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Need help with bland diet for diarrhea

3K views 22 replies 10 participants last post by  andra 
#1 ·
Well, as you all know, we have had issuese with Django lately. I am putting him on a bland diet (due to major diarrhea) but can never figure out how much to give him.

He currently eats 1/2 cup kibble. Do I give him 1/2 cup ground turkey or chicken with rice? it never seems to be enough. Any tips would be appreciated.
 
#2 ·
I thought a bland diet is brown rice or white rice (steamed) and low fat cottage cheese.

I hear pumpkin firms up the stools.

I've had stomach issues with different dogs thru out the yrs. my big dog eat 2 cups rice and cottage cheese.

You might want to try human digestive enzymes (can get them at any health food store), broad spectrum and /or probiotics.

He may have giardia.
 
#5 ·
Hmmm well Django won't eat just rice so i think i'm going to stick with the turkey/chicken and rice combo for a couple of days and then add canned and then kibble. The issue right now is that he is on antibiotics that could make him stick to his stomach so I need to keep some sort of food in his system plus, we have the addisons issue to deal with.
 
#6 ·
When Lola had diarrhea from worms, my vet recommended cooked white, long grain rice (made on the stovetop, not microwaved) and boiled chicken breast. If Django eats 1/2 cup, I would give him 1/2 cup of the chicken and rice. Make 2/3 of the 1/2 cup rice, and 1/3 of it chicken. Also, you can give him some pepto bismol to harden up his stools. I'm not sure how much you would give him because Lola was really small when she last took it, but you could probably look it up on a vet website. I've also heard that canned pumpkin can help, but I would keep it really simple. Or, you could probably give him 1 tablespoon with his meals. I hope your cutie feels better soon!!
 
#7 ·
Also, I'm not sure if he's a big water drinker (Lola is but I've had other dogs who weren't) but you can add some chicken broth to his water to encourage him to drink it to stay hydrated. You could also offer ice cubes or make chicken broth ice cubes.
 
#8 ·
Thanks, that's what I am going to do. Can't give him pepto because he's on a daily dose of pepcid (for all the lovely meds he's on). He ate his turkey today and the rice, made enough to last him for the next 6 days. Put individual serving container in the freezer so dog sitter just needs to pull everything out from the night before. His stool was more like soft serve today, a tad better but I think it's best to keep him on the bland diet even for a week until I return.
 
#12 ·
My Addison's dog is on KD but he will be 16 this month, the reason is to reduce kidney load...each dog is different...Boo Boo has cardomyophty as well as Addison's. He is taking a ace inhibitor, and prednisone at 5mg per day that is the max and that is a lot, he was on 2.5 per day for a long time then 5 mg every other day, but as they learn more about Addison's the cordisol needs to be replaced everyday in some dogs, he also needs more in times of stress. Boo Boo has avoided CHF for now and is not taking lasix, the KD has helped keep the kidneys strong and healthy as the heart gets worse...it has also helped with allergy issues and keeping the stool compact and easy for him to void. He does take a suppliment and can still have reg treats and a bit of chicken, or a spoon full of other canned foods, but it is important to keep the protein down.Also the prednisone makes him hungry. Addison's dogs are known to not feel hungry as they often have tummy issues, sometime this is seen as being picky...well if your tummy hurts most food is not appealing. When dealing with an Addison's dog or a dog with Cushing's you need to look at the big picture as this disease is affecting all parts of their system.

Since you need to travel this probably stresses him a bit (remember our dogs bodies can not deal with stress, no cortisol) since your pup is not taking pred. very often you (some dogs do not need as much or need it everyday) might try using a special food not the kind you buy in the store, but the kind you need the Vet to authorize for the times you are not at home. I would not give broth too much salt. I have no problem with raw diets but dogs with auto immune problems and some types of stomach do not have the acid to kill any bacteria in the food...dogs stomachs are not like ours and they have more acid so they can eat things as humans we cannot...but these diets are not considered safe for dogs with certain types of illiness.

Boo Boo is being treated by my reg Vet and NC State as my Vet does not feel he see enough cases to address the illiness properly (it is rare), so his treatment is a joint effort and these days it is more about keeping him comfortable. He is seen at state every six months and our Vet saw him a lot last month. Just coming off a bout with Addison's crisis...I have to say it is horrible, what is worse is watching them and wondering if they are hurting as there really is little that can be done except palliative care and prednisone.

I always feel for you when I read your posts as my Vet's have told me that these dogs can have a normal life expectancy but it is a frustrating illiness to deal with. Hope your boy is feeling better soon.
 
#13 ·
1/2 boiled chicken or boiled ground turkey and 1/2 well cooked white rice (brown has too much fiber) Also, probiotics! plain acidophilus is best. schiff makes a good one. one pill is a dose for our small dogs. smaller more frequent meals will help too. check the calories on your kibble and try to match that. lean protein is about 40 calories per ounce. rice is 205 calories a cup.

this is not a long term diet-- but just til he firms up. pumpkin can also help firm up stool. about 1 teasp per meal.
 
#14 ·
I think with Django we have been so spoiled because he was on such a low dose or pred but as he's getting older, I think we need to give it to him more frequently. The problem as you know is when they don't need it, especially Django, it's almost as though he's jumping out of his skin. He can't settle down etc. etc. I always give him a dose before we leave him with the dog sitter and I always put another one in his morning pill container just to keep things at a good place while we are gone.

He eats Purina EIN for dogs with gastro issues when his belly is not well however when he feels nauseous due to the antibiotic he is on, he won't even eat that. Right now ground turkey and boiled chicken with rice are the winner. I never use broth, need to keep things as simple as possible with him.

