# Soft stool for 5+ weeks already. Need help!



## sarahmurphy (Mar 22, 2012)

I don't know, but I'd probably see another vet, just to be sure... 

I'm so sorry you are having this issue and that you are both having stress over the isolation and uncertainty! ((HUGS))
Sarah


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

Metamucil with his dinner meal (careful about the amount, start with just a small bit like 1/2 teaspoon and increase if it isn't effective). Works every time.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

I think he is just under alot of stress. First you were gone, then to the vet over and over, not allowed to play at the park, not allowed into your bed ect. I think if things got back to normal so would his poo. Just MHO.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

*schnauzerpoodle*: My thinking is that both you, and your vet, have been extremely thorough in investigating and ruling things out. If it were me dealing with the issue, I would continue with this vet, complete the deworming and get the next fecal test. I can imagine how sad and worrying this is, and I am sorry to be unable to be of any real help. I think the stress Nickel was under in your absence, the hookworms, the antibiotics and Panacur, the change in lifestyle short-term during the course of his deworming, it's likely all fed into the problem that's lingering on.

If it makes you feel better, by all means, contact the second vet. I would schedule that appointment for after Nickel has completed the deworming and second fecal test. But just go with your gut, do what would put your mind at ease. The calm will transfer to Nickel. Please keep us updated. Big hug to you both!:hug:


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## catsaqqara (May 20, 2011)

Have you tried a probiotic? I'm pretty sure it cant hurt.


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## caroline429 (Mar 5, 2012)

I have been going through exactly the same thing with Cali, right down to it starting when she came back from boarding for 4 days. It's been going on since June here! She doesn't have diarrhea, in that she only poops once a day, but it's like soft serve at the beginning and no form at the end. She also does the walking/straining thing.

Initially, the vet put her on a week of metronidazole. It sort of helped but not much. She then tried her on a week of tylosin. Same result. The vet then had me give her metamucil and Purina Fortiflora in an effort to improve her digestive environment. That backfired horribly, Cali was passing blood and mucous by the end of that. 

I took her back to the vet again. She thought we might be dealing with something like c. perfringens and that's why the other antibiotics hadn't worked. There is a very specialized fecal test for c.perfringens and it is incredibly expensive. My vet asked me if I wanted to test for it or if I just wanted to go ahead and treat for it. I opted to treat for it....3 weeks of amoxicillin. The blood stopped but the poop didn't firm up.

Over the last four months I've also tried changing her diet since she definitely has food allergies. I took her off kibble and put her on a bland cooked diet. That didn't help much. I tried premade raw, that just made her vomit along with the loose poops. 

She's been tested for every parasite going and everything came back negative. We tried worming her anyways just to see if that'd help, but it didn't.

About 10 days ago, I decided I'd try probiotics again. I figured she'd been on so many antibiotics that that had to be part of the problem now if it hadn't been initially. I knew that the only probiotics that had been researched and shown to be of benefit to dogs were l. acidophilus and e. faecium. Fortiflora is e. faecium so I wasn't going to go that route again. I decided to try acidophilus.

I have some very expensive human probiotics called Bio-K that I bought for myself. They contain l. acidophilus and l. casei so I figured I'd give them a try for Cali. I had no idea how much to give her so I just cut open the capsule and sprinkled about 1/8 of it over her food. I've seen a major improvement since I started this. Today the poop was almost totally normal with just one little loose bit at the end.

I have a theory on what happened to Cali. She doesn't appear to be stressed when she's boarded, she looks like she's having fun playing with the other dogs, but she usually refuses to eat which does indicate she is stressed. Stress has been shown to change the bacterial balance in the gut, allowing the "bad" bacteria to get out of hand. I think this is what happened with Cali initially and then it was made worse with all the antibiotics.

I feel I'm definitely on the right track with fixing this now. One thing I've found in the past with probiotics is that if you give too much it can cause loose stool. I initially started giving them to Cali twice a day for about a week. She improved a lot but then had one day of softer stool again. Wondering if she was now getting more than she needed, I cut back to once a day. Things firmed up again and have continued to improve. If I see some more soft stool, I'll cut back to every second day.

I have been through soft stool problems previously with my Rottweilers. Both of them had IBD so it was 15 years of constantly trying different things to keep the poops firm. I did learn that this is very difficult to sort out since there are so many different things that can cause loose stool. It sounds to me like your vet is doing everything possible to try and figure it out. 

Maybe you'll be lucky and everything will be better after the second treatment with Panacur.  If not, you might want to try some human probiotics....I'm a bit gun shy about the dog ones after Cali's reaction to them.

