The runs

Ellie has the runs again. Last night she had to go out three times starting at 12 AM and ending around 5 AM. After her last outing with my husband she jumped into bed with me and slept with me til I got up a little past 7. She normally follows me into the shower as I do my morning routine but this morning she just stayed on the bed as I did my stuff. When I said "Lets go out" though she hopped of the bed. Outside she once again had runny stools. When we were walking up the stairs she sorta tripped a little or something as she ended up banging her head into a step. Once upstairs though as soon as she heard me getting her an ice treat from the ice machine she was all life and spirited again. Im calling the vet as soon as they open to get her an appointment but is this normal that a dog has the runs so often? I would say this has happened twice now in about a month or so. Are some dogs just prone to more stomach issues then others or is there something more serious that I need to look into. I feel so bad she doesnt feel well and I figure she is just tired from a combo of the stomach issue as well as the fact that she was probably up all night and didnt get to sleep much. Any suggestions?

I'm no expert but when Riley was a little pup he had diarrhea a lot. Of course he would also eat "anything" that he could get a hold of. I found that I had to keep a really close eye on him because his favorite thing to eat outside were leaves, twigs, or flowers from a tree in our backyard. Turns out it is a Camphor Tree, known to cause gasto-intestinal upset! :sl*p: We went through months of on and off diarrhea before I figured that one out. :roll:
I guess what i'm trying to say is many puppies seem to have a bit of a sensitive tummy. I had to watch what i gave him to eat (treats and food) and really watch whatever he picked up outside (including while on walks). Good luck with Ellie's tummy troubles, hopefully things will get better soon.

hi jasmine!

poor little ellie and poor you for the nighttime adventures! indy has had his share of the runs and went through a bad bout last month. i can't remember---did ellie go to the vet the last time she had diarreah (sp?)?

with indy i just fed him the bland diet but it kept coming back a couple of days after we went back to normal food but a trip to the vets sorted him out thank goodness!!!! he had picked up a bug, probably from all the bits that he vacuums up on his walks, and it had weakened his gut so he had to take antibiotics to shake it completely.

i think indy also has a sensitive tummy so i'm very careful about his treats. he also used to dry heave and vomit a little bit of foamy liquid but that stopped after i spread his meals out to 3 small meals a day. the vet should be able to help you and to see if any dietary changes should be made.

cavaliers are such sensitive little things! i hope that ellie feels better soon!
k

I'd consider changing her diet if she is repeatedly having problems. They do get the runs now and then; but her diet may not be one that agrees with her. I think you mentioned before that she is on raw and I noted then that not all dogs do very well on a raw diet. If this keeps coming up I would switch her to a good kibble or try a cooked diet. Raw suits some, but I also know of many dogs that eventually have problems with raw diets and just do not tolerate them well.

My poor little girl had an accident in her crate while we were away at work. My husband came home to it and he said it was a mess Runny stool everywhere :yuk: She even kicked some out of her crate onto the carpet probably because she didnt want it anywhere near her Who can blame her really So when I came home I was greeted by a little gunky puppy So Miss Ellie had to have a bath for the 2nd time in 3 days. Now she is nice and clean but by tomorrow will that change again :sl*p: She is going to see the vet Friday and hopefully everything will be better soon

As for changing her diet here is the thing. When she had the runny stools last time (I have given up trying to spell the D word as I cant seem to do it right) I fed her the bland diet of rice and chicken it didnt do anything to harden her stool Granted I might have given her at least some of her runs by over doing it with the pumpkin But then we ran out of chicken and my husband decided to just give her some of her regular food since raw food is suppose to harden the stool he read Well he fed her her normal raw food and wouldnt you know it her stool hardened up just like that Whether thats a coincidence or not Im not sure but for now Im giving the raw food the benefit of the doubt Im not feeing her anything tonight as to give her stomach some time to right itself and we'll see what the vet says on Friday

Hope little Ellie feels all better soon. Lucky had a persistent case of colitis as a puppy with bloody runny stools ... so sad ... And it's been back a bit lately after a several month hiatis. So I can relate. :flwr:

Give Miss Ellie a few get well hugs from me & Lucky :hug:

That is definitely simply coincidence. I have had dogs have runs on raw, back when I fed only raw -- if a dog has diarrhea, it has diarrhea and when it passes thru its system, it will improve. The fact that you fed bland food for a day probably did much to help settle the problem anyway (usually you need to feed for several days, not one meal, and after withholding food entirely for 12-24 hours). But the larger issue here is of a dog CONTINUING to get severe runs on and off.

