Bloody Stool

Tiffany Thorp · Jun 20, 2016

Hi All!

I've had my french bulldog, Winnie Ru, since December 2015. We've been having an ongoing problem with her digestion and her stool. I've taken her to the vet countless times to do fecal tests and they always come back negative.

The vet thought it was colitis the last time we went (which was early May) so he prescribed some medication along with Iams Prostora (probiotic). He also put her on Royal Canin GI Low Fat Canned Food and her stool hardened the next day. We ran out of the prescription and the vet's office advised us to find a similar canned food. She's been eating Dave's Delicate Dinners for about a month now and all was great. We even started mixing in small amount of Dave's Delicate Dinners dry food (as it is getting a bit expensive purchasing only canned food) and no issues. However, the diarrhea/blood is back again. We just moved to a new home last Friday and we thought the diarrhea/bleeding was due to the stress from the move, but it's been going on for 6 days now. She's still her usual playful self and has settled in rather well at the new place, but this issue is becoming more concerning with each episode.

I have an appointment with a new vet tomorrow and I'm going to bring it up (as we're going for an ear infection follow up), but wanted to see if anyone had advice for me. I'd really appreciate any advice!

Cbrugs · Jun 20, 2016

Prescription food from the vet is not a good quality food. There is a great website called dogfoodadvisor.com that has a list of different dog foods and gives them a rating. Also, has the vet specifically tested for giardia? Blood in stool and diarrhea can be from that. But I believe it has to be specifically tested for.

Tiffany Thorp · Jun 20, 2016

Yeah. I went to a local dog food store recommended by a co-worker of mine. She's very conscientious of the foods she feeds to her huskies, so I couldn't think of a better person to ask! That's how I ended up with Dave's. The store owner gave me a few cans to try and Winnie loved it (as did her tummy) It's not prescription and is "bland diet." I am not 100% sure if the previous vet tested for Giardia, so I'll be sure to bring it up tomorrow!

Tiffany Thorp · Jun 20, 2016

Cbrugs said:
Prescription food from the vet is not a good quality food. There is a great website called dogfoodadvisor.com that has a list of different dog foods and gives them a rating. Also, has the vet specifically tested for giardia? Blood in stool and diarrhea can be from that. But I believe it has to be specifically tested for.

I just called my previous vet and they said the fecal test did include giardia (which came back negative each time)... Any other suggestions? I was thinking maybe it's the water (we only moved one town over, but maybe the water company changed)... but would that be something that could bother her that much?

Cbrugs · Jun 20, 2016

I suppose it could be some stress from the move. The loose stool could also be from feeding too much. How much are you feeding? It sounds like you are giving her kibble now and not just canned food. I *think* I have read somewhere that dogs should not be fed only canned food but I can't remember where I saw that at. Have you tried giving her some pure pumpkin (not the pie filling)? That can help with loose stool.

MunasG · Jun 20, 2016

Did you happen to give her a new chew toy or maybe edible chews or treats? Nellie had a bout of bloody diarrhea last week and she had eaten a big chunk of a nylabone edible chew. She also started vomiting. She was prescribed with two anti-diarrhea meds which are also meant to treat parasite and worm issues. If she didn't eat anything new then maybe its the new environment. Hope she's better soon

2bullymama · Jun 20, 2016

Cbrugs said:
Also, has the vet specifically tested for giardia? Blood in stool and diarrhea can be from that. But I believe it has to be specifically tested for.

Exactly what I was going to ask.... when you go to the vet you have to specifically ask for that to be tested for and if it is it, it can take a lot to get rid of it. Also, it is contagious so you have to be sure to contain the poo area and clean it very good

Tiffany Thorp · Jun 20, 2016

Hmmm, I don't think anyone's ever advised me against giving her just the canned food... She gets a healthy mix of both (1/2 cup of canned and 1/3 cup of kibble) and only eats twice a day. I don't think it's too much as the back of the can says to feed 3/4 - 1 full can per 15lbs and our Winnie is almost 20 lbs now.

To be honest, the diarrhea has been an ongoing battle since we adopted her 6 months ago. The pet store didn't give us the food she was originally on (although I didn't realize that until later on)... so we took her off their food (Healthy Hollistic Allergix) and switched her to Blue Freedom to no avail.. the vet thought it was the food and that's how we ended up going with Dave's due to the bland recipe after we tried the Royal Canin GI (which made an instant difference). Initially, the vet also thought it was her chew toys which were nylabone, so we threw those out and gave her a real bone instead. Her At one point, I also tried the pumpkin mixed with her kibble but it wasn't as much as help as I had hoped...

I really appreciate all of the suggestions and advice! It's been a great help.

Jakeyjake · Jun 20, 2016

I'm sorry you bought her from a pet store as so many dogs live miserable lives in puppy mills producing pups.
If you think it could be the water, then try giving her bottled water. Are you giving her any bully sticks, or other ingestible chews? That may have an affect on her intestinal tract. Are you transitioning foods slowly? Overfeeding will also cause issues. You could also try giving her some very soft white rice to see if that helps. Good luck and I hope she feels better soon.

