health
hi. i have a 5 month old shiba who for the past 2 to 3 months has had very runny poo.i have had him in the vets 3 times for it and he is due to go back for a forth time soon so im just really looking for any home remidies i can try in the mean time if any body knows.we have changed him on to a lamb and rice diet from a chicken and rice but still no better.he is in great health other than that.
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why did you change the food? how did you transition him?
what else does the dog consume during the day?
Are you giving the dog worming meds?
to firm stools, sometimes canned pumpkin - NOT THE PIE FILLING - works, but you should really get to the core of the issue, not just mask it.
it might be the food..
some resources for you to maybe understand the ingredients label on the food you are giving him and possible allergy signs or things in the food he just can't tolerate or what might be lacking in the diet:
http://www.best-dog-food-guide.com/
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/
if its not the food, maybe the worm pills are too much for him... or you should have him tested for stuff like giardia if he's lost weight instead of gaining it along with the runny stools, especially if he's drank from any other water source than your tap or played with other's dogs lately (in the last 2-3 months)
Is there blood in his poop? If there is your pup may have a protozoa infestation. Not to worry it is treatable. Sometimes different meds have to be used if the first ones did not work.
To determine what type of parasites you may have to take fecal samples several different times to clinic for testing. Not all parasites show up on the the tests each and every time. If you recently wormed pup you may need to do it again in 3 weeks to break the cycle by medicating more than once.
Bowel irritation can take some time to work through after worming, you will have to talk with your vet to see if you can get something to ease his stomach.
It's not always a cut and dry thing to figure out the cause or specific organism that may be instigating the problem. Be patient and work with your vet one step at a time to figure out the problem.
Snf
Has your vet done any X-rays or an ultrasound to see if there might be an obstruction or foreign object?
Hopefully things will get better soon!
and after researching all aspects of the vaccination issues, that's a call you'll have to make for your shiba based on where you live, your shibas activities and the threat of those diseases.
This is a good source to start with: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/newsletters/puppies/canine_vacines.html
Personally, I only do the core vaccines in a 3 year booster. Properly using an effective flea/tick preventative should keep the threat of contracting lymes down by a great deal. Not letting the dog drink from unclean water sources and keeping away from unvetted dogs should keep the giardia at bay.
edit: periodontal disease can be prevented, probably in whole, by giving raw meaty bones or other chew stimulating bones to keep teeth naturally clean for the whole of the pups life without lining the pockets of pfizer!
~Andy
I, personally, thought that the periodontal vaccine sounded like a scam. I have a 7 year old corgi/chihuahua cross that has never needed a dental because he always got bones to keep his teeth healthy. My vet told me that my chihuahua should get this vaccine next year at his annual despite never having any dental issues. Because she is trying to push this vaccine on me I feel like she is trying to push the others on me too, perhaps not for health reasons but for $$$.
I have been using Frontline for years and I like the product. However, I have found ticks on my dog despite applying Frontline regularly. I contacted Frontline and asked them about the tick prevention and they told me it will not repel ticks rather it will kill them once they attach, therefore kiling them before they can transmit the disease.(lyme disease takes upwards of 24hrs of attachment to transmit) I hope this is true. I have only found ticks crawling on the fur, not embedded in my dogs skin, so prehaps there is some truth to what they say. I am just so skeptical of these drug companies because so many ignore health risks to make a buck.
I am happy to hear that nobody reported sensitivity to anesthesia or vaccines. This was my biggest concern when researching the breed. I had read a lot about shiba sensitivity. My last shiba died as a result of surgery, although not due to the anesthesia. He died about 48 hrs after his neuter. We did a necropsy and pathology but found only that he had a massive heart attack and suffered damage to 3/4 of his heart. There was no real cause to be found. I still miss him so much!!!
Now I have a new pup and I just want to make sure he is always ok and that I am ALWAYS making decisions based on his health and well being. Thank you for all your responses. I really appreciate it!
It probably is best not to over vaccinate. The vaccine for the periodontal for the chichuahua is something they advocated probably since that breed has a propensity for tooth problems. However, at this stage of the game I don't think it is needed for a Shiba puppy. Lyme vaccine I have heard has some side effects for some dogs. It may not be essential at this stage of things either. Again look at WDJ to determine what you would like to do.
We don't load up our dogs with too many vaccs at once and use a titer test to determine what immunity is left before giving the next set once puppy vaccs are up to date.
Snf
If it is IBD or a food allergy additional diets that would be effective and have been good are:
Prescription diet Eukanuba Low residue: (is basically a chicken soup for dogs) a light, highly palatable diet that will produce less stool and be easy on the stomach.
HIlls science diet D/D (duck and green pea, rabbit and green pea or venison and green pea) these diets are new innovation against food allergies (IBD is a possibly a expression of a food allergy in the gut) THese diets work by introducing novelle proteins that the dog should not have been introduced to yet, therefore not provoking a allergic reaction in the gut.
Hills science diet Z/D: THis food is also for food allergies and works because the molecules chicken and allergic food types are hydrolyzed making them so small they are not recognized by the bodies defense mechanism.
WHen changing diets or even everyday you can give 1/4th of a tablet of pepcid A/C, this helps the over discomfort and stops the stomach form being upset from switching diets.
Talk to your vet. about using metronidazole, this is a anti-parasite/anti-bacteria that works against ones you usually dont see in a fecal and helps establish a good bacteria environment in the gut but it also has anti-inflammatory properties which settles the gut and allows proper absorption of fluid which equals good poo!
We typically give this to animals who have chronic diarrhea, it is used against IBD as well in combination with prednisone. I would not use prednisone at this stage.
THe problem with giving the metronidazole at the same time as the food trial is you dont know which cured the diarrhea but seeing as this has continued for months I reccomend asking for metronidazole anyway and doing it at the same time, then continuing with a Low residue type diet.
Did you send the fecal out to a testing lab? If not sometimes the local vets can not pick up on some of the rarer parasites.
Hope this helps!!!
Let me know...
I'll mention the metronidazole on Friday, hes due back for a checkup to see hows hes coming along.
I don't want to hijack this thread, but I have a question if you can help: why is rabbit considered a novel protein?
Just something to consider.
Sky2 - there are also canine nutritionists who can work with your vet to come up with a biologically appropriate diet for a dog with digestion issues without having to resort to processed prescription vet diets.
You can do a lot of independent research for Sky's diet health as well, you can start with these basic info websites:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/
http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html
http://lowchensaustralia.com/health/diet.htm
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/nutrit2.html
hey forum! maybe we should start a sticky on how to do independent research for the best dog foods and canine nutrition?
How did you pick your protein sources and veggies? Do you use fruit?
I do fruits as treats, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, and apples mostly. But not to often, too much fruit makes a squishy belly.