3 Month old diarrhea issue

[jonnyc4t]

Hello all,

I am new around here. I have yet to post any introduction because I am trying to get this up on the boards and to bed (it is 230am my time) I just got home from work. Before I ask my question I am going to give you a little background on my experience with my dog thus far.

I picked him up on the 27th of November and he was born on the 3rd of October. I had him home for about 3 days before he got extremely sick. One day we were outside playing, he was fine, happy and acting like a puppy. We go inside and I had been getting ready for work when he started having accidents all over the floor. This was very unlike him....although he had only been home for 3 days I had been laying puppy pee pads down and he knew to go on those. As I was cleaning up the diarrhea he started violently vomiting clear liquid up. He proceeded to lay down and vomit and diarrhea in place and his eyes became drowsy...he was going into shock. This all happened within 20 minutes of being outside and going into the house. I sped him to the vet where they kept him until close and I was faced with the decision of taking him home or transferring him to a 24hr facility...I did the latter. They kept him for 3 more day (an astronomical vet bill) and then he was cleared to come home. The vet could not tell me anything about why this happened. The only thing they told me was his protein levels were extremely low and he was severely dehydrated. Kind of obvious from all of the diarrhea and throwing up he was doing prior to going to the vet.

I have since been back to the vet 2 times just to make sure everything is ok. The vet is amazed at how well he looks, he is gaining weight, and all around in awesome shape...except for his diarrhea. The vet has me putting a packet of "FortiFlora" by Purina into his food once a day. This doesn't seem to be making a big difference. Sometime he has solid movements more often he does not. I have been home for about an hour or so and he has had two large piles of diarrhea (liquid). I am currently feeding him "Exclusive Large Breed puppy chow" which is an all natural chicken based dog food. I read it is on par with Blue Buffalo (I started him on the longevity type of this food and switched off it after seeing it was fish based. I thought maybe that had something to do with the diarrhea). I need to figure out what is causing this problem. I know the obvious answer is "go to the vet" believe me, I am solely funding my local vet at this point and they can't give me an answer. I am reaching out to all of you because I feel you probably have a much better grasp on the breed compared to my actual vet. You all may know something he does not about what types of food is good for them and that kind of thing.

ANY insight, direction or opinions are greatly appreciated and welcome here and I look forward to becoming an active member of your forum! I attached a picture of my little man...his name is Odin.

[Husky]

Has he had all his vaccines? I'm thinking it could be parvo, but I don't know.

[jonnyc4t]

Has he had all his vaccines? I'm thinking it could be parvo, but I don't know.

He has been tested for parvo by both Vet clinics I took him to and negative both times.

I am going back to the vet the 26th of this month for the very last of his vaccines. The poor guy has also been wormed about 4 times already...

[Lee&Falks]

I know with older dogs who have the squits you feed them boiled rice and boiled chicken but i am not sure with puppies

I would wait for advice off more experienced members

Good luck

[jonnyc4t]

I know with older dogs who have the squits you feed them boiled rice and boiled chicken but i am not sure with puppies

I would wait for advice off more experienced members

Good luck

When he came home from the vet the first time that's what his diet was for about a week. It didn't seem to help much and he didn't really want to touch it. I also tried feeding him boiled hamburger and mixing baby food with it. He wasn't having any part of it.

[Tan J P]

Poor Odin

Is he still being sick too? or just the runs now?

could you be feeding him too much?,i know this can make them very runny,i had similar problem with Shadow because it didnt look much in her bowl i gave her more and she ended up very runny for a while and it was a nightmare getting her back right.

A lot on here feed raw and swear by it,so i'm sure some1 will be along shortly to advise you.

hope he gets better soon

[jonnyc4t]

Poor Odin

Is he still being sick too? or just the runs now?

could you be feeding him too much?,i know this can make them very runny,i had similar problem with Shadow because it didnt look much in her bowl i gave her more and she ended up very runny for a while and it was a nightmare getting her back right.

A lot on here feed raw and swear by it,so i'm sure some1 will be along shortly to advise you.

hope he gets better soon

He acts like a puppy, very playful and all around happy.

I feed him a cup of food in the morning and then another cup at night. Is there a recommended amount I should feed him per day?

