# Sticky  Diarrhea? Colitis? Runny stool? Normal?



## MaggieRoseLee

Remember to get to the vet if

*Warning Signs That Diarrhea Needs Medical Attention*
• Black, tarry stool, or stool with copious amounts of fresh (bright red) blood
• Loss of appetite
• Marked lethargy
• Frequent vomiting
• Signs of abdominal pain (bloating, groaning, panting rapidly or avoidance response when belly is touched)
• Lasts longer than 48 hours (Since it can rapidly weaken puppies and geriatrics, or dogs with chronic diseases, they may need veterinary attention sooner.)

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/diarrhea-causes-treatment-dog



> *Home Treatment of Diarrhea*
> 
> The most important step in treating acute diarrhea is to rest the GI tract by withholding all food for 24 hours. The dog should be encouraged to drink as much water as he wants. With persistent diarrhea, consider giving a supplemental electrolyte solution such as Pedialyte, available over the counter in pharmacies and grocery stores. Dilute it by one-half with water and add it to the dog’s drinking bowl. Custom canine electrolyte solutions and sport drinks are also available, such as K9 Thirst Quencher. These are flavored to encourage the dog to drink. If the dog won’t drink the electrolyte solution, offer only water. A low-salt bouillon cube dissolved in the water can help encourage him to drink.
> Acute diarrhea usually responds within 24 hours to intestinal rest. Start the dog out on an easily digestible diet that’s low in fat. Examples are boiled hamburger (one part drained meat to two parts cooked rice) and boiled chicken with the skin removed. Cooked white rice, cottage cheese, cooked macaroni, cooked oatmeal, and soft-boiled eggs are other easily digestible foods. Feed three or four small meals a day for the first two days. Then slowly switch the diet back to the dog’s regular food.
> 
> Obtain immediate veterinary care if:
> 
> The diarrhea continues for more than 24 hours
> The stool contains blood or is black and tarry
> The diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting
> The dog appears weak or depressed or has a fever


More info: 


Diarrhea in Dogs and Puppies

http://www.caninejournal.com/dog-diarrhea

Vet Advice: Treating Your Dog's Diarrhea | The Bark



> However, when your dog has mild diarrhea and doesn’t meet any of the above criteria, the best things to start with are a 24-hour rice-water fast; white rice balls that contain active probiotic cultures; and the oral administration of an intestinal protectant such as kaolin clay and pectin (KaoPectate™) or a suspension containing bismuth subsalicylate (PeptoBismol™). Loperamide (Imodium™) can be given if the diarrhea doesn’t resolve easily; caution is required when using this OTC medication in Collies, and don’t use it for more than five days. (Another caveat: While dogs can tolerate PeptoBismol or KaoPectate, these medications should never be given to cats, as they contain salicylates, which are potentially toxic for felines.)
> Fasting your dog allows her GIT to rest and recover from whatever insult it has received. During the fast, make sure she has plenty of rice water to drink. Rice water is the creamy liquid that results from boiling white rice in water. It’s important to use a good quality white rice; “minute” rice does not work and brown rice has too much fiber in it, which does not help firm the stool because it speeds the transit of digested material through the colon.
> To make rice water, boil one cup of white rice in four cups of water for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on your altitude) until the water turns creamy white. Decant the liquid and allow it to cool. You can serve the rice water to your dog as often as she will drink it. If she isn’t interested, mix a teaspoon of chicken baby food (or another flavor that your pet likes) in the rice water to increase its palatability. (Hint: One cup of white rice makes a lot of rice water!)
> *Probiotics*—living bacterial cultures intended to assist the body’s naturally occurring gut flora in reestablishing themselves—may also help speed recovery. *These live microorganisms are found in yogurt*, for example, and are also available from your health food store or your veterinarian as high-potency powdered acidophilus cultures, which are more effective than yogurt for diarrhea. Mix these cultures into the rice water that you are serving your pet during its fast.


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## llombardo

Thank you for posting this. I didn't know about rice water, I always just gave rice. A couple people told me that pumpkin is better then the rice. The supplement I got does have pectin in it, so that is good. I have to run and get some more pumpkin and yogurt.


