Diarrhea for Corgi...again...

[DarkSephiroth]

Corgi seems to have bad diarrhea once again. He had this about 2 weeks ago, we went to the vet and did a fecal sample in which they found nothing particularly wrong. They gave us some Metronidazole, an antibiotic, and his bowels movements solidified.

Last night when I walked him at 9:00 PM, he had diarrhea again. Then the next morning when I walked him around 12:00 AM he had a solid poop. Tonight he's begun having massive diarrhea once again, it started around 3:00 AM. When I walked him, he was shooting out diarrhea and it got all over his butt-hairs on all sides. This happened twice on the 3:00 AM walk. Around 5:30 AM, I heard a tiny whine so I knew something was up and I took Corgi out. He proceeded to have even more diarrhea, with a little bit of blood in his stool. I promptly bagged and sealed it, and it is now in my refrigerator.

I am planning to get another fecal test done tomorrow when I wake up. I'm a bit disturbed since they didn't find anything wrong the first time and he still appears to be sick. Should I just get a fecal test done, or is there something else the vet can do that is special? He was also negative on a Giardia test on our last visit. This is starting to look like a Mystery Diagnosis.

He has eaten nothing except his Purina ONE Sensitive Systems kibble, and he has not gone anywhere outside of my place for the last 3 weeks except to go for walks up and down my street. There's been no changes in his lifestyle in the past month except that he has not been to the Dog Park at all due to his health.

Any ideas or suggestions? Will the vet be able to help this time?

[Corgis4me]

Have you considered trying a different brand of food?, you would have to introduce it slowly over the course of about a week. Something with maybe a different protein and I would look for something without corn gluten in it. I haven't looked at all of purinas foods, so I don't know if they have something else without added corn gluten, but I would also make sure they dont have wheat and by products in them.

I had fed my Corgi Nutro when I first got him and it gave him really loose stools. I then switched to Natural balance, but by 6 months I put him on Fromms which has been a good choice. His stools are always good and no need for pumpkin with him.

I'd put him on a bland diet of chicken and rice for now for a couple of days.

Is he acting normal otherwise?

Here is what is in the Purina Sensitive food

Salmon (natural source of glucosamine), brewers rice, pearled barley, oat meal, corn gluten meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), fish meal (natural source of glucosamine), salmon meal (source of salmon oil), animal digest, calcium phosphate, salt, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, Vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite

[LaRogue]

Corgi seems to have bad diarrhea once again. He had this about 2 weeks ago, we went to the vet and did a fecal sample in which they found nothing particularly wrong. They gave us some Metronidazole, an antibiotic, and his bowels movements solidified.

Personally, I would put Corgi on a bland diet to let his digestive system rest. I would then gradually switch to a different food. JMO, if he were my dog.

If you'd like to try the bland diet, I've copied my vets instructions for it from an old thread
Bland Diet for Diarrhea, How Much?

You have to follow the instructions EXACTLY, if you don't it won't work. One of the keys to it's success is NO TREATS OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF FOOD until you've completely switched back to dog food. It's a PAIN to do (and you have to do alot of math to get the amounts correct) but it's never failed me.

Use ground beef & rice or chicken & rice. Use one or the other or a mixture of both, but DO NOT switch between the two. Don't panic if your dog is passing little or no stool on this diet.

Prepare the diet by BOILING the meat and discarding the grease. Cook the rice (separately) and mix the ingredients together in the amounts of 1 part meat to 3 parts rice. Feed your pet the same amount of bulk, but break the amount into several (4-5) small meals per day. Stay on the diet the prescribed amount of time and when it is time to return back to regular food it must be done slowly to avoid vomiting and/or diarrhea.

3 days only meat & rice bland diet (no dog food/treats)
2 days meals 3 parts bland diet & 1 part dog food
2 days meals 2 parts bland diet & 2 parts dog food
2 days meals 1 part bland diet & 3 parts dog food

When you're back on all dog food (still feeding 4-5 small meals a day) cut back one meal every 2 days (by increasing the amounts of the other meals) until you reach your normal feeding schedule. I forgot this part in the orginal post.

I make 3 cups rice and 1 beef, store it in the fridge, measure out individual meals (1/4 cup = 4 Tablespoons), and microwave it to warm up.

I've found the time and inconvience all this takes to be worth it. Hope Corgi feels better soon!

[DarkSephiroth]

No need to go to the vet, eh?

[Chip's Mom]

You have to watch and make sure he doesn't get dehydrated. Is he drinking water and how often is he having the diarrhea?

[LaRogue]

No need to go to the vet, eh?

