On/Off Soft Stool/Diarrhea for the last 3 weeks - 6 mo. f puppy

swm_good

Jr Member
Hello All,

Seeking advice/answers as to what might be going on with my puppy.

She is 6 mo. old / 56 lbs and the last three weeks have been a roller coaster to say the least.

To start off, I already had her stool tested for ova, parasites, giardia, etc. and it came back all clean.

She has been having soft stools (pudding/ice cream) on and off for the last three or so weeks. Some days it is all loose and she will poop numerous times, other days her first stool in the morning will be firm and her stool will get progressively worse and it will continue into the next day and so on. Some days she has breakfast, and dinner and go all day without pooping only to wake me up at 2-5 am numerous times to poop and it they will be all soft.

I am trying to figure out if my pup has developed some kind of food allergy or something. She is completely normal, super hyper, super playful and cleans her bowl every time I feed, along with drinking water with no issues whatsoever. Coat/body is perfectly normal (see pic), no sores or weird skin things going on aside from chin acne that come and clears up in a few days which I was told is normal for a growing pup.

Currently feeding Diamond Puppy Lamb & Rice (Been on this food for about a 2 months with no issues whatsoever and firm stool). Previously tried Orijen which she did good on but everyone was telling me the protein content was too high so I switched to Fromm only to go back to the diamond because she did not do well on the Fromm.

She barely receives table scraps, The occasionally bully stick or cow ear when I need her quiet and content for 1-2 hrs, no over treating when training etc.

I spoke to the vet and he said there is only so much they can do - suggested the FortiFlora probiotic and also to put her on the canned I/D food for a couple of days.

I've tried the boiled rice and bland chicken for a couple of days and it still came out soft. I got the I/D or W/D (Can't remember) canned food (Hill Science Prescription) from the vet and thinking maybe the rice was the culprit, I substituted boiled skinless potatoes and it worked to firm up her stool for about 2-3 days before it went soft again.

I've read online that a 24 hr fast and giving her Slippery elm bark to aid the system reset. Would this work?

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome - this is driving me crazy!

I appreciate it :thumbsup2:

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Sounds like you are doing everything you can. You could try a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin in her food. It balances out the good/bad bacteria in the gut. I always keep a couple of cans on hand for these types of issues. It takes a day or 2 to work. If nothing else, you may need to have her tested for allergies. Hang in there!
 
Beautiful pup!!!

Mine did the same for the longest time. Cow paddy pooh. Canned pumpkin and a good probiotic worked wonders until I finally found a kibble that worked for him.

I also learned that he was eating cat poop outside in the flower beds and that will do it every time.
 
Sounds like you are doing everything you can. You could try a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin in her food. It balances out the good/bad bacteria in the gut. I always keep a couple of cans on hand for these types of issues. It takes a day or 2 to work. If nothing else, you may need to have her tested for allergies. Hang in there!
Yep - I am trying it all! I will get to the bottom of this, haha. I tried the pumpkin, same result... You know what's weird, when she was younger, pumpkin worked like magic. Just one tablespoon and boom! hard stools again. Now, using it with every meal or other meal for two to three days and it seems like it has no effect.

I have another forum post on this forum with regular updates on her ear postings and I did switch to 1/2 posts at 6 months for the final stretch around the same time this all started. I'm referring to the increased ear scratching I mentioned in the last post of my other thread but I always figured it was her not being used to the half posts. Now I'm thinking she maybe does have allergies and is scratching because of that?

Beautiful pup!!!

Mine did the same for the longest time. Cow paddy pooh. Canned pumpkin and a good probiotic worked wonders until I finally found a kibble that worked for him.

I also learned that he was eating cat poop outside in the flower beds and that will do it every time.
Thank you!!

Oh no! not the cat poop :wideyed:

Hopefully I'm in the same boat. If this continues, I will just take her into the vet. I'll definitely get the FortiFlora probiotic but most importantly see about doing an allergen test and get it figured out.
 
It does seem that Doberman tummies are turbulent at this age. I recommend probiotics as well. Can also try Goat's milk from a pet store (human grocery stores will have it pasteurized so you can't use that). The trick with pumpkin is knowing when to stop - it's fiberous, so it will firm up runny stools, but because the fiber draws water, it can also lead to stools becoming soft again. You definitely do not want to be using the vet foods though - even IF they worked, that would be a very restrictive (and expensive!) diet to be on for the rest of her life. We had similar issues and I think our problem was high protein kibble. At the time we were switching to a raw diet and that solved the problem over night. Kaiser can now eat anything including table scraps provided he has had that food before, otherwise I introduce small amounts to avoid stomach upset.
 
View attachment 123221

This is what I use and it does a great job.
I will order some right now and give it a try/keep it on hand. Thank you for the recommendation!