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## SunnyJoshi

I have a puppy 9 weeks old, he has loose motions when given egg mixed with other ready to eat food. What should be stopped, the egg yoke or the whites? or the egg altogether.


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## lafalce

That's always a good reminder. Thanks for posting.


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## Hutch'sMomma

Hi everyone I'm new to the forum so I wanted to introduce myself and ask a question of all you expert German Shpherd parents. I have 4.5 month old puppy and his poop and been gray lately and I don't know what to make of it sometimes it is a bit loose other times it is solid. Of course i turned to the internet and now I am terrified that my baby has liver disease. Can someone help me figure it out?


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## amburger16

Hutch'sMomma said:


> Hi everyone I'm new to the forum so I wanted to introduce myself and ask a question of all you expert German Shpherd parents. I have 4.5 month old puppy and his poop and been gray lately and I don't know what to make of it sometimes it is a bit loose other times it is solid. Of course i turned to the internet and now I am terrified that my baby has liver disease. Can someone help me figure it out?


Go to the vet if your concerned, unfortunately no one can diagnose over the Internet. It may be a reaction to something in his food or it could be a parasite. Go to the vet and rule out any health problems, then look into switching his food

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk


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## djm899

Hi, I have an 11 week old puppy that suddenly got diarrhea for a couple of days. I took her to the vet and he gave her Flagyl and recommended chicken and rice diet for a couple of days. Ivy is really lean, growing really fast (she weighs 24 lbs). 
My question is, should I feed her as much as she wants? I feed her 4 times a day. She is eating about 1 1/2 cups of food per meal. She seems really thin to me.


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## Taz's Owner

My puppy had super bad diarrhea for a while, so I took him to the vet. Turned out he had giardia. The vet gave him medicine, and put him on a gastrointestinal diet. It went away, and then came back after a while. It is now finally gone, and hopefully stays that way.  Take your dog to the vet if he/she has diarrhea, it may be serious!


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## InControlK9

thanks for that info.. my puppy stools keep changing... never real runny/loose.. but keeps going from solid.. to like a soft mushy solid.. then back to solid.. then back to the soft mushy poo

when I think something may be wrong then its back to solid and im like cool then few days later change again.. is this normal with small puppies? she is 11 weeks


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## Momto2GSDs

InControlK9 said:


> thanks for that info.. my puppy stools keep changing... never real runny/loose.. but keeps going from solid.. to like a soft mushy solid.. then back to solid.. then back to the soft mushy poo
> 
> when I think something may be wrong then its back to solid and im like cool then few days later change again.. is this normal with small puppies? she is 11 weeks


Yes, loose stool is common with pups.

Stool testing IS important to rule out parasites, giardia, or coccidia. It may not be caught in the first testings.

Could be adjusting to a new home, people, noises, routines, being taken away from his siblings/mother, or the biggest one is food and treats.

What exactly is she eating? Brand names, table food etc.

Sensitivities are VERY common to pups and dogs. Some of the culprits are ANY type of Chicken items, Grains, Flax, Yeast additives, even the Shampoo you are using can contain grains with names most people are not familiar with! Check your labels and avoid these items to see if it makes a difference.

Sensitives and allergies begin in the gut b/c about 70% of the immune system lies there! So it is VERY important to keep it healthy with a ProBiotic and using a Digestive Enzyme will also help.

Here are 2 WHOLE FOOD products recommended by Holistic Veterinarian's (not the "animal digest" which is UN-Named and of questionable origin, that they put in the products recommendations by the vet! (Purina FortiFlora)
*Sunday Sundae* (Digestive Enzyme & Pro-Biotic Combo): Sunday-Sundae-12oz
 
*Gut Sense: *(Pro-Biotic & Pre Biotic): GutSense - certified organic probiotic for dogs 
2 other reputable items:
*Digest All Plus:* (Digestive Enzyme/ProBiotic combo) Wholistic Digest All Plus? - Digestive Support - Canine
*RX Biotic:* https://www.pureformulas.com/rxbiotic-for-pets-125-oz-by-rx-vitamins.html

