What could be causing severe diarrhea??!

[skeeter]

Caesar is a 2 yr. old male. As far as we know he is a healthy dog other than he had entropian surgery a few months ago(his eye looks and feels so much better now). Anyway, for the last week or so he's had severe diarrhea. His appetite is normal and he's not vomiting up his food. He has plenty of energy and his nose is always cold. We stopped giving him Snausages/milkbones to see if that made any difference. His regular dogfood is Techni-cal adult formula(this is a Canadian brand that can only be bought in pet stores so it is a higher quality dogfood). But no change. Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing the diarrhea?? Thank You for taking the time to read this(sorry it's a little long)

[Silvermarten]

Has he been to the vet for this diarrhea ?
A week is a long time to have 'the runs' .
First thing monday am get a fresh sample to your vet .
They'll check for parasites and bacterial overgrowth ( both are usually easy to treat ) .Glad he's feeling ok . Let us know what the vet has to say .

[moondog]

What do you mean by "severe"? There are many things that can cause diarrhea without vomiting and if a couple of days of bland diet (boiled and rinsed ground beef and white rice) don't clear it up, it is time to see the vet. After this long, a week or so, you should get him into the vet pronto. Take a fresh stool sample in with you and have it checked.

Is he drinking enough water? With severe diarrhea, dogs will dehydrate fairly quickly. Make sure he has access to fresh, clean water and you can check for dehydration by grasping his skin between his shoulder blades and pinching it together, then releasing. It should pop right back flat. If it stays folded or returns flat slowly, he is dehydrated and needs a vet yesterday.

[skeeter]

By severe I mean it's pretty much brown water coming out of him. And yes, he is drinking plenty of water! No we haven't taken him to the vet yet as we wanted to see if it would clear up on it's own. I don't want to have to pay for unnecessary tests. Anyway, thanks for the suggestions.

[MontanaRott]

I would make an appointment with your vet as well. I don't think they way it sounds that it would be a waste of your time or money. We got an 8 year old rescue last July and he was having the same problems, a trip to the vet, a presciption diet for a few weeks and he is as good as new. There are so many things that could be causing this, there is just no need not to have him checked.

[skeeter]

I went out today to see what his deposit looked like and it looks like it is comming around. It is not like he does his bissness more than normal but just when he did it was the runs. Today it looks alot better, but I will phone the vet tomorrow to see what she has to say. thanks for the input.

[JeanT]

Several times I have just taken a stool sample in for a check without the dog if all other things seemed to be OK. (If there was any indication the dog didn't feel well, the dog went in.) Most of the time it was negative.

Even for the negatives and diarrhea that cleared on its own, it was worth the $15 and peace of mind.

[brunie's mom]

Whenever a dog get's diarrhea, you should withhold any food for 24 hours, give water but no food or treats, or chewies,etc. This gives the gut a chance to calm down and then the first meal can be boiled rice and boiled ground beef or chicken . If everything is going well, then for the next meal add a bit of the dog's kibble, etc.

It is not normal for a dog to have liquid diarrhea for a week. Could be a parasite , could be overgrowth of bacteria in the bowel...could be lots of things?? Best to get it checked out with the vet.

Also...I would re-think about feeding Techni-Cal, it is not considered a premium brand. It is Pet Value's house brand and probably on the same level as Proplan or Purina One...contains corn and lots of grains. Pet Value stores are starting to sell better quality foods now....foods that contain human grade meats, and veggies, etc... Most of them now sell Wellness, Natural Balance, Natural Blend. You will have to feed far less of these foods then you do of Techni-Cal....and they are far better quality.

Gina

[moondog]

Originally Posted by skeeter

It is not like he does his bissness more than normal but just when he did it was the runs.

The frequency of elimination has to do with where the diarrhea is originating from more than the severity of it. A dog that has inflammation in the small intestine can hold diarrhea, a dog that has inflammation in the large intestine experiences frequent urges to eliminate and cannot hold it. Since the small intestine is where most digestion takes place and most nutrients are absorbed, I would be equally, if not more, concerned about consistent and persistent diarrhea when the dog only eliminated 3 times a day instead of 8.

Either way, this diarrhea didn't just fall out of the sky. Something caused it and a week "or so" is a long time for a dog to have it. You would be wise to have a stool sample checked. A few well spent bucks now to take care of a problem early on can save you hundreds on down the road.

