Help! My dog is sick!!?

Question

My male terrier (Hambone) has been having stomach problems for 3 days now. He has been playful and active, but when he goes potty his stool is almost all liquid. I did add a supplement to his dog food recently (just the one time), which was a vitamin enriched gravy. I tried it on one serving, and the female dog did not have a reaction (his sister), That is the only thing I have added to his diet that i think could have caused this, but shouldnt it have abated after 3 days if it was the gravy? Usually I feed a mix of canned and dry food, because when I first got them, they would eat their own poop if I fed them just dry food. So with the mix, they stopped that, and I wanted to try the gravy to see if I could just go with dry food and some gravy. Any suggestions? If it was that one serving that made him sick, wouldnt it all be out of his system in 3 days?

added details: Hambone is 2 years old. I am with him for pretty much teh whole day, and his behavior has been normal, besides the fact that he has had loose stool these past couple days. I fed them the gravy topping once, which is to say, it was 1 one tablespoon serving poured atop a cup of dry food. That is why I dont know if it is the gravy, also, because his sister is not affected at all. I am definitely worried as this is the morning of the 3rd day this has happened, and I awoke to his mess on the bathroom floor, so I am definitely worried and going to call the vet. The thing is, I only served the gravy once, so, would it affect his stomach for THIS long? it has been 2-3 days since i gave it to them (cant seem to remember exactly when it was now), and have since stuck with JUST dry food with their regular doggie treats inbetween (rawhide bones, doggie biscuits, etc.).

Answer 1

hmmm i wonder

TAKE HIM TO THE VET

Answer 2

I would hold off on the gravy topping for now since the diarrhea started happening once he ate it. He really does need to see a vet because diarrhea causes severe dehydration in dogs (make sure he is drinking plenty of water). Also, since he is having diarrhea I would just feed him dry food for a few days since his stomach is already upset and wet food can make the problem worse. Also, you could try feeding him a little bit of plain cooked white rice and some boiled skinless chicken because it's low in fat and is easy to digest.
You can also give your dog Imodium AD (yes, the human medication). You can give 1mg per pound every 8 hours (so a 35 pound dog gets 35mg).
I would highly suggest taking him to the vet though because it could be an intestinal parasite that needs to be treated. Three days with diarrhea is a sign of a more serious problem.

Answer 3

The additive may have irritated his stomach lining and could be the reason for the loose stools still occurring. However, eating their own stools is a sign of something more. You are right to think that something is lacking from their diet, but as you probably know, adding something different to their diet should always be done gradually. I know from experience that when my dog is playing she gets excited and that brings on loose stools. Her vet says it is nothing to worry about. If Hambone continues to have loose stools, I would suggest you take him in to the vet for evaluation. He could have a worm infestation or some other problem. It is better to be safe than sorry with our beloved pets. Good Luck to you!

Answer 4

What dried food are u feeding? I am not in favour of feeding dogs a commercial diet- so I usually home cook their meals, add in a meaty bone though I have to admit wen the fridge is empty and time is low- I do have some Innova in my pantry.

Dogs sometimes eat their own poo when their diet is deficient in minerals or vitamins so they eat their poo to absorb the vitamins that are remaining in their poo- it's not a good sign. So try some good quality dried food- Innova, Eagle Pack, Blue Bafflo- basically you want the primary ingredients of the dried dog food to be meat- o/w the food just has fillers and it's not nutritionally satisfactory for your dog.

The diarrhea could be caused by the change of diet- actually recently I thought this was the case for my dogs as well- like they had diarrhea and I took them to the vet and got the sample tested for Giardia and they actually tested positive- so it would be worthwhile to take him to the vet and express your concerns and see if the vet thinks it's useful to do a giardia test.

If you want simple homecooked diets- I usually cook 1 cup rice, 1 cup meat, some veggies and they love it- variety is the key issue which shoudl allow the dogs to absorb different vitamins etc. Commerical dog food whilst convenient is not as good for your dog as it is made to be- that is my personal view.

Take him to the vet- better to be safe than sorry!

Answer 5

Any time you change a dogs diet, even just switching food brands, the dogs will have changes in their stools. Sometimes it passes within a few days, but if it continues, I would definitely ask your dogs vet. I wouldn't give him anymore of the supplement, and contact his vet with your inquiry. Some dogs are just more sensitive to others. And there may be some other issue that you were unaware of that has now become obvious with these recent changes.

Answer 6

First, take a stool sample to the vet.

You didn't say how old he was, but I advise fasting him for at least 12 hours to get his system cleared out. Then, feed him some rice and either boiled chicken or boiled ground beef. Keeping him on a bland diet will help settle his stomach.

If you think he can handle it, add a tablespoon of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling - 100% pumpkin from the baking aisle) to his food. Great remedy for constipation or diahrea.

Answer 7

If your pet has diarrhea,remove its water and replace it with the baby non-flavored pediolyte,this will keep it from dehydrating.You can give your pet about 1/3 teaspoon of pepto bismol every 4 to 6 hours for the diarrhea,and I would suggest not to give it the gravy as this has upset its stomach.If the pediolyte doesn't help I would see your vet,as other things can cause diarrhea.

Answer 8

if it is still going on and you haven't been giving him the gravy any more then i think that you should take him to the vet, it may just be a bug. but if eating his own poop didn't make him sick then i doubt the gravy made him sick, but you never know, he may be allergic to it, but it seems he would be better by now. when he does get better, i would try the gravy again just to see if he can handle it, unless of course your vet says not to.

Answer 9

That is really hard to tell... It could be a virus he picked up somewhere, it could be the gravy - maybe - it could be...

Try feeding him white rice and plain cooked chicken for a day or two, see if it helps his stool get more solid, if the stool gets better, then mix ahlf white rice half dog food for a couple days...

BUT if it doesn't get better in a couple days you will have to go to the vet!!!

Answer 10

You need to take him to the vet, if he has had diarrhea for 3 days he will be dehydrated and may need to be on a drip to get fluids in. This happened to one of my dogs, she needed a drip and was given chicken and rice tinned food, that was all she had to eat for a few days and she soon recovered. It could be a change in his diet, he may have a more sensitive stomach than his sister, or it could be something he has eaten outside, you need to find out whats caused it and you know what to avoid in the future.
You need to get him seen by the vet, he will be dehydrated.

Answer 11

Try some cereal, like Weetabix or rice crispies and a dash of water/ milk in the morning for his breakfast. The weetabix is best.

I would take the dog to the vet if it's had liquid poo for 3 days. He may be alright in himself for now, but when he does start to look poorly, it's often too late.