Chronic but Modest Dog Diarrhea

Hi Jordan,

It sounds like you are doing everything right, as far as the diet. Was a fecal done when you adopted your dog? In some cases parasites may not show up if the stool is too loose. Therefore, continue the chicken and rice diet with the Acidophilus
in each meal, to get a somewhat formed stool and submit that sample for testing.

Did the loose stool start after vaccinations were given? It might be a good idea to have a holistic veterinarian take the case and treat for what is called ‘vaccinosis’, if there is a possibility that vaccinations may be at the root of the problem.

The dry skin is probably due to a few factors, from loss of moisture with the chronic diarrhea, lack of fat in the diet, and lack of absorption of nutrients. I would NOT add any fat to the diet at this point until the diarrhea has been resolved. And once the diarrhea has cleared up, and more nutrients are absorbed the dry skin will disappear once a more ‘balanced’ diet can be fed.

And please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Related Pages:
– Dog Diarrhea Medicine,
– Dog Constipation Symptoms & Treatment,
– Ask a Vet Online Library – Dog Diarrhea, Constipation and/or Digestive Problems Section

Hi Dr. Tillman, thanks for the quick response. She’s had the diarrhea since I got her and she doesn’t have any history before that (so we don’t have any way of knowing if the diarrhea was caused by vaccinations). I just fasted her for 24 hours at the advice of the shelter owner and started her on chicken and rice again….her first stool was mushy.

How long should I keep her on chicken and rice before trying something new?

Also, she has lost a bit of weight, but perhaps that’s just because the chicken and rice has fewer calories, and I should increase the portion size? (She weighs 55lbs and I feed her 4 cups daily of the 2:1 rice/chicken mix I cooked)

Hi Jordan,
I wrote,
“Therefore, continue the chicken and rice diet with the acidophilus in each meal, to get a somewhat formed stool and submit that sample for testing”

It may take up to 5-7 days to get a more formed sample with the Acidophilus
added.

A 55lb dog would need 900 calories per day, or 450 calories two times daily. So, you may have to do some calculations on how much rice and how much chicken to feed.

In plain grilled chicken breast (grilled with the skin on and then removed before eating), there are:
– 184 to 188 calories in 4 ounces of grilled chicken breast (no skin)
– 46 to 47 calories in each 1 ounce or 28g of grilled chicken breast (no skin).

In cooked short-grain white rice, there are
approx 267 calories in 1 cup.

In cooked medium-grain white rice, there are
approx 242 calories in 1 cup.

In cooked long-grain white rice, there are
approx 205 calories in 1 cup.

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Therefore, if each meal should be about 450 calories, you would need to feed about 5-6 oz chicken plus (approx) one cup of rice.

Once the stool has more form, then have it checked for parasites. It may take 2-3 weeks before the stool stays consistently formed, at that point it’s trial and error, adding in one food or another to see what will be tolerated.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.