Random Diarrhea
I have been up since 3am cleaning Pirate and his crate and bedding. Once again, he is having a bout of what I call "random diarrhea". It comes on quickly and goes (reasonably) quickly...a day or two. And other than the loose stool, he shows no other symptoms. I've just given him his breakfast of rice with a wee bit of dry cooked hamburger, and a squirt of chicken broth. My question....is there any over the counter meds I can give him to help bind him quicker? He is 65 pounds. I don't think its necessary to rush him to the vet, as he is not acting sick at all. And he seems to get this every few months. Thanks for any suggestions. Oh, one more question....any suggestions how I can stay awake while giving two presentations today????????  (How do they always know which days are the worst for us?) Thanks, my friends! |
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| Hi Deborah!
We were in your shoes yesterday. Jack had loose stool yesterday. Jack and Annabelle did get loose stool every few weeks until we switched to Nutro. I talked to my vet when they were younger and he recommended Immodium AD. The way I do it, I will only give 2 pills, if it doesn't get rid of it, I usually hold off on food for quite a few hours and then I give cooked rice. I have never tried chicken broth and hamburgers. That is a good idea. THanks!  I am guessing some sheepes have very senstitive stomachs. I know both of mine do. Jack is finally getting bigger that he will do everything he can to let us know before he goes in the house. We are very proud of him for that. Yesterday wasn't one of those days, but he tried and that was what counted. Give Pirate a gentle belly rub for me. Stormi and co. |
| You can give a dog some Pepto Bismol - but I'd run it by the Vet to be safe! Also - sometimes diarrhea is the bodies way of ridding bacteria and poisons - so you may not want to stop it.
The one thing I would watch out for (and track) - is he experiencing this diarrhea within a few days of receiving his heartworm medication???? Alot of dogs have a similar reaction to some of the heartworm preventatives. My Vet has told me that they've had a lot of reports of diarrhea in dogs on the generic version of Heartguard. Sydney had a severe reaction to Heartguard when she was younger - which included diarrhea - but much more serious (involving blood and vomitting) - so she was switched from an ivermectin based heartworm preventative to Interceptor (alot of herding breeds - particularly collies have problems with Ivermectin (which is the active ingredient in Heartguard). It took me a few months to make the connection with Sydney. 
Kristen |
| Thanks Kristen, I never though about it being a reaction to heartgard. I know yesterdays episode wasn't related to heartgard, but it is a good possiblility that it has in the past. Stormi and co. |
| Thanks for all the good suggestions! Pirate's problem doesn't seem to be related to his heartworm meds. He takes them the first of each month, so he not due for a few days. And, there really isn't any regularity to his upsets. I suspect he's eating weirdo things in the garden. There really isn't anything that can really hurt him, but I think he's eating enough greens to upset his tummy. And he is notorious for biting off heads of flowers (shades of Ozzie!)  .I add the little tiny bit of hamburger and broth, just because to ME it seems more palatable. He probably doesn't care about it. But they are our babies! I will pick up some Amonium AD at lunch. If he's better at lunch, I'll feel better just having it in the house  Thank you, thank you, thank you! |
Yes, at our house we could buy Immodium AD by the case loads. LOL I wonder if we sensitive sheepie owners should buy stock. 
Our dogs act different though, Annabelle can be sick and still walk with a bounce in her step, but Jack just sleeps the day away. LOL I hope Pirate is feeling better, Stormi |
| Do each of you get yor dogs wormed regularily, and do it again ten days later to get any eggs that may have hatched? Have you had the stools checked for cocccidia cysts? Both roundworms and coccidia are something almost all dogs carry, whether it is active or not. Roundworms, the most common parasite, are carried as microscopic eggs in the lining of the intestine and stomach. The eggs can remain dormant for months or even years, and commonly hormone levels in the dog stimulate them to grow. The eggs are carried in the bloodstream to the lungs, then the eggs hatch and the larvae crawl up the dogs windpipe and tickles the throat. The dog then coughs and gags and inevitably swallows at least some of the larvae. The larvae develop into worms in the stomach and begin the cycle all over again. It is not always detectable in their stools, so even if a fecal sample is negatvie, it is still very possible, and even likely if the dog has not been dewormed in a while, for the dog to have roundworm.
Coccidia is something that is also carried by 72% of all dogs. It may remain dormant, or it may not. It is only contaigious when the dog is shedding the cysts in it's feces. It can't be killed by anything in the dog, but some medications inhibit the cysts growth to push it into dormancy. A sulfa type drug is most commonly used for this, a five day course usually. Just something each of you may want to mention to your vet..... your vets know this, but I find if the vet knows YOU know, they may check more carefully. |
| Pirate's sister Molly just had a bout of hookworms...about 6 weeks ago. So, Pirate was testing at the start of Molly's treatment, and at the end which was just 2 weeks ago. He tested clear . |
| Thanks, Stacey! I will check into that, Jack and Annabelle are due to visit the vet soon anyway.
Deborah, I am glad Pirate has already been cleared. That is good news. Stormi and co. |
| In addition to all of the above recommendations........all excellent......keep miller's bran on hand. For pups with naturally tender tummies, that is when everything else has been disproved (worms, bacteria, etc) your pup may be slightly IBS. (irritable bowel syndrome). Miller's bran, about 1/4-1/2 t. per meal should help firm things up. |
| Sheepieboss,
Thanks for another suggestion. Where do I get Millers Bran at? Thank you, Stormi and co. |
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