[Kyzun]

Hi there,

Our 4 month old GR is very light colored (english cream/white). He has had mushy-watery stools ever since we brought him home. I was immediately alarmed and took him to the vet. We discovered he had a small bug, and we put him on antibiotics until it was gone. He seemed to have more energy and feel better, but his stools became only slightly less watery (still mushy).

He also had bad gas. I started eliminating things from his diet starting with his treats (Zukes salmon flavor). The gas was gone once we stopped with the treats, but the stools were still loose.

He started itching his neck every 10 minutes and biting his tail and paws. I know it was a little early, but I gave him some salmon oil a few days ago (dumb idea) to see if it would help with dry skin (we are in Utah- a desert!). Unfortunately, he had a terrible reaction to it. He was straining to poop and had the worst water diarrhea I had ever seen.

So I discovered that he has some kind of intolerance or allergy to fish (which made sense considering his salmon treats were giving him gas). I checked his food (Kirkland super premium puppy) and there is both fish meal and salmon oil in it.

I'm looking for a good dry food with a high protein percentage based on chicken (we know he can eat that fine), without containing any SALMON OIL, FISH MEAL, or OMEGAS. Any recommendations? Has anyone else gone through this with their Golden? Also, do you think his food could be causing the itching? Any advice would help!

Thanks in advance- a concerned momma.

 

[Willow52]

My boy has a sensitivity to salmon. Other fish doesn't seem to be an issue though. Salmon causes terrible itching, especially anal itching/licking. The first time it happened I took him to the vet thinking it was his anal glands, no problem there. It finally dawned on me that about 3 weeks earlier I had started a food change (due to a big price jump), I switched him back to the old food and problem went away. Fast forward, a recall on his food so I switched him to something else. The same itching/licking started. I compared the ingredients...salmon. Switched to another food containing no salmon and the problem went away. He's been on Blue Buffalo Adult for about 2 years now.

 

[Kyzun]

Thanks for the input! Turns out he developed giardia, which is worsened by allergies. With the change of seasons here in Utah from Summer to Fall, his allergies acted up which also made his giardia flare up (really bad!). And pollen counts are down, he's doing better with the allergies.

We put him on Metronidazole and Safeguard (Fenbendazole) for a week. Giardia was gone, and he seemed to be better but then was back to diarrhea after we ended the meds. Turns out he developed a bacterial infection because of the antibiotics killing all the good bacteria. He's back on Metro and Safeguard for another week (just to be sure the giardia is gone) as well as getting probiotics 3x a day.

Here's to hoping chronic tummy troubles will be over soon....

 

[Helo's Mom]

So do you still think he's allergic to fish? I think my boy is allergic to fish, his face swelled up when he ate some fish flavored food (Nutro) and he had seizures so I avoid anything with fish in it for him. He is eating Hills Ideal Balance Grain Free chicken and potato recipe and is doing very well on it. It has no fish in it. I hope your boy is feeling much better soon.

 

[asntheo]

Major tummy issues with our pup between 4-5 months. She has been on California Natural Puppy full time for a month after several rounds of prescription food and various meds. It has only 6 ingredients so if you are concerned about allergies and your pup is good with chicken it's a great option. Helps to figure or sensitivity. Both BB large breed and Zignature were both too rich for our Bella.

 

[Sweet Girl]

Pro Plan Puppy is chicken based. It is a pretty easy to digest food. My pup had lots of tummy issues, too (including Giardia) and after a time on very bland vet food, I transitioned her onto the PP (Large Breed Puppy). She did great on it - and now she is on an adult formula Pro Plan. Hope this helps.

 

[Kyzun]

Helo's Mom, it's hard to tell. Because he had giardia and a bacterial infection (which causes horrendous gas), we're not sure if he's also intolerant to fish. His symptoms - gas, diarrhea, laying around, etc- could be related to fish, but they were definitely symptoms of infections. However, he does seem to have allergies to seasonal things, pollen, grass, etc.

I wouldn't be surprised if he actually is intolerant to fish, but we've just been avoiding it to give his tummy a break before we go back and see if he can handle it. I would love to get him on a salmon oil supplement, but we'll just have to wait and see.