# Constant, recurring diarrhea - tried everything, what can we do?



## Otis-Agnes (Nov 24, 2015)

We went through the same thing with Penny (but thankfully, no bloody poop). It started about 6 months ago (she's 5). We brought her to the vets on 3 different occasions. She had blood work done (came back fine). Vet put her on meds and a bland diet. Vet recommended a different food. Switched to Natural Balance sweet potato & chicken. Nope, that didn't work. Vet said maybe it's the chicken. So we switched to sweet potato & venison. That did the trick! Her poop is fine, but now she's going about 6 times a day. I was worried about her weight because she lost some during the last couple of months. Had her doggie physical last week and vet said she would be worried if Penny wasn't gaining weight, but she is. If the diarrhea comes back then vet suggests we look at her GI. I hope you figure it all out and healthy thoughts to Willie! Agnes


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## MitchP (Oct 29, 2017)

The urgency/frequency and blood in stool all point toward a large intestinal issue....colitis. Not necessarily a food allergy. Sounds like he gets back to normal while on antibiotics then problem comes back shortly after he finishes, correct? 

As long as he's feeling fine otherwise...active, energetic, no weight loss etc...play with changing his food a bit. Its a trial and error kind of thing to find what will work for him. Some of these guys need a bland/sensitive stomach formula. Some need increased fiber in their diet. Some need different ingredients altogether. There should be a food out there that isn't super expensive that he can tolerate. It's just a matter of finding it. 

I had a dog like this. Bloodwork normal, stool samples always negative. I went through about 5 or 6 foods before I found what worked for him. He was on several courses of antibiotics (Metronidazole) through this process. I kept him on meds while I was switching foods, then once he had been eating a food and doing well, I would stop the antibiotic and see how he did. If diarrhea came back, it was back on meds, and once he was back to normal, on to the next food. I was thrilled when I stopped the meds and he had no issues, finally found what he did well on. Never thought poop could make me so happy!!! Never switched food again after that, and he was fine the rest of his life. 

Talk to your vet. Mine was great about working with me and helping me through the whole ordeal, and refilling the antibiotic as needed throughout the process. 

Keep in mind there are dogs out there that have an actual condition that needs life-long treatment...inflammatory bowel disease for example. So again, as long as he is feeling fine otherwise, you have time to play with foods. If he has any other indication he isn't feeling well, weight loss, vomiting, lower energy, then maybe it's time for more diagnostics.


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## Dzamija (Nov 16, 2017)

Otis-Agnes said:


> Vet said maybe it's the chicken. So we switched to sweet potato & venison. That did the trick!


Now that you mention it... I think that there was chicken in the kibble that we used to feed him. He isn't on kibble anymore, but we still feed him mostly chicken to make up for the protein. Maybe it's time to try venison or lamb or something. Thanks a lot for your help, both of you, I really appreciate it, good to know that we're not alone here


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## aao (Jan 7, 2015)

Exactly what others have said, colitis sounds the most likely cause. Our golden Polly has had frequent recurring bouts of diarrhea on and off during her life, often within days of each other and some of them extremely bloody (or just pure blood) like you mention (yes it does scare the hell out of you when you first see it!!). Same treatment as you went through, rice/chicken + antibiotics. What we found over time however was that the bouts would generally last 3 days if untreated and just dealt with with a soft diet. Its only if they last longer that we go for a vet visit and antibiotics.
As she's grown older the bouts have definitely come down in frequency and severity, but we also changed her diet so that she has a mix of either home cooked food (beef/chicken/lamb/liver etc + veggies and rice) or a relatively light and bland dog food (some of the good but richer ones like Lillys Kitchen would set her off after a few days). Trial and error definitely played a part and some goldens are more susceptible then others (ours has a grain allergy) but often one of the main causes to set it off is the hardest to control as most goldens to tend to like to find and eat unmentionable or just plain od bad things on their walks.


