Pooping more and more?

[weezyNollie]

I know this is a gross topic.. and it is partially related to nutrition? But I put it in the health, cause of Louise's disorders?

So -- for those that don't know.. here is the background info:

Louise is a 4 yr old, S/F, Border Collie
She has Addison's and Irritable Bowel Disorder (IBD)
She is prescribed Tylan Powder (a daily antibiotic to minimalize bacteria buildup in the GI sytem and minimalize diarrhea) and Prednisone (for the Addison's)
She also gets 2 capsules a day of DermCaps E/S for her coat (basically fish oil, Vit E)
She had been eating Eukanuba Low Residue (an intestinal diet) up until a week ago; then I switched her to Wellness Fish and Potato
She is not allowed any chicken, beef, lamb, etc -- only novel protein diet
She had a relatively smooth switch in the foods, no diarrhea

BUT... the new problem is now she pooping a LOT! Not only the amount of times per day, but also the quantity when she is pooping.

So a couple of thoughts.. should I add something else to her food? I really want her to be on a better food than Eukanuba/Iams, for obvious reasons. Fiber? I have no idea?

Or should I switch her back to her other food? I don't want to screw up all the progress we have made. Maybe I shouldn't have tried to fix something that wasn't "broke".

I mean.. just food for thought? If Wellness was a better food, I shouldn't have to add anything to it to decrease her fecal quantity? Maybe try another fish diet?

Oh man.. I totally opened a new can of worms.

[alimel]

How long has it been since you changed her food? If I remember correctly, it was pretty recent, it could be her system is just getting used to the new diet. I changed Buddy's food recently to Wellness weight management and for a few weeks he was pooping like crazy, it is starting to normalize now

[FourIsCompany]

Did you switch her over slowly?
Are you feeding her the amount suggested for the new food?
Have you tried giving her yogurt with live cultures and some canned pumpkin (no spices)?
Has she lost or gained weight?

[fairlight]

No you did not open a can of worms weezy....give it a week or so and see if the pooping is less frequent and of a lesser amount.

[mara]

Increased volume without increased intake can be the sign of increased bacteria....I'd take in a fecal sample for analysis. If that's normal then she's probably still getting used to her diet.

[weezyNollie]

Originally Posted by alimel

How long has it been since you changed her food? If I remember correctly, it was pretty recent, it could be her system is just getting used to the new diet. I changed Buddy's food recently to Wellness weight management and for a few weeks he was pooping like crazy, it is starting to normalize now

It's been a week. But, I only bought a small bag.. so I'm close to needing more dog food. I might just have to buy another small bag. I just don't want to buy a large bag, if in the end I go back to the old food. Wellness isn't cheap.

Originally Posted by FourIsCompany

Did you switch her over slowly?
Are you feeding her the amount suggested for the new food?
Have you tried giving her yogurt with live cultures and some canned pumpkin (no spices)?
Has she lost or gained weight?

I switched her over very slowly. The first 4 days I fed her 1/2 cup of each -- a total of 1 cup per feeding. Her feeding schedule is twice a day on the weekends (Sat-Mon) and then once a day (Tues-Fri). It's the only way to keep her weight in check. And also, I have been reluctant to feed her too much of this to try and slow down her GI! She is due for 2 cups/day per the feeding suggested on the back of the bag. I haven't tried anything besides her prescriptions. And, nope -- no increase or decrease in weight.

This afternoon I thought about giving her a small dose of Metronidazole (Flagyl) to keep her GI system slowed down for a couple of days?

[EmmaGirl]

Originally Posted by weezyNollie

It's been a week. But, I only bought a small bag.. so I'm close to needing more dog food. I might just have to buy another small bag. I just don't want to buy a large bag, if in the end I go back to the old food. Wellness isn't cheap.



I switched her over very slowly. The first 4 days I fed her 1/2 cup of each -- a total of 1 cup per feeding. Her feeding schedule is twice a day on the weekends (Sat-Mon) and then once a day (Tues-Fri). It's the only way to keep her weight in check. And also, I have been reluctant to feed her too much of this to try and slow down her GI! She is due for 2 cups/day per the feeding suggested on the back of the bag. I haven't tried anything besides her prescriptions. And, nope -- no increase or decrease in weight.

This afternoon I thought about giving her a small dose of Metronidazole (Flagyl) to keep her GI system slowed down for a couple of days?

Here's one thing that I saw:Dicalcium phosphate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I feel bad that drugs are necessary to control her disorder. Good luck and I'm hoping that she gets better soon.

[weezyNollie]

In regards to her prescription medications.. she doesn't have much of a choice. The prednisone is strictly for her Addisons, and without it -- she could go into shock and it could be fatal. So that's an easy decision!

The tylan powder is pretty subtle dosage. And her IBD is pretty mild. It could be worse, she could be on other prescription medications or higher dosages. She also gets B12 injections every 3 weeks to help control the IBD.

For this dicalcium stuff.. how does it come? how does it work? The site didn't say much except for chemical composition.

[EmmaGirl]

Originally Posted by weezyNollie

In regards to her prescription medications.. she doesn't have much of a choice. The prednisone is strictly for her Addisons, and without it -- she could go into shock and it could be fatal. So that's an easy decision!

The tylan powder is pretty subtle dosage. And her IBD is pretty mild. It could be worse, she could be on other prescription medications or higher dosages. She also gets B12 injections every 3 weeks to help control the IBD.

For this dicalcium stuff.. how does it come? how does it work? The site didn't say much except for chemical composition.

Well. as you may suspect, there are contraversial opinions on DiCalcium Phos.

I really can't say what I believe but I'm a skeptic at heart:I tend to go with the fist one.

DiCalcium Phosphate

Lifosa - Products - Dicalcium phosphate

[weezyNollie]

I'm still confused. Nowhere does it say it should be used to lower fecal quantity? Or does it say it's safe?

Which confuses me.. since you seem against prescription meds? Could you please explain. None of these resources give anything but chemical information.