It truly is a relief. The next big thing to tackle now is she is pretty much trained to go in her crate, because she had no control and ended up going in there even if she was taken out every hour or two. Any good tips on how to break that training, other then the normal routine of training a puppy.

Also I don't think it was the yogurt that was doing it, I started adding the yogurt a while after the pudding poop started in hopes of helping solving the problem.

And just to correct myself she is on the fish not the duck. So everything I posted was right but instead of duck it was fish.


Also, given that this change of food made all the difference in the world, and that she tried two relatively good kibbles before this limited ingredient, would it be safe to assume this is most likely a food allergy?

Hi Dale,
I've been following your saga, and am happy to hear of the good resolution. I agree that canola and flax are not the greatest Omega 3 sources for dogs, but leave well enough alone for a couple of months. It you want to stay on a limited-ingredient food (which given your experience I would for a good long time) check out California Naturals. I know they have a limited ingredient puppy food, and maybe the Omega 3's in that are better. (A friend had good results with that food re poop/tummy issues.) After a few months of settled stools, you can always add an Omega 3s supplement on your own right into the food bowl. I would also keep her on a probiotic.

A few months ago, after a seemingly relentless bout of poop issues with Cali seemed to be resolving, my husband came in from a morning outing and said, "Logs, baby, logs." You have never seen two happier people! So now, that's our code. When we (kids and all) come in from walking Cali, our debriefing to each other is "logs, baby." I wish you the same.

Thanks Linda, it really is a relief. I was going to post a picture of the beautiful logs but thought other people weren't as "used" to examining them as I have become accustomed to.

I do plan on keeping her on the Natural Balance for a long time, given how hard it was to get this far I won't be going back!

Whats been another rather large hurdle is I had to cut out ALL treats as well as bones. Do you guys think it would be safe to start adding some Zukes mini's back into the mix for training purposes as well as a Bully stix here and there?

 Quote: dale stoneburg

Thanks Linda, it really is a relief. I was going to post a picture of the beautiful logs but thought other people weren't as "used" to examining them as I have become accustomed to.

I do plan on keeping her on the Natural Balance for a long time, given how hard it was to get this far I won't be going back!

Whats been another rather large hurdle is I had to cut out ALL treats as well as bones. Do you guys think it would be safe to start adding some Zukes mini's back into the mix for training purposes as well as a Bully stix here and there?

A friend of mine's cocker/poodle mix has a very sensitive stomach and has been on Natural Balance for over a year now with good results (nice logs). So I would just stick with that and nothing else for now. In a few weeks, after her tummy's had a chance to heal itself, you could try to very slowly add back in the treats, etc.

As far as yogurt goes, if you decide to try that again once the stomach's had time to settle, see if you can find some made from goat's milk. I know you don't think yogurt was the problem but, since it didn't clear it up, it might have contributed to it and very often a dog (or person) with lactose intolerance (even mild) does not have a problem with goat's milk especially fermented such as yogurt.

Dale- I was so excited after a long bout of diarrhea, my pup finally had a solid log, that I posted a pic of it on Facebook. Not everyone understands how beautiful a perfectly formed log can be! Only the people who have had to deal with a bad case of exploding-puppy!

 Quote: dale stoneburg

... And just to correct myself she is on the fish not the duck. So everything I posted was right but instead of duck it was fish. ... Also, given that this change of food made all the difference in the world, and that she tried two relatively good kibbles before this limited ingredient, would it be safe to assume this is most likely a food allergy?

Nothing you have posted has really suggested food allergies. "Limited ingredient" only means what it says: usually one meat or fish and one carb item like potato or sweet potato. If your dog actually had a food allergy (and again, nothing in all the posts sounded like a usual food allergy -- not that it's impossible, of course, but not classic symptoms), then you luckily hit on a protein that the dog was not allergic to. That's what "limited ingredients" are for: to reduce the diet to foods the dog had never eaten and so therefore could not have formed the IgE antibodies against it.

We have to remember that the vet found a bacteria overload. The symptoms the dog has had sure have been consistent with bacterial colitis.

Of course, we can't diagnose on the internet (or anywhere, in fact ), but if this were my dog I would probably be thinking that the antibiotics had done their work but that the inflamed gut was finding the limited ingredient food easier to handle.

And I'd stick with it, too, because that gut needs a break. If you wanted to switch to something else later, I'd do it with the help of this board, and wouldn't consider a fast switch with regular-size meals.

Oh, here are some fish treats, BTW: https://www.leerburg.com/869-2.htm

Also, what form is the new food? Roll, kibble, or canned?


PS
I just want to add that you did (still are doing) a good job of taking care of your dog. The folks on this thread know the frustration and misery of a long bout of diarrhea, but others don't (fortunately). Just want you to know that we get it, and that you did good.


Edited by Connie Sutherland (12/27/2009 01:03 PM)
Edit reason: ps

 Quote: linda patch

"Logs, baby, logs."

See? She gets it.

Oh, Dale, about Omega 3s: After a week or ten days of perfect poops, I'd definitely add fish oil and E, starting small. The anti-inflammation benefits of the long-chain 3s (EPA and DHA) in fish oil are huge.

Post here with the dog's weight and we can give you the daily dose to work up to.

Thanks for all the kind words guys. The new food is kibble, although I have the same food in cans that I may mix in here and there. She is doing a 100 times better in every part of her life with this it seems. She minds better, obviously she can hold it much better and is going in her crate much less, its pretty obvious she feels SOOO much better. Its just great in every aspect!


I just want to thank everyone for their ideas and contributions. And also everyone for their encouraging words, everything helped to make this happen.

 Quote: Dale Stoneburg

The new food is kibble, although I have the same food in cans that I may mix in here and there.

Perfect. You can scoop out tiny spoonfuls of the canned and let them dry out/bake on a cookie sheet in a low (250-500) oven until they are the texture of a soft but fairly dry treat. (You were asking about training treats for the time on limited ingredients. That's why I asked about the form of the food.... so you could contrive a higher-value reward than pieces of kibble.)