[CocoaCream]

I have a 6 yr. old female collie that we got as a rescue in March. While on vacation a couple weeks ago, she came down with a bad case of diarrhea and we took her to a vet near where we were staying. They did a fecal flotation and a giardia test and both came back negative. They also tested for parvo, which was also negative. She is up to date on all her medications, although she is due for her yearly vaccines...but we can't do those until she is completely healthy. Since the vet couldn't pinpoint any parasites or disease causing the diarrhea, she gave us metronidazole in hopes that this would take care of any bacteria that could be causing a problem. She also gave us some probiotics (lactobacillis/bifidobacterium) to give Brenna after finishing the antibiotics.

After a couple of days on antibiotics, Brenna's diarrhea cleared up and she had normal stools for several days. She has been on the probiotics for about 4 days now, and I noticed that the last 3 stools she's had are soft, and the most recent one was covered in mucous. Is this normal? I'm concerned that the probiotic may be bringing back the bad bacteria instead of the good ones. Is that possible? Should I continue using the probiotic and see if her stools firm up in the next couple of days? I don't want to overreact, but it bothers me that she seems to be going backwards instead of forward. Her appetite is still good, and she does not act ill. Any advice you all can give me would be appreciated!

Also, just a note about the food she is currently on...We feed a little less than 2 cups of Iams Lamb and Rice per day. I know many would say this is not the best food, but it is really all I can afford right now. We were giving her 1/4 can of pedigree wet food, until she got sick. Since then, I have been making home-cooked food for her, and she gets 1/2 cup of this per day. So far, we have used boiled chicken and brown rice with a small amount of cooked carrots and peas, and boiled ground turkey and potatoes with steamed carrots and leafy greens. She also gets sliced hot dogs as a training treat.

 

[CocoaCream]

Anybody have any advice?

 

[Binkalette]

Hmm.. sorry, I don't have much advice... the only things I can think of for recurring diarrhea is to switch foods or add a bit of pumpkin to her diet. It sounds as though she has been on this same food for a long time now, correct? So I don't think it's her food causing it, unless perhaps Iams changed their formula or your dog developed an allergy. You can feed her a few table spoons of pumpkin every day to help firm up her poop, but that's just kind of like a band-aid on the real problem.

 

[zhaor]

I would maybe ask your vet about the mucous?

As Binkalette suggested, I've heard canned pumpkin helps with diarrhea. Though make sure its just pumpkin and no added sugar. Also maybe some plain activa yogurt to help with digestion? Yogurt with active cultures helps replenish the good bacteria that she might have lost with the diarrhea.

As for food, if you have access to Costco, their Kirkland dry dog food is about $25 for 40lbs and should be quite a bit better than Iams.

Hope your girl is alright.

 

[skelaki]

One question. Did you finish the entire course of antibiotics the vet gave you or stop giving them once the diarrhea cleared up?

 

[CocoaCream]

One question. Did you finish the entire course of antibiotics the vet gave you or stop giving them once the diarrhea cleared up?

I always give all the meds as directed, so she completed the round of antibiotics. I was told not to start the probiotics until after finishing the antibiotics, so that's what I'm doing. She's supposed to take them for a total of 3 weeks, and we're only in the middle of week 1.

Brenna has actually been on Iams only since March. I believe her previous owners had her eating Kibbles'n'Bits, and since we've been feeding her a better quality diet, her coat has really improved. Since she's a rescue, I really don't know for certain what her diet was like for the first 5 years of her life. But I'm not looking to change food right now anyway. I just added the part about her food as further background info.

Right now I just want to know if it's normal to have a little residual soft stool after a round of antibiotics. I know it could take her body time to get things balanced properly again.

 

[cshellenberger]

I would go to a bland diet for a while, Boiled chicken, brown rice and pumpkin until her stool is firm for a couple days then phase ithe bland diet out.

Oh, and Iams really isn't much better than Kibbles and Bits. Both contain corn, by products and artificial preservatives that can be harmful to your dog. For a truly high quality kibble look in to Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack or Wellness. They have MEAT as two of the top three ingredients, NO corn, wheat or by Porducts and NO artificial preservatives.

 

[CocoaCream]

Well, quick update...good news! Brenna's "poo" is back to normal. I guess it must have just taken her some time to adjust to the probiotics and possibly the new food combination. Thanks for the input everyone!