# Soft stools, what to food?



## hvtopiwala (Jul 18, 2012)

We rescued our Shiloh Shepherd when he was 8 weeks old and when we got him we took him to the vet and he had tapeworms and roundworms. He was treated with Panacur and something else (forgot the name). his stools are 50% soft and pudding-like, and 50% soft and formed. the vet has him on Prescription Diet G/I food for about 2 weeks now along with FortiFlora on his dinner meal. He is being fed 3 times a day, 1 cup each meal (he is underweight right now too). I am a bit concerned because he is still having soft stools after he has been on GI food for 2 weeks now. he has been tested for Giardia, Parvo and other parasites and they have all come back negative. Could he really be having a intestinal disagreement with GI food? should i try moving him towards normal food from the GI food, maybe a grain free version? I used to feed my last dog Blue Buffalo, and saw BB has a Freedom and Wilderness line that is grain free but the Wilderness has a lot of protein, would that make soft stools worse? I also see Castor and Pollux Organix is a good food, and also Orijen LBP. any input would be great!!!


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## hvtopiwala (Jul 18, 2012)

Also forgot to mention that at night when he's sleeping, his stomach makes loud gargling/rumbling sounds randomly, don't know if that means anything!


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## Minoli (Jul 19, 2011)

I'm not an expert, but I'm thinking it could either be the food or the fact that he has tapeworms and roundworms (both of which I believe can cause loose/runny stools). 

I've added pumpkin to Leo's food in the past when his stools were loose to help with his stomach.


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## hvtopiwala (Jul 18, 2012)

Yeah but would the worms affect him 2 weeks later? Should I try adding pumpkin to his GI food?


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## Madjukes (Jul 1, 2012)

Yes, definitely try adding pumpkin. Something that has helped me is adding digestive enzymes to his meals. I know eagle pack makes one that comes in a tiny shake container like you would shake out herbs/spices. Dante had diarrhea for about a month before I added the enzyme and it gradually sorted out.


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## hvtopiwala (Jul 18, 2012)

ok i will give the pumpkin a try! how much do i add?

we do sprinkle fortifloria on his food for the past week, so far hasnt made a difference...his stool is just so inconsistant, sometimes its formed and soft, sometimes its formed and hard, somtimes its mushy and soft...should i take him off the prescription diet i/d food and try something else?


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

I add 1/2 to 1 tsb of pumpkin


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

My puppy had lots of worms too and the after effect was an irritated bowel! We tried different foods and fortiflora and pumpkin and tylan powder..little help. He is 5 months old and we have now found the answer.

He is on Purina EN diet, probiotics and the key ingredient...*metronidazole*. He is much better now..good stools. I have to say I still get nervous each time he goes potty, but we are now on the right track!

Good luck with your puppy..I wouldnt waste too much time switching foods etc. . The gurgling gut sounds are a symptom of irritated gut! Talk to your vet!


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## lzver (Feb 9, 2012)

You need several deworming treatments before the worms are gone. My Jake had roundworms and tapeworms when we got him and he had 3 deworming treatments. Just a note that things like Giardia may require additional tests ... it doesn't always show up in every sample. We did 3 additional fecal tests with Jake because he continued to have loose stools and all three were clean.

It is so hard to say what is causing the continued digestive upset. If he's only been dewormed once, he likely still has the worms and that could be causing the upset. I don't want to scare you, but with our Jake, at 6 months we are still having digestive upset issues. It can take a lot of time and patience to try and find a food that they can tolerate.'

Good luck clearing up his issues. Been there, done that and I know its no fun at all.


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