Dog Community

Question about Prescription Diet

Posted : 7/9/2006 1:06:22 PM

Hi all! We have a 4 mo old Rhodesian Ridgeback - Colby, who is currently on a four day diet of Hill's I/D (intestinal diet). He was on Solid Gold Wolf Cub (dry kibble) before, and started having loose stools (the ole soft serve effect) about three weeks ago. We figured the food was just too rich, and the vet suggested the canned I/D.

His first day was yesterday - and his stools were perfect in color, shape and consistency all day - he seemed a bit constipated - but otherwise he was back to his old routine. This morning he woke us up at 5:00 - very early for his lazy bones- and when we took him out he had really loose stools - pretty much diarrhea. This has continued all day - three times- and each has been worse than before this diet.

Is this normal when changing over to such a diet? The vet told me not to worry about transitioning him gradually from the Wolf Cub since the I/D was so bland - so I am wondering if his system was just getting used to it. He did have some excitement the night before - went visiting and met three dogs and a handful of goats. He had a good time, but could stress from that have caused this?

Thanks for any help! Colby is our first puppy, so of course everything is a crisis. [

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Xebby

Posted : 7/9/2006 1:18:46 PM

Sounds normal when dogs swich over from foods. It usaly takes a few weeks to notice a huge difference in the stool. Not all diets work the same for all dogs so you may need to try something else but it really just depends on your dog. It also depends on what else is going on to make your dog have runny stool. The canned can have something to do with it vs. dry but it's hard to say, your vet would know best.

brookcove

Posted : 7/9/2006 4:34:43 PM

The I/D really shouldn't have this effect. It's basically rice and egg (and some other bland stuff). Is it possible he has a stomach bug?

Don't worry about feeling worried for nothing. I've raised dozens of pups now. One thing I've learned is that for the puppers, everything is a crisis.[sm=biggrin.gif]

Colby James

Posted : 7/9/2006 7:42:12 PM

I guess it could be a stomach bug - he did manage to get into some pretty nasty water last night- I wonder if that could have done it? He's still got a hearty appetite (ie always hungry) but he won't drink water at all. We've put quite a bit of water in the I/D, he ate around 5 ice cubes, and we gave him some watered down-gatorade. He prompty peed about eight times afterwards and he doesn't seem dehydrated (skin is elastic, eyes bright, etc). He's also going to the bathroom regularly.

He was pretty sleepy all day - he took some walks but always lazed out afterwards on the floor. He's lazy but not usually this lazy. (He's loosing baby teeth also - not sure if this can make him feel bad?). Of course now that it is near bedtime he is running around the house and actually fetching (go figure a ridgeback actually doing that). He definately is more bratty today!

I'm going to call the vet in the morning - the tiredness together with the really loose stools is worrying me and I keep thinking about that stagnant water he found.

Margaret Tyler

Posted : 7/9/2006 7:44:51 PM

I agree with Brookcove. I'm not a fan of prescription diets for problems like loose stools and coat issues. There are foods that you can find at a pet supplies store that will control stool and coat issues that are alot less expensive than prescription diets and often have better ingredients.

If it were my dog, I would try Sensible Choice Large Breed Puppy. Sensible Choice is very basic. It's the only basic food that I can think of that is still a large breed pup formula. Nutro Natural Choice is very basic too, but I've heard of lots of dogs getting loose stools on Nutro Natural Choice - including my own.

You can find Sensible Choice at Petco and alot of your small feed stores carry it too.

cyclefiend2000

Posted : 7/9/2006 7:49:28 PM

amelia had really loose poops for a while. this was sometime ago, and we took her into see an emergency vet. that vet put her on i/d. it firmed her poops up right away with a cold turkey switch. i would see the vet ASAP, as he shouldnt be having loose stools with i/d. [sm=2cents.gif]

willowchow

Posted : 7/9/2006 7:50:58 PM

Just for the record, the ingredient list goes water, egg prod., turkey, rice. . .hate that pesky misinformation about ingredients.

