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I've had my dog since July (he came from a shelter) and since then he's had diarrhea 3 times. The first time, I took him to the vet after about 3 days. The vet didn't really have an explanation, saying that it could be a worm, could be something he ate, etc. She gave him metronidazole and a dewormer and he was fine. The next time was a month an a half later. He got better on his own after 2 days. Then, about a month a half later he has it again. This time, he got better on his own after 1.5 days.
I'm beginning to wonder if this is just a normal thing for him? Has anyone ever heard of something like this? Where a dog just gets diarrhea once in a while? I researched on my own, but didn't find much about recurring diarrhea. We were feeding him Pedigree before he got sick the first time and since then we've been feeding him the same kind of Iams.
Please don't just say "take him to the vet." Of course, I will take him to the vet, but I'm just curious to get some thoughts/opinions in the meantime. Thanks for your help!
Sometimes my dog will get into something (he loves poop and all kinds of stuff uses our backyard, heh) that disagrees with him and get the squirts. They usually don't last long though. He had them pretty consistently before I found a diet he wasn't allergic to too.
Just that a dog has the squirts for a few days isn't enough to take them to the vet IMHO. No more than I would run to the doctor if I had them for a day or two. If he is vomiting or it lasts for longer than a few days sure, otherwise make sure he gets plenty of liquids and is eating and wait it out.
Beesley (my dogger) had bad stool for a while after I got him, and the vet suggested I put him on a grain-free diet. It has worked wonders and now he poops like a pro!
A lot of things can cause diarrhea. Stress is one, food is another. When you changed his food did you do it gradually? The food he is on may not be the right one for him. Adding a spoon-full of pure pumpkin to his food will help.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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MA -- LOL! Imagine if Artie could type...
janeatte -- Although Artie has not suffered from what your dog is suffering from, he has had a lion's share of poop problems. Sigh... What I found to be the biggest and most long-lasting of his poop problems was resolved by giving him grainless food. He's on a mixture of Taste of the Wild (bison/venison), Wellness Core, Evo, and Nature's Balance (sweet potato and turkey? chicken?). I mix it all up just for the variety (he gets bored and so I've found he eats better if there are a bunch of flavors in his bowl) but even right from the start, just with ONE of those grain-free foods, Artie's poop became MUCH better! Does your dog happen to have blood in his stool? If so, it might be an inflammation (or IBD) -- Artie just had that problem and he's just finishing a round of antibiotics (the metro-stuff that you mentioned in your post). Best of luck to you and your pup! I'd highly recommend the grainless food as a first plan of attack but -- remember -- as with any food change, introduce it gradually over the course of a week.
TomSD (or anyone else too): Do you think this recurring diarrhea would have long term affects on his health?
dogpaw: When we switched his food, we did do it gradually. I am thinking about changing it again (gradually) to see if he does better with something else.
From the sound of it it is only happening every month or two and only for a day or two... if so I don't see how it could be a problem. If he is happy and healthy otherwise I would say it isn't a big deal.
Of course if there are other symptoms like the dog gets irritable or sick or won't eat then you need to get him to the vet ASAP. Also, as mentioned above it, could be diet though when Harper and I were figuring out what he was allergic too he had diarrhea a lot more than once a month, lol.
It is weird. Sometimes I will notice that my puppy's poop will start out loose, then firm up at the end. Or vice-versa. All in one stool. For the most part it is firm and solid, so I don't worry too much. Our old dog had chronic loose stools, and he lived to be 17.
After talking to a couple vets I learned that stool starting out firm then softening to diarrhea at the end is actually the dog not being on a good enough walk schedule. What is happening is the dog is forcing out everything while he is out because he is not sure when he will be out again. Most likely the stress of not having a schedule has something to do with it too. Mine did that when I first rescued him until he realized I would let him out regularly during the day.
Of course we also had allergy issues so firm and soft were all relative terms at the time, heh.
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