Digestion Issues... Again

[Hounds_N_Leo]

Pumpkin is also used for constipation, I wouldn't over do it, personally. Seems like this dog has had a lot of diet changes in a short period of time. Maybe you should consider stopping all meds and supp's and doing bland and let her body catch up? I mean any diet needs a goid 6 weeks imo to yield results, are you giving each one, that amt of time between? Are you clearing her out in between?

[Hounds_N_Leo]

also try to relax too. I know Cleo is very sensitive to issues around the house. Just like with dog aggression or leash aggression, sometimes I think dogs can pick up on our own anticipation or anxiety and react. Maybe she has a nervous temperament...and perhaps if you are anxious, especially around food or elimination times...she is picking up on that. I have no idea how often you check her stools or such but many dogs are weird about people watching them go or being around when they go. Is everything around the house typical and kosher? No major changes or sources of anxiety? Just something to consider. Having a nervous stomach myself I can certainly say what is going on around me often has more to do with the GI tract, than what I eat LOL!

[kasmith]

Admittedly I don't know that stopping all meds is an option. She is currently on Clomicalm for what was first crate and separation anxiety and I now think is just general anxiety. We do have an appointment with a vet behaviorist on the 27th to discuss her anxiety. But even when we tried to lower the dosage of the clomicalm it amped up her general anxiety. Given how much that increased with a quarter tablet decrease per day, I'm afraid that stopping her meds all together would absolutely make it seem as if the world was closing in on her.

I suppose she has had a few food changes recently - the Purina OM she was on for several weeks (probably the equivalent of 6) before I took her off of it because it clearly wasn't working at all for her based on the amount she needed to eat given the calories in it (less than 300/can). Additionally although she started with solid stools on the OM, inevitably that turned towards more of a soft serve consistency. I've had her on Wellness Simple Solutions for about 4 weeks now and her stools aren't great. I tried to put in the Natural Balance Bisson and Sweet Potato, and immediately she had what I liked to call "Poop Soup," so we didn't continue. I perhaps fed about 4 meals with a little bit of that food mixed in, and when I say little it was only a few kibbles. She's now back on just the Wellness.

Perhaps she has picked up on some anxiety? I try not to look at her when she is going and I always praise her in the same way for going. When she has the soft stools I do not say anything like, "Oh poor girl" or anything like that to communicate that I'm sad, disappointed, or anxious.

Really at this point I'm keeping her on the Wellness until such time as I can meet with the vet behaviorist to talk about her anxiety and the GI issues she's having to see if there's a link. Pumpkin has been a little bit helpful. I have given her about two tablespoons per day and did notice they were a little bit firmer. This morning I forgot to give a tablespoon of pumpkin, and her stools this morning were very soft.

[mezmerelda]

Dogs really pick up on your emotions, even if you think you are masking them. I think it's part odor or something. That's why for the brief time that I was showing Indy, I did actually have a nice shot of whiskey or bourbon a bit before we went in the ring. It calmed me down a fair bit. (It didn't help her show career though.)

Do keep her each food for at least 30 days. I would also look for a food with as few ingredients as possible so you can narrow down what it is she is not doing well with on the food. And I do think it's a good idea to wait until after your appt with the behaviorist to make more changes, especially if she's doing ok with the added fiber. You can also look at adding some psyllium husk (in a pill) to her diet if the pumpkin is ever hard to get.

[Hounds_N_Leo]

and I just want to say that most ANY dog will "bloom" on a given food, regardless of what it is unless they are severely allergic. By bloom I mean look really good, shiny coat, etc this is why many show people will switch up foods periodically, to get that look/feel in the dog for the ring. This is also why leaving them on a given diet for a LONG stretch is important before you move on.

If she has some more anxiety than before it is almost certainly because you are anxious. She probably has that sort of hyper alert and aware temperament that really can simply "go to her gut"...just like some people do. If you are also worrying, which it really does sound like you are...this is probably part of it.

Do you have a yard or is she always on a lead when she poops? If you have a yard maybe just let her poop on her own and have some time on her own sometimes?

[kasmith]

Unfortunately we live in a condo, so letting her out by herself isn't an option.

I may be reaching right now when I ask this question, but I can't help but notice the timing of this. Abby had her rabies vaccine on April 9th. On April 14th she had an incident at daycare involving reactivity with dogs which seemed to kick off some reactivity in general. On April 18th she kicked off with chronic diarrhea along with urgency. The week before the fourth of July I noticed a lump where her rabies vaccine was given. She itched it, irritated it so it scabbed over, and when I brought her back to the vet once the scab was gone and lump still existed I was told that if she had a rabies reaction her fur would be missing. Now that the swelling in the lump has gone down and is non-existant, I can see she's missing fur.

Presuming you were one to at least entertain the idea of vaccines, side effects and vaccinosis, what reading materials would you recommend? There is a lot of information online, but it's hard to know which ones are reputable.

[sam.i.am]

Here are some articles that may be of interest:
HogenEsch, Glickman 1997, 1999. Effects of Vaccination on the Endocrine and Immune Systems of Dogs Phase I & II. Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine
http://vonhapsburg.homestead.com/hay...nvaccines.html
Glickman, HogenEsch, Raghavan, Edinboro and Scott-Moncrieff, 2004. Final Report to the Hayward Foundation and The Great Dane Health Foundation of a Study Titled Vaccinosis in Great Danes. Purdue University School of Medicine
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi.gdhstudy.htm
"Science of Vaccine Damage" by Catherin O'Driscoll

There's also a book called "Ol' Shep's Well-Being: A Natural Perspective" by Euan Fingal which discusses food and vaccine issues and cites additional papers.

I have some other random stuff around, too.
Rabies vaccines are commonly associated with odd symptoms; either neurological changes or changes in behaviour -- or both.

[kasmith]

Thanks, Samantha!