Tiffany Thorp · Jun 20, 2016

Hmm... I haven't tried bottled water yet! I started giving her water from our Brita pitcher a few days ago, but maybe bottled water would be better. She only has 2 types of treats we give her, both of which are grain-free and have probiotics for digestive health... Rice is a great suggestion, I haven't tried that yet!

Tiffany Thorp · Jun 22, 2016

An update! We went to the vet yesterday and she did (yet another) fecal which came back negative... so no parasites (ie. giardia). She thinks Winnie may still be getting used to the food (which seems a bit unrealistic as she's been on it for about a month now and was doing great until a week ago). She's on a probiotic (again) and some medication for the swelling (again)... I guess if this doesn't work, they may see if she has IBS. The vet said she'd had to set up a totally different treatment plan if that's the case...

Does anyone have any experience with a frenchie that has IBS? Poor pup can't catch a break!

2bullymama · Jun 22, 2016

Poor pup! I do not have experience with IBS but my girl did have colitis... Not much to do on that one, gave her a medicated powder of some type yo help settle it down... Can not remember the name of it

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Tiffany Thorp · Jul 6, 2016

Hi all!

Just wanted to send a quick update... Winnie went back to the vet on Friday and they've put her back on the Royal Canin GI Low Fat diet. They also gave us another medication... a powder of some sort to help clear out any potential bacteria in her intestines. So far, so good! Though the food is expensive, Winnie seems to really like it and her stool is getting back to normal (finally!)

No indication of IBS, so we're going to keep our fingers crossed that this diet is the only change she needs.

Nicole G · Jul 6, 2016

I'm glad she's doing better. It's always so hard when they're sick and you don't know what to do to help them!

May I ask where you got her from, just out of curiosity?

Squishy Walnuts · Jul 6, 2016

So glad she's doing better. I will admit that I don't like Royal Canin. It's not good food at all.

Dog Food Reviews - Royal Canin Veterinary Diet canine Low Fat LF 20 - Powered by ReviewPost Not sure if it's kibble or canned food but the ingredients would be very similar I would think.

2bullymama · Jul 7, 2016

Tiffany Thorp said:
Hi all!

Just wanted to send a quick update... Winnie went back to the vet on Friday and they've put her back on the Royal Canin GI Low Fat diet. They also gave us another medication... a powder of some sort to help clear out any potential bacteria in her intestines. So far, so good! Though the food is expensive, Winnie seems to really like it and her stool is getting back to normal (finally!)

No indication of IBS, so we're going to keep our fingers crossed that this diet is the only change she needs.

Is the powder called 'tylan' ? If yes, my girl was on it for colitis and when it flared up we fed her bland diet. Also, another option could be The Honest Kitchen ' ... Very good food that you mix a protein of your choice. Call their customer service give details of issue and they will help you match what food would be best

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Tiffany Thorp · Jul 8, 2016

Nicole G said:
I'm glad she's doing better. It's always so hard when they're sick and you don't know what to do to help them!

May I ask where you got her from, just out of curiosity?

From Petland here in Orlando... A co-worker of mine adopted his frenchie boy from the same store and didn't have any issues, so we figured we'd have the same luck. Unfortunately, we didn't... of course, I wouldn't trade my Winnie for the world

Tiffany Thorp · Jul 8, 2016

2bullymama said:
Is the powder called 'tylan' ? If yes, my girl was on it for colitis and when it flared up we fed her bland diet. Also, another option could be The Honest Kitchen ' ... Very good food that you mix a protein of your choice. Call their customer service give details of issue and they will help you match what food would be best

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Yes - that's exactly it! (I checked the name when I got home last night...) Hm... Honest Kitchen, I'll have to check it out! She's on the Royal Canin diet now and it seems to be working. She's not a picky eater, which makes this whole situation a lot easier for her. Is your dog eating Honest Kitchen?

2bullymama · Jul 8, 2016

Tiffany Thorp said:
Yes - that's exactly it! (I checked the name when I got home last night...) Hm... Honest Kitchen, I'll have to check it out! She's on the Royal Canin diet now and it seems to be working. She's not a picky eater, which makes this whole situation a lot easier for her. Is your dog eating Honest Kitchen?

Royal Canin is OK for short term, but I would not want my dog on it for long term or life. I fed THK for awhile, but my pups do great on Fromm Pork/Peas, but THK is my go to if something changes with them

Tiffany Thorp · Jul 11, 2016

2bullymama said:
Royal Canin is OK for short term, but I would not want my dog on it for long term or life. I fed THK for awhile, but my pups do great on Fromm Pork/Peas, but THK is my go to if something changes with them

Well she's been eating the Royal Canin diet for over a week now... she improved the first 3-4 days, but no improvement since

her stool isn't as runny, but not firm either. We're still on the Tylan powder, so I'm hopeful she will get better soon. We've got a follow up appointment this upcoming weekend, so we will see what happens between now and then.

I'll definitely give THK a call and get their opinion on a food for Winnie! Maybe it'll be better than the current "treatment" she's on now.