Help Please - Donkey has poop issues... again! UPDATE!

[EllieAndBlu]

Greetings y'all!

Donkey (aka "Riley", aka "Riley the wonder weim")is suffering from a bad case of the poops.

Donks is a sensative boy in the tummy department but this last bout has been going on a week.

Here are the details:

It started about a week ago with diarrhea, gas and one bout of vomitting... so I fed him rice for a couple of days and decided to try him on different food to see if he tolerated it better, which he has now been on for three days...  well I saw his poop this morning and it is still diarreah (I thought we were making progress yesterday when it started out semi-solid before going soft)...  I feel so badly for the big guy...  any suggestions?


FYI... I've been giving him natural digestive pills for the past few days...

[Winslow 151]

Hi,

Pumpkin, pumpkin, Pumpkin. The canned stuff not the pie mix but straight pumpkin.
You should see the fiber helping things in a day or 2. Always works for Winslow

[EllieAndBlu]

Pumpkin mixed with his food, or only pumkin? 

[Winslow 151]

Hi,

Either way Pumpkin and rice is good or mixed in with meals. You can also freeze the pumpkin in ice cube trays and give it as treats. (Someone on here gave that tip) Thew puppers love the stuff

Rich

[EllieAndBlu]

Thanks Rich - great idea with the ice cubes... I give Ellie and Blu a spoonful of pumpkin in their food every dinner just.... I guess I thought it might be too much for Donkey - you know being such a sensitive boy and all - but I need to try something else to get the big guy (and myself) some relief! 

By the way - pumpkin ice cubes - great idea!

Thanks!

[Winslow 151]

Hi,

Hope it helps, Winslow also gets Oatmeal with his breakfast in the morning, I Zap it in the Micro for 40 seconds and dump it on his food. Seems to help too.

[EllieAndBlu]

hmmmmm oatmeal.

The food Donks has been on up until a few days ago was Duck/oatmeal...  his poops were not super solid, but at least they were formed - which took 8 months to achieve after adopting him.

The food I just switched him too is a grain-free food... thinking that maybe better for his digestion/poops.

good idea, or bad idea, or too early to tell?

[GoldenPyrs]

Daisy has IBD or food allergies, the vet still isn't  sure.  Either way, she had a horrible time with diarrhea & vomiting until we put her on duck & potato.  Recently, we tried transitioning her to Innova (green bag) over the course of 8 weeks (so super slowly), b/c Cassie does so well on it.  All was fine until about the 5th week and then the problems started again.  Back to the d&p we went and she still had horrible room-clearing gas for another week or two until her digestive system calmed back down.  She's been back on d&p 100% for about 3 weeks and she is fine now.  Sammy was up to 3/4 Innova & 1/4 duck & potato before he started to have sloppy poops & gas again, so now he's back to 3/4 d&p and 1/4 Innova.  Sigh.....My point is that some dogs for some unknown reason just can't take these other foods with more varied ingredients.  Maybe Riley will do better with pumpkin & all, or maybe you'll need to go back to the oatmeal & duck.  In any case, I hope that he feels better soon.  I'll be curious to know how he's doing.

[lins_saving_grace]

Rotts are the same way with tummies.  when grace gets it bad like that it's usually a dirt based bacteria she's picked up by sniffing. 
it goes away but without pills from the vet it's a two week long poop fest. 

[EllieAndBlu]

Poor Donks!  I know those icky poops can be really frustrating.  How long has he been on the grain free?  Maybe his tummy is just taking a little longer to adjust to the new food.  If his poops were firming up on the rice, you could go back to that, and then start mixing the rice with kibble gradually until it's all kibble.  We've had to do that before with tummy upsets, and it's worked like a charm!

I'll also second the pumpkin recommendation .  It's good stuff! 

Hmmm Jenn - I think he's been on the grain free (Nature's Variety) since Sunday/Monday - it was mixed with rice for a couple of days till the rice ran out, so he's been on kibble since Tuesday's dinner. I think taking him back to rice and doing a more gradual change over is a good idea....
 
I am wondering.... should I continue to try him on the grain-free or put him back on the Eagle Pack Holistic duck/oatmeal? I am making it worse for him?

[Winslow 151]

Hi,

I'd suggest the rice and pumpkin route until you get him firmed up, then add in the kibble.

Way easier to start from solid and see what causes the ahh explosion!! so you know what not to feed.

[EllieAndBlu]

Thanks y'all for all the support and advice - BPO has the best members EVER!

I cant help but feel so bad for the big guy!

Question, in the past I've made his rice with chicken broth for the added protein - should I do that this time, or go with water? Also - I usually make white rice, is that better for his tummy than brown rice?

p.s. Auntie Juju - Donkey loved his big smooch and says thanks! 

[lins_saving_grace]

white rice definately. 

[lins_saving_grace]

i get boullion cubes and make broth.  cheaper

[EllieAndBlu]

I am happy to report.... Donkey's poops are firming up - thanks to rice and pumpkin! Thanks so much for the help and support - I don't know what I woud do without y'all !  BPO roxes like an endless box of velvet soxes!