Joella's a worry-wart again!

[joella]

Okay, I know I obsess way too much over my dog and her eating habits. The past couple days, she hasn't been eating much at all. She's been eating about 1/2 as much as usual. This morning, her poop was runny. Could she have some kind of parasite? Her behavior hasn't changed, just the amount she's been eating. What else should I be looking for? (Or am I just getting worked up over nothing?)

[Dax]

Disgusting job but next time you pick up her poop use a clear plastic bag. Look for parasites. Worms are often visible as are other things like grass, etc. It's a habit I've gotten into for the last 2 years. I'm a poop detective. It gives me an indication of what they are up to. LOL

I doubt it's anything more than change of weather, etc. Ellie often suggests heating it slightly to make it more appealing. For runny poop, I've found that adding more vegtables helps lots. Broccoli is Ariel's favorite. And before anyone says broccoli is bad - it has to make up more than 10% of the diet before it can start causing problems.

Also is she getting treats? Maybe the treats are more appealing than her food. DON'T try to get her to eat by offering human food. That will make her worse and picky later one.

If it continues for more than 1 week at this level - ring up the vet's. (level is - still eating & pooping)

[joella]

Thanks Dax. I swear, everytime I post, I'm sure someone is going to say, "you fool! you must take her to the vet NOW!!" I think we're going to lay off the treats for a while. We'll use her regular kibble as rewards for training sessions. She doesn't get much human food at all, but we'll cut it out completely until further notice. Hubby does poop detail, I'm sure he'll be thrilled to check it out a little more thoroughly!

[Dax]

I wish all dog owners were like you. I'm the same way. They are so dependent on us I couldn't imagine not trying to make sure they are healthy and happy.

[joella]

Okay, well I went out and looked at the poo in question, and I guess I don't know exactly what I'm looking for. If this is too gross to discuss openly on the forum, someone can feel free to PM me. Would parasites be moving, or still?

[joella]

Well, hubby just went out with me to examine the poop. (A pretty gross job, but if I'm ever going to have kids, I might as well get used to getting up close and personal to poop.) After some poking around with a little stick, what I thought MIGHT have been a worm of some sort is actually some of the stuffing from one of her toys. Could that be the problem?

[weimlover0816]

go ahead and tell us what you found..... movement would depend on the parasite....

so, what did you see?

[Dax]

Anything that looks like grains of rice? I don't think it's parasites. As long as nothing obvious; blood, grass or other like that you should be ok. The poop should look like a processed version of what they eat.

[Dax]

Originally Posted by joella

Well, hubby just went out with me to examine the poop. (A pretty gross job, but if I'm ever going to have kids, I might as well get used to getting up close and personal to poop.) After some poking around with a little stick, what I thought MIGHT have been a worm of some sort is actually some of the stuffing from one of her toys. Could that be the problem?

Eating the stuffing out of her toys could end up being a problem. Since you don't know how much she ate or when, you might just have to wait a few days. If she suddenly stops eating or pooping for more than 24 hours take her to your vets.

[joella]

Thanks Dax. It was a small amount. She usually doesn't eat the stuffing, but she does pull it out and then leave it laying around, so she probably just swallowed some of the fibers that were in her mouth. I didn't see anything that looked like rice, and no blood or grass. Just runny poop with a tiny bit of toy stuffing in it.