# Random on/off liquid poop. (Out of ideas)



## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

Gang -

My GSD is 6 months and has had on/off diarrhea for the last 2 months or so. Recently, I realized it was because we were feeding her too much breakfast (2x normal amount) on training day in order not to feed dinner prior to training. We have since corrected course and it's been fine. 

In the meantime, I had her tested for giardia which came back negative (I know it can be hard to detect). The vet gave her 5 days of flagyl while they were testing as they said it wouldn't hurt to take it. 

Fast forward 1.5 weeks:

Today, she had liquid stool again. To make matters worse, it seems like she's having issues in her crate as well. What's odd is it's not a pile of poop...I found small circles of what appeared to be liquid poop embedded into the pan. I thought it might be little paw prints of dirt at first. 

Does anyone have any ideas? I don't think it's the food as she'll have solid stool for a week/week and a half, then have 1 day of diarrhea. With giardia, could she have solid stool for 1-2 weeks then have diarrhea? 

She has acted just fine, active, and has a great appetite. Not sure if this helps, but I also found a very small (1in diameter) of yellow liquid on the floor that may have come out from her behind as well. In one of the very small pieces of stool, there was also a few pigments of red today (first time I have seen this).

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.


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## Mom2Shaman (Jun 17, 2011)

Yes, both giardia and coccidia can be on and off again. You may want to try a different food anyway with a different meat source (lamb, bison, venison, etc.). I had one that couldn't tolerate the preservatives (long time ago before food really started evolving). Keep looking into it. Having soft stool is not the best to keep ongoing.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

When my boy went through this, it was the chicken...


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## kmarti32 (Mar 28, 2011)

I went through the same thing with my dog. I too would try a different food. I don't know if it was the chicken (BB LB) in my Dog, but I switched to Bison (WolfKing) and haven't had a problem since.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

Had it with Shasta, too, when she was a baby. We ditched Blue Buffalo chicken for Nutro Lamb and Rice and it cleared up. She can eat real chicken, though, with no problems.


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

So you guys are saying that she could eat the food just fine for 1-1.5 weeks and it still might be an issue? It seems like a lot of you had the same issues and switched to a different meat source, so I'm curious did your dog also have solid stool for a week or 2, followed by a day of diarrhea, then back to solid again? 

Her cycle thus far has been 1-1.5 weeks of nice solid stool, followed by a day or 2 of liquid, then it fixes itself for another 1-1.5 weeks of nice, firm stool...cycle then repeats.

I have fed her Wellness LBP and after going through a 30lb bag, I switched to Innova (the same kibble she was eating as a baby from the breeder).

Any advice on if I should have the vet prescribe something? It's just difficult for me to know if it's actually the food or a disease that isn't getting picked up in her stool tests. Logically, I would have thought if she can have solid stool for 1.5 weeks at a time, it wouldn't be the food, but you guys would have more experience.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i would take a fesh stool sample and urine
sample and go to the Vet again. i also
would have a complete blood
panel done again. i would also take a close
look at what i'm feeding. i would read the labels
on the bag and cans to see if i could figure anything out.
i had a GSD that couldn't eat preminum foods.
the dog i has now has dire rear when he's fed turkey in any form.
good luck i hope you figure it out soon.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

*Vets*

your dog is continuously not doing well
and your Vet hasn't found the problem. 
don't hesitate to get a 2nd, 3rd or 4th
opinion. maybe find a specialist if necessary.
i hope your dog feels better soon.
it's such a burden on us when our pets aren't
felling well.


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

Did the vet do a snap test for giardia? I would test again but have the vet send into the lab. If they aren't sluffing off they won't be seen. Labs tend to find it often when the vets don't. I'm assuming he/she checked for coccidia as well (different test).

Sigourney had the same issues when she was a puppy. Hers was due to giardia, had to do 3 rounds of treatment AND Wellness food. I put her on Innova LBP, with that and the giardia treated she has been fine ever since.

If all of that is ruled out, start looking at allergies.


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## WVGSD (Nov 28, 2006)

I would try a novel protein source like bison, venison, rabbit, etc. with a gradual introduction. If that does not correct the diarrhea, I would consider small intestine bacterial overgrowth. My adult GSD, Max, has this and it is corrected with Tylan powder quite easily. 

First try a food change and then, if that does not help, I would suggest checking for bowel disease. Unfortunately, German Shepherds are quite prone to this. Since yours is a puppy, let's hope that it is his food and that he needs a different protein source.


