Sensitive Stomach - Supplement?

[Dart2]

Good Morning
I recently (last week) adopted a 9 mo old male pup who was on Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Food when I got him. I already have a vet appointment scheduled and am waiting to receive his full vet records from his previous vet.
My question/concern is that it sounds like he’s been on RC Gastro due to loose stools since he was about 5 mo old without any supplements. I’m concerned he’s hasn’t been getting the puppy nutrients he needs. I have never had an issue with my previous dobes diet so I thought I’d tap into the knowledge here.
Are there any suggestions of supplements you all have? I will discuss with the vet at his appointment.
TIA

 

[remy]

Welcome!

If he’s been having soft stools for that long I’m guessing there must be an underlying issue? I would wait until your appointment with the vet before adding any supplements.

However, I use Proviable for my dog and it works great! It’s a daily probiotic that comes in chewables or powder capsules. I also use Pro-Pectalin occasionally if he’s having soft stools. I’m not sure if that should be used daily though.

 

[Dart2]

Thank you for your response!
I won’t be adding/changing anything until his appointment. I certainly don’t want to do anything to cause him any issues.
In the one page of vet records I was given, it showed that he was treated for Giardia back in April and that’s when they put him on the gastro food. I do plan to have him fully checked out…stool sample, blood panel (if vet recommends)…to ensure there is no current issue.
My main concern is that he hasn’t been getting the nutrients he would have been getting on a puppy food.

 

[JanS]

Welcome from Minnesota!

I'll be interested in hearing what your vet has to say.
I do know that a lot of times a prescription food like the RC Gastrointestinal when it really isn't necessary.
I agree that a good probiotic never hurts and I always keep some pure pumpkin on hand for loose stool.

 

[Ravenbird]

Welcome from New Mexico. I agree with the comments, wait to change anything until your vet evaluates things. You were concerned about nutrients but you didn't mention if he is still having soft stools or if he is underweight or doing poorly in other aspects. If you've only had him a week just a change of life could cause disruptions. Probiotics or a tablespoon of Kefir daily shouldn't hurt anything and are very good for settling the gut. Hope to see pictures of your new boy and the report of the vet visit!

 

[Kaiser2016]

I hope your vet won't push you to stay on the RC kibble because prescription foods can be very expensive and they don't really treat the underlying problem - your dog is way too young to be stuck on that food already. That said, I agree with giving probiotics to help young dogs establish a healthy gut flora. Raw goat milk from a pet store (not the human kind which will be pasteurized) can also help.

 

[Dart2]

Welcome from New Mexico. I agree with the comments, wait to change anything until your vet evaluates things. You were concerned about nutrients but you didn't mention if he is still having soft stools or if he is underweight or doing poorly in other aspects. If you've only had him a week just a change of life could cause disruptions. Probiotics or a tablespoon of Kefir daily shouldn't hurt anything and are very good for settling the gut. Hope to see pictures of your new boy and the report of the vet visit!

Definitely not changing anything until the vet sees him on Wednesday.
The first couple days he was here he had no issues. I think I made the mistake of giving him a chew that may have caused some gut upset…but as you mentioned, he has gone through a big change and it could have been a combination as well. His last vet visit earlier in August had his weight at 73 lbs. I think he looks good…coat is shiny, he’s lean but appears healthy, has great energy and is eating/drinking well.

 

[Dart2]

I hope your vet won't push you to stay on the RC kibble because prescription foods can be very expensive and they don't really treat the underlying problem - your dog is way too young to be stuck on that food already. That said, I agree with giving probiotics to help young dogs establish a healthy gut flora. Raw goat milk from a pet store (not the human kind which will be pasteurized) can also help.

I have a good relationship with my vet, so they should know me well enough to not push the food. If the Giardia was the reason he was put on the food, and he tests clear of that (and anything else) at his vet visit, then I’ll talk with them about slowly changing his food. If he starts having issues again, then we need to dig deeper…maybe allergies??
I’ll look into the probiotics and goat milk…I like more natural approaches to resolving health issues.

 

[JanS]

He's beautiful and looks to be in really good condition.

 

[Dart2]

Vet appointment update…she said he looks good. He’s dropped a few pounds since his visit to the previous vet in mid August, but with all the changes, she wasn’t concerned. She suggested doing at least the Giardia antigen test to make certain he’s still clear of that. I opted to do the fecal PCR panel…I figured it would be good to check for anything else that might be causing issues. We should get results back tomorrow. In the meantime she sent me home with the Purina probiotics and I picked up the Pro-Pectalin as well.
She isn’t a fan of him being on the GI food. She said, in her experience, it’s very rare to see a dog his age with GI issues that doesn’t have a treatable underlying condition. So once the fecal results come back, we’ll figure out next steps.

 

[JanS]

Thank you for the update. Sounds like a great vet!

 

[Kaiser2016]

She isn’t a fan of him being on the GI food. She said, in her experience, it’s very rare to see a dog his age with GI issues that doesn’t have a treatable underlying condition

Great!

Sounds like a great vet!

Agree!

 

[Dart2]

Vet update #2…fecal came back completely clear. So that’s great news! His stools are much better today…the most solid I’ve seen thus far.
The vet is suggesting I keep him on the GI puppy food and probiotics to let his system balance out for a bit. Since he’ll be moving to an adult food soon, she thinks we can try changing off the GI at that time.
I’ve never dealt with an issue like this before with any of my dogs, but I’m really hoping that his gut just got messed up from being treated for the Giardia and that the probiotics will help get him back on track.
Now that I have this under control and know he’s clear, I can start his obedience classes! Let the fun begin!

 

[JanS]

I’m really hoping that his gut just got messed up from being treated for the Giardia and that the probiotics will help get him back on track.

I'm glad he's doing better and hopefully that is it.

 

[Ravenbird]

The vet is suggesting I keep him on the GI puppy food and probiotics to let his system balance out for a bit. Since he’ll be moving to an adult food soon, she thinks we can try changing off the GI at that time.

Great news with the testing! Good advice to wait a bit before switching things up. There are several brands that make All Life Stages rather than just Puppy or just Adult. They are usually pretty well balanced and not extreme in proteins or fats. I've been feeding an ALS kibble for nearly 5 years now with no problems. You can review dog foods at Dog Food Adviser - they explain what earns 4 - 5 stars and why, plus what ingredients you want to avoid and why. Good educational website.

I can start his obedience classes! Let the fun begin!

Yay! Classes are so much fun and you are lucky to have some local to you! There's a whole section of threads here on competition obedience, it's way fun!