[Tan J P]

He should really be fed 3 to 4 times a day at his age.

not sure on cup measurements,but we feed Shadow a handful of kibble with some cooked chicken or sardines in oil 4 times daily.

maybe the cup measures are too much in 1 meal,you could try splitting each meal he has at the moment into 2 meals,hence giving him it 4 times daily and see if this helps.

Also do you soak his food a little?it does help them to digest it better.

[Lee&Falks]

I woukd agree with Tania. Falkor got 3 meals a day and even now he gets 2 smaller meals rather than 1 bigger meal which he would eat as it would make him loose

[Hyshqa]

I'd definately go with smaller meals more often, and I do think you're over feeding by quite a bit. At three months old he should only be on about one cup a day, so 1/3 per meal. With some food brands they give you exact meaurements for how much to feed - I've done this with Kiska, who's on White's Premium Puppy, as they give age groups (Up to 12 weeks, 3-6 months, 6+ months) and then within those they have dog weight categories and then a suggested weight range for food given per day, so Kiska is on the exact right amount of food for her age range and weight for that food I'd also suggest soaking it before feeding and serving it with a bit of that water. That will help with any dehydration issues caused by the constant squitty poos, and will make it softer on his teeth and tummy. That, along with the reducing the amount he is fed, should hopefully sort him out assuming it's not an underlying health issue causing this. I know my Kiska gets very squitty if I give her a bit too much food but as soon as I see she's starting to get like that I reduce the amount she's getting and it sorts her out within a day. I think with vets they're not likely to tell you if it's something as simple as over feeding because all the while he appears ill you'll keep bringing him in....$$$...so they have no desire to correct you unfortunately.

Good luck with your pup, he is SO cute!

[HuskyCouture]

I'd feed him 1 cup in the morning, 1/2 in the afternoon and then 1 again at dinner. Also Huskies are a Medium Sized dog so I wouldn't feed him Large Breed puppy chow, just regular. Maybe even check out other brands, Orijen, Taste of the Wild, Wellness, just to name a few. Check http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ to find the best food for Odin

Also did you get him from a reputable breeder? This could have a lot to do with it.

[Kells xx]

what food are you feeding him?

it may be too rich....

also to stop the sloppy poo's give him boiled rice and cooked chicken breast (no bones)

in small amounts until the poo is solid again and then slowly re introduce the kibble...

good luck and i hope he gets better soon

oh and welcome to the forum

kelly

[jonnyc4t]

Thank you all for the replies!

As far as overfeeding. The back of the bag says 5-10lbs (currently he is 13lbs) feed them 1-2 cups per day, that is where I got my food measurement from in the first place. Whether or not this is accurate is a whole other discussion, I am sure it varies from dog to dog how much they should get fed.

Good point on the medium breed and feeding large breed chow. Maybe I should try out yet another brand like wellness. I heard good thing but silly me when I go to my local pet shop I ask the employees for suggestions...again I am sure they don't know half of what people on here or deal with Huskys know. I was returning a bag of blue buffalo to try out wellness and they told me I was wasting my time because they are identical in ingredients (which from the back of the bag was actually true). I can't seem to find that Exclusive dog food brand on that website. I know it is newer but not knowing how other dogs reacted to it makes me a bit nervous.

The boiled chicken and rice he was on when I brought him home from him overnight stay at the vet. He ate a tiny bit of it and would not go near it. When I'd mix a bit of baby food he was more inclined to pick at it but ultimately he did not enjoy it. It could also possibly be because he was still nervous and not feeling so well.

The breeder as far as I know is a reputable breeder. Her puppies are well known and go QUICK. She told me the clubs she was part of and all of that, did a thorough interview before giving me the dog (standard) and when my pup was sick she was calling the vet as much as I was. I am overall happy with the breeder that I choose and as far as I know she told me none of the other pups had any issues whatsoever.

Maybe I can post the ingredients to the dog food here if that could possibly help? After the realization that it is large breed chow I will most likely try weening him onto a more reputable food for medium breed...poor guy.

[Mazz]

I've posted this several times and while it does repeat some of the information already provided, it has worked for my dogs. Have not needed to apply it to Zoya yet (knock on wood).

Withhold food for 24 hours. Still provide water. This lets the digestive system get a break and allows it to settle.

Feed 1/4 cup steamed rice with 1/4 cup boiled skinless chicken, cut up, twice a day. Three times a day is fine as well.

