I'm looking for thoughts on what might be going on with Kasey. He eats the raw diet that leerbury recommends and has for 2 years. At 4am on Monday morning he was desperate to get outside which never happens. He had to poop and it was a combo of watery and very loose, but some consistency (and mucous) - that happened 3 times. He also had had very smelly gas the day before (not usual either). He hadn't had any food that was different from the usual. I fasted him for breakfast Monday, and then at dinner he got very, very cooked rice and a little white meat chicken. Tuesday the same except with some cooked hamburger.

He did not have any bm's the rest of Monday or Tuesday. So today I gave him a small chicken back and some chicken meat in the am and pm. Tonight he had the very, very loose stool w/mucous again. We went to Northern CA on vacation 4 weeks ago and he did play fetch in the Sacramento River. He didn't play or drink in any standing water holes or anything, but he was in several moderate sized creeks that were flowing fast.

He's not vomiting, he's hungry and wants to eat, he plays and seems to feel fine. Should I think Giardia possibility, or should I go back to rice, white meat, hamburger for a longer period of time? I've heard that fecal tests for giardia are not very accurate and so the vet often uses symptoms along with the test if it's negative. So I hate to spend the money if the timing and the symptoms don't seem right for giardia. If it's giardi would he not poop for almost 2 days like he did just because he ate rice?

Any thoughts?

No chance he ate something that he shouldn't have, like a corn cob, sock, etc.?

No, I thought about that too, but he just isn't a dog who eats 'stuff'! And I'm home with him a lot of the time, so I think I can rule that out over the last few days.

I'm taking a stool sample over to the vet this morning - decided not to chance it!