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## JEMorrison (Jan 30, 2018)

We had a very similar situation with our Lilli, 7 yr old Golden Retriever. (except no blood in poop). We were feeding her grain free chicken kibble with a small amount of wet food topping. She got pieces of boiled chicken breast also. After trying lots of different kibbles over 7 months, Lilli finally ended up at the vet for 3 days/2 nights on an IV due to severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. An ultrasound and blood work showed no issues. We brought her home and took her off all the food and treats. Gave she a week of white rice and ground beef to help her digestion settle down. After much research, we introduced her to a No Chicken diet. We put her on a beef recipe from The Farmers Dog. (Beef, lentils, sweet potatoes, beef liver, carrot, kale, sunflower seeds, dicalcium phosphate, sea salt, fish oil, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, thiamine mononitrate, ribflavin, vitamin B12, cholecalciferol). Her poops quickly became firm, normal. We have since learned that many dogs are allergic to chicken. And that dogs can become sensitive over time to a steady diet of one type of protein.
Try removing all chicken from your goldie’s diet. Both food and treats. The Farmer’s Dog is expensive. So maybe try Fromms. 
Hope things are better now.


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## Dzamija (Nov 16, 2017)

Hey, just wanted to give you guys a quick heads up about what's been going on. Thank the Heavens themselves, Willie's diarrhoea is dead and gone! After much experimentation we switched him over to a Venison and Potato dog food, and immediately after that (and some probiotics and active charcoal) the runny poops stopped immediately. Solid for a little over two months now! Apparently, he's either allergic to chicken, beef or corn or some combination of the three, possibly all three.

I just hope he doesn't develop an allergy to his new food over time as well, so I'll probably eventually be alternating it with another "safe" variant, if just the same type of food from another manufacturer - just in case. As you can see though, he's perfectly fine and has even more energy than before, which I would have considered to be feasibly impossible. Thank you all!


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Glad he's finally over it. Thanks for the update.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Dzamiia*

So glad to hear that Willie is doing much better, but if it happens again, I would have the ct scan done at the vet.
Once I put a ct scan off and should have done it in the first place, to find out what was wrong.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Thanks for the update, great to hear he's doing so well.


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

So glad you are finding something that works. A lot of times it's trial and error. My boy (who is 5) has been battling diarrhea and upset stomachs since he was a puppy. After a lot of trial and $'s, we received a diagnosis of IBD and an inability to process fats. We're experimenting with different proteins. Like Willy, he's allergic to anything with chicken. That includes treats - I'm sure you're reading ingredients. While he's allergic to chicken, he seems to be doing ok with turkey. And he does ok with rabbit (but that is very expensive). We've also put him on an antibiotic for the past few months plus Vit B-12 injections because he wasn't getting the nutrients he needed. They can do blood tests for that. 

Hopefully, things continue to go well. I just wanted you to know there are other options (protein sources) out there if he starts to not do well on the one he's on.


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## Hobiethedog (Apr 4, 2015)

*what brand of venison food are you using?*

my 3 year old has had these same problems on and off since he was a puppy. All tests were negative, including an ultrasound of his abdomen.

Vet suggested we try a new protein after this round of antibiotics is done. I'd love to know what worked for you all.

Thanks!


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## Dzamija (Nov 16, 2017)

Hobiethedog said:


> my 3 year old has had these same problems on and off since he was a puppy. All tests were negative, including an ultrasound of his abdomen.
> 
> Vet suggested we try a new protein after this round of antibiotics is done. I'd love to know what worked for you all.
> 
> Thanks!


It's Brit Care Venison & Potato. It's a European brand from the Czech Republic, I'm not certain it's available in the U.S (we're from Serbia, the Balkans), but I'm sure you can find some kind of similar alternative. It's grain free (the potatoes substitute the grain), chicken free, beef free and GMO free, as well.

Not sure if I'm allowed to link (I'll gladly edit it out if I need to), but here:

https://www.brit-petfood.com/en/company-profile

Hope it helps!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

> Not sure if I'm allowed to link (I'll gladly edit it out if I need to), but here:
> 
> https://www.brit-petfood.com/en/company-profile


It's alright to post that link as a reference.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

There are a couple of brands that make a Venison and Potato, or Venison and Sweet Potato in the US.


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## Tosh's Legacy (Oct 2, 2013)

We have used ProPlan Sensitive Skin & Stomach - Salmon for years. Never had any problems after that.

I top it with some green beans, cooked carrots, or other safe cooked vegetables, and they never turn their noses at it!

Price-wise, it run about $44 on Amazon for 33# bag. Not as expensive as some brands.


