Golden Retriever Dog Forums banner
21 - 40 of 57 Posts
Discussion starter · #21 ·
I really like my vet, we haven't had any problems (so far) so hopefully whenever I get a call back from him we can get it sorted out. He was really concerned last time when Cooper ate a edible nylon bone WHOLE and had diarrhea and throwing up for 3 days. He kept calling me to make sure it was under control. I go home today at lunch to let Cooper out and I notice a very runny pile in my backyard. I'm not sure if he did that at lunch when I wasn't out there or this morning (its dark when we go out in the morning). But it was a pale color and very runny. I'd prefer not to switch foods until I know what's going on. Haven't heard back from the vet yet today. I'll keep you posted on what I hear. thanks for all the suggestions. :) It helps when you're new at this!
 
Well gluten cant be a problem couse BB dont have it, mine eats Pro Plan Chicken so maybe its a chicken problem, or maybe the watter supply? or a pancreatic problem? You need three samples for a more reliable giardia test (3 consecutive days). But i remember giardia couse loose stools some days and some days not, but our dogs make loose stools some minutes yes and some minutes not.
 
Gluten intolerance is much rarer in dogs than hypothyroidism (which looks like/causes allergies) or allergies to meat proteins.
True, thusly it is also more overlooked/misdiagnosed. My main post point was to note that foods with certain grains (and not only gluten as a listed ingredient) can be problematic to dogs with celiac type disease which can wreak all sorts of havok (many mimicing those of allergies and hypothryoidism), and if testing for more those more common ailments comes up negative, the celiac angle shouldn't be completely removed as a possible cause or contributing factor to dogs experiencing unknown difficulties.
 
I really like my vet, we haven't had any problems (so far) so hopefully whenever I get a call back from him we can get it sorted out.
Not necessarily suggesting that you change vets all together, but don't hesitate to get a second opinion should this vet come up empty on this one - there are other vets out there that may be able to offer a good bedside manner as well as a solution in this instance.
 
True, thusly it is also more overlooked/misdiagnosed. My main post point was to note that foods with certain grains (and not only gluten as a listed ingredient) can be problematic to dogs with celiac type disease which can wreak all sorts of havok (many mimicing those of allergies and hypothryoidism), and if testing for more those more common ailments comes up negative, the celiac angle shouldn't be completely removed as a possible cause or contributing factor to dogs experiencing unknown difficulties.
Sure. I would absolutely look at grain/gluten intolerance after ruling out more common things, like protein allergies, parasites, and hypothyroidism.
 
Out of curiousity, what are the signs of hypothyroidism?
Lethargy
Skin lesions that look like allergies or hot spots
Skin infections (often secondary to those hot spots)
Recurring itchy spots
Recurring ear infections/gunkines
Dull coat
Hair loss
Weight gain (even on a reasonable number of calories)
Behavior abnormalities like aggression or sensitivity
Temperature regulation problems

Did I miss any?
 
Lethargy
Skin lesions that look like allergies or hot spots
Skin infections (often secondary to those hot spots)
Recurring itchy spots
Recurring ear infections/gunkines
Dull coat
Hair loss
Weight gain (even on a reasonable number of calories)
Behavior abnormalities like aggression or sensitivity
Temperature regulation problems

Did I miss any?
These all showed up with my King BUT my Rowdster had different symptoms:

Severe allergies
Blackened skin/recurring staph infections resistant to healing
Nausea and inability to hold down food
His ears kind of flipped up at the bottoms
And most mystifying: He was absolutely HYPER and unable to settle down: I have since learned that this can happen with thyroid storming
 
Discussion starter · #32 ·
Ok took a second sample in to the vet. Negative again for any parasites. He said before doing more extensive tests to rule out a food problem. He gave me a prescription probiotic and recommended a "low residue" diet to see if it's food related. He also stated that Cooper could just have a sensitive stomach and it could possibly be a protein allergy. So I started with the probiotic and metamucil in his water. His poops were both good today. They also noticed that his poop was kind of "dense" but said it was most likely from the stuffing he had in it from his toys. :) whoops, we catch as much as we can, practically sitting next to him as he rips them apart! So if the probiotics work, I will get more. Thinking a food change might be in the future. thinking about skipping chicken & beef and maybe doing a potato & venison if we switch. Any thoughts?
 
