[LuckyPup]

Since I got Lucky 5 weeks ago, I started with a new vet. I have not had a dog for a year before and lived in a different city. Anyways, someone recommended me to this vet.

I went in today to get his stitches out from his neuter. When I was there I had planned to speak with them about his bowel mvements. They are still loose and diarehhia-like(for the whole 5 weeks I have had him). He has also been hacking (not a cough I believe) and this AM hacked up clear liquids. I was concerned he could possibly have a food allergy or something. The reason I jumped to that conclusion was this (and I could be totally wrong) he started out with hs previous owners on Purina puppy Chow then they switched him to Gravy Train. When we adopted him we gradually switched him to Canidae. He had severe gas, would not eat much, and had diarehhia. So we finally decided to switch him again. So we switched him to California Natural (Chicken). Treats for click training are Zukes Mini Treats, Wellness treats and Charlie Bears.

So the vet told me they do not think it is food allergies and we should check his stool sample for parasites. We did this back when we got him. I agreed. He did not have any parasites. So he told me that he thinks we should still treat him for parasites because sometimes they do not show up on the screening and then if his BM does not change we will assume it is food allergies BUT instead of checking for allergies there are really only three different diets to try and we will do trial and error?

Now, I am a novice I will fully admit this. But I do try to read as much as possible for his happiness and health and this just did not sit right with me. Plus, I would think (could be wrong) a vet would have heard of California Natural or/and Canidae?

Does anyone have any input? Is that how you would check for food allergies by constantly checking his food? Should I really treat for a parasite that is not showing up in the tests?

 

[jwemt81]

Loose stools would not be an allergy symptom. Tucker had VERY loose stools on California Natural. It was just way too rich for him and we had to take him off of it. He just didn't tolerate it well at all. He also had the same stool problems on Innova, Eagle Pack, and Canidae. His stools finally firmed right up on Iams and Eukanuba literally overnight. We now rotate between the two. Some dogs just don't do very well on the more premium/natural foods because they are so rich and end up having stools the consistency of pudding. Every dog is different. I would try looking for a food with a little less protein. I'm not sure about the parasites and why the vet would want to treat for them when they didn't even show up on the stool specimen. It is true that most vets aren't very well-informed/educated in animal nutrition.

 

[Loisiana]

Most vets and their lack of knowledge on nutrition is one of my biggest pet peeves. No, there's a good chance a vet would not have heard of those brands. A few years ago I was told by a vet that the reason my dog was limping was probably because I was feeding a poor quality food that wasn't allowing him to develop right(I had told him I was feeding Innova, he said he hadn't heard of it and assumed it must be poor quality). He told me I should be feeding something higher quality like Eukanuba. Food is one area that I rarely listen to vet's advice about, I feel like I know a lot more about the subject than they do.

As for actual food allergies, the main symptom is usually itchiness; the symptoms your dog has don't sound like typical allergies. There could be ingredients in there that don't agree with him though (there are some foods that give me an upset stomach, even though I'm not actually allergic to them - can work the same with dogs). I have one dog whose stomach cannot tolerate fish.

Jodie

 

[JDandBigAm]

With a hacking cough, has kennel cough been suggested or giardia because of the diahrrea?

 

[Tahnee GR]

I would suspect parasites as well, and often coccidia and giardia don't show up in stool samples, same for some worms such as whips. It is common to treat and, if it clears up, you assume that's what the pup had. If you treat for whips and it doesn't get better, you move on to coccidia or giardia.

Food allergies generally do not present as diarrhea. I would suspect parasites, and/or the food switch was too sudden and/or the food is too rich.

 

[LibertyME]

Your pup can test negative, however still have a problem with parasites ...some worms like hooks and whips can be tricky buggars...

I would surely go through a systematic treatment for worms before switching foods again. Then if you still suspect an allergy...have him allergy tested so you can get him on a food he can tolerate.

 

[LuckyPup]

Thanks! Makes me feel better! It just did not sound right to me BUT then again I am not a vet! I will treat him for a week and see what happens from there. He assured me it could not hurt him in any way.

If I have to change foods I will try one with less protein. Thanks for the food suggestions jwemt81

I appreciate all of your help and input. It has definitely settled my worries.

 

[Swampcollie]

I too agree with Tahnee, Giardia or Coccidia are the likely contenders.

The loose stools could also be a symptom of overfeeding a very rich food.

I am not at all surprised that the Vet is not familiar with California Natural, in looking at the big pet food picture, it is a very obscure brand with an extremely miniscule share of the total pet food market.