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## Esprollo (Feb 16, 2020)

Firstly thank you so much for this post. This describes my 5.5 year old golden retriever to a T and to some extent her companion my 2.5Year old Golden (his stomach is stronger but lately he has been following her experience).. We only cook them home food and I have not allowed pork for a while now as she reacts to that. This is refreshing to read so thank you


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## LadyLiberty2016 (Jun 16, 2020)

Esprollo said:


> Firstly thank you so much for this post. This describes my 5.5 year old golden retriever to a T and to some extent her companion my 2.5Year old Golden (his stomach is stronger but lately he has been following her experience).. We only cook them home food and I have not allowed pork for a while now as she reacts to that. This is refreshing to read so thank you


We switched our 3 yr old girl Lady Liberty from Candidae chicken and rice to Adult Eukanuba after constant diarrhea for a month and in 2 days the constant diarrhea ended. Our breeder made the reco and no vet needed! Will not recommend Candidae tho never had issues with prior Goldens on it.


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

If it was me and I had been going through this for a long period of time I would temporarily switch to the Purina RX food EN Gastroenteric. My sons lab puppy had issues at around 10-12 weeks of age and we did a couple rounds of medicine and chicken and rice and it didn't work. We put her on the Purina RX EN for one month and then SLOWLY transitioned her back to the PPP Sport Chicken 30/20 and she was fine. She had come home from the breeder (our vet) on PPP Lg Breed Puppy Chicken but it just didn't sit well with her for some reason. We always feed our adults the Sport 30/20 and our vet (her breeder) recommended we just switch to it then and see if it made a difference. It did, but I think doing at least a month of the EN allowed her stomach to heal.

I am not recommending you switch to the Sport 30/20. We only feed it because our dogs are extremely active. I'm just being honest about what we did in this specific case.


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## Jane (Jan 2, 2013)

Hi. Our dog Crispin had same but also with vomiting and less blood. Short story, we finally took him to Cornell Veterinary Hospital for upper and lower endoscopies and biopsies--and he has inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affecting his small intestine. 

Cornell put him on Purina HA, which we top with pumpkin and sweet potato for fiber, and we get capsules of the drug Tylosin or Tylan--and he has been fine for years. Tylan is an antibiotic-like drug that works only in the gastrointestinal tract, so it's not systemic. 

The only protein Crispin can tolerate is rabbit. He gets rabbit jerky for treats. NO other proteins--believe me, we tried.

Hopefully you can find a protein your dog isn't sensitive to. If he does have what mine does--IBD--consider a hydrolyzed food (they chop the protein up so finely that theoretically, the dog's immune system doesn't recognize it) and ask about Tylan. My 80-lb. dog takes quite a large dose every day, and it has done wonders.

Best of luck to you.


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## goldens9 (Apr 7, 2020)

We went thru this with our first Golden. Constant diarhea and very smelly gas. Veterinarian was clueless and absolutely no help. A lady on a near by street with show dogs, mentioned to stop the kibble and feed real food, veggies and sprinkle with CHIA seeds. We tried real raw meat, raw eggs or cooked meat and or cooked eggs, handful of frozen stir fry veggies or GREEN BEANS and sprinkled with chia seeds, and in a day or two the diarrhea stopped, the smelly gas stopped. She also said add a teaspoon to tablespoon of plain KEFIR for probiotics. Add a teaspoon of CODLIVER OIL or COCONUT OIL. Add a teaspoon to tablespoon of Green Powder KELP powder for iodine and minerals. This has worked very well for numerous Goldens.


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## leightenfischer (2 mo ago)

MitchP said:


