Should I change his food?! (Warning poo descriptions!!!)

tk123

My mum's just called me to say that my poor baba has just done runny poos and there's blood in it. He had a very bad tummy last month - lots of blood in the poo and was really lethargic - the vets were going to take him in if he didn't improve over night but he perked up and the antibiotics and other medicine to help firm it seemed to sort for it but his poo has been hit and miss the last couple of weeks. At the weekend he had a runny poo, gave him brown rice mixed with his food and it seemed to sort it so I mixed the rice in the last few days - I think this may have caused more harm than good as it seemed to bulk out the poo and there was rice in it so it I'm guessing it wasn't all being digested.

So I guess I'm not sure what to do now about his food. He's on Luath since December. He was on Burns before that and we had nice firm poos but his coat was quite dull. I only really switched him to Luath because after having Burns at home and Luath at daycare for months it suddenly stopped agreeing with him and he'd fart a lot and have soft poo for a day and then be fine. The Luath has made his coat lovely and shiny though and the poos were even better lol. Also I like that it's not full of chemicals and fillers like Burns compared to other brands.

Can a food just suddenly not suit a dog all of a sudden? Could he maybe have developed an intolerance? I'm thinking of maybe trying something like Burns Pork & Potato as it's grain free. Switching him to RAW seems a bit expensive and complicated. His €32 bag of Luath lasts a good 5 weeks. I always have a tray of RC sensitivity and probiotic in stock so I'll fast him until the morning and try him on a little and see how he gets on. I'd rather not have him on RC long term thou. My poor baba. His last class is tonight - don't know if he'll be up to going now!

andreac

Are you sure he doesnt have a bug or something?

I would try feeding him chicken and rice for a few days to see will it clear up. The gradually introduce the Luaths again. If he gets runny poos/blood etc then it is def the food thats causing it so i would try that first.

My pup had this a few months ago and it turned out she had a bug, i even had her on chicken and rice and that didnt even help her. After a trip to the vets he discovered she had a gastro bug and it cleared up with treatment so it wasnt the food that was causing it so maybe try that first and see.

tk123

Phew! Having inspected the crime scene it's soft, covered in mucus and there was a few drops of blood so nowhere near as bad as last time. My mum feaked out a little when she saw blood. I'll try him on rice and chicken / sensitivity control and see how he gets on. He's in good form so hopefully I can stop it getting any worse

carleigh

If he doesnt improve I would bring him back to the vet if I was you. Hopefully it is just a passing tummy bug, poor little mite. Or it could be a touch of collitis that needs treating. If he gets tired of chicken and rice, try adding some baked or steamed white fish into it, or get a tin of I/D from the vet, its great for settling a dodgy tummy. The blood could just be from straining, hopefully it isnt a sign of anything too serious. Get well soon

aisher

It could be the food. I had my dog on Beta and the pet shop told me it was not a good quality food and I should try James Wellbeloved - I did and it was a disaster. Poo went really soft and there was mucus in it - I had also tried wet food and thought it was that and never thought the kibble was the issue. I thought it was just the change in food and left it for 10 days - when it was not clearing I went back to Beta and within two days we were back to dry poos - I think the James Wellbeloved was just too rich for my dog.

tk123

No probs so far thank god. I chanced going to class and he was in great form and enjoyed himself lol i'll stick to sensitivity control and all going well reintroduce the Luath first, then his different treats on by one and see if I can find out what's causing the problem. I panicked earlier because I was imagining it being as bad as last time. At least I know how to get fluids into him if he stops drinking - a drop of marmite in his water lol

reeta

I went through all of what you have said when I got my dog (springer/spaniel). At about 12 weeks she started having dreadful poos which resulted in blood and mucus. I had her at the vet every two weeks where she had to get injections to help her stomach, it got so bad when she went to the toilet blood would just drip out, it was heartbreaking, I constantly had her on rice and lamb. Anyway after going on boards.ie for help realised it was the food (Gold Select from Maxi Zoo) and even though I was at the Vet every two weeks and up to the pet shop weekly desperate for advice, nobody mentioned the food. The protein in Gold Select is extremely high and this is what was affecting her (I'm a first time dog owner and never heard of protein affecting a dog). On advice from a member of boards.ie I ended up buying Royal Canin and literally overnight the whole problem was solved. Still feel guilty over what I put her through !!! Hope your dog gets better soon ...

tk123

Nothing this morning and nothing over night - he's keeping me guessing!! The Luath is already pretty low at 18.5% protein but hopefully I was just freaking out yesterday and won't need to change it! Finding the right food can be a saga - I've done it before and don't really want to do it again lol!

toadfly

I'm glad he is improving tk. I started changing the three dogs over to Luath yesterday and have to say I nearly cried when I read this thread! Glad it doesn't seem to be the food!

barbiegirl

TillyGirl wrote: »

I'm glad he is improving tk. I started changing the three dogs over to Luath yesterday and have to say I nearly cried when I read this thread! Glad it doesn't seem to be the food!

I"ve had our two on Robbies, the rehydrated version of Luath for 6 months, their poos are great, no unexplained tummy upsets, coats are great, their in great form, plus Sindy's allergies seem to be gone, her nose and eyes are fantastic :-)
OP delighted your dog is feeling better

tk123

GAH! Wasn't the best this morning - he would have got Luath at daycare so got a bag of SC earlier - that's all he's having until I figure out what he's having the reaction to. He's not bothered by it which is the main thing!

portgirl123

i would actually at this stage, seen as it seems to be starting up again bring him to the vets just to rule out a bug or something else. esp since your bringing your guy to classes. if a bug or colitus is ruled out you can start thing about changing the food.

carleigh

Hows he doing today, any improvement? Like portgirl said, if he's still the same I would definitely bring him to the vet just to get checked over. Hope he is feeling better soon.

tk123

No probs on sensitivity control since Saturday. I'm going to leave him on it for the rest of the week and if he's ok slowly start mixing the Luath in and see if he has any reaction to it.