Persistent, recurrrent diarhhoea in 11 month old dog - help

[handlemecarefully]

I'm getting to the end of my tether.

She has had diarhhoea maybe 5 / 6 times since we got her (at age 4 months).

I used to give her some wet food with her complete but have stopped that.

I used to give her the children's unfinished food but have stopped that too.

She basically eats just her complete food (Genesis - large breed puppy, which is meant to be rather good). Occasionally she gets a sows ear to chew on...

For her latest bout she started last Monday night so I starved her Tuesday. No diarrhoea on Tues night so fed her Wednesday. Diarrhoea again on Wed night so starved her Thursday. Resolved by Friday...but then, we woke up to pungent diarrhoea all over the kitchen floor this morning.

I feel it's very unhealthy for us to have this continually happening, and although I've mopped the floor with a bleach solution (1 part bleach to 3 parts water) it still feels 'unclean')

Why or why is this happening all the time?

She seems otherwise healthy and happy - no decrease in her energy levels.

It's starting to affect the way I feel about her (presently resentful and hostile)

She did have a sows ear yesterday as a treat because she had been diarhhoea free since Friday - could that have started her off again, or just a coincidence?

It works out as diarhhoea roughly every 3 - 4 weeks.

I have to go out now but will check in later...

Whenever my dogs get the runs I always starve them for the rest of the day and then feed them something really bland for a few days, plain mash, well cooked rice, pasta something like that they can normally cope with some minced chicken mixed in with that.

Pigs ears can have a habit of going straight through a dog, particularly a pup so the latest bout could be something to do with that.

You could try keeping her on the bland diet and gradually re-introduce other foods one at a time, this should help to work out what she is sensitve to.

Both my dogs love chicken and rice though so if one is having it the other one will too!

Could definitely be the pigs' ears - they are really fatty and my dogs always used to get the runs whenever I fed them (so they don't get them anymore!). Agree with tillypup - starve then bland diet. You might want to consider changing the food too. It may be a great food but if she's sensitive to something in it it's no good. There are quite a few 'hypoallergenic' foods - Wafcol Salmon and Potato for example, or some of the James Wellbeloved range. You might need to experiment a bit, but if you do change foods it's best to do it very slowly, over a period of a week or so (including taking her off the bland diet), otherwise it can trigger the runs again.

It's also possible she is picking up on your stress levels. If she's otherwise healthy and happy it's probably not giardia or something like that but if the trots continue obviously take her to the vet.

Starve her then give rice only for a few days, then gradually add the dog food building up the ratio of dog food to rice.

Definately try another brand as well, but do everything really slowly.

Thanks all

Pigs ears are from now on banned!

Will bones have the same effect?

I shall put her onto rice and other bland food as suggested over the next couple of days, and I will try some of the hypoallergnic food too.

Would it be cruel to make her sleep in an unheated garage over night whilst she has the runs? I don't know if I can face waking up to another morning of it all over the floor....but then, not sure whether it would be cruel to make her sleep outside (in garage)

I wouldn't have thought bones would have the same effect as pigs ears. i regularly give my dogs raw chicken wings and they just chomp through them very happily, in fact I'm sure I've read somewhere that raw bones are good for firming up poo. I make sure that I bash the chicken wings well first with a kitchen mallett, they do seem to love have a good crunch on them though.

probably it is for you to decide if it is cruel for her to sleep in the garage. Wherever she sleeps you will have to clear up the mess in the morning, at least a smooth kitchn floor would be easier in this respect. I would not let my dogs sleep in an unheated garage over night at this time of year but then they are a very short coated, fairly skinny breed so do tend to feel the cold more than some other dogs when they are not galloping around. I'm sure as long as she has a nice comfy bed to curl up in and plenty of water she would sleep happily anywhere (though if she's like my dogs she would of course be happiest snoring on your bed, not that they get to do that though!)

Bones definitely have the same effect with our two. I don't think sleeping in a garage is a problem - unless she is already used to sleeping on beds or sofas at night. If you do use the garage can you try and raise her bed off the floor to avoid the draughts. Cardboard or newspaper under her bed would make a good insulator against the cold floor.

If you mean roast bones from the petshop, yes they are likely to have that effect. Raw bones less likely but even so while you are trying an exclusion diet I would not give her any treats at all. [hard-faced mean emoticon]

Thanks - I was thinking after her problem is hopefully resolved...

Raw bones rather than pet shop bones in future then (when this squitty bottom is hopefully sorted)

Thanks wriggle - I might go for garage then - using cardboard as insulator as described. She is a Bernese Mountain Dog so very long haired.

I know you probably have anyway but is she wormed on a regular basis? Sometimes if they need worming it can upset their tummies.

I found that pet shop roast bones, pigs ears etc cause untold mayhem with my dogs innards.
We got nice fish based treats 'cod cobs' that our pet shop ordered for us
Chicken/cheap tuna + rice is good bland diet for a couple of days. Chappie tins are also good, I've found
My dog fed 'chappie' complete, no problems with that at all

Our dog has a sensitive stomach and gets Burns dog food, which is organic and wheat and soya free. I don't think it's any more expensive than any other good quality dogfood. He doesn't get any other treats, apart from the very occasional ostrich chew, also organic and as recommended by the vet.

I would echo what others have said about intoducing any changes very very slowly.

ostrich chews! - I've never heard of those, will ask the Vet next Thursday (have an appointment for reviewing Belle who has been suffering from bilateral ear infection)