Dog has diarrhea

[fishnhuntnboy]

So my dog has had the squirts now since Monday and it is not going away. What may have caused this? Last weekend we went and did some dog training. She did go into a swamp and may have drank some water. Then Saturday or Sunday I gave her a pet bone that you can get at like cub that has some meat, fat and the bone marrow in it. Other than that everything else has been then same. She had had those bones before and never reacted like this. Question is could it have been from when we did training or from the bone? I just don't know whats causing this and hope its not a bug.

Thanks

[MuleShack]

I would suspect the cause may be Giardia from the swamp water or other surfaces that were tainted by fecal matter. I'm not saying that this is the cause but it could be a bacterial infection also. My GSP had this and because he had the runs or loose stools I had it tested and it came back positive. It took 2 rounds of medication before it cleared up. The first round they gave me some lower dose meds and then the 2nd round they upped the dose with another type and gave a 2 week supply.

Either way, probably need a stool sample taken to the vet so they can narrow it down to give the correct meds.

Below is some internet wisdom about Giardia.

What are the signs of a Giardia infection?

Most infections with Giardia are asymptomatic. In the rare cases in which disease occurs, younger animals are usually affected, and the usual sign is diarrhea. The diarrhea may be acute, intermittent, or chronic. Usually the infected animals will not lose their appetite, but they may lose weight. The feces are often abnormal, being pale, having a bad odor, and appearing greasy. In the intestine, Giardia prevents proper absorption of nutrients, damages the delicate intestinal lining, and interferes with digestion.

If we find Giardia, how do we treat it?

Here we go again; treatment is controversial too. There is a question about when to treat. If Giardia is found in a dog without symptoms should we treat the animal? Since we do not know if G. canis can infect man, we often err on the side of caution and treat an asymptomatic infected animal to prevent possible transmission to people.

If we highly suspect infection with Giardia, but can not find the organism, should we treat anyway? This is often done. Because it is often difficult to detect Giardia in the feces of dogs with diarrhea, if there are no other obvious causes of diarrhea (e.g.; the dog did not get into the garbage several nights ago) we often treat the animal for giardiasis.

There are several treatments for giardiasis, although some of them have not been FDA-approved for that use in dogs. Fenbendazole is an antiparasitic drug that kills some intestinal worms and can help control giardia. It may be used alone or with metronidazole. Metronidazole can kill some types of bacteria that could cause diarrhea. So if the diarrhea was caused by bacteria, and not Giardia, the bacteria can be killed and the symptoms eliminated. Unfortunately, metronidazole has some drawbacks. It has been found to be only 60-70% effective in eliminating Giardia from infected dogs, and probably is not 100% effective in cats, either. It can be toxic to the liver in some animals. It is suspected of being a teratogen (an agent that causes physical defects in the developing embryo), so it should not be used in pregnant animals. Finally, it has a very bitter taste and many animals resent taking it – especially cats.

Quinacrine hydrochloride has been used in the past, but is not very effective and can cause side effects such as lethargy, vomiting, anorexia, and fever.

But now we come to yet another unknown. It is possible these treatments only remove the cysts from the feces but do not kill all the Giardia in the intestine. This means even though the fecal exams after treatment may be negative, the organism is still present in the intestine. This is especially true of the older treatments. So treated animals could still be a source of infection for others.

[CC Hurl]

If my lab had this going on for almost a week I would have him checked out. Just my opinion. I have given him those chew bones and real bones like the one you mention here and it has given him the runs. Needless to say he don't get them anymore. Maybe the hot weather has something to do with it. By all means I am no one to ask as this lab of mine is the first big dog I have owned. Just saying what I would do if it were my dog.

Boyd will devour any bones I can buy so that is another reason I don't like giving them to him. With in an hour he will have it in three peices and then swallowing the big parts. I have found that a deer antler is the best thing to give him for chewing on. He can chew on it for hours and make little progress. Good luck and if it continues... get your freind in for a check up.

[GSP4ME]

going on that long you need to worry about dehydration. Mix a little oatmeal into the food, This is what I would do personally. Mix a half cup of dry oatmeal into the food once and give it to the dog. If they have not stopped the squirts pull them off all food for 24 hours and like the other poster said get them to the vet. THis time of the year it is to easy for our four legged friends to get dehydrated any how.

[Bryce]

My home remedy for the squirts. Day 1 - no food. Day 2 - half ration. Day 3 - back to normal diet. To the vet if the condition continues. Haven't had a dog to the vet for the squirts in over 15 years. I usually wait to start the remedy until the dog has had the condition for at least 24 hours.

[nofishfisherman]

There are numerous home remedies for this type of thing. Some have been laid out already.

Others include feeding a mix of boiled chicken and plain rice with no flavors added instead of the normal kibble, adding a few table spoons of plain canned pumpkin to the dogs normal food, adding a few table spoons of plain yogurt to the food, etc. You can also get a special low fat food from a vet. I did get a small bag once upon a time and keep it around because sometimes its easier to do that then boil chicken/rice for a couple days at a time. Also I can bring it with if I am out on the road or something if need be.

All work assuming there is just some normal stomach discomfort. If there is actually an infection you'll want to get the dog on meds though as a food change alone won't cure an infection.

Usually a first signs of the runs i'll start adding pumpkin to my dogs food and that works really well. I just put a can of pumpkin into an ice cube tray and froze it so i can take out one or two as needed since its pretty rate.

Since its been going on untreated for a week now I'd probably take the dog to the vet to see if there way be an infection. Also at this point dehydration could be in the mix so its probably worth a trip.

