Loose stools

[Hilary]

Please see screenshot!

Edited by JudyN: Here is Hilary's summary of the screenshots:

Hi
I am creating another thread just to give a more condensed version of my previous thread in hopes of getting some more advice!!
Jimmy is my 12 year old border collie.
He has had chronic diarrhoea for about 2 months now at varying ‘consistencies’ but at the moment it’s very loose/ watery. No blood. He is obviously losing weight now, and his appetite is decreased.
What we have tried:
2 x faecal testings (negative)
Bloods showed low B12 levels, so we are supplementing him with that
Metronidazole was given for about 3 weeks in total (we thought initially it was having an effect in firming up the stools but then returned to diarrhoea)
Initially he was on a RAW diet, we then changed to Growling Tums Senior (hypoallergenic), we tried Chappie for a couple of weeks and now we have just started ROYAL CANIN Anallergenic (I am dubious that it is allergies causing this diarrhoea but thought we must exhaust all options)
Next treatment will be steroids
ANY ADVICE/ EXPERIENCE OF SIMILAR ISSUES VERY GRATEFULLY RECEIVED!!

 

[Hilary]

See screenshots please!! Was having trouble posting my message!!

 

[Hilary]

Had trouble posting so please see screenshots!!

 

[JudyN]

Ah, I think your problem with posting might have been that your post was too long! On my laptop this results in a clear message to tell me, but it might be a lot less clear on a phone.

Now to read about Jimmy's bowels.....

 

[JudyN]

I wonder if chopping and changing his food so often is part of the problem? Though of course this would have to be balanced against the importance of finding something that suits him. Have you tried him on just one protein source he had before as raw, and tried giving just that, cooked, with a simple carb (so the old 'chicken and rice' approach, though I think other carbs might be better)?

My old dog's digestion was very affected by stress when we took him on holiday with us (he'd been fine when he was younger), though this resulted in bloody mucous rather than diahorrea - could Jimmy be feeling more stress/anxiety than previously?

I found YuDigest Plus worked well to get him over this, and when his stomach took a dislike to an anti-inflammatory, so that might be worth a try. You can also give the standard YuDigest long term for digestive maintenance. I've also heard good things about slippery elm, and tree barks powder from Dorwest.

Whatever you try, do speak to your vet about it first, though.

 

[Summer Morse]

Slippery elm is the best product I have used for all upset tummy’s also acid reflux. Brilliant stuff. Make up as small scoop with hot water lasts in the fridge for about 5 days just add 10ml to evening meal and 5ml to morning feed. Works wonders

 

[Linda March]

My girl refused to eat dry food even when soaked in hot water so I started to mix a little wet food with it but no luck.So I am now cooking chicken for her to mix with dry food which has given her very loose stools . I don’t know what else to try as she is overweight and I am now 77 I don’t want to start feeding her something that my husband can’t manage as he’s just turned 80 .

 

[excuseme]

We are both in our 70s and feed raw to our lot. They sometimes have our left over scraps added to their meals, as part of that day's rations, but we don't very often leave anything on our plates not eaten!

These days the raw product is easy to purchase and well packed so as not to create any bloody mess.
Most good pet stores have freezers and sell assortments of convenient sized packs.
If you are worried about using the raw product there is a nice little book that can help you. "The Lucky Dog Weight Loss Plan". It can be purchased on ebay and Amazon for a couple of pounds, it is very easy to understand.

Do you feed treats to your girl? All of this adds to her daily intake of food and best to be stopped
Does she get good exercise every day? This keeps us both motivated and in all weathers, so we get our exercise too.

 

[Linda March]

I must admit she doesn’t get much exercise we both find it an effort , she goes out 3 times a day but only round the field that we have which only takes about 10 minutes each time .

 

[Hemlock]

There are things you can do to make the field more interesting, such as scattering tiny treats and then taking her round to find them together, and laying scent trails for her to follow, with a treat every now and then and a 'jackpot' at the end. Leave a toy for her to find. Do you always go round the same way? Vary it, cut across, sit on a chair for five minutes, smear a bit of meat paste or Bovril on a canvas retrieve dummy for her to find. Put up one of those plastic paddling pools with just a small amount of water, for her to investigate - make sure it is closed afterwards so other creatures can't make a mess in it. Put up a few 'weave' poles much further apart than is used for Agility, and go in and out of them together, put up something like an upturned container she can step up on easily - your imagination is the limit!

Make sure nothing is left out in the field overnight as you don't want slugs on it, or foxes carrying away toys or the dummy.

 

[Linda March]

We are both in our 70s and feed raw to our lot. They sometimes have our left over scraps added to their meals, as part of that day's rations, but we don't very often leave anything on our plates not eaten!

These days the raw product is easy to purchase and well packed so as not to create any bloody mess.
Most good pet stores have freezers and sell assortments of convenient sized packs.
If you are worried about using the raw product there is a nice little book that can help you. "The Lucky Dog Weight Loss Plan". It can be purchased on ebay and Amazon for a couple of pounds, it is very easy to understand.

Do you feed treats to your girl? All of this adds to her daily intake of food and best to be stopped
Does she get good exercise every day? This keeps us both motivated and in all weathers, so we get our exercise too.

 

[Linda March]

It looks as if when you order raw food which is frozen it comes in all different flavours which I am worried might upset her tummy

 

[JudyN]

It looks as if when you order raw food which is frozen it comes in all different flavours which I am worried might upset her tummy

You can get single-source raw foods from plenty of suppiers. However, we are deviating from the original post by @Hilary. I have edited the first post in this thread to add her summary. @Linda March, if you want to ask more about raw feeding for your dog, could you please start a new thread?