[DieselJunki]

For the life of me I have never been able to get Moose’s stools to become firm. They are always very soft, never any diarrhea but real soft. And I mean since we’ve had him at 8 weeks he has never really pooped firm (He has been threw a couple brands of kibble and then The Honest Kitchen). He also goes like 8 times a day. I boarded him again for another month at a totally different facility and while he is there I asked them if they could try and get some weight back on the guy as he is still so skinny. They mentioned to me it could be a parasite due to his soft stools and trouble gaining weight. I don’t believe he has trouble gaining weight I just think the other kennel wasn’t paying good attention to the way you could see his hip bones. I wouldn’t believe he had a parasite either as his soft stools have persisted threw 2 stool tests from the vets office. One was even given when he got all the rest of his shots a few months ago.

I give him Mercola Pro-Biotic and the Enzymes and still has always been the same issue.

Anyways, the new kennel asked if they could do an experiment and feed him 8 cups a day total, 4 in the morning and 4 at night for one week to see if he gains any weight. He is much more active at this new kennel as well. He is back on The Honest Kitchen Love as they will not feed raw. I am not sure if feeding him a raw diet will fix his stool issue as he ate it for 1 week and still had soft stools, and that was before I even gave him the organ mix too.

What on earth could be the issue behind this. Maybe this is normal? I’d try canned pumpkin but I really want to get behind the issue of these soft stools instead of trying to mask it as it’s not a once in awhile thing.

• This topic was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by DieselJunki.

[DieselJunki]

The kibble he has been on, in order from 8 weeks old, are:
Natures Variety: Chicken (Which was an oops on my part due to the calcium issue)
Wysong: Epigen 90 (I think this was what it was… I can’t completely recall exactly. I only used a small bag of it as it had a awkward smell to it I thought.)
Natures Variety: Rabbit
Annamaet Salcha Poulet Formula Grain Free
Fromms 4-Star Grain Free: Surf n Turf

Then we hit The Honest Kitchen: Love and he is still on this at the moment. When we first started him on this he had firm stools for a few days and I thought I found the right food and then it was all soft again.

Trying to find a similar ingredient in all of these foods but they all seem so very different.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by DieselJunki.

[theBCnut]

It may not be an ingredient so much as how his digestion is working. Adding fiber doesn’t mask anything, it changes the way moisture is retained in the bowel and it helps the food pass at a more consistant rate. For dogs with hard stools, it helps keep them soft enough that they keep moving. And for dogs with soft stools, it slows them down enough that they have more time for the large intestine to do its work, which is to resorb nutrients and moisture. Try the fiber.

[Cyndi]

The only thing I can add to this, is to try adding Diatomaceous Earth to his food daily, in case it is parasite related. That will kill just about any parasite including worms and giardia. I take it daily and I give it to Bailey daily. It is all natural and it is like 80% silica, which our bodies need anyways. My Bailey has had her share of (I won’t even try to spell it) loose stools lately. So other than pumpkin, and feeding more bone, I don’t know what else.

Love your dog’s name, too, by the way. My last dog, a doberman, was named Moose! It was a joke name at first, just to name all the pups in the litter, and his name stuck…..and he stuck with me…….for 11 and a half awesome years! 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by Cyndi.

[Cyndi]

Here is a link for you in case you want to check out the Diatomaceous Earth!

http://www.earthworkshealth.com/pets-animals.php

[DieselJunki]

I will definitely have to try that then Patty. I always viewed it as masking the issue but the way you explained it makes sense as well. It will have to be after the 18th as that is when he comes back but I will get a few cans of pure pumpkin. Is pumpkin the only way you can add fiber to the diet? Or can I add it other ways? How much pumpkin per lb of dog do you usually give?

The kennel also called and said that he is drinking a lot. They say they have to pull him away from his water. This is a little concerning. I’ve never really had a problem with that before, but then again he’s never been in this kind of hot weather either. The kennel has a/c but they go out and train multiple times a day and sometimes go on field trips as well.

