Hmmm, soft stools?

[ReggieK]

Hi

My Layla has been on same diet since I got her (8 weeks now) and she has been going to loo OK, stools were firm.

But over the last 2 weeks I have noticed that her stools are getting softer and softer. Not diarrhea levels, but noticeably softer, and they get worse as the day goes on. Last night, whilst it came out in bits, it was paste like in consistency. This morning it was partially firm again.

Nothing has changed in her diet or routine to bring this on. Is it likely that food she has been fine with no longer suits her?

She gets fed twice a day (0830 & 1730) 200gram of Pets At Home Wainrights Turkey & Rice dry food (Adult 1-7 years), plus 1cm strip of their matching wet food, in half cm of water plus couple of teaspoons of salmon oil. She also gets 1 pigs ear (@1200) and 1 dentastix (@1930) as treats.

Should I change her diet? Add something to it, or perhaps try their brand for sensitive stomachs?

Any thoughts?

Thanks
K

[kamkay]

No advice, but you do realise, don't you, that posting about poo makes you a fully paid up Gapper:-)

[andywillow]

I think I'd cut out the treats, a piggy lug everyday might be too much for her. Have you tried her on fish4dogs treats as they are low fat and mine are all fine with them.
I'm not a fan of dentastix as I don't think they do what they say, my lot can eat one in seconds and they certainly don't last long enough to benefit their teeth.

I'd certainly try that before altering her food as wainwrights is a decent food, I think its more likely to be the treats

[vickyb]

I'd drop the salmon oil too along with the treats and see what happens then if she firms up reintroduce things 1 at a time and see if you can work out what's causing it. That happens with Sapphy if she get treats too often. Good luck!

[ReggieK]

Lol. I never thought her toiletting would be so high on my daily agenda

Thanks for the advice, I'll reduce her diet to main food for a while and see what happens.

[futuramafan]

Your picture of Layla looks like she is thinking how embarrassing it is that dad is talking about my poo in public! Molly is always a bit variable poo-wise and I would agree that treats often make them a bit loose. I can always tell if the kids have bunged her a bit of bacon or something when my back is turned- it's not them that has to pick the delightful stuff up!

[ReggieK]

Hmmm, well things have not improved. I stopped all treats and salmon oil for 2 days with no real affect. Started letting her have a couple of fish4dogs low cal treats in the evening only (after our walk) after that and it didn't make anything worse/better. Restarted salmon oil just tonight as her skin is getting too dry.

Today we have had 3 poos all of varying consistency...

Morning - 1 x firm stool & 6 x 1" diam drops
Lunchtime - 1 x firm stool and 1 x softer stool
Evening - porridge like dollops

It is like something has been upsetting her tummy since lunch. She had dinner 30 minutes ago and went loo shortly after, so it cannot be evening meal. But all she has done in between is sleep, so am at a loss to work out why it gets worse.

Did I not cut out the treats for long enough?

Thoughts?

Thanks
K

[vickyb]

I don't think 2 days is long enough, I'd cut anything suspect out for a week at least.
Having said that it is really common for poos to be like you say, good first thing then deteriorating. If after you've just fed a very basic diet for a week it might be worth a trip to the vet. What would concern me is more the fact she was ok then changed rather than the poo itself. Or you could change her food once you're sure that you've ruled out 'extras' as the cause.
Two of my dogs can only tolerate fish and potato food, meaty ones give them the runs. You could try probiotics and see if that helps but I'm wary of swapping and changing quickly as it can take time for tummies to settle.

Welcome to the world of greys tummies  and good luck!

Just a thought, you're not over feeding her are you? that can cause it and it's very easy to gradually increase the amount you're giving them without realising. I get the scales out periodically and check how much I'm actually giving them as opposed to how much I think I'm giving them!