Here we go again: Yes... Artie's poop (vet, diet, food) - Dogs - - City-Data Forum

DawnMTL · 10-23-2009, 07:51 AM

I know, I know, I'm tired of his poop stories too! Believe me.

We're going to the vet tomorrow, but I thought if you guys had any ideas, I'd be going with a few more ideas or possibilities to ask the vet about.

So, over the last week or 10 days, Artie's poop has been soft again. Crazy, but true.

Now I'm even wondering if he really is grain-intolerant. But that's neither here nor there because I'd rather give him grain-free food anyway.

He's been having Metamucil sprinkled over his food to harden his poop. That's stopped working.

I've been giving him cheese. That used to make his poop hard like rocks. Not anymore.

Sometimes his poop is beige. Sometimes it's quite orange. Call me crazy, but I thought poop was supposed to always be some variant of brown... and pretty firm. But not with Artie. He's driving me crazy with his poop shenanigans.

It's his birthday next Wednesday and I bought him a surprise beef bone thingy, but of course I'm terrified of giving it to him. Not that it will likely make things worse.

So, to recap, his grainless food hasn't changed. He's been getting his Metamucil. He's been eating cheese like the cheese-lover that he is. Nothing new has been introduced into his diet (although he'd love to get his mitts on a squirrel or chipmunk... but that hasn't panned out for him, thankfully).

Any ideas of what might be going on here?

ShelbyGirl1 · 10-23-2009, 07:56 AM

Has the color just changed since the introduction of the Metamucil? I'm guessing it is that what his causing the "variance" of color.
As far as "substance"....maybe this is what is just normal for him!
Will be interesting to see what the vet says.

DawnMTL · 10-23-2009, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShelbyGirl1

Has the color just changed since the introduction of the Metamucil? I'm guessing it is that what his causing the "variance" of color.
As far as "substance"....maybe this is what is just normal for him!
Will be interesting to see what the vet says.

Nope. The Metamucil made things perfect... in the beginning.

Even during the course of one day, his morning poop may be a bit orangey, and his afternoon poop light beige. It's like a rainbow coming out of his butt -- but you never know what you're gonna be getting.

I never really thought about it just being normal for him. (Thank you for putting that helpful idea in my head... it makes me feel better.) I hope you're right. It will mean having to get his anal sacs "done" every couple of months, though, but as long as I'm told his softness is his normal, then I can deal with that.

Artie and his poop -- the never-ending saga. Sigh...

ShelbyGirl1 · 10-23-2009, 08:06 AM

LOL....You should begin a "blog" for him!

latetotheparty · 10-23-2009, 08:18 AM

i suspect that soft may be normal for him too..... bailey's is soft sometimes, as is dave's and neither seems to suffer for it.......different colors now.... hhhmmm.... what color is his kibble?? or could the orange flavored metamucil have anything to do with it?? my thinking is that as long as he seems to be feeling ok, i wouldn't worry so much about it.... dogs tummies are a lot tougher than ours.......
i did give dave some metamucil the first week we had him, because i think all of the excitement made his tummy a little off..... hasn't had any in over a month now though and seems to be just fine......

DawnMTL · 10-23-2009, 08:25 AM

ShelbyGirl1 -- LOL! I'm working on a name.

LTTP -- His kibble is dark brown (TOTW venison/bison) so that wouldn't account for it. He's not had carrots in a long time so that doesn't account for the orange. The cheese may account for the beige -- but I would have expected the poop to be hard because of the cheese. Honestly, I think Artie's playing a poop game with me.

He's acting fine otherwise. I just know that soft poop results in anal sac "issues" and I was hoping to avoid that. If it were the odd soft poop, I'd be OK with that too -- but it's all the time now. Again.

Sillypups · 10-23-2009, 09:52 AM

I don't know when your taking Artie to his vet, but why don't you take a sample of Artie's poop to the vet for them to check out. Then you'll know what your dealing with.

MAK802 · 10-23-2009, 09:54 AM

I wouldn't worry too much. That's probably just how his poop is. Some dogs have soft stools all the time, with the occasional hard one. I know, I own one of those. I have a video showing you how to express anal sacs, if you're interested in some home experiments.

And I told you not to start any threads til I can rep you again! A poop thread deserves rep points! Off to rep some pet pictures...

Marylandkitten · 10-23-2009, 10:49 AM

I know I'm late jumping into the game, total rep points for the Poop Blog idea

and my sympathies to Artie.

Working as a vet tech, and the avid animal lover that I am, I wanted to drop you a little note that concernes me.

Orange poop is often an early sign of liver disease. If you're taking him to the vet, have them take blood samples to test for it, as well as Parvo. ...a disease that is pretty rare for humans to catch (I had it when I lived in El Salvador working with animals), but can be fatal to your dog. They can test for both without needing a stool sample. Has he had a fever at all lately?

Please keep us updated!

MAK802 · 10-23-2009, 11:00 AM

What's in the cheese? Many of the cheeses are actually cheese-products, with food coloring added to them. Check the ingredients. That might be the cause of the orange poop!