# Diarreha



## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here and i am desperate.

I have a very beautiful, calm and loving Pitbull Mastif Mix. He is 9 months old and his Name is DOBBS. I have owned him about 1 month now. He has diarreha and seems as if he cant hold it. Last night he jumped on my bed to let me know he had to go, by the time i got up he went. His stool is like a pea green in color and very watery. I called his PO this morning and he told me he has always had it and that it sometimes gets a little better but never completely gets normal. So with that information its safe to say he has had this most of his 9 month life.

I really need some ideas. Everything is pointing to taking him to the Vet, which i do not want to do in this town. The vet here is very expensive because he is the only Vet within about 100 miles.

Please if you have any ideas i will try them all. I am going to call the Vet just in case and see if maybe i can work somehting out.

I really love this dog and seeing him like this is killing me.

Thanks,

Josh


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## StaffyMama (Apr 13, 2009)

Welcome to GP!

I am no expert.. (might want to wait for some more members comments) 

When our puppy had diarrhea we put a teaspoon off yogurt with pro biotics to help with digestion. BUT it wasn't green or extremely watery. 

I think that green colored diarrhea is produced from bile not being properly digested before it is passed. 

You might need to see a vet, and make sure to bring a fresh stool sample so they can test for parasites or disease.


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## StaffyDaddy (Mar 28, 2009)

What type of food do you feed your dog? And what is the portion/schedule of your feeding? Knowing a little more may get you some better answers. I do agree however, about probiotics. If stool is runny, the food is not properly being digested for some reason or another, and it can be due to food allergies, eating too many treats, unbalanced diet, dehydration, lack of probiotics (organic yogurt can help)


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

I am feeding him Nature's Recipe large breed puppy. I give him about 2 1/2 cups morning and evening. He has gas too. I can sometimes catch him when he farts and take him out side. 

I am going to try feeding him some bland food like hamburger and rice or chicken and rice.

he acts normal .... drinks lots of water. Plays with my kids ... all is fine till he has to go poop. 

Thanks for your quick responses guys. I will post pics and update my profile later today when i get home.

Where can i find this probiotics stuff?


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## StaffyDaddy (Mar 28, 2009)

Well probiotics are just natural bacteria that help your body's enzymes break down food so that the stomach lining can absorb more nutrients into the blood stream, and the digestive tract. When your body can absorb more of the food you are eating, your waste is going to become smaller, because less mass is going undigested. You can find them in pill form, but most people prefer supplementing with ORGANIC, PLAIN yogurt, which can have 5 or 7 cultures. I'd go with the 7 if you can find it, or if the dog food already contains some, you might have a food allergy. But if you feed 2.5 cups twice a day, you are feeding quite too much. How often does your pup go to the bathroom? A well fed dog should only eliminate twice a day, any more and it's a good chance theyre being overfed.


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## StaffyMama (Apr 13, 2009)

HART said:


> Where can i find this probiotics stuff?


At a health food store or farmers market!


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

He is going twice a day this week if you count the accidents. The bag says he needs between 5-7 cups? Thats too much? He weighs about 60lbs.


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## StaffyDaddy (Mar 28, 2009)

Yeah, you really shouldn't follow what the bag says. In many cases that Ive seen people go by the company's guidelines, most were over feeding. IMO you are over feeding, and you should decrease it to 1 cup 2x- 1.5 cups, since I don't know enough about Mastiffs. But 60 lbs, 9 month... Sure sounds like a lot of food LOL


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Well from my understanding of the Mastif breed he should be allot bigger by now. I suspect this diarreha issue is why he isnt. I mean he looks healthy and acts fine ..... just need to get this under control. Guess its a Vet visit to be safe he doesnt have some bacteria issue.


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## StaffyDaddy (Mar 28, 2009)

HART said:


> Well from my understanding of the Mastif breed he should be allot bigger by now. I suspect this diarreha issue is why he isnt. I mean he looks healthy and acts fine ..... just need to get this under control. Guess its a Vet visit to be safe he doesnt have some bacteria issue.


Well when breeding two breeds, you don't necessarily have to have obvious traits of both. You can, but unless you know what your breeding, the outcome is like a crap shoot. He may only get to a modest size, as you said its a apbt/mastiff mix. Also, some breeds take a long time to mature, so you may not see the end results til about 2-3 years imo.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

If your dog is having diarrhea it could be related to diet but not if it is explosive like that. You probably have bacteria or a bug in the digestive tack. Things like Coccida or Giardia are easy for a dog to pick up. Anytime I have a dog who I have not changed diets on get diarrhea I treat them with metronidazole. It is a cure all for what ales the gut and clears up diarrhea in just a day. You need to treat for 5-7 days but it clears it up quick. If the diarrhea persist after 3 days of being on the metronidazole then you need to go to the vet. This is what we have been suing in our kennels for years and what most vets will give you anyway after the have done several expensive tests.

