# High Fiber?



## Marissa (Dec 31, 2009)

So my boy Izaak has been having issues with diarrhea for months. After lots of tests and treatments it pretty much comes down to diet. I have him on TOTW Pacific Stream currently. He has been on Blue Buffalo wilderness, and regular Blue Buffalo before that. The diarrhea has been on all these different diets. I want to start him on a higher fiber diet that isn't so rich...any suggestions?


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

Have you tried adding canned pumpkin, bananas and/or plain yogurt to his food? 

These have all worked for Shasta. She gets one or two of them every day. I'm thinking about trying applesauce, too, since she likes apples quite a lot and applesauce is beneficial for humans who have diarrhea.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

Marissa said:


> So my boy Izaak has been having issues with diarrhea for months. After lots of tests and treatments it pretty much comes down to diet. I have him on TOTW Pacific Stream currently. He has been on Blue Buffalo wilderness, and regular Blue Buffalo before that. The diarrhea has been on all these different diets. I want to start him on a higher fiber diet that isn't so rich...any suggestions?


You might want to add a little cooked rice to the TOTW and see if that helps to firm up his stools. For treats try using cheese.


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## Marissa (Dec 31, 2009)

The problem Im running into is that he has an overgrowth of bacteria in his stool causing the diarrhea. We believe the cause is too rich of a diet. I dont think adding pumpkin or anything will eliminate the probelm (although I havn't tried it so I dont know for sure). That would definetly be an easier alternative than switching the diet and feeding multiple types of dog food.....which I would be less than thrilled about!


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

Marissa said:


> The problem Im running into is that he has an overgrowth of bacteria in his stool causing the diarrhea. We believe the cause is too rich of a diet. I dont think adding pumpkin or anything will eliminate the probelm (although I havn't tried it so I dont know for sure). That would definetly be an easier alternative than switching the diet and feeding multiple types of dog food.....which I would be less than thrilled about!


So what he doesn't need at this minute is more fiber. It sounds like you might want to give his intestines a rest. For kids you would use the BRAT diet, broth, rice, applesauce and tea.

For dogs you can do rice, cooked lean hamburg and broth (add water to the hamburg) I'm not sure about the applesauce, but I'd add in a few teaspoons of a yogurt that has an active yeast culture to help restore the good bacteria.


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## Lesley1905 (Aug 25, 2010)

I agree to give his stomach a rest! I always call it "pressing the reset button"


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## GSD_Xander (Nov 27, 2010)

Whiteshepherds said:


> So what he doesn't need at this minute is more fiber. It sounds like you might want to give his intestines a rest. For kids you would use the BRAT diet, broth, rice, applesauce and tea.
> 
> For dogs you can do rice, cooked lean hamburg and broth (add water to the hamburg) I'm not sure about the applesauce, but I'd add in a few teaspoons of a yogurt that has an active yeast culture to help restore the good bacteria.


Off topic, and entirely irrelevant, but I thought BRAT (at least for kids) was bananas, rice, applesauce and toast (plain). But adding tea/broth as a fluid would def. be good. 

I do think doing a "reset" on his system would be good and using the yogurt with active yeast cultures! I know my friend that has a very sensitive stomach has had to do that and taking some of the yeast cultures seems to help.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Have you thought about adding probiotics to his diet? You would need to buy a good probiotic with high cultures to repopulate his system.

Adding pumpkin might firm up his stool by adding fiber. I believe green beans will too.


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

Jax08 said:


> Have you thought about adding probiotics to his diet? You would need to buy a good probiotic with high cultures to repopulate his system.
> 
> Adding pumpkin might firm up his stool by adding fiber. I believe green beans will too.


100% agree but use a dog-specific, enteric-coated probiotic.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

GSD_Xander said:


> But adding tea/broth as a fluid would def. be good.
> 
> I do think doing a "reset" on his system would be good and using the yogurt with active yeast cultures! I know my friend that has a very sensitive stomach has had to do that and taking some of the yeast cultures seems to help.


Can dogs drink tea? 

Yogurt does not have enough cultures in it to repopulate the system. I doubt it would have enough to overcome an abundance of bacteria either. When I was on long term antibiotic I took a probiotic with 11 different cultures in it at the highest amount I could find.


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

Jax08 said:


> Can dogs drink tea?
> 
> Yogurt does not have enough cultures in it to repopulate the system. I doubt it would have enough to overcome an abundance of bacteria either. When I was on long term antibiotic I took a probiotic with 11 different cultures in it at the highest amount I could find.


Yogurt cultures will just get digested by the dog. The one below is good quality. I would feed a kibble with beet pulp if this is a chronic problem. Beet pulp is very gentle on the system, picks up water and is the perfect medium for probiotics.

Berte's Ultra Probiotic Powder Digestion Aid (1 lb) for Cats and Dogs Berte's Probiotic Powder - bacterial digestion aid. [7082] - $13.95


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

GSD_Xander said:


> Off topic, and entirely irrelevant, but I thought BRAT (at least for kids) was bananas, rice, applesauce and toast (plain). But adding tea/broth as a fluid would def. be good.


There's probably several variations of it. I had a friend whose doctor recommended Rice Krispies with apple juice instead of milk when they were sick.


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## Mika140 (Jan 8, 2011)

I've had similar issues with my 5 yr old GSD - and I've been through about 6-7 different kibbles with him. Some did ok, but still diarrhea on most. I found the fish based kibbles were too rich for him. So far he has done the best on a lamb based kibble. I had him on regular Orijen and he did good - but just switched him to the Acana Grasslands (lamb based grain-free) and it's the best he's been. I'd probably have him on a more simple lamb based, but he needs the higher protein level that most lamb based don't offer. I also add in a NOW acidophilus probiotic once a day. It was the most simple probiotic I could find and has helped him out a lot (3 billion, stabilized). And green beans have worked great to firm up his stool too. I'm actually finding that I may not need them on the grasslands food, but we're still adjusting and I haven't decided for sure.


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