70lb female, 7 years old.

 Quote: Gary Fuqua

70lb female, 7 years old.

So she probably eats about 22 ounces of food a day?

22 ounces of boneless food needs about 1200 mg of calcium.

Egg shells would be a good easy way to provide it. Do you usually have eggshells in the house, to dry and crush?

Also, how bad is the diarrhea? If it's liquid-y, you'll want to fast her for a day and give her gut a rest from being inflamed. If it's just pudding, I would still skip at least one meal (giving water, of course) and make the next meal very small, with the appropriate calcium, and then check that poop result. I would want to see a good log before upping the food to the regular amount.

I also would add fish oil and E (working up to an eventual 7 grams, or 7000 mg, of fish oil a day, plus 400 IU of natural Vitamin E with mixed tocopherols).

Also, when the diarrhea is completely cleared up, you will want to add organ meat (very slowly and gradually) for taurine, as well as a little produce. These can wait a bit, but the calcium shouldn't wait.

I would do the calcium in the big batch of food (not in each meal) so you are doing it when you know the amount/weight of food you are working with. For example, you have a couple pounds of fish, turkey, etc., and you add a whole teaspoon dried and crushed eggshell (about 1800 mg of calcium, or 900 per pound of food).

 Quote: Gary Fuqua

One of my GSD's recently developed a problem where she isn't processing the bones properly

What did the vet think the problem was?

I can't remember what he called it, but essentially her sphincter muscle tightened up so bad that she couldn't poop. It is some kind of autoimmunity problem. She was on cyclosporin & ketoconazole for a few months and that took care of it. I now have to put a topical ointment on called Tacrolimus. That seems to control the problem.

The poop is like pudding.

Thanks Connie. I really appreciate your help with this. I was hoping you would be on line.

 Quote: Gary Fuqua

I can't remember what he called it, but essentially her sphincter muscle tightened up so bad that she couldn't poop. It is some kind of autoimmunity problem.

Did he say scleroderma? How difficult was this diagnosis (I mean if that was it)? Did your GP vet figure this out or send you to a specialist? Either way, kudos to that vet for either referring you or for making a diagnosis like that!



eta
If it IS scleroderma, I'm pretty sure the fish oil is even more important than for a healthy dog. But I will look it up if you tell me if that's what it is.


eta #2
I'm assuming that the fish in the diet is a non-oily type white fish

Not scleroderma. It's something I had never heard of before he a
said it.

I will ask him and post it. It might be a few days before I get the answer. I can't find it on the vet bills.

Yes he is a GP vet. I know he consulted multiple vets to come up with an answer, but he did it pretty quickly. I was a little dubious about the diagnosis at first, but he made me a believer.

Once the regime started, we saw results in a few days.

The fish we are feeding is catfish. I'm not sure if that qualifies as non-oily whitefish or not.

 Quote: Gary Fuqua

Not scleroderma. It's something I had never heard of before he a said it.

So, not perianal fistula?

I won't keep asking with more possibles.


Do you know why catfish was suggested? Or was it your choice? (I really have a reason for asking: pollutants, especially in imported catfish, and maybe better suggestions.)

 Quote: Gary Fuqua

One of my GSD's recently developed a problem where she isn't processing the bones properly and it caused blockage. It got really serious and had to be cleaned out with an enema twice.

Can a blockage be cleaned out with enema? How far does the enema effect reach? Did the dog develop this problem gradually?

One of my dogs...

 Quote: ana kozlowsky

 Quote: gary fuqua

One of my GSD's recently developed a problem where she isn't processing the bones properly and it caused blockage. It got really serious and had to be cleaned out with an enema twice.

Can a blockage be cleaned out with enema?

A blockage of poop, you mean? Just being clear, because usually when we say "blockage" here, we (or at least I) mean something the dog has ingested and is now clogging up the works.


http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Give-Your-Dog-Home-Made-Enema&id=210381