Suitable diet for dog with chronic diarrhoea.

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moodles

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Our 13yo cairn has had diarrhoea for 3 months now. It started after he ate some chinese takeaway leftovers but hasn't cleared up after 2 courses of metronidazole. Faecal and blood tests are all normal so vet is suggesting endoscopes/gut biopsys which we're not keen on due to his age.
The past week we have fed him weetabix,chicken and live yoghurt on a friend's advice which has helped slightly but motions still v loose (before he was squirting brown water). He was previously fed James Wellbeloved Senior dry food.
Would like to know if this is a suitable longterm diet or is he going to be deficient in anything? Also don't really know quantities to feed. Or any other suggestions for a suitable diet. Did try chicken and rice earlier on in his illness.
He is bright and well in himself and not losing weight which is why vet is happy for us to try and manage his condition rather than further investigations.
Thanks for reading.
 
You could try asking for some Antepsin tablets ,this calms things down,it may be a permanent medicine for him if his tummy is irritable generally.Also a three day panacur course is a good idea to be sure it is not a parasite problem .Charcoal capsules are also a good gut calmer.
 
Have you starved him for a 24hr period just to let his gut settle down? - usually the best way to stop diarrhea, then just put him on boiled rice, some chicken with a spoonful of the live yoghurt, feed that for a week in 2 or 3 small meals instead of one larger one, and gradually add his normal biscuits back in, and as he dries up go back to however many times you normally feed him. It maybe his gut just needs a rest and as he is an older dog it may take that bit longer - worth trying.
 
there is clearly something wrong and i wouldnt think it came from eating a take away, keep checking for blood in the stools (very dark in colour) make sure he is drinking enough, you can get from the vet the science diet esp for diahorrea it is brilliant stuff, poor boy.
 
Has he had any allergy tests/did they rule out pancreatic issues?
If so and he is healthy and keeping his weight on then obs that is a good thing.
IMO chappie is generally very good for dietry tinned and dry original) may be best for now issues (it may not be the best quality food in the world)
I would feed chicken and boiled rice for ateast 3 days straight or until he is firm/as firm as can be and then add the dry biscuits, so if you go for chappie, literally add 3 biscuits in then gradually more and more and less and less of the chicken and rice as this is the most gradual way to get the new food into him.
The Jameswellbeloved as you suggest is also fine
 
I would try carob (locust bean) powder. It works for horses - I use it as a general feedstuff for my horses - it is high in calcium.
It is proven to stop diarhhoea in horses.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIARRHOEA...t=UK_Horse_Wear_Equipment&hash=item35ae9d5aae

Also this article:

http://www.organic-pet-digest.com/dog-diarrhea-medicine.html

Exerpt from the site re carob powder below:

For More Severe Cases

More severe cases require more potent dog diarrhea medicine. Give these options a try, one at a time in no particular order:
•RuniPoo Relief from Native Remedies (see description above)
•Activated charcoal – especially good dog diarrhea medicine for diarrhea caused by bad food or ingestion of toxic substance ◦Depending on your dog’s size, mix ½ to 1 teaspoon of powder OR 1 to 3 tablets with water and feed by mouth every 3 or 4 hours
◦Use no longer than 24 hours, as longer-term use can interfere with digestion

•Roasted carob powder – yep, the chocolate substitute! ◦Mix powder with water
◦Depending on your dog’s size, give ½ to 2 teaspoons 3 times per day for 3 days



•Slippery elm powder ◦Mix 1 teaspoon (slightly rounded) of slippery elm powder with 1 cup of cold distilled water
◦Stir constantly while bringing to a boil
◦Reduce heat to simmer and stir for 2 to 3 minutes while mixture partially thickens
◦Remove from heat
◦Add 1 tablespoon of honey and stir well
◦Cool to room temperature
◦Give ½ to 1 teaspoon to small dogs, 2 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons to medium dogs and 3 to 4 tablespoons to large dogs
◦Give 4 times per day or every 4 hours
◦Cover the mixture and store at room temperature


Conventional veterinarians may prescribe motility modifiers, which are drugs that increase or decrease the movement of food through the intestines. This dog diarrhea medicine can control the problem for a couple of days, but like all other man-made dog diarrhea medicine it can have negative side effects.

We recommend trying the above options first and taking this route as a last resort. Either way, motility modifiers should not be used longer than 48 hours.

Hope this is of help :)
 
Thanks very much for the replys. Early on we tried the 24hr fast followed by chicken and rice but it didn't sort the problem. Tests for pancreatitis were negative and the stools are more yellowy than dark in colour. He's not anaemic so prob not losing blood through the gut. Vet did consider an allergy but said unlikely in a dog of his age. Will def look into the charcoal and carob remedies and maybe speak again to the vet about gut mobility medication. He does seem to be drinking more than normal but maybe thats a good thing as preventing him becoming dehydrated.
 
Hi, I've just come across this thread and realise it was posted some time ago! Hope your boy is recovered now and at least receiving treatment.
However, this may be of interest to you or any other readers; we have a 10yo Cairn who has had problems with her digestive system on and off for the last 2 yrs. This yr she became quite ill, worse than ever before, shocking diarrhoea (liquid not at all solid), vile smell but more worringly was the amount of blood she was passing. Sometimes she would pass gel-like motions with blood too. There were days when she didn't want to eat or even drink. She had blood tests galore, faeces tested but nothing definite ever showed up. The next step would be biopsies, x-rays and goodness knows what else. The vet was reluctant due to her age and of course as she wasn't 100%. She'd been on a course of antibiotics and Antepsin tablets. Once the bleeding had stopped she was also prescribed a very low dose of Prednisolone.
Before she became ill both our dogs were fed on Iams complete dog food, but last year when Molly first became ill and the vet lab thought she may have pancreatitis, they suggested changing her diet to Chappie. I can tell you I was a little horrified and sceptical. The dogs however loved it and it made a big difference to Molly's tummy. This year, as previously, I'd started to feed her on rice, pasta, chicken, white fish, eggs, live yogurt. Our vet, having now prescribed Antepsin 1/4 tablet twice a day and the steroid in the morning said we should start feeding her on Cow & Gate baby rice as it lines the stomach, along with plain chicken and also live yogurt was good too. At a subsequent visit she told us that she had been reading in a veterinary journal that porridge had been proven to be better on the stomach than the yogurt and suggested we start feeding it.
All in all, Molly is so much better with the medication, in particular the Antepsin tablets and the new diet, allbeit baby food. I think she feels 'special' having different meals from her mum! But, whatever it takes.
Hope that's of some help.
 
Our jrtx started to have an upset tummy, not diarrhoea but fairly loose and frequent. We changed her to tinned chappie and biscuits. Her stomach has settled back down and she is slightly less hyperactive , still full of energy tho
 
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