[fishnhuntnboy]

Well I decided to just take her to the vet. They found nothing wrong but did put her on Metronidazole 500mg 4 tablets a day and said to go get some Imodium and give her that also.

[MuleShack]

Well I decided to just take her to the vet. They found nothing wrong but did put her on Metronidazole 500mg 4 tablets a day and said to go get some Imodium and give her that also.

Did they test a stool sample?

[fishnhuntnboy]

Yea they tested the stool and nothing showed up. The blood work they did they tested for a pancreatic bug or something.

[RumRiverRat]

Give her Yogurt.

Helps get the good bacteria back in her digestive tract.

[CC Hurl]

Nice to hear all is good. They had a report on the news last night about dogs getting sick from lake water do to the algea I think they said. I wonder if the rivers get the same stuff or the current keeps it away? Needless to say it is off to the river today with my favorite two ladies (daughter,wife) and Boyd. Try to snag a cat or two for the smoker.

[DaSwede]

Give her Yogurt.

Helps get the good bacteria back in her digestive tract.

While yogurt works well on humans, dogs do not have human stomachs. The bacteria in yogurt does not work the same on dogs like it does in humans. There are "dog yogurt" like supplements that you can buy. I used to have it bookmarked, but on a new computer. I'll have to do some digging.

[PartyWhine]

Sounds like everything is OK.

Now ...

How about giving the food and water dishes a real good scouring ?

It lasts for a week and it's not ghardia ?

You gotta consider the possibility the bowls are the source.

Hot water, elbow grease and a brillo pad.

Shine 'em up like they were new.

[TylerS]

While it normally doesn't last for days on end, stress also can be a cause of diarrhea. I notice you have a new pup. I'm willing to bet that pooch is experiencing a lot of new things every day; some good, some bad. It's not uncommon for dogs to have diarrhea or loose stool during stressful bouts of time. I don't think my GWP had solid stool for the first week he was home.

[nofishfisherman]

While yogurt works well on humans, dogs do not have human stomachs. The bacteria in yogurt does not work the same on dogs like it does in humans. There are "dog yogurt" like supplements that you can buy. I used to have it bookmarked, but on a new computer. I'll have to do some digging.

When my pup was young he had a few stomach issues and would get the runs once in awhile. it mostly came from his tendency to eat anything and everything he came across. The vet showed me a probiotic type thing she could offer but she said the regular plain non flavored yogurt would do the same thing and at a fraction of the cost. I would just mix in 1-2 table spoons of yogurt into the kibble and it cleared up the issue rather effectively. My dog also loved it.

Now I use canned pumpkin if his stomach is off for some reason, its pretty rare now but I will still give pumpkin in his kibble as a treat now and then.

[fishnhuntnboy]

Thanks for all the replies! She is doing better and having solid stool. I'm honna keep her on the meds just to be sure there is nothing growing in the intestines. She has had diarrhea before but never this bad. She is 24 months old. Atleast now i know some home remedies to do if she ever gets it again. Will have to go buy an always keep on hand!

Again thanks!

[DaSwede]

When my pup was young he had a few stomach issues and would get the runs once in awhile. it mostly came from his tendency to eat anything and everything he came across. The vet showed me a probiotic type thing she could offer but she said the regular plain non flavored yogurt would do the same thing and at a fraction of the cost. I would just mix in 1-2 table spoons of yogurt into the kibble and it cleared up the issue rather effectively. My dog also loved it.

Now I use canned pumpkin if his stomach is off for some reason, its pretty rare now but I will still give pumpkin in his kibble as a treat now and then.

To be honest, one of my vets told me that yogurt would work (my new pup had some stomach issues for a couple days, and a vet on another online forum told me the info I posted above. Whatever works, I guess!

[fishnhuntnboy]

Well the diarreah came back and noticed she was squirting again. I haven't don't anything with her lately cause of work so she sits at home and there has been no training. I gave her the oatmeal and tonight im not going to feed her tonight and then do the half ration tmr and see if that works. What else should I be doing? I cleaned all her bowls. Only thing I can think of is change her food. Her stool has been soft and then turn to squirts last night.

[MuleShack]

This is the same scenario my GSP had when he had Girdia. He had the soft stools/diarrhea then we got some pills for a week...it cleared up. Then it came back a little after the pills ran out. We took him in again and had him tested and it was positive again so we got a 3 week supply of stronger pills and it finally cleared up.

I dont remember seeing what kind of food your are feeding (not that it matters) but just curious.

Sometimes the heat can do this or if the dog gets excitable.

[fishnhuntnboy]

She is on purina pro plan shredded blend....normally pro plan large breed formula but there was a special or the other

[team wild]

Your dog may have A food allergy lots of dogs become allergic to corn and other grains and you might have to switch foods to A grain free food the only thing about that is the cost.Try feeding your dog rice and hamburger but make sure you rinse the hamburger to get all the fat and grease out.You said you feed your dog purina pro plan did you just switch to that or possibility did you switch from puppy food to adult food?

[team wild]

I just read that you did switch the food there could be enough difference between the two to upset his stomach. We had A dog that anytime we changed her food she would get the runs

[fishnhuntnboy]

I normally do purina pro plan large breed but a month ago I grabbed the shredded blend instead. Should I try and switch back to large breed formula

[team wild]

If your dog started getting the diarrhea shortly after you switched foods it wouldn't hurt to switch back.Try giving him the hamburger and rice mixture for A few days.I see you live in ramsey so do I which vet do you use we use Rum River in Anoka and love them.You can also try Kaopektate we have had luck with that also.

[fishnhuntnboy]

I use rum river vet also and the last time I was there they basically told me nothing. Kinda made me mad especially how much they billed me but oh well. Atleast I knew no bugs supposedly