# Diarrhea - Possible food allergy?



## EverclearMatrix (Sep 2, 2011)

Hey everyone,

Our puppy Trooper is turning 10 months tomorrow, and we have been having trouble with diarrhea for quite some time now. At this point we are thinking about a possible food allergy, but are unsure what. Basically since January, he has had on and off diarrhea, never solid for more than a few days at a time. I believe we have gone through 3-4 courses of metronidazole (stool got solid on it every time), but right after if we tried to introduce kibble again, he would go right back to having loose stools soon after.

Food breakdown:
-Breeder fed basic Purina until 8 weeks
-We transitioned over to Puppy Wellness Large Breed (was too rich so vet suggested switching to Adult Wellness in February 2012
-March 2012 - Adult Wellness Large Breed causing diarrhea so we switched to Fromm Duck & Sweet Potato (didn't work either
-April 2012 - Switched to Verus Lamb (have been trying this for about a week now), Stools aren't completely normal

Treats:
Wellness WellBites Lamb & Salmon
CloudStar Buddy Biscuits (peanut butter flavor)
Whole Foods Whole Paws Dog Biscuits (Lamb & Rice)
Non-odor Bully Sticks (never more than 1 per day)
Kong with Boiled chicken (loves it)

Every time he has diarrhea, we try to switch to bland diet of boiled rice and chicken, and he does well, but we obviously don't want to keep him on this due to lack of nutrients. 

On another note, at 10 months, he's about 45-48 pounds, and he hasn't put on much weight since December/January. I'm not sure if this is due to his fairly regular diarrhea or if he's just going to end up being on the smaller side. Our vet has frequently commented that he is on the petite size and is not too worried about his weight (despite my concerns hah).

Basically, I'm wondering if anyone else had similar problems and what food eventually cleared up your puppy's diarrhea? Obviously, every pup is different, but I think some of the more higher rater foods are just too rich for goldens.

Any help/insight you guys could give would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
-Jeff & Em-


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

I have never had a dog that tolerated Lamb well. Even with only a small amount they have always had soft poops afterwards. It could be the lamb for you guy.

Have you dried a chicken and rice type dog kibble formula. If his belly does fine with regular chicken and rice why not try that and see how it goes.

Buddy is on Wellness right now and is very gassy (poops are large but formed) so I am going to try Chicken a la veg by FROMM with him.

Good luck with your guy.


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## Wagners Mom2 (Mar 20, 2012)

How were his stools when you got him and he was on the Purina? 

I'm wondering if maybe he wouldn't do better on a middle of the road formula, versus the higher end foods.


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## pmcadams (Apr 3, 2012)

We had similar problems, I was having to take my girl out several times during the day and through out the night due to diarrhea. It was wearing us both down.... I gave away the food I had and bought a bag of Taste of the Wild (bison/venison). For a few days, she got (AM and PM) a cup of boiled rice with a quarter cup kibble. Her stool got much better, and on day 3 and 4 she got 3/4 rice and 1/2 cup kibble, then half cup rice and 3/4 kibble. ( you see the progression ). After about a week, we had her on 1 cup straight kibble AM and PMR. No problems since. It doesn't do any good to put them on medication and then turn around and put them back on the diet that caused the problem. I also suggest picking one treat and stick with it instead of a big variety...IMO. Good luck!


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## Sammy&Cooper (Dec 28, 2011)

the back to back food changes could be the cause for the diarrhea. maybe try transitioning him from one food to another over a 7-10 day period and then keep him on the same food for at least 6-8 weeks. sometimes it can take up to 8 or even 10 weeks for their digestive systems to be used to the new food and nutrient levels.


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## ozzy'smom (Jun 18, 2011)

We had similar issues with Ozzy when he was younger. We finally switched him to Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish. It's a "Limited Ingredient Food" with a novel protein and grain source. Our vet thought it would be a good place to start and now we are gradually feeding him grains, dairy, etc. to see if we can pin point the problem. We haven't added chicken back into his diet yet.


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## Zombo (Nov 2, 2010)

I'd add in a probiotic for awhile to help reestablish the "good" bacteria. We've been using Probiotics: Primadophilus® Bifidus for awhile now with good results. (I just posted something similar to another thread, but no, I'm not a shill for the company ). Good luck, and hope your pup starts feeling better.


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## EverclearMatrix (Sep 2, 2011)

*Update*

So we've been continuing on the Verus and recently started giving him a couple of tablespoons of canned pumpkin (my fiancee found this specifically for dogs online - called Nummy Tum Tum haha). Anyways, he absolutely loves the Verus and with the pumpkin on top he goes crazy when we start getting his food ready. Thankfully, his stools have been solid for the past week, so we hope everything is getting better!

Thanks for all the suggestions!


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Good to hear. My 1st Golden Lucky had a sensitive tummy like your guy til he was about a year old then he was fine.

I know some people swear by a tablespoon or so of plain Greek yogurt daily for their pups.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

I'd suggest backing up for a while and simplifying your dog's diet . . . otherwise it's going to be impossible to sort out.

Pick a limited ingredient meat-based protein kibble like California Natural Chicken Meal & Rice Puppy or the California Natural Lamb Meal & Rice Puppy. The 26% protein and 16% fat are a good moderate balance for any age of dog. There are only four or five ingredients (plus vitamins) in these formulas which makes it easy to identify ingredients your dog may have an intolerance to.

Natural Dog Food, Cat Food and Puppy Food for Pets With Food Sensitivity

Also cut out all those different treats for the time being. Any one of them could be an irritant. And consider adding a probiotic especially formulated for dogs like Jarrow Pet-Dophilus: Pet Dophilus


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

MikaTallulah said:


> Good to hear. My 1st Golden Lucky had a sensitive tummy like your guy til he was about a year old then he was fine.
> 
> I know some people swear by a tablespoon or so of plain Greek yogurt daily for their pups.


I definately swear by a tablespoon of Cabot Greek Yogurt Plain. I have had issues with loose stools, used Metro as well and switched food the greek yogurt is a godsend! The regular plain yogurt did not work like the greek. i have been using it for the last week and a half along with food switch and i am no longer obsessing over checking poop in the yard...i am feeding Precise Foundation CHicken and Rice. was on the Holistic Precise. i believe the simpler ingredients without all the the added "good stuff" has helped so much.


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