If your dog has diarrhea for a few days Metronidazole is a great antibiotic that works wonders on the gut. I always use it at the first sign of diarrhea and it stops it about 95% of the time.

Dosage
11.5 to 15 Mg per lbs of body weight. This is given BID (mean 2x a day)

example
your dog weights 40lbs so take 40 x 15 = 600 mg or you could use a smaller dose 40 x 11.5 = 460
so since it comes in 
250 mg and 500 mg tablets I would give 500 mg 2 times a day for 7 days.

If you have smaller dogs then like puppies order 250 mg tablets
If you have dogs over 40lbs order the 500 mg tablets

250 mg's Fish Zole, 250 mg Metronidazole, 100 Tablets, Non-prescription - Non Prescription - Lambert Vet Supply

500 mg's Fish Zole Forte, 500 mg Metronidazole x 100 Tablets, Non-prescription - Non Prescription - Lambert Vet Supply

*CAUTION* you can overdose puppies and small dogs easily with metronidazole and have neurological problems. So I would always use the 11.5 x the body weight dosage and not ever give it to pups under 10lbs but that is JMO.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

how much does your dog weigh and is he over weight? that will determine how much food you need to feed him.


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

He weighs 60.5 lbs. He isnt over weight at all. He looks healthy.

So if i get the metronidazole 500 i should give him 2 tabs a day?


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## StaffyDaddy (Mar 28, 2009)

Do you have any pictures of your dog? Side shots, especially?


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

I would do 1.5 pill 2x a day for a dog that weight. The amount of food you are feeding is fine as long as your dog is not overweight. Each dog is different and we need to adjust the food to how the dog looks. I would agree never go by what the bag of dog food says after all they are in the business of selling dog food and want your dog overfed and fat


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

I dont have any pics here at work. I can take some when i get home.


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## StaffyDaddy (Mar 28, 2009)

HART said:


> I dont have any pics here at work. I can take some when i get home.


good deal. it's just a little different being able to see your dogs structure. a lot of times, and not to say this to offend anyone, but what we think is overweight and what is actually overweight in a dog can be confused. a nice fat puppy is fine, but as dogs get older their form should be more defined, especially if they are well fed and active. But all in all, I think it will help your situation to be able to get input on that.

But like lisa said, those companies just want you to run out faster, it's a business after all


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Ok i ordered the 250 mg metronidazole. They should be here tomorrow. So for a 60 lb 9 month old i should go with 1.5 tabs x2 daily?

Thanks again guys if this works i am buying the beer.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

no you need the 500mg! I am sorry I thought you read the dosage section. I would do 750mg per dose. So just give 3-250 mg per dose. You should have enough with what you bought and I would do it for 7 days. Make sure to give it with food so right before you feed. Also the pills are very bitter so make sure you put them like in a treat.
When my dogs see the bottle come out they lock thier jaws! lmao


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

ok thanks!! So how do i know if this is making him sick? You mentioned it could have a overdose effect on them causing nerological issues? err spelling lol


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Normally you worry about that with puppies. If your dog has a reaction to any drug you will obvious signs the dog is not doing well maybe even seizures. It is rare but something you need to be a where of when giving your dog any antibiotic. Sometimes this medication will make the dog throw up but that is why you have to give it with food or it will give them an upset stomach. A reaction is obvious signs like cannot balance, keeps falling down, seizures. Like I said really low risk but it is something every owner should know.


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Well i got some pics up of Dobbs. Mind you they are all from a cell phone camera. I am charging my camera and will take some better ones.

Let me know what you guys think. Is he looking ok as far as weight goes?

here is the link to the photos

http://www.gopitbull.com/album.php?albumid=1294


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## StaffyDaddy (Mar 28, 2009)

IMO he doesn't have much of the mastiff traits to him. He looks like he's right on track weight wise. I think if your dog is active, its harder for us to know if we're overfeeding because you normally associate overfeeding with an obese dog, but Dobbs looks to be healthy, as far as weight goes. I would try and reduce the feed to 1.5 cups x2 per day, and maintain a schedule when feeding, and if it doesnt get better then go to the vet. JMO


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## StaffyDaddy (Mar 28, 2009)

You have a great looking boy btw


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Thx allot! I was worried he was under weight cuz of the diarreha. This is my 3rd apbt and just seems like i am always running into problems or bad luck with this breed. I had a blue fawn last and i had to put her down from tumors. Just really want this one to work out for me and my family so i am extremely nervous.

I appreciate all of you replying to my posts so quickly. Really like this forum so far.


