Doggy with an upset tummy!

A question about : Doggy with an upset tummy!

Hello

Wondered if I could get some preliminary advice from everyone please? Ultimately I'm going to go to the vets but I can't get an appointment to next week so I wanted to explain the situation here and see if anyone has any valuable experience that might help in the meantime.

We've had him since November. He is an older boy who was in a kill shelter abroad and brought into the UK. He has his pet passport and has had all his jabs as required.

He is a lovely boy who we adore. Such a good temperament and is great fun to be around.

When we first got him he had few runny poo's. We put this down to being moved about quite a lot and thought he'd be better once he'd settled down and in. We didn't get any change over food from the place we go him from so bought some generic dried food. To begin with his tummy and stools seemed to settle down a little but then started being runny again shortly after.

So I did some research and established that Chappie dried food is meant to be good for dogs which have sensitive tummys. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be working either. His poo's are just as runny.

He's not a big eater to be honest so after his morning walk I'll give him his food and he isn't really bothered by it. He gets a quick trot out at lunchtime and when we get back he'll perhaps eat some then. He then gets a proper evening walk whereby he'll get some more food. Sometimes though he hasn't eaten all of the food from breakfast.

This was the same on both types of food he was on. He seems in good health otherwise. Loves going out for his walks, loves being brushed. Not a great 'player' with toys, the squeak of toys scares him!, but enjoys rough n tumble with the other half. His previous owners, wherever they maybe, trained him really well and he is good at sitting etc. However as we don't know his given name, the name we have given him now doesn't register with him and his recall is none!! lol But that's besides the point.

Any suggestions in the mean time for his tummy troubles?

Best answers:

