Puppy With Chronic Diarrhea?

Question

I have a 4 month old black lab puppy. We have been dealing with a diarrhea problem with him since Labor Day. Our vet is certainly helpful, but I thought I might get some insight here.

He was on Iams Smart Puppy Large Breed. When the diarrhea began (it was severe enough that he was waking up all night after he was quite housebroken), he went on metronidizole and amforal which immediately helped the problem. 1.5 days after being off the meds, the diarrhea returned. We did the same meds course again with the same results. The third time, we changed his food to Purina E/N and he went on metronidizole and amoxicillan. Problem cleared up and he went for about a week off the meds before it seems, today, to have returned. He's again back on metronidizole and we changed food to Hills Z/N (hypoallergenic). Other than the diarrhea, he is perfectly fine and healthy. We're at a loss to figure out what is wrong. Has anyone had a similar experience? What could be the cause? Thanks so much!

He has not gotten any weird foods, treats, or table scraps. We've had multiple fecals done and they show clostridium bacteria, though now the vet is not sure if the bacteria is the cause or the effect. He doesn't have any parasites or worms and is an "only child" :)

Answer 1

Since you've had him on the (supposedly) zero allergen foods, that would seem to indicate that it's not a food allergy. That begins to suggest a couple of possibilities. One of these is EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency), a condition in which the pancreas does't produce enough digestive enzymes to properly digest the food. That's often accompanied by SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth). That can produce diarrhea, and you might see mucous in the stool. That's a possiblity, since the metro helped.
Here's what I suggest. Have your vet do the cobalamin/folate/TLI blood test. If the TLI number comes back lower than 2.5, that would indicate EPI. If the folate number is high, that would indicate SIBO as a possibility. Cobalamin has to do with B12 levels.
EPI can't be cured, but it can be managed with supplements of enzymes, and the proper diet.
How long did you give the metro? The recommended length for SIBO is 30 days.
Also, be sure to check for intestinal parasites - whipworms, coccidia and giardia are the most likely, but fungal infections can produce this also.
Beyond that, you have to consider irritable bowel disease (IBD), or other conditions.
If it is EPI or SIBO, there's a great support and information group on Yahoo, called K9-EPIGlobal.
I also suggest you weigh him weekly and keep a log of weights, quality of his stools, etc. Note when you give any medications, change foods, etc.
Hopefully, since he's young, it's not something like EPI. But it's one possibility I feel you should rule out. It sounds like it might be SIBO, but only your vet can make that diagnosis.
I've just gone through something very similar to what you describe with my young female Akita. We'd do something, things would improve a bit, then back to square one. She's borderline EPI, most likely SIBO, and IBD hasn't been completely ruled out.

Edit: I see you have done some testing for parasites, and since you've done multiple samples, that would seem to rule out parasites. The elevated bacteria again make me think SIBO is a possibility.

Answer 2

Chronic Diarrhea In Dogs

Answer 3

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RE:
Puppy With Chronic Diarrhea?
I have a 4 month old black lab puppy. We have been dealing with a diarrhea problem with him since Labor Day. Our vet is certainly helpful, but I thought I might get some insight here.

He was on Iams Smart Puppy Large Breed. When the diarrhea began (it was severe enough that he was waking up all...

Answer 4

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A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 5

I have just a few suggestions: Have you thought of having your water checked for bacteria? Something in your water might be causeing this. Also, I know that Iams & most Purina foods are mostly corn, not sure about the Hills,,,but look for something that the first several ingredients are either chicken, lamb, fish, white rice or brown rice (Not corn or brewers rice) If you can find Eagle Pack Holistic food at a Pet specialty store or pet food warehouse, try one of them.
Also did your vet check for coccidia? That causes diarrhea, but usually it smells so bad, that's the first thing they look for.

Answer 6

Serious. Give your puppy a spoonfull of Pumpkin Pie (ready made) in a can. This will stop the runs.

Answer 7

Have they suggested an intestional biopsy??? I would go with that and maybe see a specialist. If you have a Vet school near you, they should have one.