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## SchHGSD (Dec 20, 2001)

Send a fecal to the lab. Vet's can and do miss things in fecals, especially since it is usually the Techs who do them. I would also consider a fecal culture.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

s14roller said:


> So you guys are saying that she could eat the food just fine for 1-1.5 weeks and it still might be an issue? It seems like a lot of you had the same issues and switched to a different meat source, so I'm curious did your dog also have solid stool for a week or 2, followed by a day of diarrhea, then back to solid again?


Yes.

However, I would also try a trial run of Tylan and treat for SIBO. Testing first for it would be good, but I'd treat no matter what the results said. And while you're running a test for b12/folate (sounds like it hasn't been done?), I would include a TLI to test for pancreatic insufficiency. A 12 hour fast is required, stop giving enzymes if you are giving them. The test (b12, folate and TLI) should run about $170 and should be high on the suspect list for any GSD having digestive problems, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned it yet....


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## GSDSammie (Dec 13, 2010)

Our GSD was experiencing similar symptoms around the 6 month mark and onwards as well. He was having chronic soft stool, sometimes it would appear to be better, and sometimes worse. We tried various organic kibbles but nothing seemed to work. When his stool was soft he would also seem a bit more lethargic and not as interested in food or water. After multiple tests they determined he has SIBO and treated him with Tyleson. He is now 20 months old and has only had a couple of minor flare ups since which were treated with either Tyleson or Metronidazole. 

The key for our pup seemed to be switching to a raw diet - we started doing some research around the time he was sick and decided to give it a try. Since then he has made a HUGE improvement in stool, coat, teeth, smell, energy level.

Hope you're able to figure out the issue soon and find the appropriate course of treatment for your pup


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

Thanks everyone. I spoke to our vet today who put her on 3 days of Panacur. From there, if it's still not doing the trick, I'll switch to a lamb+rice formula gradually and see if that will stick.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Well, I will duck from all the bullets coming my way for this but:
I would feed her IAMS or Eucanuba. They are low quality foods but
for some reason they are real good about producing the kind of stools
you want. Once she has been OK for a while S L O W L Y introduce
higher quality foods back into her diet.
JMHO


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

Thanks, Paddy...

If the treatments aren't working, I'll probably look into getting a less rich food. Perhaps switching to Nature Balance or go with the Kirkland Lamb+Rice. I'm thinking maybe they aren't as rich as the Wellness or Innova.

My breeder also emailed me saying she might suggest to the vet with treating with Albon for 7 days...

We'll see how the Panacur works.


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

Update:

After 3 days of Panacur, the dog seemed to do fine for 1.5 weeks until today (which is a normal cycle for her) and she got runny stool again. I have been just feeding her plain rice/chicken which she does well on + 1/3 cup of kibble...I had switched to a Lamb+Rice formula but it doesn't seem to really be doing much and she's getting too skinny. 

Breeder is suggesting a 2 week course of Flagyl (last time it was 5 days but she's saying that's too short). 

Tylan powder also seems to come up on the forums, but does that actually treat anything or just help with symptoms?


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

s14roller said:


> Update:
> 
> After 3 days of Panacur, the dog seemed to do fine for 1.5 weeks until today (which is a normal cycle for her) and she got runny stool again. I have been just feeding her plain rice/chicken which she does well on + 1/3 cup of kibble...I had switched to a Lamb+Rice formula but it doesn't seem to really be doing much and she's getting too skinny.
> 
> ...


Just called our vet who will prescribe 1 week of Flagyl along with low residue kibble for a few weeks.


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

The Tylan powder treats SIBO (small intestinal bacteria overgrowth). Do you know if your vet ran a test for SIBO?


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

fuzzybunny said:


> The Tylan powder treats SIBO (small intestinal bacteria overgrowth). Do you know if your vet ran a test for SIBO?


No, I don't think they ran any tests for SIBO. If the Flagyl and new low residue diet doesn't work, I think that might be a good next step. Or at least just try to Tylan right away.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Flagyl is incredibly effective. However, some dogs will have neurological side effects (many more don't). What for weird things like wobbliness, or slipping, or overexcitation of body parts. Most of the time, you won't see such side effects with short term use. however, my boy gets them at about day 3 on the med.

Tylan is much safer for long term use, or with dogs that have side effects. If you already have the Flagyl, I would try that.


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