[Hercules and Coco]

I bought a Boston Terrier puppy 3 weeks ago today. He's a great puppy. Never would have thought I'd like BT's so much. Anyway, from the day we've gotten him his stool has been "loose." We took him for a well puppy check up the day after we got him and Dr said all looked well. A week later it was obvious that his loose stool was now diarrhea. So I took him back to Dr and his fecal came back negative for giardia and such. Dr went ahead and put him on Amforol for the diarrhea and an antibiotic anyway. Neither has worked. I can't figure out what could be causing the problem. I didn't switch his food at first because I know that alone can cause upset tummy. However, over the last few days I have started slowly mixing in Wellness puppy food with the Nutro puppy he was on. I thought maybe it was the Nutro. But the diarrhea seems worse. So I've cut back on how much of the new I'm mixing in. Other than the food, I can't figure out what his prob could be. He loves to chew on the grass outside but I don't know how much is actually ingested. I never see it in his poop. Also, a darn bunny keeps getting into our yard and if I don't watch him close he'll eat the bunny poop. Those are the only other 2 things I could figure would cause persistant diarrhea. As far as health goes, he seems great. He's active and eats well. He's gone from 4 1/2 lbs to 7 lbs since we got him! Is there anything I'm missing as to why he might have the loose stool?

[Lara's mom]

You could try putting him on a food for dogs with sensitive stomachs and see how that goes. However, I think that the answer will be found at your vets office. Has the puppy been tested for worms?

[Hercules and Coco]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

Has the puppy been tested for worms?

Yes. No worms. Plus, the previous owner had wormed him the day I picked him up and the vet has done it once since then.
I may have to try the senstive stomach food. I'm gonna hold off on that for now though since I just switched him once already. Besides, doesn't he need to be on puppy food for awhile?

[CorkyMax]

Here is article off the net I just found on the drug-Amforol! Will be back with another post a little later on what I think-okay? Meanwhile this is here for you to read.

Amforol Tablets
This page contains information on Amforol Tablets for veterinary use.
The information provided typically includes the following:
Amforol Tablets Indications
Warnings and cautions for Amforol Tablets
Direction and dosage information for Amforol Tablets
Amforol Tablets
This treatment applies to the following species:

Dogs
Manufacturer: Fort Dodge
Veterinary Oral Suspension And Tablets
NADA 042-548, Approved by FDA

NADA 042-841, Approved by FDA

Each 5 mL of suspension and each tablet contains:

Kanamycin activity (as the sulfate)
100 mg

Bismuth subcarbonate
250 mg

Activated attapulgite (aluminum magnesium silicate)
500 mg


Therapeutic Action Of Ingredients
Kanamycin Sulfate (Kantrim®): Kanamycin is active against Salmonella, Shigella, Alcaligenes faecalis, E. coli, Proteus and Staphylococcus aureus, all species associated with bacterial enteric infections. Most of the dose is not absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, providing bactericidal action at the site of infection.

Bismuth subcarbonate and activated attapulgite (aluminum magnesium silicate) are antidiarrheals.

Amforol Tablets Indications
AMFOROL is indicated for the treatment of bacterial enteritis in dogs (caused by organisms susceptible to kanamycin) and the symptomatic relief of the associated diarrhea.

Contraindication
AMFOROL is contraindicated in treatment of Salmonella septicemias.

Warning
Treatment of Salmonella infections confined to the gastrointestinal tract with kanamycin may result in prolonged shedding of this microorganism. Follow-up cultures after treatment are strongly advised.

Precautions
Because of the bactericidal activity of kanamycin, prolonged treatment may permit overgrowth of nonsusceptible organisms (e.g., fungi). If remission of symptoms is not evident after 2 to 3 days treatment, the diagnosis should be re-established. Do not treat for longer than 5 days.

Dogs, especially those weighing less than 5 lbs, when treated with oral kanamycin should be under close clinical observation for potential nephrotoxic and ototoxic side effects, as the recommended dosage may produce systemic levels of this aminoglycoside. Kanamycin should be used cautiously if the dog is also receiving other nephrotoxic or ototoxic drugs.

Side Effects
The bismuth subcarbonate in AMFOROL may produce darkening of the tongue and stools which can be confused with melena. Prolonged exposure to orally administered bismuth salts has been associated with encephalopathies in other species. Signs may include lack of energy, muscle twitching, confusion, convulsions and comas.

