Recent diarrhea problem! (shepherd, allergic, shepherds, clean)

[jpmacd]

We have a German Shepherd and have owned him for his entire life. We live in the same house, and I can't think of anything substantial that's changed, including his food. But lately, he's been getting bouts of diarrhea, oftentimes in the house! When it has happened, we remove his food for about a day, and then ease him back on to food with gentle, bland foods, (usually rice or oatmeal). He likes these things and tolerates them perfectly well and his stools get back to normal. But then when we start him back on his food, (again, the SAME brand he's eaten for years!) the diarrhea returns!

Now, if he has a parasite or something, we obviously want to take care of that! But is my logic sound in assuming that IF he had a parasite, he'd still be sick even when eating the rice or oatmeal? Should we just try a different dog food? I hate to take him to the vet, only to hear "Have you tried changing his diet, you idiot??"

Any ideas??

[DawnMTL]

I'd definitely be making a trip to the vet, especially since pooping in the house is not your boy's normal behavior.

As to the food: Is it possible that the formula was changed and that it no longer agrees with him? Also, with all the tainted food hullaballoo, is it possible that you bought a bad batch?

[cittic10]

It can be anything. Take your dog to the vet.

[foxywench]

it coudl still be food, they change the recipies and SOURCES for thier ingredients regularly (often not enough that they have to change the lable,but still neough to agrivate a sensitive tummy)
if not already id looks for a corn, soy and wheet free food, id probably try putting him on an alternitive protein to (lamb for example) because chicken after spending its entire life on a cmeorcial farm eating corn and soy, has also becomean allergen in many dogs.

i would get a fecal done...ust in case
arisites are odd, they also seem to react differently to different foods, ingredients, and even external environmental changes) so definatly just rule it out to be safe (may vets will do a fecal without even seeing the dog...

if parities and diet are ruled out id be wnderign if hes either getting into somehting he shouldnt (garbage, poisneness plants in the yard ect?) or if youve made any "none dog" changes in te hsoue lately (different floor cleaner, laundry detergent ect...residue form those thigns can often cause bouts of upset tummies and he could be sensitive to those ingredients.

if all else fails, have a blood pannel done to check thyroid, kidney and liver and white blood cell count to indicate if theres an underlying medical issue...might also be worth having him checked for a partial blockage which would also be agrivated by diet ect...

[passwithoutatrace]

Perhaps the dog food formula changed (and also make sure your dog food is not on a recall list). Also, is there a possibility that your dog has access to any fruit trees in your yard?

Since the problem is recurring, a vet visit is a good idea to rule out any underlying issues.

[cleosmom]

You state you've owned your GSD his entire life? How old is he?

[CALGUY]

Having owned three Shepherds, I can tell you every one of them, including my present one, all got diarrhea.
It took me a while to figure it out, and I only came to the realization with my current Shepherd as too why.
I fed them dry dog food, and they were all allergic to grains of any kind.
I use to buy those milk bones for my first two Shepherds, and an hour or so after eating them, the diarrhea started.
I stopped them, and switched dry food brands.
That didn't help.
Nothing worked until one day in petsmart I saw a grain free dry food.
It's called Nature's Recipe.
Before finding this, I switched to canned food for his meals,(my current Shepherd) and the grain free dry is for snacks.
He has not had diarrhea since I switched about a year ago.
I suggest you put your Shepherd on canned, and cut out any grains that you may be giving him/her, and see if the problem resolves itself.
I have a feeling it will.
Bob.

[jpmacd]

Thanks so much for all of the great replies!! (And I apologize for taking a couple of days to respond to some of you.)

For those of you who suggested a trip to the vet was in order, since I posted I decided I felt the same way and so he has an appointment on Wednesday, and I'll take a fecal sample along so they can culture that too.

Cleosmom: he is 6 years old...I guess "his whole life" was pretty vague, huh?? Haha...sorry!

Passwithoutatrace:No, no fruit trees. We DO also have a cat who is quite a hunter! However, we're pretty diligent about disposing of any carcasses she leaves in the yard, and the dog is never out there unsupervised. I'd be surprised if he were getting into anything without us noticing...we're always out there with him!

Lots of you also suggested the food could have been reformulated or re-sourced. That hadn't occurred to me at all! Nor had the possibility of a recall. I'll look into that too!

Meanwhile, I bought a small bag of food made from a different protein (salmon) and without any corn that is supposed to be specifically for dogs with sensitive skin or stomachs. We just started him on that today, so we'll see how he tolerates that. CALGUY, you suggested completely grain-free too. I saw options like that at the pet store, so (assuming parasites or other illness are ruled out) maybe that's my next step.

Thanks again for the great responses!!

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by jpmacd

CALGUY, you suggested completely grain-free too. I saw options like that at the pet store, so (assuming parasites or other illness are ruled out) maybe that's my next step.

When Artie came to me at 3.5 years old, his poops were always soft. Not quite diarrhea, but soft. I had consultations with two vets. Both said something to the effect of "maybe that's just the way he is.'

On this very forum, various people suggested to me that perhaps Artie was grain-intolerant and that the grains in his food were messing with his tummy. So I switched him to grain-free food. Ta da! Problem solved. Sure, he sometimes (although very rarely) has soft poops, but those always happen when I've given him too many treats or when he's in new surroundings and is anxious because of it. (Such a delicate flower, he is. ) Switching him to grain-free food was the answer to his tummy woes. (And makes for MUCH easier poop-pickup for me!)

PS. He eats Taste of the Wild -- I rotate among the proteins (venison/bison, fowl, and lamb). It's a little more expensive but (a) he needs less of it and (b) he poops much less frequently.