I am going to contact a nutritionist by the name of Sabine (who I found here thru someone on the forum) and i am going to start making his food. Raw is out, he's had 2 bouts of pancreatitis and raw is just too rich for his belly. Plus, between the 2 meds for SA, the precortin injection, pred. pepcid, and now antibiotic, his sensitive stomach can only handle so much.

Is boo boo 16 years old or 16 months old?

The addison's crisis make me so sick. My only godsend is prednisone which now that I can get it in liquid form, when the crisis creeps up, it's easy to give to him and usually things settle down within the hour.

His immune system is shot, he developed a trace of Chlostridium last week, had to take him to the ER christmas eve, found out he had developed toxicity to the flagyl he was on for the chlostridium. Now he's on a different antibiotic that's causes nausea and diarrhea, Great! oh well, par for the course. As long as he's not in pain, eating his food, that's all I can ask for until I return. Plus a little prayer never hurts either!
 
#15 ·
yep you need Sabine. Way too complicated a dog to figure out without a professional.
 
#17 ·
Boo Boo is 16 yrs so we do not need to be as careful with the dose amount, because as I have said he is on max dose, but he is 16, the Vet's all expect him to sleep away in his sleep from his heart condition...still when the Addison's kicks its the diarrhea and vomiting, wandering in circles, not eating, the shallow breathing...really this last time was so bad I called the Vet and said I thought he died, but he was still warm and his gums were pink. The problem is it is hard to sort out if it is a new problem or the Addison's...they call it the great pretender. As they age they usually need to go up on their pred., usually not like Boo Boo he is on a dose usually given to a larger dog...but these dogs are treated on a case to case basis. As long as he's eating and drinking things will settle down...but you might have a hard time. As our pups caretakers when they get better, we are left thankful but exhausted.
 
#18 ·
Diarrhea, though common, is not a very specific
condition. That is, many things can cause
diarrhea, and yet the clinical appearance (frequent,
soft, or fluid bowel movements) is
about the same. The gastrointestinal tract
has one major defense against irritants of
many sorts, which is moving its contents
along more quickly than usual. The cause of
the irritation may include worms, bacteria,
viruses, spoiled or toxic food, food sensitivities
(see "Allergies"), bone fragments, or
indigestible material like hair, cloth, or
plastic.
The body's primary response to these irritants
is to increase bowel contraction (called
peristalsis) in order to flush them out of the
system. Because the intestinal contents move
along so quickly, the colon does not absorb
the amount of water it usually does. Thus,
the bowel movement is abnormally fluid.
Depending on what part of the tract is irritated,
you may see certain additional symptoms.
If there is inflammation and bleeding in
the upper part of the small intestine, near the
stomach, then the bowel movement will be
very dark or black from digested blood. You
also may notice a buildup of excess gas that
causes belching, a bloated stomach, or flatulence.
The animal in this pattern usually shows
no particular straining when passing a stool.
A different picture appears when the inflammation
is lower down in the colon. Generally,
there is no problem with gas buildup.
The diarrhea tends to "shoot" out of the
rectum with force and obvious straining. If
there has been bleeding in the colon, the
blood will appear as a fresh red color mixed
with the stool. The bowel movements tend to
be more frequent than when the disturbance
centers in the small intestine. Often you may
notice excessive mucus that looks like clear
jelly.
Because diarrhea can be associated with
so many causes and other disorders, we must
be alert to the possibility of other conditions
causing this symptom. Most of the time, however,
diarrhea is caused by eating the wrong
kind of food or spoiled food, overeating in
general, parasites (in young animals especially)
, or viral infections.
The following guidelines are useful for
treating simple or mild conditions that fall •
the above categories. If they don't resolve it,
or if conditions are severe or otherwise seem
to warrant it, seek professional help—sooner
rather than later.
TREATMENT
Most importantly, do not feed any solid
food for the first 24 to 48 hours. A liquid fast
will give the intestinal tract a chance to rest]
and do its job of flushing things out. Make
sure that plenty of pure water is available ai
all times and encourage drinking. A danger
of excessive diarrhea is dehydration from the
loss of water, sodium, and potassium.
 
#21 ·
Dionna has had bouts of stomach upset for various reasons (I wont bore you with details), which she has been steadily outgrowing as she has gotten older. When this happens, the vet has always recommended starting with chicken broth with this probiotic sprinkle mixed in and then progressing to plain white rice mixed with cut up boiled white meat chicken and broth and probiotic sprinkle. This has always helped settle her stomach and the broth is nutritious and gives the necessary fluids. In the past, I have always done a slow taper off this.

I currently give Dionna kibbles in the morning with just a little chicken to get her started (otherwise, she won't eat the kibbles and we can go back on the merry-go-round of her getting too hungry and that triggering throwing up bile). At night, she gets home cooked of boiled white meat chicken, chopped broccoli and steamed yam. The above regimine has really helped stabilize her. I am also thinking of consulting with the nutritionist that everyone has referenced just because I want to make sure that Dionna is getting the best care. How does one set up an appointment--can somebody PM me her contact information (or is there a link on this site somewhere?). Thanks.

Good luck with Django--I know how hard it is when our furbabies are not well.
 
#22 · (Edited)
good for you, I highly recommend Sabine, every dog is different and it is not easy to do this properly without a professional nutritionist. here;s her email ask@betterdogcare.com Feel free to check out her website at ...http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main She is on vaccation and I suspect she might be back monday. She is very inexpensive, and your dog will love you for it.
 
#23 ·
THANK YOU! :) I will be following up with her; I love my furbaby like she is my child so I definately want to be feeding her the best meal plan for her individualized health profile.

And again, I hope that Django's tummy issues settle; I can certainly understand the angst of a furbaby that is not feeling well.
 
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