You may want to consider the following kibble for an 8 week elimination diet. BUT, be sure to do the switch SLOWLY so as not to cause gut upset from one food to another.
*ACANA Limited Ingredients*:Lamb & Apple | ACANA Pet Foods 
ACANA Lamb & Apple is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages.
Ingredients: _Deboned lamb*, lamb meal, whole green peas, red lentils, lamb liver*, lamb fat, pinto beans, chickpeas, herring oil, green lentils, whole yellow peas, sun-cured alfalfa, Red Delicious apples*, natural lamb flavor, lamb tripe*, lamb kidney*, lamb cartilage*, dried kelp, whole pumpkin*, whole butternut squash*, kale,* spinach*, mustard greens*, collard greens*, turnip greens*, whole carrots*, Bartlett pears*, freeze-dried lamb liver, freeze-dried lamb tripe, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, zinc proteinate, mixed tocopherols (preservative), chicory root, turmeric, sarsaparilla root, althea root, rosehips, juniper berries, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product._
*ACANA Lamb & Apple Treats: *Lamb & Apple | ACANA Pet Foods

Raw feeding would be my first choice but you MUST research this carefully before attempting. Only a *BALANCED* commercially prepared Raw Diet would be appropriate:
Raw Foods:
*Bravo:* Discover Balance Raw Diet | Beef Frozen Raw Dog Food Diet - Bravo Pet Food Find a store: Find a Bravo Retailer - Bravo Pet Food 
*Northwest Naturals: *Beef Find a store: Store Locator
*Primal: *Complete Raw Diets for Pets: Canine Beef Formula Find a store: Primal Pet Foods: Store Locator
Feeding calculator: Feeding Calculator 


Moms


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## Magwart

Sometimes puppies with negative fecal tests have false negatives -- giardia is very hard to spot on a fecal float (there's a special test for it, but many vets don't stock it). 

We just had a 14 week old pup in foster care with persistently returning "pudding poop" that got better, then cycled back. The fecal float was negative, but the vet suspected giardia or something weird requiring a special lab test to diagnose. Before spending $150 on an IDEXX lab test for a huge range of different bugs, I asked to treat as though it were giardia: we did a _full week_ of Panacur. That fixed it!

Panacur isn't expensive. It's got a broad safety profile. I would ask the vet about trying it -- I wouldn't do less than 5 days of it, and I really think 7 days makes a difference (that's longer than typically prescribed).


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## Momto2GSDs

Hi !
I saw in another thread that you feed BB Large Breed Puppy Non Grain.
*These items could be the culprits!*

Ingredients: Deboned *Chicken, Chicken Meal, *Tapioca Starch, Peas, Turkey Meal, Pea Protein, Tomato Pomace, *Chicken Fat *(preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Dried *Egg, Flaxseed *, Natural Flavor, Potatoes, Fish Oil *WHAT Fish??? This could be anything AND could possibly contain Etoxyquin as a preservative! Their site does not say the fish is preserved "naturally" with** tocopherols (vitamin E), citric acid (vitamin C), or rosemary extract. 
ALL ingredients should be named if it is a quality food.

*Hope this helps and your pups stool gets more consistant!
Moms


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## JenTheGSMama

Hi, What is the ready to eat food you are feeding? And why are you adding an egg? Are you noticing the lose stool when you give the egg and not otherwise? A 9 week old pup has a very sensitive stomach. I have a 16 week old, and when I brought her home, the first week she had lose stools too. How long have you had the puppy?


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## seattleK

My pup is 6 months old and he developed some kind of reaction to his food (Orijen puppy large) and hence had the runs for a month on and off. Every test came back negative (which is a good thing) but made it hard for us to realize that it was Orijen. He is now on K9 Natural and Primal raw and his poop is perfect so far


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## Kathy F.

I have recently put my 10 year old GSD on probiotics. This has stopped her lose stools and constant itching. Also I switched her back to Fromm grain free as that is the only food that doesn't cause her to smell. Royal Canine GSD and Canadae both caused her to smell. I've also spent several hundred dollars on allergy testing with no none allergies!


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