Between meals, give a spoon or two of plain canned pumpkin. This will help firm up the stools.

If the dog turns its nose, don't force the food. Just pass on to the next feeding time.

After two or three days, gradually mix kibble and reduce the rice/chicken. After three to four days, you should be feeding all kibble.

Some may also suggest two or three raw chicken wings. I've never done that, but they say it helps with runny poo.

And yes, overfeeding will induce runny or soft stools. Also, the food itself could be the problem. Here are the ingredients in Large Breed Puppy Chow:

Whole grain corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, soybean meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), barley, dried beet pulp, animal digest, calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, fish oil, salt, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, DL-Methionine, manganese proteinate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, calcium pantothenate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.

The bolded items in red, are all suspect ingredients, and are all at the top of the listing. I would seriously consider a different food. Corn is cheap, does not provide a whole lot of benefit for dogs, and is often a source of aflotoxin, which can be fatal. In some dogs, it can induce a laxative effect. Any "by-product" indicates that part that would normally go in the waste barrel. In chicken by-products, you'll find feet, entrails, feathers, beaks, etc. Brewers rice is simply a cheap filler, suspect of being an allergen to many dogs. Soybeans are probably added for their protein value. However, soybeans are not the best for dogs. Animal fat? From what animal? Hard to know here. The source is not listed. A lot of dog foods will list "beef fat" or "chicken fat". For all anyone knows, this could be "horse fat". Dried Beet pulp is a filler. Many dog foods, even the good ones, contain beet pulp. But since this is so high up the list of ingredients, there's probably more beet pulp in this food than many other foods. Animal digest is simply the entrails (stomach, esophagus, intestines) of some animals. What animals? Again, they don't say.

Good luck, and please keep us posted. Hope you get this issue resolved.

[jonnyc4t]

These are the ingredients top to bottom in this "Exclusive" food:

Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, corn gluten meal, chicken fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, beet pulp, egg product, flaxseed, fish meal, natural chicken flavor, salmon oil, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root. Then it goes on listing stiff like Zinc proteinate, copper proteinate etc.

I am so incredibly nervous eliminating food completely because of the whole protein levels being deathly low when I had originally brought him into the vet but maybe it is something that I have to do in order to set his stomach straight. After seeing those ingredients is it still suggested I switch foods? If yes, can someone suggest me one they feed their Husky. I have heard and read good things about wellness but I would really rather have an opinion/suggestion from a dog owner that has a member of the actual breed rather than go to a dog review site.

[husky princess]

i havent read all of the replies but i would defo check the amount you are offering and defo give smaller more frequent meals at least 3 times a day if not 4 times a day to lower the amount on his tummy at any one time. also are you adding fluid to the kibble to soften it 30-60mins before feeding to prevent it from expanding in his tummy?

it sounds to me as if it could well be the actual food is not suiting him...have you tried raw feeding (needs to be done carefully) or a food like tast of the wild or orijin which has high quality ingredients in it??

i assume he's had a stool sample done?

I assume he's been wormed?

If you are in contact with the owners of the litter, have they had similar experience? or is it just your pup?

Is he well in himself, is he happy, lively, lots of energy etc

If the incident was related to him eating something from the garden (perhaps a harmful plant) then he im sure he would have sorted himself out by now, i would say its conincidental and has nothing to do with being out in the garden.

I hope he gets better soon, as soon as my dogs (& any foster dogs i've had) get upset tummies 2 days worth of raw chicken wings sorts them out 100% of the time. and yes its fine for pups - including the bones

[jonnyc4t]

i assume he's had a stool sample done?

I assume he's been wormed?

If you are in contact with the owners of the litter, have they had similar experience? or is it just your pup?

Is he well in himself, is he happy, lively, lots of energy etc

Multiple stool samples/wormings have been done between the breeder having him and after his accident. He is happy, lively and has lots of energy. We just got down running in the yard for about 2 hours (snowing in my part of my country ). Also I have spoken with the breeder when he got sick and no other puppy had an issues.

[husky princess]

then i would defo rule out the food issue and put him on 2 days of raw chicken wings and slowly integrate onto kibble (or keep him on raw).