[skeeter]

I wish it would only cost $15 to talk to the vet. But a $50 a time I will just talk to her over the phone than go there and spend needless money for now.

[RottiMomCT]

Originally Posted by skeeter

I wish it would only cost $15 to talk to the vet. But a $50 a time I will just talk to her over the phone than go there and spend needless money for now.

How long do you wait when you are ill before seeing a doctor? Probably not a week if you've got what your dog has, am I right? I don't think a dog with severe diarrhea would be any different than a human being with the same problem. besides, how uncomfortable are YOU when you have diarrhea for ONE DAY? Not fun, is it?? Think of that, times SEVEN for the dog...

I'm sorry that your dog has to suffer because it's such an inconvenience for you to pick up his feces and take it to the vet to have it checked for parasites.

I had a stool sample checked for Ben and the total cost for the test was less than $20...forego your morning coffee and donuts for a week (make breakfast at home!) and that'll cover the cost of the test.

Nobody said dog ownership was easy, or cheap (or even affordable!). Dogs are luxury items....you should feel darned lucky to be able to afford one.

I'm assuming you feed the Adult Formula of the Techni-Cal food...here's the ingredients listing - note that three of the four first ingredients are grains, and I'm not sure if chicken meal is the better of the ingredients for a chicken based diet, or if it is the leftovers (someone please correct me on that!):

Ingredients
Chicken meal, ground corn, ground rice, ground wheat, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E, and citric acid), chicken, beet pulp, whole dried egg, flaxseed, natural flavour, sodium chloride, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, biotin, dl-methionine, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin C, inositol, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, beta carotene, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, vitamin K, biotin, vitamin B12), minerals (zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, iron proteinate, zinc oxide, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), ascorbyl-polyphosphate, yucca schidigera extract, dried rosemary.

Guaranteed Analysis (Canada)

Crude Protein - 31% Min
Crude Fat - 18.0% Min
Crude Fibre - 2.0% Max
Ash - 6.0% Max
Moisture - 10.0% Max
Taurine - 1400 mg/kg Min
Magnesium - 0.1% Max


I'm not trying to come acros as harsh, but sometimes that's whats necessary when it comes to the health of someones pet...to me that is as important, if not more, than my own health.

I'm certainly among those who will suffer with a stuffy nose before I go to the doctor and discover a raging sinus infection that would have been cheaper to clear up had I gone in when I first felt lousy, but when my dog shows signs of being sick, I take him to the vet ASAP...he's too important to me to just have a wait and see attitude.

[skeeter]

Originally Posted by brunie's mom

Whenever a dog get's diarrhea, you should withhold any food for 24 hours, give water but no food or treats, or chewies,etc. This gives the gut a chance to calm down and then the first meal can be boiled rice and boiled ground beef or chicken . If everything is going well, then for the next meal add a bit of the dog's kibble, etc.

It is not normal for a dog to have liquid diarrhea for a week. Could be a parasite , could be overgrowth of bacteria in the bowel...could be lots of things?? Best to get it checked out with the vet.

Also...I would re-think about feeding Techni-Cal, it is not considered a premium brand. It is Pet Value's house brand and probably on the same level as Proplan or Purina One...contains corn and lots of grains. Pet Value stores are starting to sell better quality foods now....foods that contain human grade meats, and veggies, etc... Most of them now sell Wellness, Natural Balance, Natural Blend. You will have to feed far less of these foods then you do of Techni-Cal....and they are far better quality.

Gina

As I said before, we'll be phoning the vet tomorrow so everyone can stop saying the same thing over and over.

As far as the comment above regarding Techni-Cal not being a great food...... We were told by the owner of the pet store(private store not a chain such as Petcetera) that it's a good brand and is geared towards large breed dogs!!! We pay $40 for a 33lb. bag. If this food was as bad as you say, it would be a heck of alot cheaper, don't you think?

[skeeter]

Originally Posted by RottiMomCT

How long do you wait when you are ill before seeing a doctor? Probably not a week if you've got what your dog has, am I right? I don't think a dog with severe diarrhea would be any different than a human being with the same problem. besides, how uncomfortable are YOU when you have diarrhea for ONE DAY? Not fun, is it?? Think of that, times SEVEN for the dog...