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## CallieBum73 (Aug 29, 2009)

The stress of a new home could be adding to the problem too. When I worked at a bording kennel seems like every dog in there would get the poops when they visit.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

very handsome boy! To me he looks a little heavy, I like to see more tuck on the waist of the dog. reducing his food is a good idea but you do not want to take off too much at once. Also we cannot say how many pounds to take off because every dog is different. What I would recommend is backing off slowly so the dog does not feel starving. If you take off a full cup like mentioned above your dog could could start destructive behaviors then you have new problems. I have seen ppl put dogs on too much of a reduction to come home and find the house trashed.

Take off a 1/4 cup at a time. So start feeding 2.25 cups 2 x a day for this week then next week feed 2 cups 2x a day then keep him on that for a few weeks and see if you notice a change in his appearance or take him the vet and weight him. You do is not obese just a little Pudgy even for a pet. After you have had him on 2 cup for a while if he still looks over weight then you can go another 1/4. I feed my 36 pound dog 3 cups a day, a bigger dog could use more food but again determine that by looking at the dog. I also have a 55 pound dog who eats 5 cups and she still is too skinny. again each dog is different. Hope that helps, again he is very handsome!!


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Well i ordered the metronidazole and paid for overnight shipping but as usual it wont be here till monday. Dont know why i always pay for overnight it never actually gets here overnight.

Anyway i stopped the dog food and started him on cooked chicken and rice yesterday. Today i did cooked hamburger and rice. He is pooping less but its still diarrhea. I just wish those pills would get here so i can start that and see what happens.

I have noticed that he has nearly no gas anymore. On the dog food he had really bad gas. So hopefully i am onto something here.

Oh and i am only feeding him about 2 cups of the cooked food.

Thank you for the nice comments! Like i said i am lucky i have this dog to begin with so i really just want the best for him.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

I hope that helps! let us know on Tuesday if it helped! good luck


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

ok i got the pills in today and i am about to start his first dose. I guess i should have asked if this stuff is going to make him poop allot like to clear him out? Just want to be sure so i am ready for it.

Hope you can reply tonight. thanks again!


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

nope he won't poop any more than normal  you should see a difference in a day or two, but administer the full week just to be safe


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

ok thx! i will let everyone know how it turns out in about a day.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Yeah I just had to put 2 dogs on it at my place today! Siren had bloody poop and Bezel (my BFF's dog I m watching) was worse than a sprinkler this morning! lol
good luck I hope it works and like she said use it for a week


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Ok so i gave him the first dose of 750 mg last night. He didnt get sick or have any reaction. This morning though when he went his poop looked kinda semi runny and had some white-ish looking stuff in it. I am asuming this is the piils?


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Back to report good news! The pills are working! This morning his stool was almost all solid. Was normal color and all. He HATES the pills lol but at least its working and i avoided a vet bill.

You guys kick ass!! Thank you very much for all your help and advice.

The next step is finding a good dog food thats not 50 bucks a bag. Not sure i should just start him up on straight dog food since i have been feeding him cooked hamgurger and rice for the past week or so.

What do you guys think?


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

I am happy he is doing good! I feed all my dogs food from costco the Kirkland chicken and rice. If you are having a hard time with food maybe raw is the way to go.


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

thats what i am thinking too. Just need to get some advice on how to go about it as i have no idea what i should be adding or how to mix it or even where i should i buy the stuff to be sure its cost effective. Bottom line i want whats best for Dobbs at this point.

The cooked hamburger and rice he LOVES! Also it seems to be doing well. but buying enough to feed him and keeping on it seems to be a little pricey. Plus is just hamburger and rice enough of a balanced diet? Should i be giving him vitamins or anything else? I also have been adding the yogurt you mentioned as well. He loves that stuff too, thats what i have been hiding the metronizadole in 

@performanceknls : I seriously owe you a huge THANK YOU! Your advice has saved me potentially a couple hundred bucks in Vet bills. If there is anything i can do just mention it!!


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

HART said:


> @performanceknls : I seriously owe you a huge THANK YOU! Your advice has saved me potentially a couple hundred bucks in Vet bills. If there is anything i can do just mention it!!


Your welcome! I try to help when I can and it helps someone is willing to listen


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Well i am back to report bad news. After cooking him hamburger and rice and using the metronadizole for a week all was good. Diarreha was gone.

So day before yesterday i went and got him some dry food. I bought some TOTW after asking here what might best suit dobb's. Here is the link to where i asked http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/19514-need-help-deciding-food-live-very-small-town.html

I'm not sure if its the TOTW, an allergy he is having or what but the diarreha is back. Guess its a vet visit. I'm not sure what else to do.

You guys have any other ideas? Should i keep giving him the food and see if he takes to it? What do you guys think?


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## DueceAddicTed (Sep 28, 2009)

did u introduce it slowly? like 1 part totw to 2 parts beef & rice for a few days allowing his body to adjust and then increasing it ... im not sure measurements but I do know if you change their diet dramatically it can cause upset stomach and soft to soupy stool ....


