Safeguard Deworm should he be tired? - Page 2

Any updates?

Ok he's acting fine now.  His stool is still wet bordering on diarhea most of the time. 

I've started adding a little bit of liver to his food and he has been eating better.  He doesn't attack the bowl with abandon but at least he eats.  Maybe he just didnt like the food.  I dont know.

I have a vet appt. next Thursday.  It's the soonest I could get one.  I'll have them specifically check for all the things that have been suggested. 

Thanks for all the help/suggestions.

If he is having loose stools I would not feed him liver - it is a natural laxative!!!!  You might want to add some ground hamburger instead.  Overfeeding can cause loose stools in pups.  Which Innova food are you feeding him?  Maybe cut back the amount you are feeding by 1/4 cup per day.  You also might want to get some Puppy Gold.  It will help his immune system and also makes the food taste good

Update:

We've started adding a little liver or hamburger (raw) to his food and he's eating like a champ.   He acts healthy as can be and has stopped trying to eat his stool and even the stool of dear/rabits that is in the back of our yard where they pass through. 

30 days ago when we had him at the vet he weighed 20.5 lbs.  Yesterday he was weighed at 37 lbs.  He put on a ton of weight in a short amount of time which concerns me a little bit.  He is so much bigger he looks like a different dog.  Still lean and you can easily feel all his ribs but his hip bones don't protrude as much as they used to which looks a lot healthier.  Makes a big difference when they actually start eating a good amount.

The vet tested him for all the things that was suggested here and in some of the emails that some of you sent me (thanks!) and all tests came up negative.  I spoke to him about the specific things you all suggested. 

His stools are still usually on the wet side and about every couple of days it seems like he will have one stool that is very loose but not quite watery/runny enough to call it diarrhea.  The vet gave us Metronidazole which he said would help slow things down a little bit and should firm up his stool in the first couple of days.  He gave us 5 days worth of pills but said to stop as soon as his stool firms up.  Makes sense but I don't know all (obviously). 

Maybe it's his food (Innova large breed puppy) that just doesn't suit his system but I am very hesitant to change anything diet wise at this point since he seems to be getting on a little bit of an even keel.  I am tempted to try Canidae All Life Stages at some point.  I have read of several dog's having loose stools on Innova so maybe that is part of the problem?

His ears were mostly up 30 days ago, especially when he was outside and alert but over the last few weeks they have fallen down all the way.  I am assuming his body has been devoting the energy to growing, since it has been so dramatic, and that has taken away from his ears.  He hasn't started teething yet but will very soon I expect which won't do his ears any favors but I'm sure they will be ok after he finishes teething (cross fingers).   He was born Oct 4th so he's still very young to worry about that I think.

Thanks for all the help and support.

I know this will sound very strange to you, but it will work wonders. 

Add a couple of spoonfuls of 100% canned pumpkin (NOT the pie filling - the pie filling has spices; 100% canned pumpkin only) to his meals.

It both helps to "solidify" the soft stool and soften the hard stool within usually about 12 hours.  In doing so it also slows digestion somewhat and allows the pup's system to absorb the needed nutrients from it's feed.

It's the one and only "vegetable" product (with the exception of green tripe/stomach contents) that I feed because of it's fiber content, which helps regulate.

I would eliminate the liver also from the diet for a while, and if you do choose to feed it I'd feed no more than about 1/2 an ounce or so MAYBE a couple of times a week until his diet/stools are manageable and regular.

I'd limit the hamburger.  1- to 1.5 ounces at room temperature (including juices) - just enough to mix in and "flavor" the kibble you're feeding.  Hamburger is a muscle meat with fat, without benefit of bone.  This can be very laxative in the pup.

Good luck with the pup.

Also, re: ears - could be because he's teething.  Ears in some can go up and down during that time.

I think I read that he was 12 week or so of age? 

Buy some large beef knuckle bones to let him chew on.  (SUPERVISED!  Only when you are there and watching!)  It CAN help strengthen the muscles and, consequently, the ears.

Has the pup had a bloodtest for TLI to rule out subclinical exocrine pancreatic deficiency (EPI)? If his condition doesn't improve, talk to your vet about this test.