I'm sorry that your dog has to suffer because it's such an inconvenience for you to pick up his feces and take it to the vet to have it checked for parasites.

I had a stool sample checked for Ben and the total cost for the test was less than $20...forego your morning coffee and donuts for a week (make breakfast at home!) and that'll cover the cost of the test.

Nobody said dog ownership was easy, or cheap (or even affordable!). Dogs are luxury items....you should feel darned lucky to be able to afford one.

I'm assuming you feed the Adult Formula of the Techni-Cal food...here's the ingredients listing - note that three of the four first ingredients are grains, and I'm not sure if chicken meal is the better of the ingredients for a chicken based diet, or if it is the leftovers (someone please correct me on that!):

Ingredients
Chicken meal, ground corn, ground rice, ground wheat, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E, and citric acid), chicken, beet pulp, whole dried egg, flaxseed, natural flavour, sodium chloride, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, biotin, dl-methionine, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin C, inositol, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, beta carotene, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, vitamin K, biotin, vitamin B12), minerals (zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, iron proteinate, zinc oxide, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), ascorbyl-polyphosphate, yucca schidigera extract, dried rosemary.

Guaranteed Analysis (Canada)

Crude Protein - 31% Min
Crude Fat - 18.0% Min
Crude Fibre - 2.0% Max
Ash - 6.0% Max
Moisture - 10.0% Max
Taurine - 1400 mg/kg Min
Magnesium - 0.1% Max


I'm not trying to come acros as harsh, but sometimes that's whats necessary when it comes to the health of someones pet...to me that is as important, if not more, than my own health.

I'm certainly among those who will suffer with a stuffy nose before I go to the doctor and discover a raging sinus infection that would have been cheaper to clear up had I gone in when I first felt lousy, but when my dog shows signs of being sick, I take him to the vet ASAP...he's too important to me to just have a wait and see attitude.

I'm sorry that you think that we don't care or take care of our dog. I'll have you know I spent a day and a half in tears before he went in for his entropian surgery. He is our kid and we treat him as such(we don't have any "human" kids yet). I was so worried that something might happen to him during that surgery. Everything went fine thank God but I'm just trying to get a point across. You also have to realize that money doesn't grow on trees. We love our dog and do everything we can to make a good life for him so that he lives long and enjoys his life.

As far as the brand of dogfood, what is in your opinion "the best brand"?

[moondog]

I'm not well versed in commercial diets, so I won't say anything other than chicken meal is a flesh meal and better than chicken by product meal and has more meat protein, lb for lb, than simply chicken as an ingredient due to less water content. That doesn't mean that the amount of grains in there added together don't exceed the meat content...they probably do. If you want to learn about what to look for in a kibble, start reading the Nutrition Forum. No one there is selling the stuff, so there is no question whether they have an overstock and need to get their backstock sold or whether they really do believe in a food they recommend. You need to research independently and not just take anyone's word for it (including ours).

Check out the link in this thread for info on cost effectively choosing a good food for your dog - http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/showthread.php?t=40704

I don't think this food is the cause of his distress, unless he has developed an allergy to it, and he would likely be vomiting. Something else is going on and if it was my dog I would want to know what it is. That's why vets go to school and why we go to vets.

[RottiMomCT]

Originally Posted by skeeter

You also have to realize that money doesn't grow on trees. We love our dog and do everything we can to make a good life for him so that he lives long and enjoys his life.

As far as the brand of dogfood, what is in your opinion "the best brand"?

If you love your dog and want to do everything to make sure he has a long and happy life, why are you allowing him to have severe diarrhea for a week? Doesn't make sense to me.

Anyways - I never said what you feed isn't good for YOUR DOG, I'm just saying there are alot better foods out there. I have recommended, Wellness, California Natural, Innova, Canidae, and Royal Canin Sensible Choice Natural Blend (which is what I feed) to people. It depends on the dog. I tried Canidae - Ben can't handle the several different meat sources, it's a rich food for him (although he can eat dirt, the wierdo!). We went back to the original food and he's thriving again.

Read up on foods, don't go by what the pet store folks tell you, they want your $$...

A friend of mine has an Irish Wolfhound, and feeds it dog food for small breeds - because it is smaller pieces of food...same formula and ingredients and all the same stuff as the large breed - but costs her less money!!