With blood in the stool, I would've probably already have been or at the very minimum called. The emergency vet I use is very good about saying over the phone whether it's something they feel can wait for my vet during normal business hours or to bring him in. Barring that, I would rest his digestive system until I could get him to a vet, either by fasting him (which is not *my* first choice) or putting him on a bland diet.

[ColColt]

Bubba's only had that problem a time or two and once I used the chicken/rice formula and the other time I used Science Diet's i/d formula. Both worked for him.

[Peggy]

I agree with the bland diet and changing his food. Even though the ONE says for sensitive systems maybe the corn doesn't agree with him.

As for going to the vet, I would at the very least take the stool sample in. Maybe another course of Flagyl (which is Metronidazole). By the way Flagyl is an antibiotic too. Used mainly for digestive system/diarrhea problems.

Giardia is not always picked up on a stool sample. And sometimes other parasites like coccidosis can be missed. So taking the stool sample in is a good idea.

What kind of treats is he getting? Any people food tidbits? And no either of these aren't necessarily bad, but might be a clue to what's causing this.

Peggy

[GinaRae]

Does Corgi have a temp?

How is Buster acting?

[Dillydoodle]

I agree that 1) i would take the stool sample to the vet sooner than later
2) I would get him on very bland diet as suggested by others. 3) work on changing him to a high quality food... one that does not contain corn, wheat, soy, and a totally different protein source.

Not every dog does well on every food... it is trial and error... A lot of people love cannidae, i think it is a great looking food ( ingredient wise) and many people's corgis do very well... however, Gus gets awful gas from it, he just doesnt digest it well... Innova was a bit rich for Dillon and he got the runs from it, wellness lamb was a bit rich for dillon ...

I am also using fromms right now and love it for them... I have used a few other brands will good luck as well...

Here are some dog foods to consider:

Wellness, canidae, innova, fromms, merrick, bluebuffalo, natures variety, taste of the wild, timberwolf organics, eagle pack holistic, solid gold, even nature's balance... there really are some good foods out there.. and many of these foods can actually be found at the local petco... just not at the grocery store... I am sure people could add to this list... but i would change his food... and watch the treats that you give him... no people food and no doggy cookies for a while until things straighten out... ( i give my boys their dog food as "cookies" when there are tummy issues... that way they are not getting too much variety until things are back to normal.

I hope that Corgi feels better soon and i would minimally take the sample to the vet and see what they suggest.

Emilie

[Peggy]

Some links that might be helpful:
Why Does My Dog Or Cat Have Diarrhea?
Diarrhea In The Dog and Cat and Its Causes in ThePetCenter.com
Diarrhea & Dogs - How to treat Diarrhea
Treating Acute Diarrhea And Chronic Diarrhea in Dogs
Diarrhea in Dogs – Common Causes
Dog Diarrhea Causes - What Causes Diarrhea In Dogs?

Peggy

[LaRogue]

How is Corgi? Did he have his fecal test today or is it Mon.? I hope he's feeling better!

[DarkSephiroth]

I was waiting to see if the diarrhea would continue, so I'm playing it by ear right now. The last time he pooped, it was 90% solid with a small puddle of mud on top. If his poop stays solid, I don't think I will get the fecal test since I doubt they'd find anything.. just like the first time.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by DarkSephiroth

I was waiting to see if the diarrhea would continue, so I'm playing it by ear right now. The last time he pooped, it was 90% solid with a small puddle of mud on top. If his poop stays solid, I don't think I will get the fecal test since I doubt they'd find anything.. just like the first time.

Well, not necessarily true. Sometimes things will show up that didn't show up the first time. Sometimes it takes several tests to find the parasite. Like giardia or cocciodia. And campylobactor is another possibility.

You already had the sample. You should have taken it in. It shouldn't cost that much to just run a fecal test. Most vets will do it without seeing the dog.

Peggy

[JagerDog]

Jager has been fighting Giardia and Coccidia, I've had luck using Metronidazole to combat the Giardia, and Albon for the coccidia. If money is an issue - you can buy metronidazole for much cheaper through pet stores than from the vet. (It's also marketed as "Fish Zole" - they're the exact same tablet as what is sold as Metronidazole.)

The vet originally perscribed Jager Panacur (Fenbendazole) but it wasn't working, so I switched him to the M after I got fed up with the vet. The M is working well, reccommended dosage is 11.5mg/lb, 2x a day. You can buy Metronidazole in 250, 500mg tablets, or in powder form. Either way, I ground up the pills and mixed them with some Hill's W/D high fiber wet food. Results have been good - Our bichon poodle started coming down with symptoms of Giardia, so I treated him with the Metronidazole too, and within 3 days he was all better too....

Metronidazole - Pet Antibiotic For Cats & Dogs - 1800PetMeds

you can order metronidazole there for about $0.26/tablet...

good luck!