Great Stools ... not So Great Stools ... and everything inbetween ...

[CaSHMeRe]

(I try and come up with interesting titles ... don't mind them ... lol :crazy

ITS A BOOK ... CLIFF NOTES AS BOTTOM IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ

Hope everyones day is going well.

Kaylee has been growing like a weed. Its great. We have had no issues with her besides her UTI at the very beginning which was taken care of with antibiotics. She is average about 3 to 3.5 lbs. a week and is up to about 15 lbs. now at 11 weeks (i know, she is still very little )

Anyways ... from day one, her stools have always been good. A little runny the first day, but after, they firmed right up. Saturday, she went in for her 1st set of boosters (2nd shots) and ever since, we have been battling with runny stools, diarrhea, and sometimes normal stools. It may just be coincidence, but I don't think it is. Saturday and Sunday, during the day, her stools were normal. Saturday night, and Sunday night, an hour into bedtime (11pm) she woke us up CRYING Horribly loud. Not a separation anxiety or boredom type cry, a painful crying. We rushed her outside and she immediately squatted and let go a huge runny steamy one. As soon as she was done, she ran back to the door and was ready to go in and sleep.

Now, Monday-Wednesday (Today) of this week, she might have 1 normal poop a day, and the rest end up being runny, very soft, or just flat out diarrhea. Her stool samples came back fine a couple weeks ago, so no worms, or parasites.

We started Kaylee on Yogurt about 1.5-2 weeks ago while on her antibiotics to help build back up the good bacteria, and she seemed to be doing fine. So, we stopped 2 days ago because we thought she may be lactose intollerant ... guess not since she is still having the runny stools. See her diet below. I thought it may be because she likes wet food so much, but i doubt that would cause it. Any help or suggestions would be great!


Cliff Notes:
* Normal Poo for 2 weeks, runny poo last 4-5 days
* Got boosters on Saturday and its been happening ever since
* Diet is good in my opinion. Started her on yogurt a couple weeks ago, no longer on it now. She was also on glucosamine, ester-c, and cranberry tabs, but have stopped the glucosamine and ester-c because I thought the runny stools might be caused by them.
* Can't figure out whats wrong with our little one.

Diet:
Dry: Eagle Pack Holistic Puppy Food (Protein: 23% and Calcium/Phos at good levels)
Wet: Eagle Pack Holistic Variety of Different Types.

We feed 3 times a day.
Feeding Schedule:
* Morning (7 am) - 1 cup dry, with 2-3 tablespoons of wet mixed in (does not normally finish. leaves about 1/8 cup or less)
* Lunch (12:30pm) - 1/4 - 1/3 cup dry, with a single tablespoon of wet. (She doesn't eat much at lunch, and still sometimes leaves a little bit)
* Dinner (7 pm) - 1 - 1.25 cups dry, with 2-3 tablespoons of wet mixed in (Finishes her dinner every night, and normally wants more)
*** 4:30-5pm = Training ... She gets grain free treats

Now, is there a test that the vet can give to see if she is allergic to anything (ie: grains, dairy, certain meats, etc...) ??? Or is it just trial and error?

Charity told me about probiotics, and I already new about the canned pumpkin helping in firming up stools. My worry is that these will mask the underlying problem, so if she is indeed allergic to something, we won't know. Or I could just be overly worried ... either way ... HELP !!!

Thanks Guys ... :tequila:

 

[NessaM]

I think she reacted to the shots. Call the vet to see if there's anything special you should be doing - but otherwise I'd switch her to a bland diet until the stools firm up and then gradually reintroduce her food.

 

[CaSHMeRe]

I think she reacted to the shots. Call the vet to see if there's anything special you should be doing - but otherwise I'd switch her to a bland diet until the stools firm up and then gradually reintroduce her food.

Great suggestion ...

Also, forgot to mention .... on her neck, where the shots were "injected" there is now a lump ... about the size of a small grape. The wife and I think the liquid collected there so we have been massaging it the last couple days.

 

[noblenewf]

I agree with Nessa- however I will add that when we first brought Gabe home as a pup we tried the Eagle Pack Holistic food as well and he had very runny stools. Not sure if was just a puppy thing- maybe- but we after a week or so of that we switched him to Canidae and everything has been peachy since. Although I think all dogs are different so it may not be him reacting to the food at all. It's most likely the shots. My boys both get loose stools after shots. I would suggest like Nessa said- bland diet of boiled chicken and rice for a few days and then slowly reintroduce the kibble. Another thing that I've found that really works to firm things up is a little bit of canned pumpkin (actual pumpkin...not pie filling) added to the kibble. It works wonders! Good luck!

 

[charityd]

I don't think the probiotics would mask a problem. Her little body is still probably at a low point for good bacteria since they were depleted by the antibiotics. I feel like "The Probiotics Pusher" but I am just really aware of how badly antibiotics can screw up a person or dog's system. All humans and dogs take them at my house on a daily basis. For Kaylee I would recommend the capsule form sprinkled over her food since dairy has the potential to cause tummy upset. Good luck!

 

[Stomp]

How timely of a post. I took my foster in for a rabies shot last evening and he had the runs all night long. I wasn't sure if it was stress or if shots can bring it on. He was cleared of everything else and given a clean bill of health. Then eight hours later.......

 

[CaSHMeRe]

Thanks everyone for the help... the pumpkin worked wonders !!! Her stool is firming up as we speak !!!! Probiotics are next ... Thanks for the suggestion Charity.

Stomp ... Try 100% real canned pumpkin (not the filling) and Probiotics ... Both should help immensely.