My Great Dane has had persistent diarrhea for months - I have gone to the vet and had full bloodwork and fecal exams. All tests came back good - its not bacterial, viral, no signs of organ function problems, etc.
I have read about irritable bowel syndrome in dogs - does anyone have any history with this? Any suggestions on what else could be going on? We feed him a high quality food, he is exercised, socialized, stays indoors and is super loved. We are so worried and tired of the accidents! Any advice is appreciated.
Answers:
I have a Dane that cannot eat kibble. As soon as he even takes a mouthful of kibble, he will have the runs for days.
It has been years since I have had to deal with a dane with the runs for very long. I feed a raw based diet.
I have never met a dog that has bowel issues on a raw based diet. And it is cheaper to feed than kibble.
Dr. Dodds suggests this diet for any dog with food issues:
White fish, 50-50 cooked sweet potato and white potato with fresh garlic thrown in for taste.
maybe try changing some things
different food
maybe he gets overfed?
Have you tried supplements?
www.arknaturals.com has a line of herbal, all natural supplements that might help.
Also, they sell "beneficial bacteria" for puppies. You get it at pet stores. It's worth a try.
Try a hypoallergenic diet, if it's IBD that can help. He may also need medication if that's what is going on. BeneBac or yougurt to correct bacterial imbalance may help.
constant diarrhea can cause clostridrim difficile in dogs and people- be sure they've checked for that.
Have you changed to a different dog food? our puppy went through months of diarrhea and testing- and we kept putting him on a bland diet of chicken and rice (vet instructions), and everytime we went back to dog food- diarrhea. i kept asking if the puppy could be allergic, and was put off.
When the puppy was 5 months old- went to a new vet- found the c. diff, and changed to purina EN gastric food (no wheat or something like that is different)- presto! no more diarrhea.
The big bag cost $50 compared to a big bag of store stuff being what 30-35- but OHHH no diarrhea. The dog was allergic!
has he ever had a normal stool? or is it a persistant thing, but not always? it could be stress diaherrea if it isn't all of the time. try to figure out the events that happen before an accident occurs and see if changing the behavior or something about what is happening before the accidents helps any. if not you might want to find a gastrointestinal specialist. they can do further tests to help you determine why this is happening. don't go chaning foods around without checking with your vet. sudden and constant changes in food could make things worse. good luck. i feel sorry for you and the dog. golly a dane with loose stools is not a pleasant thought! my best to figuring this out!
A friend at work found her problem was due to a particular flavor of canned pedigree.
Maybe an ingredient in his food doesn't agree with him. What are the main ingredients? What are you feeding him? If he's on a mostly, say, beef/red meat formula, maybe try a chicken/turkey formula in the same brand. I would research the IBS more also, maybe ask your vet about the possibility. Have they tried anything to settle his stomach? Mylanta? Flagyl(Metronidazole)? Carafate? I would be persistent...possibly find a Gastroenterology specialist to take him to. Good luck, and I hope you figure it out.
feed your dog purina one sensitive system please trust me...make sure you give the dog time to get used to it it will take a lil time not an over night fix
Here are some tips
If your dog has diarrhea and seems to be reasonably strong, happy and active, simply follow these guidelines:
Cut the amount of food you are feeding in half
Feed home cooked bland diets; they are vastly superior to
the commercial bland diets promoted by many veterinarians
http://www.sidyboysfoolin.com/diarrhea.h...
Some common causes of diarrhea include:
Stress:
If your pet is not used to riding in a car, going to the vet, being boarded at a kennel, it is not uncommon for them to get diarrhea. Usually this will clear up very fast on its own once the dog settles down.
Sudden food change:
Changing a pets food should always be done gradually, over a 1-2 week period. To do this, start with giving the pet mostly his old food, but mix in a tad of the new. Each day add a little more of the new food to the mixture until the old food is gone or until at least 1 week has passed. Some breeds are very sensitive to a sudden food change and can literally cause horrible reactions and the dog may have to be hospitalized.
Turkey:
During the holidays, we all love to share with the dog...but you must do so in moderation. Never give a dog a lot of turkey- it will cause him to get diarrhea. A couple small pieces (teaspoon size) should be fine. Remember to never give the dog bones from your Thanksgiving feast! These bones can, and will splinter in your dogs system, and cause horrible results- it can actually puncture the stomach, bowels, etc., and cause your dog to need surgery or it may even cause death. Don't risk it.
try slippery elm mixed with aloe vera. danes are normally quite soft excrement anyway.
great danes have very tricky digestive systems and i hate to tell you this but it could be an intestinal disease, their very common in great danes theres not really a particular reason they get it mostly because they are so big but you should try changing up his diet
I had a cocker mix in foster care with Irritable Bowel Syndrome also called Colitis. Well it was kinda 2 things at once. It didnt matter what i did to house train this dog she would poop anywhere includeing where she was sleeping. Sometimes it was runny, sometimes not depended on the stress level that day. I had to really get her on a very super bland diet, it was mixed with brown rice that I had to cook this helped with some of the diarrhea. Had to be on a schedule STRICT schedule no divations. That always didnt help. There really isnt any meds for it you have to kinda mix and match a few practices to get it down
You didn't mention what food you feed your dog, but food is a definite possibility for why your dog has problems. I have three dogs and one is sensitive to chicken and another is sensitive to lamb so I buy a dog food that has either VENISON or DUCK or RABBIT as the meat source, same brand but different game blends. These atypical meats are often easier on dogs. They all three tolerate the Venison and Rice blend, Nature's Recipe. Flint River Ranch makes a Venison blend that was also not on any of the recent recalls. You could add a bit of acidophilus to the food and some supplements for skin and coat. If you decide to change to a new food, do it gradually and add a bit of pumpkin pie filling to the diet. This helps to stop diarrhea.
There are two kinds of pumpkin pie filling. One has sugar and spices in it and one is just the plain pureed pumpkin. Get the plain kind.
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