[sutsibe]

Ok, since he won't eat the rice and you're worried about the protein levels (I understand where you're coming from, there!), try feeding him just a little bit of cooked, boneless, skinless chicken - small portions at a time over the day - for today and into tomorrow. I've heard of a number of puppies (and yes, from reputable show breeders too) who have had similar problems. He may have an intolerance to grains, which seems to be common in Siberians - IF this is the case, it doesn't matter that the ingredients in the food you're feeding are of reasonably good quality overall, they just aren't quite right for him! You might want to consider finding a food that doesn't contain any grain.

One thing you can try to help him have solid poop as you wean him back onto kibble is to add a little Metamucil (Psyllium fiber - I use a generic) into his food (with water!) about 1/2 teaspoon per meal - add a little more if necessary the next meal. I've used this a number of times when I've had similar trouble. Most of my guys live outdoors in a kennel situation (I also have cats, and most of my dogs think they'd be yummy!), and in cold weather, I've had trouble keeping weight on an individual dog here and there. Feeding an increased amount of food has caused diarrhea, which causes weight loss! It's also used by mushers in Alaska, according to a vet tech friend up there, so is well tested! Here are a couple of links for some more information...

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=0+1303+1459&aid=1473

http://www.vetinfo.com/dogmed.html (Scroll down)

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5594770_metamucil-side-effects-dogs.html

[jonnyc4t]

then i would defo rule out the food issue and put him on 2 days of raw chicken wings and slowly integrate onto kibble (or keep him on raw).

Is that as easy as it sounds? I just go to my local supermarket and pickup a pack of raw chicken wings and feed them to him? Any tips to doing this? I was always under the intention chicken bones splinter and are terrible for dogs stomachs.

Sutside I will be trying that and looking into those links shortly, thank you very much for that bit of info.

[husky princess]

Is that as easy as it sounds? I just go to my local supermarket and pickup a pack of raw chicken wings and feed them to him? Any tips to doing this?

yes its that simple

1 - buy a pack of chicken wings from supermarket

2 - open pack

3 - give to pup

4 - you observe while he eats to ensure he doesnt choke - but its unlikely

5 - poo will come solid quicker than you can imagine!! LOL

I would gauge how much to give, but i would offer him 2 for breaky, 1 at lunchtime and another 2 for tea time. do that for 2 days and then slowly introduce kibble. eg.

day 3 - 2 chick wings for breaky, kibble for lunch, 2 chick wings for tea

day 4 - 2 chick wings for breaky, kibble for lunch and tea

day 5 - just kibble

dont mix kibble and raw, apparently its different rates of digestion

i will be amazed if it doesnt work

[daxwax]

Ditto everything Mazz has said. Sibes are especially prone to food intolerances and many are reactive to grains - wheat is the usual culprit but also corn, beet pulp and even rice in some cases. This often manifests in chronic diarrhoea and failure to thrive.

This is the one instance in which I wouldn't necessarily take the advice of a vet - they are not supportive of raw diets in general and are not familiar with the quirks of your average sibe.

As someone above suggested a raw/BARF diet is ideal and is, after all, what dogs are supposed to eat! It can be quite tricky to find a commercial dry food that doesn't contain grains or fillers of some sort - the only one I would personally recommend is Fish4Dogs but I have no idea if that is available in the US.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

could he have picked anything up in the garden and eaten it?

pups are a right pain for picking things up and eating things they shouldnt

[HuskyCouture]

when you give him the wings make sure you hold on to it as well, i did this with embry when he was sick and he actually ate the whole wing whole without chewing it up

[Mazz]

These are the ingredients top to bottom in this "Exclusive" food:

Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, corn gluten meal, chicken fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, beet pulp, egg product, flaxseed, fish meal, natural chicken flavor, salmon oil, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root. Then it goes on listing stiff like Zinc proteinate, copper proteinate etc.

I am so incredibly nervous eliminating food completely because of the whole protein levels being deathly low when I had originally brought him into the vet but maybe it is something that I have to do in order to set his stomach straight. After seeing those ingredients is it still suggested I switch foods? If yes, can someone suggest me one they feed their Husky. I have heard and read good things about wellness but I would really rather have an opinion/suggestion from a dog owner that has a member of the actual breed rather than go to a dog review site.

Sorry about my post. I did a google and came up with "Purina" Large Breed Puppy Chow. What you've been feeding must not be Purina brand. The ingredients you've listed are good ones, so unless there is a grain intolerance, or you are overfeeding, the food you are using should not cause any problems.