# Loose stool, no weight gain



## SamTheDog (Apr 4, 2011)

Hey everyone, 

Just wanted to check your thoughts in Sam. A few weeks ago he had a bad bout of diarrhea. He was 59.5 lbs, and now 2-3 weeks later he is having loose stool everyday and hasn't gained a pound. I feed orijen lbp and he loves it but is always hungry. Do I need to switch food? Could it be parasites? Thanks.


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## AEA (Sep 17, 2010)

Welcome to the world of a GSD owner.

I have come to the conclusion that all GSD's have similar bouts.

I figure it is just like cat's. In that the loose stool can be caused by just about anything. Stress comes to mind. 

It's mostly just a fact of GSD ownership.

Others will chime in with all sorts of possibilities of causes, but after you read many threads on this subject you can determine that as long as the dog is healthy (wormed, good food, exercise, etc....) occasional loose stools from time to time are normal for this breed.

JMHO.


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## SamTheDog (Apr 4, 2011)

It isnt just a bout of loose stool though, it seems his stool is always loose. He'll have one or two normal ones in 2 weeks of pooing. here are some pictures of him right now, he is nearing 6 months. Hard to get him to stand still but I wanted to snap a few to see if he looks too skinny or not.


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## AEA (Sep 17, 2010)

My opinion is that he is fine at this time.
He will start to fill out after 1 year, reaching his full weight and size within 24mos.


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## AEA (Sep 17, 2010)

Another thing.........
I suspect the cause of the "continuous" loose stool in your case is that you are actually overfeeding him.

Since you are concerned about his weight, I bet you are trying to feed him more. This causes loose stool.

Make sure you are following the guidelines for the food you are feeding. Cut back a little and see if the stool firms up. If it does, there's your answer.


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## bocron (Mar 15, 2009)

He looks like a gangly teenager should look. My girl will be 7 months old next week and looks pretty much the same. All legs and ears. She weighs about 50-55 lbs at this point. 

Annette


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## Tanker (Apr 5, 2002)

Hello, you could try some canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, just plain pumpkin.


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

It may very well be the Orijen. I tried to put my dogs on it about a year ago and they had loose stool the entire time, even with a slow transition and time to adjust. Some dogs just can't tolerate the really rich foods. Same thing happened with Wellnes. 

If parasites have been ruled out including coccidia and giardia (note giardia is a different test), then I would suggest a food change.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

go get some natural balance synergy formula that stuff is the greatest poop food


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## infinite loop (Dec 14, 2010)

Our dogs are apparently living parallel lives 

I really think my problem centered around feeding too much in terms of volume, but not enough in calroies and macronutrients (namely fats)

Mixing in some high calorie/high fat kibble has helped my boy pack on some meat. Check out my post about underweight puppy in this forum, I've updated his progress along the way.


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## SamTheDog (Apr 4, 2011)

I have cut back on the food a good amount and that didn't help. Stool samples were negative but giardia is the only thing I haven't tested for. Would he be showing any other symptoms if it was giardia? He seems perfectly healthy otherwise. 

I think I am going to start by switching the food.


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## AvaLaRue (Apr 4, 2010)

I don't want to hijake your thread but I am curious on this as well. Ava has had loose stools for over a month. She was on TOTW for about 3 months. I took her off TOTW and put her back on raw which she was on previously for almost a year. Still loose stools. She looks like she is losing weight but has a very healthy appetite and is playing etc just fine. I am not increasing her food as I know that can cause the problem. I am feeding her the same amount I always have.

She has been dewormed, etc. I have tried rice and pumpkin as well for almost a week and still loose stools.


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## SamTheDog (Apr 4, 2011)

Well Sam vomited an entire sock yesterday. Don't know how long it was in there. Possible cause of diarrhea?


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## WVGSD (Nov 28, 2006)

AvaLaRue:

You might want to consider SIBO - small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. My rescued GSD, Max, has this and his symptoms were that he pretty much always had loose stool. He also had intermittent explosive diarrhea and bloody stool too. After trying metronidazole, rice, boiled chicken, boiled hamburger, Kayopectate and probiotics, I took the plunge and gave him some Tylan powder after consulting with my vet. Now his stools are firm and solid and he has gained the rest of his weight that he needed to after I adopted him. He is 30 inches tall and weighed just 70 pounds when removed from his previous owner. I was able to get him up to 90 pounds and then he began having loose stools and diarrhea. Once the Tylan was started and he stopped losing his calories, he has finished gaining weight and probably weighs just under 100 pounds now. He is a very tall and long GSD and is not fat by any means.


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## SamTheDog (Apr 4, 2011)

Took some pictures of Sam. I weighed him again on my home scale. Iit looks like he has gained 1 pound in the 10 days since i started this thread. Here are a bunch of pictures of him. They are taken with my cell phone and its impossible to get him to sit still so i know the quality isnt the best. I just feel like he is super skinny, let me know what you think. I am getting a stool sample to the vet today. He is almost 6 months old.


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

My dog looks about the same. Also on the skinny side.


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

He is not skinny at all, just right. The sock could have upset his stomach that's why he's not eating and caused the loose stool as well. 

Try and find canned pumpkins (100% pumpkin, no sugar or anything else) and feed that- if he doesn't eat it, try sprinkling some chicken liver on top- I use Bravo chicken liver treats. 

Let his stomach heal and hopefully he'll regain his appetite. Odin has days when he refuses to eat, a healthy dog will not starve himself (I keep telling myself that when Odin doesn't eat) 

Goodluck .


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