I think that when puppies in particular have continuing on and off problems with diarrhea the first concern has to be diet.

Also if one chooses an entirely raw diet it is good to be sure you are aware of both sides of the arguments on raw. This is a diet surrounded by considerable controversy. I used to go for the argument used by pro raw feeders that this is all because vets don't know anything about nutrition but since, I have spoken to vets who actually get a fair amount of background in nutrition (as a journalist, I find it is often wise to check out claims rather than simply believe them). Also most vets will have stories of raw fed dogs coming it with intestinal punctures, bones lodged in or behind their palates, ripped anal tissue, and other serious problems, sometimes, resulting in deaths. I also used to believe the oft-heard raw feeder argument that more dogs choke on kibble but talk to a vet and this simply is not the case either.

So in trying to separate fact from hype, myth, and stubbornness, I have come around to having a lot more concern about raw feeding than the arguments against raw feeding. I know pro-raw holistic vets who have changed their minds on raw, from emergencies they've seen in their canine patients, and now feel there are risks to the diet that do not outweigh the possible benefits.

Gastroenteritis is considered to be a risk factor for raw.

Raw diets suit many people's personal philosphies on feeding -- but I do not feel anyone should simply feed raw without being aware of the possible risks and considering whether they are acceptable, just as with any aspect of dog care.

Some articles worth reading:

Critique by Dr John Burns of Burns holistic dog foods:
http://www.dogsey.com/dog-articles.php?t=8041

The Wikipedia article, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_feeding , is actually quite good in presenting both sides and has good links for both sides and neutral articles.

Also:
http://www.workingdogs.com/portal/html/article.php?sid=33
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/documents/feeding-raw.pdfhttp://www.woodhavenlabs.com/barf-myth.html
http://www.secondchanceranch.org/training/raw_meat/myths.html

The web is full of pro raw sites and lists for the other perspective. Just make sure you have weighed up the risks v benefits.

Over the years I have not given table food to my Newf. Everytime she eats a different kind of treat or chews any kind of dog chew that she's not used to she gets diarrhea. I have to be very careful. However, I do find that one Pepto Bismol twice usually takes care of it. When Scout was six months old I had her spayed, she developed diarrhea. The vet told me to give her 1/2 a Pepto Bismol pill, it fixed her up within 4-5 hrs. I'm not sure how old your baby is.

I'm not sure if I did the right thing by not introducing different kinds of 'people food' to Breeze. Maybe that would have helped with some of her tummy problems, or maybe she would have been that way anyway, who knows.

People who want to feed raw have to consider the individual dog in terms of the bones that are offered, and the form of the bones. For Cavaliers, I have read and been told that it is best to stick with chicken wings. And if it doesn't seem that your dog takes the time to chew the bones properly, the best thing to do is to grind them up, cut them into small pieces or find a raw product that includes ground bone in it and leave it at that. The argument I have heard in favor of offering larger bones like chicken necks (including from our own top-notch vet) is that it is good for keeping their teeth clean. However, if you can stay on top of your dog's teeth via regular brushing, etc., I think they can go without that portion of the diet, and you can offer other products for them to chew.

There is an excellent article in the current (April) Whole Dog Journal on the subject of feeding, and home-prepared meals in particular. There is a section of the article entitled "Raw Feeding Myths," which is worth the read for those interested. It includes the topic of bones. I am not sure how much of the magazine is accessible online without a subscription.

Thanks for the info Karlin I will definitly take a look. I know that Ellie's breeder is a big proponent of raw food though and though she said we didnt have to keep Ellie on it as it is expensive and hard to find she definitly prefer it. I know its a personal thing but I am trying to adhere to what she feels is best as she loves Ellie just as much as I do especially since she raised her for the 1st 6 months of her life. I wasnt thrilled with her season but I let her have it before I get her fixed as I know her breeder wanted that too.

Ellie isnt on the BARF diet in that she doesnt get bones. She eats Nature's Variety grain free kibble and their raw meat. Ellie was actually on a different raw meat when we got her but the brand my breeder used isnt sold anywhere remotely plausible to buy from so we had to switch her to Nature's Variety since its sold nearby.

Hopefully the vet will be able to clear this up so we know at least whats causing it and what we need to do to prevent it.