2 week update on my reba! caution stool picture

[kaseydawn]

IMG_20180904_182741.jpg (1.8 MiB) Viewed 6124 times

IMG_20180904_063703.jpg (1.49 MiB) Viewed 6124 times

first time adding pictures so i hope they worked. one should be a picture of her stool the other day. i feel like this is a big improvement from the cow patty consistancy it was 2 weeks ago. the other picture (if you can see it) is of her food label. after an hour in the pet store reading labels i decided on trying diamond naturals small breed. the fiber is only 3% and it has some prebiotics in there, along with some omegas and vitamines. plus its a really small kibble so i figured that may help some with digestion. she is now eating 2-1/2 cups of food a day in 2 meals. still on the prozyme but with the improvement i didnt want to make alot of changes. and the tylan powder added as well and b 12 injection every 2 weeks. im going to give her 2 more weeks on this combo and then reacess agin. her weight today was 17.45! shes was just 17#. so i call that a win, as of 2 weeks ago she was still loosing.

thanks to everyone here, if i hadn't ran across this site i dont know what would be becoming of my little Reba.

[jilbert57]

Wow that's a big improvement on the poop! That is a good % on the fiber. Perhaps if the stool doesn't eventually firm up I might ask that you try a food without the barley, peas and rice. But if your pup does well on it stay the course! Usually EPI pups do best on grain free diet.
We get poop pics on here all the time!

[Madelon]

I love your caption "caution stool picture" - it's so funny to me that poop pictures don't bother me - years ago it might have but since having an EPI dog I live for inspecting poop.

That poop, while better than cow pie, look a bit unsettled to me. I agree with Jill - look for a food with less grain, etc. Also, a lot of EPI dogs don't do well with chicken so you might consider trying a food without chicken. Also I noticed a lot of other stuff like pumpkin, kelp, oranges, chick pea etc. Just a few months ago I tried changing my boy's food - same company same protein - the only thing different was a few herbs - his poop went straight south - diarrhea! You'd be surprised how some of these new foods with all of their new fancy ingredients don't agree with the dog's system. I would look for a food with less ingredients so you know what works and what doesn't.

[Barb]

Congratulations on the stool improvement and the weight gain. You are doing great. Reba is responding well. You might want to try a food without grain.....and peas seem to be a problem for some of our dogs. Be sure to keep a daily log if you do decide to try something new. You can see the effects of the change in your written entries.

Barb

[Riley's Mom]

Glad to see you have some improvement. Even if you get the food just right, you probably won't see optimal results until you get a porcine based enzyme on board.
And poop pictures don't scare us at all.

[Judy]

Poop pictures are great!

[kaseydawn]

thanks everyone! being a tech warning just comes natural her stools are about the same now, so i decided to buck up and order the enzyme. i started it yesterday. so heres hoping they firm up a little. if no improvement then yes the next step is a complete grain free, it just makes me nervous. she's half westie and all this chatter about legumes (how ever its spelled)/ grain free diets potentially causing heart disease i feel like shes somewhat prone anyway. but with a 50% ish improvement on this food..?..may continue with it, b 12, and the enzyme for a couple more weeks cause thats how much longer she has on her tylan powder anyway. and see how she does off of that as well.

uhg i have a new understanding for my clients with problem furbabies now

but thanks everyone for your input!

[Olesia711]

okay... so i did not read the title of your post.... just opened it and WHAMO... Big pic of big poop up close and personal.... i burst out laughing as i then read your warning..... still laughing....................

Kudo's this IS improvement so you are heading in the right direction.
I also agree with everyone else... if the poo doesn't firm up a bit more over a little more time..... then you might want to look at a different brand of food, try something with less peas and no barley .....

However.... just got to say... i like your game plan.... real enzymes next step and the fact that you are trying changes one at a time, assessing, and then deciding your next move. Good Job!

[Jean]

I love that name Reba, Reba McIntyre is one of my favourite singers

anyway, back to business,

the poop pics are really helpful

I agree that maybe a grain free food, and that includes rice, is the way forward

and that is a great weight gain, even more so in a small dog, who by the way is gorgeous

thank you also for adding Reba's daily routine to your posts, it makes life so much easier, could I ask you to put her weight here too

you might want to reconsider the Tylan dose, which is weight related

https://epi4dogs.com/antibiotics/

to maybe 1/16th teaspoon twice daily

so onward and upwarrd, keep a journal,

and keep in touch, and remember , we have all been there, my girl at 14 months was 39 pounds, like a skeleton, so take heart

Jean

[Riley's Mom]

Any updates with the changeover to porcine based enzymes?