I really need some advice re my GSD - Page 2

Thanks to all who responded.

After starving him yesterday, there have been no accidents. He was fed a mix of rice and lean ground beef this morning - about 3/4 of a cup - and when he pooped a little later it was loose but not outright diarrhea. I gave him another dose of Pepto.

Had his stools checked this morning at the vet and was told that the results are negative.

Re imodium, I was told by the vet to administer it on a prior occasion when he had diarrhea - but thanks Mickey for the info on the side-effects of imodium on dogs.

Re parvo, he does not show the usual symptoms associated with it other than the very smelly diarrhea. He is not lethargic, no fever and no vomiting.

I think it has to be the Rimadyl. His stools were fine until then and in fact when he pooped after the surgery but before the first dose of Rimadyl, it was firm. We stopped the Rimadyl the day after the surgery after we noticed the diarrhea.

Will gradually work him into more food as we monitor how well he is handling it but will keep feeding him rice and lean ground beef or chicken. He likes the mix with beef more than the one with chicken.

I have read that feeding a little canned pumpkin is supposed to be good for diarrhea and constipation. I am thinking of trying that - I don't know if anyone has had any experience with this remedy.

Once again, thanks to every one who responded.

You're right as to "a little" canned pumpkin - only a few spoonfuls.  And get "canned pumpkin," NOT pumpkin pie filling.  (I'm sure you know that, just saying for the folks out there who may not know...) 

Back to my GSD.

After several days of feeding him a bland diet of rice and cooked lean ground beef in the ratio of about 3:1 (rice to ground beef) with a little pure canned pumpkin on each occasion, his stool seemed to be firming up and now it is back to diarrhea - at least this morning. We did give him a dose of Pepto and cut back on the quantity of rice/ground beef to try and help get his stomach settled.

As I mentioned his stool was checked at the vet's office and the test was negative. We are at a loss. I would have thought that five days of a bland diet should have been enough to settle his stomach.

The one clue that we had was that yesterday morning his stomach was growling more or less non-stop - and he did go out and eat a little grass. We thought the stomach growling was caused by an empty stomach since we have been limiting the quantity we feed him

Any suggestions from the more experienced dog owners as to how I should proceed? He is active and lively, drinks water, eats without hesitation, etc. though he has definitely thinned out - which is not surprising given his diet the past several days and having starved him for a day when he first had his severe diarrhea.

hate to say it but i would insist that the vet does every test under the sun .......

i would give him a starve day today and just give boiled rice and well cooked chicken tomorrow

I use kaogel i don't know if you can get it over there but i highly recommend it

has he had a TLI test done?

Get your dog back to the Vet and insist that he gets to the bottom of this.  No dog will have diarrhoea (with everything you've decribed) for 10 days for no reason... something is wrong!  Tell him to get in touch with whoever manufactures the drug and get their advice, they may have seen this reaction before!  If your Vet refuses, get onto them yourself!

The only test done by the vet after the initial problem was a fecal test which was negative. He was rehydrated because he had been vomiting and that helped. I have not called the vet this go around - the diarrhea was not too bad - at least it was not watery.

It started after his surgery for neutering and the administration of rimadyl which we stopped after the diarrhea commenced. I don't know if it was the rimadyl, the anesthesia or some other medication he may have been given before we picked him up.

As I mentioned in my OP, when I brought him home after the surgery, I took him on leash and when he pooped, the stools were normal and firm. It may have been triggered by the rimadyl but it has now been a week since we stopped it, so I would have thought that any side-effect should have ended.

Could he have contracted something while he was at the vet for surgery? Tigermouse, is kaogel superior to pepto-bismol? Would it be helpful to give him some yogurt? I have read that this helps settle the stomach. Is boiled chicken more desirable than cooked lean ground beef when it comes to treating diarrhea? He likes ground beef more than he does the chicken.

I would have taken him to the vet right away if he were lethargic or inactive - but based on the feedback so far, I am thinking that I should do so.

I think you've passed the home remedy stage... sorry to harp on but get him back to the Vet... it is possible that he's picked up some "thing" up there first time round.

Chicken is generally thought to be easier to digest... scrambled eggs are good too.

no yogurt as lactose can trigger diarrhea.......

Kaogel is far better than pepto

My concern is that it may be EPI, the symptoms you describe sound like it, this happened to a rescue i had years ago after minor surgery.

getting a TLI test will rule this out. EPI can be triggered by stress and is such a dreadful condition if left untreated.

please get your dog back to your vet ASAP and request a TLI and full bloods.

 if it is EPI then its easily treated using pancreatic Enzymes (a powder) mixed into food.

Thanks for the feedback. I will call the vet and arrange to take him there today.

EPI seems to be a possibility. I was reading about it after you posted. I believe the TLI test requires 12 hours of fasting so the actual test may only be possible tomorrow since we did feed him a little rice and cooked ground beef.

He did have full blood work done before the surgery - and everything was fine. I don't know if there are additional blood tests needed. From what I understand based on reading about the TLI test, it needs to be done by and outside lab since most vet offices are not equipped to do the test.

I will keep you informed as to what transpires.

Ask your vet if you can put some canned pumpkin (without pie spice) in the dog's food.  It will usually stop diarrhea pretty readily and it's harmless.