I do notice with The Honest Kitchen that much of the stuff still comes out whole in his stool. I wondered if any of you guys have fed this food and also noticed this?

As for that earth stuff I’ll have to give it a look into. I’ve seen it on some raw sites but never paid it any attention as I had no idea what it really did.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by DieselJunki.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hey DieselJunki –

There are many other ways to add fiber other than pumpkin. Most human fiber supplements are fine (psyllium, flax, acacia, pectin, bran, coconut fiber, etc.). If you do go the pumpkin route, Fruitables makes a product for dogs (they have a sweet potato variety as well) which blends pumpkin, apple pomace, tomato pomace, spinach and flax to get the ideal ratio of soluble to in soluble fiber. I’ve used it as kong stuffing for my dogs before. For pumpkin I’d add a couple tablespoons to each feeding for a large dog.

I’ve experienced the same thing with Honest Kitchen. My dogs have very large stools when they’re eating it and go to the bathroom about 4 times a day (versus one or two on raw). I’ve also noticed undigested bits in the stool on occasion.

I agree with Cyndi on the DE it’s GREAT stuff. I buy it 10 lbs. at a time and mix it into my dogs’ food regularly – they’ve never had a fecal test positive for parasites.

[theBCnut]

Diatomaceous earth is great. I use it on chickens, goats, horses, cats, dogs, ferret, calf… It would be easier to say that I’ve used it on every animal on the place except the guinea pig and it would probably do her a world of good too.

I use a variety of different fibers, I would use the Fruitables if I ever saw them anywhere. Different fibers do different things from firming up the stool(pumpkin, psyllium, chia seeds) to feeding probiotics(inulin, FOS, acacia).

[pugmomsandy]

Be sure to get food grade DE (not the swimming pool filter grade). I just get it at the feedstore. It’s also used for killing insects just so you know incase you see bugs on the carton. And don’t inhale it. Use a mask preferably if you’re going to shake it out into an area for bugs. You can also make your own face scrub with it.

I’ve been giving a good dose of digestive enzymes with the dehydrated (Sojo’s) and I only see a few bits of veggies.

http://www.earthworkshealth.com/

[theBCnut]

In the same vein as Sandy’s warning not to inhale it, it should be mixed with wet food or otherwise moistened to feed to your animals too. If inhaled, it makes microscopic cuts all over the lungs and the lungs produce mucous trying to protect themselves.

[DieselJunki]

I called the vet just to ask some questions. They said they would like to do a physical, and another fecal test. If it came back negative they would do more tests, like blood tests and testing his gut to see if he is even digesting his stuff correctly or if his gut needs something. I think instead of jumping the gun on this I will wait and on the 18th when I bring him home I will start him on raw and see how that goes for about another month. I will start the fiber if in 2 weeks that he is on raw his stools haven’t improved, that way I know which one worked for him if any at all :). If it fails off to the vets I go. Who knows maybe he just needs a bit more time to gain. I mean he is acting normal, hyper puppy, loves everyone, eats all his meals. If he was acting sickly and off his food I would go right away for sure.

The kennel he is at doesn’t have a scale so they are just going by body condition. I don’t have a dog scale either but usually stand on the bathroom scale and then pick up the dog and stand on it again and minus out my weight. So the true answer of whether he’s gaining even just a little is a mystery.

My vet isn’t totally opposed to the raw diet, but have “heard many people’s pets don’t do good on it.” I assured him that I had done the appropriate research and that my dog will eat raw when he got back from training. I told him if the kibble and honest kitchen haven’t done his stool any good now, the raw won’t hurt him one bit 😛 .

And it sounds like to me I need to be getting some of that DE!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by DieselJunki.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by DieselJunki.

[hlottridge]

Check out this website. You may have an issue with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. Lots of knowledgeable people and good help. Epi4dogs.com

[DieselJunki]

Well it has been confirmed, Moose has worms! Ugh! The kennel called me to let me know they had spotted them in his stool today for the first time. Which I imagine would explain why he’s not gaining anything. I imagine he must of picked them up at his first kennel because we had a stool sample done a couple weeks before we sent him there and I can’t imagine him getting them at home but who knows.