Don't know if this matters or not but, does your vet send the sample out to a lab? My dog had the exact same thing happening when he would go, I even hesitated on bringing him in because it didn't happen each time he went. His test at the vet came out negative, but the one sent to a lab came out positive. I'm not sure what the difference was between the test done at the vet and at the lab.
 
afauth,

I fed my 5 month old golden, Jake, the same food for the first few months I had him, with the exact same results that you are having. After reading here about the food possibly being too rich for some dogs, I switched to California Natural Lamb and Rice for puppies. Since the switch, he has been solid most of the time, while still only moving his bowels twice a day. It has been a nice switch.
 
If you like the food, maybe just keep him on the probiotic to help firm it up.
 
Discussion starter · #37 ·
Well so far this morning he is still doing the walking squats after having 2 of the probiotics. I know it's too soon to tell though. I had some canned low residue food from an incident earlier in his life (totally unrelated to this issue). I put some of that on his food this morning and we'll see how he does. My gut tells me it's food related because he didn't have these problems on the Iams, just when we started the BB. I'm definitely NOT going back to Iams but I've heard puppies should have up to 24% protein and the BB has 28%. If using probiotics, low residue soft food mixed in works then I will use this last bag up of BB and switch to a different protein source and probably adult food because by the time he finishes this up he'll be 8months. I've also heard they just grow out of this too. He's gaining weight, growing, still very active & happy. I'll see what the next couple days bring before doing anything more drastic.

Ken---thanks for letting me know that about the food. My gut is it's the food since it started at the same time as the switch.
 
Sorry to keep pressing this, but I'd do a course of metronidazole regardless. If it's related to a low level infection/parasite/whatever, the metro will help. But it's also an anti-spasmodic (sp?) and will help quiet down whatever inflammation or irritation is going on with him.
Interesting comment about the toy stuffing, just that is enough to inflame his gut and cause the problems you are describing. The inflammation from that can last for several days (I know, I have a stuffing eater, too).
I'm with Tippy, I'm still surprised the vet didn't give you some metronidazole just to help the symptoms for now.
As far as the potato and venison, my older boy did just fine on it for 2 years. Then we did potato and rabbit for a year, and now switching to potato and duck. He's got IBD diagnosed by biopsy, when he was 8-1/2.
 
Discussion starter · #39 ·
Ok I will check with my vet about the antibiotic if the probiotic & low residue don't show improvement in a couple days. I didn't know the metro was also an anti-spasmodic, that would make sense then. What's IBD?

I looked at BB Lamb & Brown Rice, much lower protein 22% vs 28% (if that's the problem), that is an option for us too and I'd prefer it because I can easily get it at PetSmart a couple minutes away. Someone else here suggest California Natural and we can get it but I'm not sure where these places are that were listed on their website but I will figure it out if need be. Do Golden's need to be on a Large Breed adult food too or just when they're puppies?
 
IBD is a disease that's typically of autoimmune origin in which the body cannot tolerate certain specific proteins. The immune system gets confused and will attack its own mucous membranes in the digestive tract, typically causing diarrhea and/or vomiting (my dog had neither), sometimes a mildly elevated liver enzyme (my dog had that), unexplained weight loss, etc. (Inflammatory Bowel Disease, NOT to be confused with Irritable Bowel Disorder or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS). It would be very uncommon, although not impossible, in a dog the age of yours. It's confirmed by intestinal biopsy in which they find massive infiltration of the stomach and/or intestine with various white cells.
It's typically treated with dietary modification, steroids (because of the autoimmune component) and metronidazole.
We treat my boy's with diet only, since he has never had any gastrointestinal symptoms (which is also very unusual). When his liver enzyme goes back up, we know his body is reacting to the novel protein and it's time to change again.
The amount of protein in the food is less likely to be a problem as is the type of protein. That is, if your dog has a problem with chicken but not with beef, 22% protein that's chicken based will cause much more problems than 35% protein that's beef based.


Ok I will check with my vet about the antibiotic if the probiotic & low residue don't show improvement in a couple days. I didn't know the metro was also an anti-spasmodic, that would make sense then. What's IBD?

I looked at BB Lamb & Brown Rice, much lower protein 22% vs 28% (if that's the problem), that is an option for us too and I'd prefer it because I can easily get it at PetSmart a couple minutes away. Someone else here suggest California Natural and we can get it but I'm not sure where these places are that were listed on their website but I will figure it out if need be. Do Golden's need to be on a Large Breed adult food too or just when they're puppies?
 
21 - 40 of 57 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top