It does seem that Doberman tummies are turbulent at this age. I recommend probiotics as well. Can also try Goat's milk from a pet store (human grocery stores will have it pasteurized so you can't use that). The trick with pumpkin is knowing when to stop - it's fiberous, so it will firm up runny stools, but because the fiber draws water, it can also lead to stools becoming soft again. You definitely do not want to be using the vet foods though - even IF they worked, that would be a very restrictive (and expensive!) diet to be on for the rest of her life. We had similar issues and I think our problem was high protein kibble. At the time we were switching to a raw diet and that solved the problem over night. Kaiser can now eat anything including table scraps provided he has had that food before, otherwise I introduce small amounts to avoid stomach upset.
Thank you for the insight. I don't think I'm ready to raw feed yet but if that's what needs to happen, then so be it! I stopped the pumpkin after one or two days (table spoonful at each meal). I only have used the vet food twice (canned ones, limited ingredients like you mentioned).

Today has been well. She went this morning and it was ALL solid, and also again this evening, and it was solid as well.

I gambled yesterday morning and went and bought an small bag of the food the breeder had her on when I got her.

It's the DIAMOND PUPPY purple bag.

49778_MAIN._AC_SL1500_V1612372309_.jpg

I mixed the kibble with some plain rice and although she was not super enthused about it, it seems to solidify her stool. Well see how the next couple of days are....

I originally weened her off this kibble because of the ingredients and it being a not so highly regarded kibble. It has a lot of filler if I remember correctly (Corn and the main ingredient is Chicken BY-PRODUCT meal).

I appreciate all of the help and responses - I'll update in a few days and let you guys know how she's doing.
 
I had the same exact issue as you with Ragnar between 6-8months. On good days, he had good solid poop in the morn and then cow paddy poop in afternoon and evening. I changed dog food a couple of times finally settling on the solution of getting food below 29% protein, one scoop of the probiotic 2x day, and one teaspoon of pumpkin 2x day. I even think that I switched back to Purina Pro Plan Salmon and Rice for sensitive stomachs. Then one he stabilized out, I switched to Victor dog food.

But I believe it was a combination of things with him-
High protein dog food
Cat poop
Goose poop
He use to fricking eat EVERYTHING. I would take him to the soccer complex with me 4x week and it was just hard. Prob would have been advantageous to muzzle his arse but then again that really would have had the public on more defense.

I think that if you can rule out chicken then it will not be so difficult.
 
We recently went through a bout of loose stools with Tessa. She found a fresh pile of horse apples on one of our walks and went to town, faster than I could intervene. Over the next few days, she started having loose stools. I tried the usual, plain rice and chicken with some pumpkin, but it did not resolve the issue. Took her to the vet and had her tested for parasites, but they found nothing. She went home with a vial of antibiotics and probiotics and she was all cleared up within 3 days.

With my past dobergirl, certain foods did not agree, including any with corn or soy. Nutro brand was terrible, even the formulas without any of the common food allergy triggers.
 
I had the same exact issue as you with Ragnar between 6-8months. On good days, he had good solid poop in the morn and then cow paddy poop in afternoon and evening. I changed dog food a couple of times finally settling on the solution of getting food below 29% protein, one scoop of the probiotic 2x day, and one teaspoon of pumpkin 2x day. I even think that I switched back to Purina Pro Plan Salmon and Rice for sensitive stomachs. Then one he stabilized out, I switched to Victor dog food.

But I believe it was a combination of things with him-
High protein dog food
Cat poop
Goose poop
He use to fricking eat EVERYTHING. I would take him to the soccer complex with me 4x week and it was just hard. Prob would have been advantageous to muzzle his arse but then again that really would have had the public on more defense.

I think that if you can rule out chicken then it will not be so difficult.
LOL muzzle his arse. Yeah it's a pain in the behind (literally) to clean, especially thick turf which is what I'm dealing with.

I think chicken is ruled out, She was fine again this morning - solid number #2 once again. I am adding a little less rice and potatoes every meal and more of the Breeder kibble. I'm going to donate the other kibble I have (20 something lbs. left) and keep going in this direction for a while before I super duper slowly transition her over to something new and better in the future.

We recently went through a bout of loose stools with Tessa. She found a fresh pile of horse apples on one of our walks and went to town, faster than I could intervene. Over the next few days, she started having loose stools. I tried the usual, plain rice and chicken with some pumpkin, but it did not resolve the issue. Took her to the vet and had her tested for parasites, but they found nothing. She went home with a vial of antibiotics and probiotics and she was all cleared up within 3 days.

With my past dobergirl, certain foods did not agree, including any with corn or soy. Nutro brand was terrible, even the formulas without any of the common food allergy triggers.
Yes - my pup's snout used to be like a snow shovel when I walked her. She would just pick up everything along the way.

I was working on loose leash walking with her and she has improved dramatically. The Joel Beckman Dog Training YouTube videos are incredible. She just smells a lot now, doesn't nose dive and try to grab everything on the ground.