> The urgency/frequency and blood in stool all point toward a large intestinal issue....colitis. Not necessarily a food allergy. Sounds like he gets back to normal while on antibiotics then problem comes back shortly after he finishes, correct? As long as he's feeling fine otherwise...active, energetic, no weight loss etc...play with changing his food a bit. Its a trial and error kind of thing to find what will work for him. Some of these guys need a bland/sensitive stomach formula. Some need increased fiber in their diet. Some need different ingredients altogether. There should be a food out there that isn't super expensive that he can tolerate. It's just a matter of finding it. I had a dog like this. Bloodwork normal, stool samples always negative. I went through about 5 or 6 foods before I found what worked for him. He was on several courses of antibiotics (Metronidazole) through this process. I kept him on meds while I was switching foods, then once he had been eating a food and doing well, I would stop the antibiotic and see how he did. If diarrhea came back, it was back on meds, and once he was back to normal, on to the next food. I was thrilled when I stopped the meds and he had no issues, finally found what he did well on. Never thought poop could make me so happy!!! Never switched food again after that, and he was fine the rest of his life. Talk to your vet. Mine was great about working with me and helping me through the whole ordeal, and refilling the antibiotic as needed throughout the process. Keep in mind there are dogs out there that have an actual condition that needs life-long treatment...inflammatory bowel disease for example. So again, as long as he is feeling fine otherwise, you have time to play with foods. If he has any other indication he isn't feeling well, weight loss, vomiting, lower energy, then maybe it's time for more diagnostics.


 what kind of food did you switch to to realize what worked? My 6 month old golden is have the exact same issues, and has been in the same exact meds. The meds work and then he gets off of them for a week and back to having diarrhea. Let me know any information would so helpful.


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## JulieCAinMA (Jun 19, 2020)

leightenfischer said:


> what kind of food did you switch to to realize what worked? My 6 month old golden is have the exact same issues, and has been in the same exact meds. The meds work and then he gets off of them for a week and back to having diarrhea. Let me know any information would so helpful.


I’m not the previous poster, but I went through the whole diarrhea nightmare with Archie. We finally put him on a 100% chicken and chicken byproduct free kibble, with a FortiFlora probiotic packet sprinkled on top in the morning. At night it’s just kibble unless stools are getting soft, then we add about a tablespoon of pumpkin for a few days. We still keep our fingers crossed every time he goes! There are all sorts of foods out there, but we found Taste of The Wild Ancient Stream (salmon and grain) to work for Archie. It’s been over a year and all is well. Oh, I changed very slowly and did so during the last course of metro. Also, I worked closely with Archie’s vet. Good luck!


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## leightenfischer (2 mo ago)

MitchP said:


> The urgency/frequency and blood in stool all point toward a large intestinal issue....colitis. Not necessarily a food allergy. Sounds like he gets back to normal while on antibiotics then problem comes back shortly after he finishes, correct?
> 
> As long as he's feeling fine otherwise...active, energetic, no weight loss etc...play with changing his food a bit. Its a trial and error kind of thing to find what will work for him. Some of these guys need a bland/sensitive stomach formula. Some need increased fiber in their diet. Some need different ingredients altogether. There should be a food out there that isn't super expensive that he can tolerate. It's just a matter of finding it.
> 
> ...





JulieCAinMA said:


> I’m not the previous poster, but I went through the whole diarrhea nightmare with Archie. We finally put him on a 100% chicken and chicken byproduct free kibble, with a FortiFlora probiotic packet sprinkled on top in the morning. At night it’s just kibble unless stools are getting soft, then we add about a tablespoon of pumpkin for a few days. We still keep our fingers crossed every time he goes! There are all sorts of foods out there, but we found Taste of The Wild Ancient Stream (salmon and grain) to work for Archie. It’s been over a year and all is well. Oh, I changed very slowly and did so during the last course of metro. Also, I worked closely with Archie’s vet. Good luck!


Awesome to know! We are right now on the pro plan sensitive skin and stomach salmon and rice, with the same probiotic just in pill form, and pumpkin. Sure is a really interesting thing to deal with. I know when we first took him in all his labs and stuff came back totally fine, X-rays looked good, sent in stool came back good, sent out a fecal pcr. More I think it could just be a food sensitivity that we can't quite pin point. Thanks for the information!


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## JulieCAinMA (Jun 19, 2020)

leightenfischer said:


> Awesome to know! We are right now on the pro plan sensitive skin and stomach salmon and rice, with the same probiotic just in pill form, and pumpkin. Sure is a really interesting thing to deal with. I know when we first took him in all his labs and stuff came back totally fine, X-rays looked good, sent in stool came back good, sent out a fecal pcr. More I think it could just be a food sensitivity that we can't quite pin point. Thanks for the information!


Just make sure the Pro Plan is 100% chicken free, meaning no byproducts or chicken by another name. There should be a number you can call to confirm. Also using pumpkin is a fine balance because too much causes the opposite effect!


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