• Hard to say really with tummy troubles. If he is generally ok in health and is just having loose stools, I'd say it suggests just an intolerance to something specific.
  The one thing I'd say is that Chappie generally isn't great quality, but tends to be recommended as low fat and free of dairy. But, I'm also not a believer in the 'cheap dog food kills your dog' message either.
  My only recommendation really would be to try very simple food for a couple of days to see if it improves. By that I've always gone with plain rice and boiled chicken. Keep him on that for a while and see what happens, although you might have a bit of a problem getting him back onto dog food for a few days after.
  If his tummy does settle, then chances are he could have an intolerance for a particular ingredient, at which point you might be able to change the food up. Generally fish based foods seem to be easily tolerated as opposed to beef, lamb etc.
  One other thing to try as well might be to fast him for a day. Sometimes that can help give the stomach time to clear any bugs laying around and heal any inflammation.
• Try something really really bland- a bit of chicken and rice- and see what happens. If he is ok with that then expand it a bit. My gsd has a dreadfully sensitive tummy and I have found raw food supplemented with some biscuit is best for her. I am currently using skinners working dog dry complete, but Burns is also good. Anything else and -well- disaster!! Also, depending on age (ie if adult) I give two meals a day-three produces too much poo so clearly that extra meal goes to waste.
  If he has a sensitive tummy the other possibilities (IME with gsd) include- human food scraps-be very cautious and only give the smallest taste/eating or drinking dirty water when out and about. This is much harder to control- but as a tester you could keep the dog on lead for a few days to see if this is a factor. It may take the dog a few years to work this out for itself and avoid the nasty stuff. Also, don't go out for a walk and then feed too soon after- ditto feeding then walking. I think of it like a toddler going swimming/running a race. Let their system settle. Finally, feed to a strict schedule if you can- and within a good set routine (eg don't feed when you first come in- make sure they have calmed down.)
  Finally, I am presuming worming etc is all up to date-that can impact.
  Something in all this sorted my gsd. Personally, I think a lot of it can be food intolerance as a 'bad' one has an immediate negative impact- within hours.
• My boy has a wheat intolerance and had dreadful poos when I got him last June (fed on cheapo Dr Johns silver) It has been trial and error since then! I avoid wheat based biscuits and for treats use fish or sweet potato or home made liver & oat nibbles.
  Currently feeding approx half Autarky salmon adult with half Skinners duck & rice. Always feed raw veg and fruit too- brocc, grated carrot etc - the equivalent of an apple a day.
  If I blow a 'raspberry' he is very upset,reacts by running off looking at his rear so obviously he has had those tummy problems all his life!(he's 3)
  poohs are now reasonable
  As a quick fix a teaspoonful (or more)of slippery elm food sprinkled over his food or a lesser amount of slippery elm powder( it's concentrated) is very helpful. I always keep some in my cupboard!
• Try a course of Canigest paste which contains probiotics and kaolin which should help settle his tummy. You can buy it from your vet or online without a prescription.
• It's the chappie tinned that you need, not dried.
• He could have developed an allergy. They often do as they get older, towards wheat & cereal. Often found in dry food.
  Try some other types of wet food, check out the contents. Trial & error. A few weeks on each brand.
  Unless it's something more sinister, which obviously the vets will pick up.
• As long as dog is otherwise well I try
  1) Fasting
  2) Bland food - rice, chicken, scrambly eggy
  3) Protexin - paste or capsules or granules
  https://www.animeddirect.co.uk/search...exin/relevance
  4) Burns fish and rice
• My (late) Westie used to have Butchers as it was gluten-free and we found that gluten used to really mess with his stomach. I second rice as a good food for him.
  He passed away due to undiagnosed pancreatitis.
• My rescue mutt has a bit of a sensitive tummy. We eventually took him off dry food altogether and feed him a good quality wet food ( natures menu, naturediet or wainwrights usually), supplemented with raw chicken wings every night and meat bones. Sorted his poo right out.
• I know everyone is recommending chicken and rice for sensitive tums but you might also like to try cold boiled potatoes or sweet potatoes as both these are used in commercial sensitive dog food compounds. My dog loves potatoes!
• Do be aware of the toxicity problem when reheating rice, as it causes tummy upsets.
• I would try the chappie - tinned mixed with a little dry mixer (good for teeth) and would also try to reduce his portions, dogs should be hungry and eager for food. You can reduce for a couple of days and then gradually start to increase (little by little)
• Please be aware that not all dogs can tolerate rice either - my can't, so he's on a grain and rice free food. Applaws (Encore in Sainsbury's), Taste of the Wild and Wainwright's Grain Free are all good.
• Has he had a vet check to rule out anything like gastroenteritis, giardia, campylobacter, etc.? Definately get him on a good diet (I'd look at maybe going grain-free incase of an intolerance) but that won't fix an underlying viral or bacteria infection, if one is present.
• Hi all. Thanks for your great advice. Firstly just want to reiterate what was in my OP. I am taking him to the vet but the appointment isn't until later in this week. So those asking about an appointment can be rest assured.
  In the meantime I thought I'd try the suggestions just in case it was a bug. I fasted him for a day and he has been on rice and chicken for about 3 days now. But rather him do horrible runny poos he hasn't poo'd at all!!!! That can't be good for him either poor man.
  Does this mean an intolerance to rice you think?!!
• Not necessarily. An intolerance would normally show up as loose stool. If he hasn't pooped for 3 days I'd be a little concerned also. A day or two is normal after fasting as they are pretty empty.
  Personally, i'd stick with it and keep a close eye on him for any signs of discomfort in his tummy. If he does show any or doesn't poop in the next 24 hours, I'd hit the vets as right away.
• A dog who's had stomach problems for 3 months really needs to see a vet, we can only hazard a guess at it being an intolerance, a bug, etc. but messing around with his foods may make him worse.
  I can get a vet appointment on the same day at my vets, or within 2 days at an absolute push - I've only once had to make an appointment at another nearby vet as mine couldn't squeeze me in. If you can't get into your registered vet, I'd try others in the area (you can register at as many vets as you like, it's not like GPs) because something is obviously not right with him.
  As odd as it sounds, a blockage in the gut can present as an upset tum - if he's now not pooing at all, I'd be very concerned and would be getting him to a vet this weekend, if anything were to herniate internally, he could go downhill very fast as poo is obviously not the kind of thing you want leaking into the body.