That still doesn’t explain his soft stools problem since 8 weeks though.

[crazy4cats]

I have had the same problem with my pups with the intermittent loose stools. Recently, I made my own fruitable concoction. I mixed pure pumpkin with a little organic no sugar added applesauce and then added Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form herbal supplement to it. Mixed it all up and add a heaping table spoon to each of their meals. It has made a huge difference in their stools. They still are a little loose when out on a walk though. Like I read from another poster recently on a different thread, it can be very embarrassing and hard to clean up with one of those doggie bags. Yuck! I’m wondering if its ok to keep adding to their food for long term? Any opinions? I did buy some DE the other day and plan to incorporate into their food. Just a little nervous about it. I had never heard of it before. Of course, I had never fed pumpkin or raw bones before I started checking out this website either. Lol!

[theBCnut]

I don’t know what is in perfect form, but the pumpkin and applesauce can be fed however long you need it.

[theBCnut]

DieselJunki

What kind of worms were they? I suspect tapeworms and they get those from ingesting a flea when they are scratching. They have them for quite some time before they are seen in the stool, and regular wormers don’t kill them. They may or may not have affected the stool.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Patty-
Perfect form contains: Papaya leaf, plantain, slippery elm, pumpkin seed, pectin, papain and fennel. I guess I feel like they may get dependent on the “concoction” I am mixing with food. But, it is working so far so I guess I’ll continue indefinitely. When I take them on a walk or to a dog park, I think their stools are still lose because they get so excited. Hopefully that will diminish too as they get older.

[theBCnut]

I don’t see anything in Perfect Form that should be a problem, but I understand your concern. Have you tried giving your concoction every other day? Depending on the rate of your dogs digestion it might work used EOD. The only way to know is to try.

[rogerharris]

you may try all sort of supplements for stopping it. But just an additional one elemental supplement with “Zinc” is all you need to make all you anti watery stool to be in action. These are actually quiet good in maintaining turgidity of cells and avoid excessive water loss.

[DieselJunki]

Patty the vets never found the worms. His stool sample was clean as a whistle like it always has been. All I know is they were white and about as long as my pinky nail. They gave him the wormer anyways. Of course I never thought to bring that poop I saw them in with me! I figured if I was seeing them then it would show up on a sample.

I now incorporate 2tbsp of DE into his morning meal and since the 3rd day on raw I am happy to report his loose stool issue has ceased so far! So hopefully if the wormer didn’t take care of it the DE will, but I’ve read it can take anywhere from 30 to 60 days. I however will be feeding DE every day 365 days a year from now on. Will keep this problem from cropping up again.

[DieselJunki]

Oh also I have been checking his stool but haven’t found anymore worms as of yet. He went on the 18 so I figured I’d see them come out by now.

[theBCnut]

That’s tape worms. Unfortunately it is extremely rare that the vet can diagnose those. It is all up to owner reporting, because those things you saw are only a little part of the worm. Their eggs are in those segments rather than in the poop and those segments dry up and fall off the poop, so the vet tech may never see them. The good news is once your dog is treated for them they don’t come back until your dog eats another flea and as far as doing harm to the dog, they are the least damaging of all the worms dogs can get. You won’t see them come out either. The wormer damages their “skin” and they are digested.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by theBCnut.

[Cris S]

This is the first result when I googled about my dog having soft stool, so a couple of years after the end of the thread, I’m adding to it. I have a rescue Shih Tzu and she intermittently had soft stools from the time I got her a year and a half ago. It then became the norm back in October last year. I read up on it and decided to try the Diatomaceous earth and since I started putting it in her food every day, she has NOT ONCE had soft stools. It was extremely effective for me and I highly recommend trying it.

[Tim B]

Hello Cris S , I see Diatomaceous earth may take 30 to 60 days to work. Did it take that long for it to work on your dogs?

[Sue S]

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