# Soft Poop - Off and On



## Jess&Tress (Jan 5, 2011)

Hey All!
I am still new here, and also still a new mini poodle owner! We have only had him for three months, but I am hoping to learn alot here. So please bear with me and this "new dog owner" complex I have had/am having. 

Sometimes Tressel will have normal poop, but for about the past month he's had very soft, even liquid-y, poop occasionally. He's been on the same food since we got him, and the woman we got him from fed him this also. However, from reading similar post, Im wondering if it could be the food. We've been feeding him (dun, dun, dun...) DIAMOND brand. Do you think its the food?

Please let me know your thoughts, or if you have another recommendation for food! I want my Tressel around as long as possible! Thanks all!


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## Jess&Tress (Jan 5, 2011)

I also want to add, his poop is normal more than it is not. But just want to hear what you all think! Thanks!


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## CelticKitti (Jul 1, 2010)

What Diamond brand do you feed??? Original or Naturals

The Diamond Naturals isn't the worst food out there. Mia is on Diamond Naturals and does wonderfully. She didn't do well on more expensive foods. This was the first thing I found that didn't give her problems.


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

How old is Tressel? Jäger has some soft poo issues when he was younger and it turned out to be whipworms. It was also off and on like you described. Has Tressel has a recent fecal exam?

Also, I started adding a tablespoon of plain yogurt to Jäger's breakfast every day to aid with digestion. He also loves it.

If you think it's the food, you could try something else. Jäger started off on Wellness puppy food and did well on it. But when I switched him to the Wellness adult food he got really itchy skin. So I switched him to Taste of the Wild and it was twice as bad! Finally switched to EVO Red Meat formula and he's doing great on it, no more itchies. But since that food was bought out by P&G I'm thinking of changing to something else. I've been told it's a good idea to rotate between foods anyway because if you always feed the exact same thing the dog can get bored and might develop allergies if always eating the exact same thing day after day.

Jäger also eats healthy "people" foods in addition to his kibble (yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, beef, scrambled eggs, fruits and veggies).


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## Jess&Tress (Jan 5, 2011)

CelticKitti, he is eating Diamond Naturals..small breed puppy.

PaddleAddict, funny you say that. Tressel also had whipworms and is due to take his next dose of medication tomorrow. Do you think it could be remnants of the whipworm? He hasnt had one since we gave him the first dose last month. How long did Jäger have worm "symptoms"? Tressel is eight months old. I suppose if it continues, I will call the vet to schedule a fecal exam.
Good tip with the food, I should switch it up, but he just seems to have such a sensitive belly! Thanks!


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

As far as I know, due to the life span of the whipworms, he probably won't be clear of them until you complete all the meds. Are you doing the initial dose, then a dose 3 weeks later, then another 3 months later? 

Jäger actually reacted to the whipworm treatment itself, which I guess is unusual (we used Panacur)and had horrible diahrrea from it. We had to give him metronidazole in addition to the Panacur.

Tressel could also have other worms in addition to whips. When Jäger was younger he had rounds and whips, then also had Giardia. I honestly have no idea where he was picking it all up, but since he was a puppy, he would always be eating/licking things while we were out for walks, standing water, rabbit poo, bird poo, you name it.


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## Lilah+Jasper (May 13, 2010)

Jasper came to us with whip worms in May. He had 2 rounds of treatment and then retested in Sept. Thankfully, the retest showed that the whip worms were gone. According to my vet, they are very easy to overlook, hard to diagnose and super hard to get rid of because they live for a really long time in the yard. I was proactive in cleaning up the yard as soon as Jasper did his business to keep the other animals from getting them too.

Jasper did have occasional loose stools during this time. I was just thinking the other day how nice his poop looked, lol! He does much better on fish based kibble TOTW Pacific Stream with NB LID canned (bison, venison or fish) as a topper. The vet thinks it was a combo of worms, new home & food allergies.


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## Jess&Tress (Jan 5, 2011)

He had an initial dose of meds right when he passed a worm, I called the vet described the symptoms and prescribed us this little bone shaped pill, I cant remember the name of it. We gave him 1 1/2 pills then and the other 1 1/2 we are due to give him tomorrow. So it was a two month dose it seems like. I already had it in my head, that if it continues after this dose tomorrow, I will take him to the vet.  I just wanted to see if anyone else had these issues with their pup child, thank you all for being so helpful!


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## Lilah+Jasper (May 13, 2010)

That sounds like a good plan. 

I never saw the worms like you did. Female whipworms release eggs only in intervals, so fecal exams often show no whipworm eggs during a routine fecal exam. I was grateful that Jasper's first fecal exam gave us the heads up. He was given two distinct rounds of Fenbendazole powder. I had to sprinkle it on his food for 3 days in a row, wait 3 weeks and repeat. Then the waiting began for the fecal exam retest. I had all 3 dogs & the cat tested in May and again in Sept just to be on the safe side. I didn't want it going back and forth considering the ova can live for months in the soil. Ugh... I hate those things.

I hope Tressel feels better soon!


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## Jess&Tress (Jan 5, 2011)

It was probably one of the grossest things. Ever. Havent seen any since, thank goodness! At least we think it was a worm, it definitley wasnt normal!!! 
He is not acting sick like he was the days of and around when he passed it. He is acting normal, eating and playing, which is all he really does when hes not sleeping!  I start to worry when he's not eating, thats never a good sign! 
Thanks for all your advice (and well wishes!)


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

Diamond Natural isn't the best food, although TOTW (made by Diamond, I believe) is a good food. If your dog was used to the food though, it's probably the whipworms. I had a Boston terrier that had loose and frequent poo. He was treated for whipworms (twice, 3 weeks apart) and his poo got better. My vet said that whipworms don't show up on a fecal 60% of the time (they didn't show up on my BT's fecal, but the vet wisely decided to treat him anyway), unless they're really bad, so your dog must have a bad case.

I think I'd finish the worm treatment first, see what happens, then worry about the food, if needed. Otherwise, you won't really know what the true cause is - JMHO.


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