This hasn't been a post, it's been a book! Nickel's situation sounded so similar to Cali's though that I thought you'd appreciate the whole story.


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

Yes, he has always had probiotics and we are doubling the dosage.

@caroline. Yes, I read Cali's story before and I was thinking the same thing - Cali and Nickel are in a similar situation. I was/am hoping that our case won't drag on for months like yours.

Metronidazole and amoxicillin - Nickel had the same thing. And you know what, I saw Bio-K at our organic supermarket here today and was thinking if I should give it a try. Maybe I should.

My plan now is something like what Chagall's mom said: Finish the second round of dewormer and get another fecal exam. And we will take it from there. 

I think when everything's settled a bit, I will still go to a holistic/integrative vet and do some recovery work.

Thanks everyone so far. Keep it coming. Share your insight with me.


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## rubymom (Apr 24, 2010)

It is so frustrating not knowing the cause, but even worse when you can't find a solution! Is there a possibility something he is eating no longer agrees with him? It really sound like his gut is out of sync from the stress, the changes, the hookworms and the ???. (Dr. Dobias has even made some connection of gastro upset to activity levels and spinal issues!)
In any case, slippery elm can sure help calm the digestive system! 
Maybe when you go to the holistic vet, he will be able to help you and Nickel!


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

*schnauzerpoodle*: Iwoke up here on the east coast with you and Nickel on my mind, It's a bit off-topic, but I want to tell you about 20 years ago, after traveling abroad as I had many times before, I came home and was "Nickel-type sick" for nearly six months. I was treated by multiple doctors, had endless tests and rounds of prescription medications, largely to no avail. I did, in time, fully recover. I just want you to know in a very real way, I feel Nickel's discomfort, and I truly understand how dispiriting this can be. Come to the forum just for cyber support again along the way. Maybe somebody out there can offer a way to shortcut the distress and get things going right for Nickel.


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

Update:

1. Two negative fecal exams on parasites and giardia. YAY!
2. Bacteria is within a normal level. Double yay!
3. Follow-up X-ray: No more thickening of stomach wall. Phew~
4. Gas problem: Since Nickel's burps have the smell of Purina Fortiflora, the vet said there's a chance that the animal digest in FF was too strong for Nickel so she prescribed another probiotics (Proviable-DC) and it helps a lot. No more gas for the past 3 days.
5. Itchy skin: Nickel has been on the oatmeal/rice bland diet for almost 5 weeks and I'm now almost sure that he's allergic to grains (he's been on a grain-free diet since he's young). Now I'm replacing the grains with mashed potatoes. It will take some time to get the grain out of his system.
6. In order to see the real color of his stool, the vet told me to replace pumpkin with metamucil which also helps to absorb some moisture in his colon. His poop has firmed up significantly and less orangey/yellowish in the past 3 days. They are still softer than normal but they have been pickup-able EVEN ON THE GRASS!!!! YAY!!!

New problem:

The consistent soft stool has created some anal glands trouble. They are impacted and slightly infected. Nickel was licking his bum bum more often. The vet expressed them and put in meds. She didn't prescribe oral antibiotics because she didn't want to mess up with his gut. We are going in for a recheck in 10 days and if the infection persists he will need some antibiotics. But hopefully some firmer stool will help in that department.

Nickel is now a happy boy again. He's allowed to come back to our bed and he enjoys his daily frisbee session and off-leash playtime with other dogs. I can tell he is sleeping better too. 

He lost 2 lbs during his stay at the boarding place and another half a pound in the past 5 weeks. He has gained back the half a pound now so that's a good sign.

My vet filed a claim for us and Novartis the manufacturer of Interceptor agreed to pay for the 2 fecal exams (the positive one and the follow-up one), the 2 vet office exam fees and reimburse the cost of whole box of Interceptor. Novartis explained that Interceptor kills adult worms for 15 days after the pill is administered. If the dog gets infected on the 16th day, the worms can still survive in the system for another 15 days till the next dose of Interceptor (but before they lay eggs). If the said dog swallowed the larvae, by the time they become adult worms they would be taken care of by the next dose of Interceptor. 

So that's all for now. Thank you for reading and all the good thoughts.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

*schnauzerpoodle*: Hallelujah!:clap2: What good news, at last!! I'm delighted to hear of Nickel's turnaround. What a relief!! It's great that doggy play and bed privileges have been restored, _woohoo _to that!! Nice to know too that Novartis stepped up and did the right thing, just as you and your vet did all along. Thanks for the update. Now go throw the frisbee for Nickel to tire him out so he can snuggle in bed with you tonight!!


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