Dog Community

Suggestions Please!!

Posted : 6/7/2006 12:29:39 PM

Our two dogs--Mojo, a 2-year-old Labradoodle and Emma, a 2-year-old Airedale--have for the last few days or so been suffering from a weird kind of diarrhea.

Both are very-well housebroken, and with the exception of very rare 1 day bouts of upset stomachs, have been extremely regular, predictable (and EASY!)

But in the last week, both have been suffering on and off from diarrhea with watery stools.

The weird thing is that other than this, both have shown absolutely no signs of ill health or any discomfort, etc. They're both very playful, have excellent appetites, sleep through the night without problem, display normal barking patterns, etc. Their demeanors are upbeat, happy and exuberant. Their food has not been changed, nor has their feeding schedule.

I know this is crazy, but recently I was away for 8 days in Paris. Mojo is extremely attahced to me (as I am to him!) and my absence, according to my wife, quite obviously affected him. But I've been back for nearly a month now--I can't believe that both dogs are displaying some kind of displeasure with my going away by developing simultaneous cases of the runs.

Does anyone have any experience with this, and/or suggestions as to how to handle it?

Thanks so much in advance!!!

Seth

agilebcs

Posted : 6/7/2006 2:22:14 PM

Have you started a new bag of food? Sometimes formulas change or a bag can just be "bad". What do you feed them?

I would take a stool sample from each to the vet to look for coccidia or giardia (which if they have it, may or may not show up).

For right now, I'd not feed them for 24 hrs, then start them on a bland diet (rice and either boiled chicken or hamburger) and also get some canned pumpkin (not pie filling) and give them some of that with their food. The fast will help clear out their intestinal tracts and the fiber in the pumpkin will help firm them up.

christina

Posted : 6/7/2006 2:29:46 PM

Winston had a similar ailment, but he was mopey. I took him to the vet and he was really dehydrated. Monitor their water intake to make sure they are getting enough because diahrea in dogs is like in humans - dehydration is a problem. Also, it could be allergies, either seasonal or otherwise. If you can get a stool sample, I took what looked like mucus to the Vet to be checked....there was nothing "wrong" but with the extra fluids that the Vet gave and the science diet chicken and rice food, Winston was back to normal in 24 hours. Good luck!

jessies_mom

Posted : 6/7/2006 2:30:58 PM

Welcome to idog; Have you taken stool samples to the vet to be analyzed? Worms can cause diarrhea and it's a good idea to check the stool. It's unlikely your absence caused this because of both dogs having the symptoms and the fact that it's a month after you returned. Is there anything they could have gotten into such as some trash or some type of yard chemical or

oison; that would account for the diarrhea; you could check the yard, garage, etc. to see if they've been into something. I know others will be along with more ideas; good luck and keep us posted.

Margaret Tyler

Posted : 6/9/2006 6:22:22 PM

Joey had poop problems when my husband and I went on our honeymoon and again when we went to Florida for a couple of days. So maybe it could be stress.
Did you board him while you were gone? Most boarding facilities do not feed the food you brought unless you specify that they have a health issue. A friend of mine had a dog die of kidney failure, because he thought that the boarding facility would just feed the food he brought. It's much easier for boarding facilities to bulk feed all the dogs the same food.

loveukaykay

Posted : 6/10/2006 12:49:06 AM

I would think a parasite or they got into something... you said you didnt change the food, and I would think if it was stress or depression from you trip they would be displaying some sign other than JUST watery poop... if they are acting noraml otherwise, I say its something which didnt agree with them or they possibly have contracted a parasite...

Seth Ruffer

Posted : 6/12/2006 12:09:59 PM

Hey, everyone--

First, I apologize for not checking in here. I know this sounds dumb, but I actually forgot to check back here til today. Many, many thanks to all of you for your kind responses and concern.

Mojo and Emma are fine. Whatever got to them is gone, and has been for days now.

We're bringing them to the vet this coming weekend anyway (annual check-ups, and shots for when they're boarded in August for our upcoming vacation) so we'll let the doc know what happened.

Thank you all again.

Regards,

Seth