And, I think you should see the vet before trying anything more. He could of picked up giardia from the water or maybe he's got some other parasite issue going on.

brookcove

Posted : 7/9/2006 8:28:28 PM

I had a dog that needed to be on bland food for a while post-pancreatitis. After I picked myself off the floor at the price of the I/D (this dog would have needed two to three cans per day), I quickly analyzed the ingredients and nutrient profile and asked the vet whether I could make my own. When I named off what I'd do she agreed readily. I've used the recipe ever since with great success. It's about two thirds white rice, which I then pour into a baking dish with one third egg (about six eggs per two cups cooked rice). The eggs is processed with the shell before adding in. I bake this into a souffle like consistency, which I cut into half pound servings and bag up. Later I'll add in boiled ground meat, whatever the vet suggests. I keep a few of these in the deep freezer for emergencies.

However, the I/D is very effective at quieting the GI, so I'd be very concerned if it weren't working to soothe things down. Puppies are very susceptible to coccidea, for instance, and it can break out rather suddenly and be an awful bear to get a handle on once it's gotten a foothold.

willowchow

Posted : 7/9/2006 9:03:24 PM

Yes, most people I know get told they can use i/d if they don't want to cook the rice and chicken or hamburg.

The only thing I've noticed with Willow is that she can tolerate the egg product in the i/d but if we make her eggs, she's sick for days. Go figure.

Colby James

Posted : 7/9/2006 9:20:00 PM

We were planning on transitioning him from the Wolf Cub to Wellness Simple Solutions before I took him to the vet last week - and I plan on putting him on it after the four days on I/D the vet instructed.

I am going to take him to the vet in the morning and get them to do another fecal test. They did one before they had me switch him to I/D and said they didnt find anything, but I wonder if they would have looked for Giardia or other similar parasites? I know there may be a more thorough test they can do, but unfortunately, I didn't think at the time to ask what parasites they actually looked for.

Should I go ahead and not feed him in the morning and at lunch (he gets fed four times a day) to clear out his system - or is this not necessary?

Thanks everyone for your advice - I'll definately have the right questions to ask the vet tomorrow.

brookcove

Posted : 7/9/2006 10:44:21 PM

Oh, I just realized you said you fed Wolf Cub. Barley can be a real problem for sensitive tummies. I know he's not on it right now, but it might be something to consider when you go back to a non-prescription diet. Is he a Dane? I know Eagle Pack comes highly recommended for Great Danes. And Sensible Choice has a little simpler formula - basically chicken and rice.

beth82

Posted : 7/10/2006 12:34:30 PM

You've mentioned a lot of things that can cause loose stools - stress, excitement, switching foods, even teething. It may just be that everything together is too much for his system. If it were my dog, I would give him a couple of days to rest and eat small, bland meals. Hopefully that will let his tummy calm down.

Colby James

Posted : 7/10/2006 1:13:08 PM

Poor guy was up at 2, 4 and 6am this morning with the runs. The last stool looked a bit better- there was a bit of shape to it, but still not good. I took him in this morning and they did another fecal test- and came up negative for giardia and coccidia. The vet seemed to think it was something he ate (the goat scat or the stagnent water). She gave me another four days of I/D to keep him on until his stools return to normal, and then gradually switch him to the Wellness. She gave me some albon as a precaution for coccidia in case it didn't show up in the test. She also gave me some IGY (microbial gel) to get his gut back in balance. He thinks both taste WONDERFUL -thank god. Of course, goat scat, grass, and dirt also taste wonderful to him.

So far both BMs today have been pretty runny still, but I am hoping the bland food and the treatments will help him very soon!

I do wonder - can anyone tell me what is the difference between diharrea and loose/runny stools? I know this seems basic, but I don't *think* he's got diharrea; and the vet told me he was not dehydrated at all and didn't have a temp, which is def good news.

Colby James

Posted : 7/10/2006 1:14:54 PM

Lord - I slaughtered that word - diarrhea - and such a lovely one it is![

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sandra_slayton

Posted : 7/10/2006 1:39:49 PM

My Grandma always called it "the bathroom trots".