Bernese Mountain Dog Question...?

Question

I am a first time owner. First of all, I am very impressed with this dog, he's perfect. My only problem is that he keeps getting diahrea, we fix it but it keeps coming back. I am using Iams large breed dog food. He is 4 months. Does anyone out there have any experiences or suggestions?

I have done ALL the vet things and it is puppy food and all that stuff... Some very informative answers though. I think it must be the dog food. Will have to look into it more...

Answer 1

I used to feed Iams, until my pups of that age began having loose stools..Then I read the label...Iams has added BEET PULP to their formula...(they didn't used to include it) If it is causing loose stools, it is likely putting your dog at risk for calcium deficient rickets....

change to a premium kibble for your wonderful pup.

I also raise a large breed, and I have been extremely happy with Canidae...All stages formula..not puppy, for large breed pups..

Wysong, Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold are also great kibbles, and most are available at local pet supply shops, but not at your grocers or Walmart..
They cost a little more per bag, but much less per month..

Answer 2

Definitely try changing food first. Make sure you get a high quality large breed puppy food- I feed all of mine Science Diet. Switch slowly over a week period. 1/4 new, 3/4 old day 1 & 2. 1/2 new, 1/2 old day 3 & 4. 3/4 new, 1/4 old day 5 & 6 and then totally new on day 7. Once you have switched, if your pup still continues to have diarrhea, request that a fecal sample be sent to an outside lab. Antech is one of the best and you want them to run a T805- Ova & parasite check. T805 is the request code. Running fecals in house is great for normal things, but they miss things that they do not see too often. If this still comes back "negative", the next step would be to run a maldigestion profile. We do ours through antech for canines, but I know texas a&m does also. This will test TLi, PLi, cobalamine and folate production- basically check and make sure pancreas and liver are working okay. See link if you really want some boring reading. If you get to this point, you should have an answer. Good luck!

Answer 3

I personally, would go for the Bernese Mountain Dog. Don't get me wrong, Siberians are great dogs, but they are quite a handful and I have been told they are somewhat difficult to train and stubborn as all get out. They also can't be left in an unfenced area. But personally, I would have to say she should wait ti'll shes done with college and moves into a house. Being in an apartment and her being in college, she probably won't have as much time as she thought she would. It won't be fair to her or the dog.

Answer 4

I am a first time owner of a 4 month old Berner too--no joke! I'm assuming you have already been to the vet. My pup had diarrhea at first, but the vet had us put her on Hill's Diet I/D canned food. It is mostly egg, chicken, and rice I think. After the diarrhea stopped, we started mixing in her kibble (Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy Lamb and Rice) and have been slowly making the switch. The vet is also having us add powdered vitamin C (made for horses) to every meal because it promotes strong joints and has been shown to minimize the development of hip dysplasia in GSDs. My pup was on antibiotics for 3 weeks, so now I put a little plain yogurt in her kong to get some good bacteria back in her stomach and keep it settled (vet tech said it was a good idea). Seems to work. When we got the pup a month ago she was pretty sickly (a rescue), but she is doing great now--bright eyes, shiny coat, and healthy regular bm's. Give it a shot.

Answer 5

I would have a fecal done, the vet may elect to send it out, to check for coccidia and giardia. These are often missed in routine puppy fecals. After that, I would think about talking to the vet and seeing if a food change is in order, if there may be a allergy to a certain additive. I have no problem with Iams, and have used it. But the puppy may have a food allergy. It is unwise to switch around foods without a vets help, especially for large or giant breeds. They require specific things that should/shouldn't be in the food.
The vet can also help determine if there may be another problem.

Make an appointment and go from there!!!!!

Answer 6

My dog always had horrible diahrea with Iams--turns out he couldn't handle the corn that was the main ingredient. I switched him over to a food that had no corn or wheat in it (Wellness Simple Solutions--Duck) and the problem stopped. His coat and skin improved, too. Also, I started feeding him a spoonful of plain yogurt everyday as a treat. That's supposed to firm up the stools and make him more regular, and it really has! Oh, and if your dog is sensitive to corn or wheat, be sure it's not in his treats either! I made that mistake for a bit before everything got straightened out.

Answer 7

Natural rice and cottage cheese for the diahrea, and what I us is Premium Edge dog food. I used to use IAMS when they were an independent company buttheir quality really went down hill when they were bouhgt bu colgate-palmolive. You used to only be able to buy IAMS at a pet store now you can buy it anywhere. Mass production has really affected quality. When buing food amke sure the first ingredient is the meat such as Lamb in the order it is listed on the bag. not corn meal or corn or rice.

Answer 8

Here is what my vet told me to do to treat Diarrhea... Once a week fry some hamburger up and rinse the grease off. Boil some rice and then mix it all together. Make sure you rinsed the beef good or it wont fix the diarrhea problem. I have been doing this for 2 years now and my dogs have not had diarrhea since.

Answer 9

Puppies eat all kinds of yucky things out in the yard and on walks. They just can't help it as its so fun for them to put nasty things in their mouths :)

Take a stool sample into your vet to get checked. He may have picked up a parasite of some kind like coccidia or giardia. Its simple to treat with medication and once its out of this system, no more diarrhea.

Answer 10

I believe that iams has corn as its main ingriedient. Corn is soo bad for dogs. Get a dog food that has meat as its main ingriedient, we use science diet for our pups.

I don't know if i answered your question, but I hope this helps.