Dosage
Dogs - The following dosage schedule is recommended, based upon a simple estimation of animal size:

Oral Suspension: Five mL (5 mL) per 20 lbs body weight every 8 hours. Maximum dose, 15 mL every 8 hours. For animals under 10 lbs, 2.5 mL every 8 hours.

Oral Tablets: One tablet per 20 lbs body weight every 8 hours. Maximum dose, three tablets every 8 hours. For animals under 10 lbs, one-half tablet every 8 hours.

It is recommended that an initial loading dose preceded the above schedule, consisting of twice the amount of a single dose.

[CorkyMax]

Treating Acute Diarrhea And Chronic Diarrhea in Dogs Will be back with more sites in a few minutes--Stay with me!
Diarrhea Dogs Treatment Tips | Know Dog Diarrhea Symptoms and Causes | PetDoc

Dog And Cat Diarrhea - Cause And Treatment Of This Indelicate Subject

Pumpkin is mentioned in this last site and it is a good thing to use. Prob. a couple Tablespoons either by itself or mixed in with the food---Make sure it is not the pie filling--just plain canned pumpkin! I'm sure one of these sites mentioned not to let the pup get dehydrated--very important--and easy to happen with all that diarrhea! Keep us posted on what is happening and if you figure it out!! If this keeps up--Find another vet! How old is your puppy? Hard to believe that it has gained that much weight in that length of time (3 wks-2 and 1/2#s) with all that diarrhea going on!! Maybe you are feeding too much? Keep in touch--I have a vet book with a lot of info but I hate to try printing it all here now! Few more questions (book tells about clues as to the kind of problem it might be, based on the color, consistency and odor of the poo---gives likely cause and the likely location (in the small bowel, lg. bowel, colon, stomach, liver, pancreas,etc. So if you can tell me what it is like--can narrow down what I'd have to print here! COLOR: yellow or greenish--black, tarry--red blood or clots--pasty, light--large, gray, rancid CONSISTENCY: watery--foamy--greasy, often with oily hair around the anus--glistening or jellylike ODOR: foodlike, or smelling like sour milk--rancid or foul FREQUENCY: several small stools in an hour, with straining--3 or 4 large stools a day CONDITION OF THE DOG: weight loss--no weight loss, normal appetite--vomiting

[CorkyMax]

Even with all the info I gave you above, I still feel I have to say this----BUT a couple questions 1st--How old is that puppy? Has he recently had the 'too many at once' vaccinations' and /or The damned Rabies shot?
Whether or not he has recently had these dreaded shots (and if he hasn't had them yet--PLEASE hold off as long as you can until this problem is resolved at least. The immune system is prob. under attack right now!) Don't know how much you know about all these shots--see posts in here on vaccinations--ones by Kris L. Christine! You can also go to top of page--find the blue strip with white words--find the word search--click on it--Put words vaccinations and/or vaccination reactions (not both at once of course) in the search box--find and point to threads(not posts). I'm sure you will find many threads to look into! Okay, so I started to say--Whether or not he has had all the shots recently, He appears to have had a lot of things that would cause this problem. The poor little guy has been wormed TWICE--once is enough to cause the problem I would think--This stuff is hard on them and not really good for them! He has been on medications that are hard on him. That bunny poop could cause big problems too! And then you take into consideration that coming into a new home--even though it is a good thing, it still can be stressful and therefore also taxing the immune system. As far as the grass thing--It could be adding to it all too but dogs eat grass for many different reasons. It could be eating it to throw up whatever might be bothering his tummy. He could be eating it because something is lacking in his diet--like silicon. Silicon will work to eliminate something foreign in the dog's system--which could be worms, (MUST NOT BE WORMS--PLEASE NO MORE WORM MEDICINE AT THIS TIME!!) an infection from an abscess, or a bacterial infection (rabbit poop?) etc. Be aware that dogs do not digest grass well, and the sharp edges on the blades of grass irritate the throat and intestines. Be sure he has access to pesticide-free dirt and plants. (But be also aware that many plants are poisonous to a dog--check the plant out on the web, etc to see if it is a bad one for your dog to have!) If eating any of these substances (not the poison ones) continues for any length of time, bring your dog to your vet. (You've already done that) Try to steer your pup away from the grass for reasons stated above but the pesticde-free dirt and non-poisonous plants he could eat to get the silicon if that is what he is eating it for. Another reason dogs eat grass is just because they like it. AND I HOPE THE GRASS HE IS EATING HAS NOT BEEN TREATED IN ANY WAY!!!