This description :spit: It's true though, if they have something in their mouths that they shouldn't, they just chew faster lol.

Wait, your guy's pups chew? Mine is like a vacuum cleaner, she just inhales - no chewing at all haha :grimacing:
 
Wait, your guy's pups chew? Mine is like a vacuum cleaner, she just inhales - no chewing at all haha :grimacing:
It depends on the size of the morsel. Bunny poops just get hoovered up. Horse apples are too big to swallow whole and therefore require chewing :p

Regarding horse poop - this was not the first time Tessa indulged on this delicacy, but this pile was by far the freshest. Usually, we find them after they had a chance to season for a couple of days. Tessa delighted in scarfing up those several times in the past and she never had any ill effect - in fact, it seemed to benefit her digestion. Maybe the bacteria die off when the piles get dry, aided by heat in summer and freezing in winter and it just becomes roughage.
 
It depends on the size of the morsel. Bunny poops just get hoovered up. Horse apples are too big to swallow whole and therefore require chewing :p

Regarding horse poop - this was not the first time Tessa indulged on this delicacy, but this pile was by far the freshest. Usually, we find them after they had a chance to season for a couple of days. Tessa delighted in scarfing up those several times in the past and she never had any ill effect - in fact, it seemed to benefit her digestion. Maybe the bacteria die off when the piles get dry, aided by heat in summer and freezing in winter and it just becomes roughage.
The details on the poop :wacky: I guess that's just another level of poop patrol 😆
 
The details on the poop :wacky: I guess that's just another level of poop patrol 😆
Pets and babies are not for the poop-sensitive :p

I am bummed that I don't feel safe letting Tessa run free in our open space any longer since it is shared with horses and unlike for dogs where we are asked to pick up after them, horses just get to drop and go. Besides the discomfort and inconvenience, getting her guts sorted out by the vet was rather pricey.
 
DIAMOND PUPPY purple bag.
As a puppy I fed mine Diamond All Life Stages Chicken/Rice kibble, soaked in either water or broth before feeding & started adding in a raw diet for her evening meat. She's two now and has only had 2 digestive upsets in those 2 years that lasted 3 - 5 days. Diagnosed (by vet) as a "general colitis", easily remedied by boiled chicken/rice + antibiotics + probiotic. As she matured and was working/exercising a LOT I now mix the Diamond ALS with Diamond Athlete, still soak it, and she still gets raw in the evenings. All kibble diet produces larger softer stools, all raw diet reduces size and makes nice firm stools. If my pockets were deeper I'd go all raw, but I'm happy with what I've got.
 
Hello All,

Update - solid stools day/night for the last few days which is a relief and no more poop runs at 3 a.m! :thumbsup:

I'll probably hold off on the allergy testing for now seeing as she is consuming both chicken and rice which I originally thought were the main culprits.

I guess it was the lamb/rice food, which I genuinely don't understand - she was doing so good on this food for the last two months and this just came out of nowhere these last couple of weeks.

As a puppy I fed mine Diamond All Life Stages Chicken/Rice kibble, soaked in either water or broth before feeding & started adding in a raw diet for her evening meat. She's two now and has only had 2 digestive upsets in those 2 years that lasted 3 - 5 days. Diagnosed (by vet) as a "general colitis", easily remedied by boiled chicken/rice + antibiotics + probiotic. As she matured and was working/exercising a LOT I now mix the Diamond ALS with Diamond Athlete, still soak it, and she still gets raw in the evenings. All kibble diet produces larger softer stools, all raw diet reduces size and makes nice firm stools. If my pockets were deeper I'd go all raw, but I'm happy with what I've got.
Raven, I'll definitely try that one next - I want to transition her over to an ALS or adult food in the next couple months. For now - I'll probably go through one more bag of the purple Diamond Puppy and see what happens :thumbsup2:.
 
Adored Beast has some good things for the digestive system.
They are very helpful on which products that can help.


Healthy-Gut_bfa07c18-cf7b-4bb4-acec-eb2a442ac59b_384x384.jpg


Gut-Soothe_ceeeaec3-344e-4a0b-9ed3-0a4f75873bf5_384x384.jpg


Love-Bugs_2b259d35-486b-4c30-8b53-a7474e6853b0_384x384.jpg


Fidos-Flora_dc058a61-a311-429c-80c2-8fa19520afd7_384x384.jpg
 
Adored Beast has some good things for the digestive system.
They are very helpful on which products that can help.

Thanks Stryker - I checked them out / I will consider it if I run into more issues in the near future.

Quick update - all has been well - she has been doing pretty good. The occasional "I'm super excited" soft poop here and there but so far so good - solid stools twice a day on regular intervals for the last month or so.

Soon I will slowly transition to another food.

Thanks all for your help!
 

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