Quote: Laurie Hill

Ugh, I have a terrible, terrible memory. I'm going to have to ask the office for records to tell you exactly what meds, etc. The last time, they told me to use Pepto, and the watery diarrhea subsided, but every other time it's been meds from them.

Again, though, it seems I need another appointment to ask more questions. This is good...I'm learning! :-)

You could even ask for copies of the paperwork to pick up. Probably easier and faster for both you and them. (You could maintain good relations by saying you wanted to start a notebook of his treatments and diet changes, etc., so they don't assume that you don't trust them or are changing vets.)

Days, only, then he was transitioned back to kibble, and the mush would start again. Probably at about half or more kibble.

Yeah, no logs here, and I will tell you now, I'm not even sure how much chicken and rice he should have. He is 46.5 lbs...any suggestions? I've been feeding him 1 cup several times a day, but can't tell you the weight right now. Also, what is the best chicken to rice ratio? I was told 4 parts rice to 1 part chicken.

I will have to get back with you later on any other questions, but now I know what info you need, and I'll work on that.

Good plan! And it looks like I might really need that notebook anyway...:-)

They said the fecal ruled out everything listed above, giardia was included in the fecal flotation.

That's not good enough for giardia unless centrifugation is done, and many labs do not include this unless giardia is suspected by the vet and a second round is done. Also, fresh poop must be analyzed every two days, three samples, if the first sample is negative. (If this test ends up being indicated, you want to choose samples with mucus if possible.) This is what I meant by not ruling out giardia casually based on the usual fecal.

No, one fecal flotation did NOT rule out all parasites.

Right now, he is on the chicken and rice, with small amounts of Natural Balance kibble. I started today upping the quantity again on the total amount of food, but giving it in 4, maybe 5 meals instead of just 2. So far, he's not doing much pooping, but it's not solid, either. He just did a rather mushy one. Incidentally, this time the pumpkin, which had worked to get him solid before, did not work at all. (I think I forgot that part earlier)

I would go back to chicken/overcooked rice AND CALCIUM and start over, no commercial food. This will tell you pretty quickly whether the solid poops on this diet were coincidence. I think it will prove to be coincidence, but this is a relatively cheap way to be sure. (You could also go straight to the poop tests if you'd rather.)

The morning vomit is just bile.

That will almost certainly stop with a late-night snack. You can save out a piece of white-meat chicken for a late-night snack, since you don't want to screw up the diet trial with a commercial food.

No fish oil and E yet.

You want this. Fish oil is an anti-inflammatory agent, and no matter what is triggering the diarrhea, he now has an inflamed gut.


BTW, what's his body condition? Is he gaining weight properly?

Wow, thanks for all the info and help!

He is very thin, though you can't see ribs, he's got no layer of fat over them either. I was wanting to compare him with a litter mate, but don't have an answer on that yet. He IS growing, but I think at 46 lbs, from what I hear anyway, he's behind the curve. he's gorgeous, and still has a very nice coat, though, in spite of all this messing around with diarrhea and soupy poops.

Gotta get going now, forgive me if I don't answer again for a day or 2, but I will be trying to get more answers for you.

Get his weight progress, too, as in "how much did he gain in the last such-and-such time."

"I was told 4 parts rice to 1 part chicken."


That's fine. It's important that the rice be overcooked/soft/mushy.

"I've been feeding him 1 cup several times a day, but can't tell you the weight right now."

OK, see if you can tell us the number of cups (measuring cups) of prepared food.

I can also estimate the weight of the food by the cup if you tell me the consistency (that is, is it pourable like stew, which it should be).

Many, many dogs have parasites. The dog "learns to live with it" and the stool is only intermittently soft. Diarrhea can "flush out" eggs, so a fecal shows nothing.
If your dietary changes don't cure this problem check out the parasite situation.
If this hasn't been ruled out, a fecal by a competent tech on a formed log a week or so after the diarrhea has ended might be very interesting, and might give you an answer as to why your dog is thin and has occasional loose poop.

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

... If your dietary changes don't cure this problem check out the parasite situation. ... If this hasn't been ruled out, a fecal by a competent tech on a formed log a week or so after the diarrhea has ended might be very interesting, and might give you an answer as to why your dog is thin and has occasional loose poop.

I was hoping you would put a strong PS on this, Betty. (There is nothing like having a retired vet on the board! )