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Yes all i have been giving him is maybe a handful at most and 1 1/2 cups hamburger and rice to 2 cups. He was fine all week on the hamburger and rice. 

Do you think i should keep giving him the TOTW?


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## DueceAddicTed (Sep 28, 2009)

I personally would continue adding a lil more with less rice and beef each time til he adjust ... but thats just me
I'd suggest you wait for someone with more experience on this kind of problem for advice and dont worry yet ... 
I'm hoping its something you can easily fix ... my boy has allergies so I know all to well how difficult it is to work with diet but his allergies were pin pointed so I know what to stay away from.
And it has only been what like 4/5 days since you started the totw they may say you need more time... and if not probably a raw diet more modified for proper balance that you prepare yourself I know theres plenty of good recipes here ...
Hold tight I'm sure everyone who helped you before will be here soon .... ~hugs~


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## Carriana (May 13, 2008)

Sounds like he might have a super sensitive digestive tract. This is the Mastiff/pit mix right? You might want to take him to the vet (to save an extra trip to the vet you might want to think ahead and take a stool sample with you) to rule out some sort of bug or parasite. We have all of our dogs on TOTW - High Prairie because before we knew better we were feeding Beneful and Loki at around 5 months was having bloody/mucous diarrhea and vomiting about 5 times a day. Thankfully, a change in diet worked to solve the problem (although our vet's solution was exploratory surgery? We no longer see that vet...)

Since your dog is doing well on the hamburger/rice diet then maybe you might want to consider keeping him on it... or better yet, look into the raw diet. There are several members on here who feed raw and could give you great recipes.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

some rich food can cause them to get the runs, if the metronidazole worked then he had something else going on. Now you need to just find a food that will work with him. I have a few dogs that cannot tolerate a rich food or they will have issues. You also need to build back up the bacteria in the gut after doing the metro. I would put him back on the hamburger and rice and add a few scoops of plain yogurt for a few days and then add about 1/4 cup of the TOTW only once a day and see if that goes ok, if it does fine for a few days then add it twice a day and increase slowly till he is on it all the way. 

I just switched kaos over to TOTW off of the Kirkland food and even though I did it slowly he still had the runs for a few days. What TOTW is he on?

You can go to the vet but it sounds diet related to me....


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## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

I would stick to the hamburger/ rice diet for 6-7 months then I would try to introduce a dry kibble.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

I would worry about a nutritional deficiency on that diet for too long.


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## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

I think that the dog would be better off having months for the body to clear itself up then to keep disrupting its digestive system. A diet of brown rice and hamburger is not a bad diet. He could add organic yogurt and a multi vitamin. I would talk to a holistic vet.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

I think you would be ok just doing the transition slowly or go raw. I went raw with kaos and hated it, it made him really sick and I had to go back to TOTW. But I know many dogs who have to eat raw because they can not tolerate kibble very well.
what ever you, I wish you the best  that really sucks to have a diarrhea problem like that.


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

I'm gonna get him to the Vet just to be on safe side. I want to be sure there isnt something else going on. Like some underlying problem. I had to let him out last night twice .... both times were pretty bad watery stools.

If its effecting him that much with just a small handful i think there is more going on. I just want to be sure.

The only difference this time with the diarreha is it seems like he can hold it till he gets outside. He couldnt do that before and it was allot more stool then now.

I will just keep him on the hamburger and rice and yogurt for now till i get some answers from the vet.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Good idea on going to the vet, you want to make sure you are not missing anything. With things like this you need to go with your gut feeling, let us know what the vet says.
Also a handful could be half a cup that is why measuring it is aways good. Poor little guy!


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Will do! ... thanks for the concern and your replies everyone. I am gonna try and get him in today. I will let you know what he says. 

Funny thing is he acts like nothing is wrong ... still playing and running around. Eats like a normal growing puppy ...drinking plenty of water. Just a sensitive tummy is my guess ...at least thats all i hope is wrong.


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

So Dobb's is back from the Vet. Got some good news i guess. Took in a stool sample and he has no parasites. Vet gave us some pills to help build up his good bacteria in his digestive tract. 

I'm still a bit confused on what to do about his food. The Vet suggested i use Blue Buffalo, says its good for dogs with sensitive tummy's. This will be the second bag of food i have bought in the past 4 days. Vet said to do the same thing i was doing with the last food. Now if this food doesnt work, what should i do? Buy another brand, then another, and another? This is going to start to get pricey real quick.

I'm confused. He also has lost 6 lbs so i need to fatten him up a lil. poor guy.


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## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

How does he do if you give him an egg?


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

I havent tried giving him egg. Should it be cooked? What will this do for him?


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## HART (Oct 15, 2009)

Sorry for the double post i am just curious about the egg thing. Can i give it to him raw?


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