[Lara's mom]

My next suggestion would be to put your pup on a homemade diet. Do some research - I can give you some recipes that my girls like. It is way more nutritious and, you will know each and every thing that your baby is eating. It sounds like a lot of trouble but, it really isn't. Buy yourself a BIG stock pot. You can easily make enough for 2 - 3 weeks. Just freeze it in portion sized containers. I have a rule; if it isn't considered fit for me to eat, it isn't fit for my girls either!

A normal healthy dog needs approx. 1/3 high quality meat (Chicken, turkey, beef, lamb), one third vegetables (this is where you choose what your babe likes. I ALWAYS add carrots, sweet potatoes, peas and green beans. The rest depends on what they like that is available at the grocery store.) and, one third starch (potatoes, pasta, barley.) I throw in some low sodium stock cubes if I haven't had bones to make my own stock, although homemade stock is better.

Both of my girls have eaten mom's homemade all of their lives. My almost 13 year old border collie Bailey is in perfect health. She's one of the very few dogs I know at her age who still has beautiful white teeth. She's never required any dental work. My 1 1/2 year old jack russell Lara is thriving! They get 1 meal of mom's food and one of a high quality all natural organic dry. I've attempted to make my own dry food but have never had much success.

Let me know if you'd like some recipes. I'd be happy to share.

[lil mutt]

usually diarrhea is connected to your dog's diet so i suggest that you try other food and observe your dog if it still having diarrhea.

[Hercules and Coco]

Ok wow that's alot of info. I appreciate it. Now I gotta sort through it all and figure out what to do. So here's the update: I discontinued the Amforol (thank goodness according to info on that) b/c it wasn't working anyway. We've made the full switch to Wellness Puppy. Overall, he seems very healthy. He has a good appetite, loves to play. I've had him 4 weeks now and he's gone from 4 1/2 lbs to almost 8 lbs. So obviously weight gain isn't a prob. And, no, he's not overweight by any means. I can feel his ribs without having to dig for them.
BUT, I still wouldn't call his poop normal. It's not "squirty" but I would still call it loose. Not firm like my chihuahua's. As far as color, nothing unusual there. Just regular ole brown. No blood or anything. I have noticed that he doesn't go so many times in one day though so I guess that's minor improvement. I'm beginning to think maybe this is normal for him since he's seems healthy in every other way.
I still want to try a few other brands of food to see if that helps. Not right now though. I'm afraid all the switching will just keep him messed up. If all else fails, I'll try the home made.
did I answer all the questions? Now I'm gonna go back and read some of those links.

[Hercules and Coco]

I see I missed some questions.

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

Even with all the info I gave you above, I still feel I have to say this----BUT a couple questions 1st--How old is that puppy? 14 WeeksHas he recently had the 'too many at once' vaccinations' and /or The damned Rabies shot? NO RABIES, VACCINES AT 6, 9, AND 12 WKS.
Whether or not he has recently had these dreaded shots (and if he hasn't had them yet--PLEASE hold off as long as you can until this problem is resolved at least. The immune system is prob. under attack right now!) Don't know how much you know about all these shots--see posts in here on vaccinations--ones by Kris L. Christine! You can also go to top of page--find the blue strip with white words--find the word search--click on it--Put words vaccinations and/or vaccination reactions (not both at once of course) in the search box--find and point to threads(not posts). I'm sure you will find many threads to look into! Okay, so I started to say--Whether or not he has had all the shots recently, He appears to have had a lot of things that would cause this problem. The poor little guy has been wormed TWICE--once is enough to cause the problem I would think--This stuff is hard on them and not really good for them! He has been on medications that are hard on him. That bunny poop could cause big problems too! And then you take into consideration that coming into a new home--even though it is a good thing, it still can be stressful and therefore also taxing the immune system. As far as the grass thing--It could be adding to it all too but dogs eat grass for many different reasons. It could be eating it to throw up whatever might be bothering his tummy. He could be eating it because something is lacking in his diet--like silicon. Silicon will work to eliminate something foreign in the dog's system--which could be worms, (MUST NOT BE WORMS--PLEASE NO MORE WORM MEDICINE AT THIS TIME!!) an infection from an abscess, or a bacterial infection (rabbit poop?) etc. Be aware that dogs do not digest grass well, and the sharp edges on the blades of grass irritate the throat and intestines. Be sure he has access to pesticide-free dirt and plants. (But be also aware that many plants are poisonous to a dog--check the plant out on the web, etc to see if it is a bad one for your dog to have!) If eating any of these substances (not the poison ones) continues for any length of time, bring your dog to your vet. (You've already done that) Try to steer your pup away from the grass for reasons stated above but the pesticde-free dirt and non-poisonous plants he could eat to get the silicon if that is what he is eating it for. Another reason dogs eat grass is just because they like it. AND I HOPE THE GRASS HE IS EATING HAS NOT BEEN TREATED IN ANY WAY!!! Grass has not been treated. We just built here 2 years ago and the grass is "new." Ha Just mowed. Oh crap, I just thought about it. I did fertilize it earlier in the summer.

