet did more scrapings and tests and could not find anything. As a last ditch effort he treated Thor for Scabies and the itching was gone in 4 weeks. Did he have scabies? I don't know but he got better.

 Quote: Dana Martin

 Quote: Wendy Lefebvre

stress?
not that you are stressing kasey out Lori, but i know with Tucker the slightest change in anything (environment, food, additives etc.) can sometimes cause things to happen concerning his, uh, bowels.

Stress will do it to JD everytime.

I wouldn't worry too much about the vomiting if it's only 3 times a year. Mine do it - usually after they've eaten something they shouldn't have (like part of my insole this morning that JD stole out of a shoe). The least little thing will do it to his stomach - a little piece of something off of a toy, Callie's hair when he's been terrorizing her )...pretty much anything.

Dana

Same with Tucker. even if i add a little too bit of something different to his morning Kong, it will cause a disturbance!
he does vomit once in awhile, it's usually just bile or if he's
eaten too fast. He'll get rid of it, likes its just too much for his stomach to take at one time.

I had been trying for the longest time to add glucosamine to tucker's food and anything above 1/2 teaspoon would cause an upset. and i m talking a very GRADUAL transition over weeks. But as soon as i try to add more than 1/2 teaspoon it would be too much for him. Im now onto a liquid glucosamine supplement that so far (finger's crossed no whammies!!) hasn't upset his delicate constitution!

Thanks you guys. I have definitely considered the stress factor. He's a very laid back dog, but when his daily routine is messed up, he sometimes gets messed. He hasn't gotten his normal amount of attention and training for the past few weeks since our first grandchild came into the picture!

Helps to vent with the whole frustration from allergies and stuff! I considered starting an 'allergy vent-a-thon' post for all of us who needed to de-stress from being caretakers of allergy dogs! It has been really bad the past month or 2 - EVEN THOUGH IT'S WINTER!! There, I feel better now.

I'm no expert, but I can commiserate since one of my dogs is allergic, too. It took me a long time to get him straightened out, and poops and skin are pretty good most of the time, now, but issues do come up occasionally.

I'm sure various stressors could be a factor, but I also agree with Michael that dogs just get stuff once in a while, like people do. Just recently, my allergic dog started having pudding stools for no apparent reason. On the fourth day of this, I took him to the vet. Fecal check was normal, so she put him on Flagyl. A day later, my other dog, who usually has an iron stomach, started in with diarrhea, so she got Flagyl, too. In both cases, the Flagyl did the trick, and I'm assuming they both just had some kind of doggy intestinal bug.

As far as the vomiting, with mine that does happen once in a blue moon, too, but I don't worry about it if it's just a single incident. I too have found that feeding later in the evening and/or a nighttime snack usually takes care of that.

Congrats on your first grandchild! Like you said, that has probably upset Kasey's routine (though I'm sure he's very proud, too!) and it will take him a little time to adjust.