Digestive problems, advice please.

[Hightower]

Tobi is a 6 month old 7kg Shih Tzu X Cavapoo cross. His feeding has always gone well since be brought him home at 10 weeks but after a training session 10 days ago I have had problems with vomit and diarrhea and soft stools. The following is a diary of what happened.

Thursday: Training session where I need high value food for Tobi's attention (liver cake/cheese)

Friday: Off dry food but is eating softened dry food. Soft smelly stools all day.

Saturday: Still off dry food but is still eating softened dry food but is leaving some. Soft smelly stools. Vomited a small clear foamy odorless puddle.

Sunday: Off normal dog food altogether. Took scrambled egg and ate chicken and veg from roast. Soft smelly stools with mucus. Vomited at least twice a clear foamy odorless puddle.

Monday: Still off food so have decided to fast him. Still taking water and in good spirits but is lethargic. Stool was firm to start the day with but became diarrhea by days end. No Vomiting.

Tuesday: Took chicken and pasta today and stools were better but still soft. No vomiting and energy levels better.

Wednesday: Early hours was woken by whining. Tobi is sicking up this foamy liquid again. Odorless and clear, was up 3 hrs in the middle of the night. Vet appointment is booked in for the afternoon. He toilets, diarrhea with small specks of blood in (glad I booked the vets). Vet gave inspection, no obvious signs of what's wrong. Gave a jab of Vitamin B12 and a shot to stop sickness. Prescribed anti acid tablets and Pro bind and gave Instructions of diet of Chicken/rice, cottage cheese until stools firm up.

Friday I popped a 3 day sample in for analysis. Results this coming Wednesday.

The prescribed diet is all I've been feeding him since last Wednesday 14th and the stools are at best formed and soft and at worst soft (this is a little bit random from one bowel movement to the next) but not quite formed and some with mucus. All yellow in colour and smelly. Blood has stopped and his energy levels have got much better if not back to his old self today but he did sick up a foamy puddle again this morning (Sunday)

I am aware the Tobi isn't getting his daily nutrients at the moment and what I'm asking is: Should I just persevere with this diet until Wednesday or should I be looking at adding changing the diet slightly in an effort to firming his stools and if so how?

Has anyone come across a dog vomiting a clear foamy odorless liquid? What could it be?

Thanks for looking, any advice or opinions gratefully received.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Tummy upsets are a nightmare aren't they? The gut lining gets all inflamed and the vomiting does not help it to settle. The clearfoamy fluid is probably just saliva. Toby will be ok on chicken or cottage cheese etc. Better not to rush things as you end up back at square one with an inflamed gut again. Do ring the vet for more advice or a change of medicine if you are still worried.

 

[Hightower]

Tummy upsets are a nightmare aren't they? The gut lining gets all inflamed and the vomiting does not help it to settle. The clearfoamy fluid is probably just saliva. Toby will be ok on chicken or cottage cheese etc. Better not to rush things as you end up back at square one with an inflamed gut again. Do ring the vet for more advice or a change of medicine if you are still worried.

Thanks for your reply. Yes very worrying, especially as this is our first dog. Phoned vet today and they hadn't even sent the sample I dropped in to them on Friday, but results still due on Wednesday. Just said to continue with the diet.

He's still getting loose and mucusy stools. Is there nothing I can give him in his food to firm up stools. He's on 2 shots of Pro Bind paste a day, I read that In America they seem to use tinned pumpkin, is there nothing like that here to use?

 

[JoanneF]

A small dose of pumpkin can help with a runny tummy. Libby's make it in tins, it's sometimes available in Tesco. Make sure it is pure tinned pumpkin and not a pie mix which has sugar. If you can't get tinned, Tesco sometimes has frozen fresh pumpkin or you could use butternut squash which is very similar.

 

[gypsysmum2]

The trouble is the more stuff we give the dog then the more we can upset the tummy. Sometimes it is just time that is needed for the inflammation to die down. Not very nice when you are dealing with it though

 

[Hightower]

Spoke to a dog nutritionist today who said that it was likely that it was me who upset his digestive system in the first instance by using too many high level treats during training and not recognizing the need to

move him on to a bland diet until it was too late. This I would agree on, in hindsight.

Anyway, he's eating fine at the moment and is back to his old self with regards his energy and character. His number 2's are still soft and nuclear yellow but his last one was much firmer and mucus free today which

is encouraging.

The nutritionist said that rice is largely indigestible, but some dogs cope better than others and has suggested that this is the reason he has colitis (mucus) and thus why he's a bit upset down there. She's suggested

sweet potato to replace the rice (even if it doesn't have as much roughage in the rice) and see how he goes on that. She reckons that any colitis should be cleared up within 2 days and that I can start a program of

getting him back to dry food.

She obviously encouraged me to switch him from dry kibble to raw food, perhaps one day I will but that's for another day.

 

[excuseme]

I have not made any comments on this post as not everyone wishes to make the changes!

Your nutritionist has obviously researched into our canine pets dietary needs and realises how much our dogs should be eating a raw product.

She is correct stating that rice is largely indigestible, as are grains in general. (this is why our dogs poo's are so large. soft and smelly) it is because the digestive system chucks it out at the rear end as waste!

These grains and waste products are causing a lot of problems for so any of our pets these days, yet companies keep advertising them as "The best". Oh how wrong they are.

There are good grain free(including no rice) kibbles now available on the market which are so much healthier than the makes filled with grains and cereals.

Of course, as she has mentioned Raw is better, it is naturally easier to digest, with less smell and smaller firmer poo's.

The smelliest product "Green Tripe" has fantastic natural enzymes and probiotic advantages that can help maintain a healthy gut and less tummy problems.

Places like; Pets at Home sell frozen meats and complete frozen nuggets, this is easy to use, no smell or blood involved (unless you use the tripe, PHEW!)

A Natural raw diets help so many of our pets to overcome their digestive problems.

 

[Cash_Dolly]

Don't want to jump on and turn this into a raw feeding thread but I have to echo everything that excuseme has said.....I cannot state enough how raw feeding improved my little dog. He often got an upset tummy and had terrible wind but now on raw he does great, stomach settled, in great condition and they can eat a variety without any problems....unlike when you are on kibble and are always told to stick to the same day in and day out so an not to upset the dogs stomach.....I wouldn't thank you for the same meal twice a day, everyday! Definitely recommend it!

 

[Hightower]

Just another update.

It would appear that Tobi's switch to sweet potato instead of rice has made all the difference. Tobi and I are so much happier than we were a few days ago and I will start slowly reintroducing his normal food over the next week or two.

Once I have used up the bulk of his dry food I will make the necessary changes in our household (larger freezer space) to accommodate a Raw diet for him.

Thanks for all your help and support.