Dog food question HELP!

[ilovemysphynx]

OK we have A older boxer who has some troubles but the worst is her poop every few weeks she has major bouts of diharea that last for 3-6 days and when I say major I mean major! It is like gray smells like nothing we have ever smelled not poop like, she never goes inside but during this time and we wake up to it and come home to it! I changed her food per the vet A few months ago to Id diet with forta flora and it did not help I now about 2 days ago am trying boiled chicken and rice, I have to chop it very good because she only has one tooth left and can not chew. it seemed to have helped no yucky poop since the switch but we are worried she is not getting enough vitamins I was going to try adding A pro biotic to it but am looking for suggestions. I want her to be free of this problem and make sure she is getting enough of what she needs!

 

[PitRottMommy]

OK we have A older boxer who has some troubles but the worst is her poop every few weeks she has major bouts of diharea that last for 3-6 days and when I say major I mean major! It is like gray smells like nothing we have ever smelled not poop like, she never goes inside but during this time and we wake up to it and come home to it! I changed her food per the vet A few months ago to Id diet with forta flora and it did not help I now about 2 days ago am trying boiled chicken and rice, I have to chop it very good because she only has one tooth left and can not chew. it seemed to have helped no yucky poop since the switch but we are worried she is not getting enough vitamins I was going to try adding A pro biotic to it but am looking for suggestions. I want her to be free of this problem and make sure she is getting enough of what she needs!

You're in a tough situation. For the time being, if you've found a food that works for your boxer--stay put. Regardless of what it is. Dogs do not have vitamin and amino acid requirements like cats do (such as requirement of taurine fortified food). To date, we know of nothing that dogs are required to have that directly suggests they need kibble, they can synthesize alot of what they need from standard proteins (like chicken). She is more that being substantiated by chicken for proteins and vitamins and there's nothing stopping you from feeding the product raw if you're concerned about denaturing nutrients through cooking.

My warning exists here, however: Your boxer is old, as you describe, dogs in general with aging health don't necessarily respond to food changes as younger dogs do because there can be a wide range of things that cause problems...one that is extremely common in boxers is cancer. Even a boxer that isn't geriatric (one that is only, say, 3 or 5 years old) can have problems with this...and intestinal dehabilitation is frequently one of the problems to be seen with mesentary cancers. Therefore, it's pertinent (especially because of age) that you worry more about finding a food that will allow the pet to keep weight and health versus being picky about what you're feeding. Her lack of teeth causes a large problem and choking becomes a risk with kibble (it's much easier to dislodge a soft piece of food than it is to dislodge a hard one). I would also recommend a medication that can be given on the long term for GI upset such as Gastricalm, Propectalin or Endosorb that will help limit diarrhea. There are no problems using these long-term because they're natural products (unlike antibiotics) and many contain pre and probiotics to help out in that department (using something other than fortiflora might help).

Good luck!

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Thanks for your answer, she does tumors that some are cancer and she has some polups in her but, I don't want to do anymore surgery on her for fear she may not wake up. Most of the time she is just fine playing, gaurding the house if someone comes to the door and liking the plates as I put them in the dish washer. I don't want to put her down just because of yucky poop. I am hoping that the new puppy will also perk her up A bit and give her someone to play with. That stuff you said to add to food where do I get it vet? pet store? or healthfood store. Woke up again today and no poopy in the house so the chicken seems to be working and she loves it too.

 

[PitRottMommy]

Thanks for your answer, she does tumors that some are cancer and she has some polups in her but, I don't want to do anymore surgery on her for fear she may not wake up. Most of the time she is just fine playing, gaurding the house if someone comes to the door and liking the plates as I put them in the dish washer. I don't want to put her down just because of yucky poop. I am hoping that the new puppy will also perk her up A bit and give her someone to play with. That stuff you said to add to food where do I get it vet? pet store? or healthfood store. Woke up again today and no poopy in the house so the chicken seems to be working and she loves it too.

Yes, try your vet for the Fortiflora. Most are pretty good about sending it out the door without much hassle. Gastricalm or Propectalin will both work too.

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Thanks wish me luck!

 

[PitRottMommy]

How are things going for your baby? Any luck on getting her back to being 100%?

 

[admin]

The diarrhea has stopped for now , it goes in cycles, its just that this time it lasted a little longer then most times, but she is doing good now, back to her old food. No poops in the house. (knock on wood).

 

[ilovemysphynx]

I have been giving her regular food and sometimes chicken and rice also some probotic things added to the food. She has been doing this for years but this time was long, her poop was solid for A few days ( I can tell when I clean up the yard) but yesterday it was not even able to be picked up back to runny? I think the new puppy Delilah has perked her up A bit they run around and play, that is something Sidney has not done in A while.

 

[PitRottMommy]

She doesn't, by chance, have access to consuming the puppy's food, does she? Consuming something that isn't in her normal diet (like treats, another pet's food [cat or dog], etc) can cause GI upset and even a few bouts of diarrhea.

I hope things continue to improve for her.

 

[ilovemysphynx]

No she only gets her food and one treat of hers when daddy gets home from work! I feed the puppy in another room and the cats in there room so no chance of that I am very carefull not to cause any extra problems for her. She has still been ok but I still cross my fingers.