[Hercules and Coco]

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

Treating Acute Diarrhea And Chronic Diarrhea in Dogs Will be back with more sites in a few minutes--Stay with me!
Diarrhea Dogs Treatment Tips | Know Dog Diarrhea Symptoms and Causes | PetDoc

Dog And Cat Diarrhea - Cause And Treatment Of This Indelicate Subject

Pumpkin is mentioned in this last site and it is a good thing to use. Prob. a couple Tablespoons either by itself or mixed in with the food---Make sure it is not the pie filling--just plain canned pumpkin! I'm sure one of these sites mentioned not to let the pup get dehydrated--very important--and easy to happen with all that diarrhea! Keep us posted on what is happening and if you figure it out!! If this keeps up--Find another vet! How old is your puppy? Hard to believe that it has gained that much weight in that length of time (3 wks-2 and 1/2#s) with all that diarrhea going on!! Maybe you are feeding too much? Keep in touch--I have a vet book with a lot of info but I hate to try printing it all here now! Few more questions (book tells about clues as to the kind of problem it might be, based on the color, consistency and odor of the poo---gives likely cause and the likely location (in the small bowel, lg. bowel, colon, stomach, liver, pancreas,etc. So if you can tell me what it is like--can narrow down what I'd have to print here! COLOR: yellow or greenish--black, tarry--red blood or clots--pasty, light--large, gray, rancid CONSISTENCY: watery--foamy--greasy, often with oily hair around the anus--glistening or jellylike ODOR: foodlike, or smelling like sour milk--rancid or foul FREQUENCY: several small stools in an hour, with straining--3 or 4 large stools a day CONDITION OF THE DOG: weight loss--no weight loss, normal appetite--vomiting

More Questions I missed:
Color- already stated earlier. Normal.
Consistency- already stated not "squirty" but loose. Not watery, foamy, nor jellylike. More like a little looser than toothpaste consistency. I often have to wipe his butt cuz it's loose enough that a small amount stays on the anus after going.
Frequency- less than it was. Now around 3-4 x's a day.
Cond of dog- already stated; no vomiting

[CorkyMax]

Frequency- less than it was. Now around 3-4 x's a day.

I don't know how large these stools are but what book states for 3-4 lg. stools a day: Likely cause: Inadequate digestion or absorption--Likely Location: small bowel, pancreas. The only other thing mentioned (and I don't know if your dog's is) that might apply: If it is greasy, often with oily hair around the anus--the likely cause is malabsorption and likely location is the small bowel, pancreas. Big coincident(?) that both of these characteristics have the same answer!!? Hope everything works itself out!!

[DoggieVogue]

Boston Terriers are known for their sensitive stomachs. I am a Boston owner, and fortunately mine is one of the weirdos who could eat tin cans and be fine. He has all of the skin allergy problems associated with his breed though so I guess it balances out. I would look into his food like others have said and find some thing that works for him. Congrats on the new puppy by the way, I never thought I would like Bostons so much either till I got mine. He is a true joy and a true character. By far the funniest and smartest dog I've ever had!

[Lunareclipse]

When I had my puppy vaccinated my vet told me to give him .2 cc's of Immodium for 2 days if he got diarhea. He did get diarhea and the Immodium worked. Ask your vet if it is ok with your dog.

Originally Posted by Lunareclipse

When I had my puppy vaccinated my vet told me to give him .2 cc's of Immodium for 2 days if he got diarhea. He did get diarhea and the Immodium worked. Ask your vet if it is ok with your dog.

I've heard that the Imodium works well. My vet also has recommended pepto bismal for my dogs in the past when they've had runny stool.

[Lara's mom]

Have you tried cooking some rice in chicken stock? Whenever either of my girls get "poop issues", I feed them this for four meals. It has always cleared up the problem.