Normally I'd say give new things a week for them to get accustomed to, mucous is fairly normal when switching around multiple different things. You could switch to salmon at any time that you feel comfortable or that you think is necessary. If you are pretty sure that Ginger will do well on Salmon only then I don't see any reason not to try it out, just be forewarned that the mucous and loose stool may continue even if it normally agrees with her due to the changes in food.

I think Ginger is getting better!

Today at the dog park, she had 1/2 regular diarreha (not mucously-slimy) and half soft-form poop! Small BM, but at least there was form and it wasn't mucousy-slimy diarreha - WHEW! Does this mean the eggs and her belly is settling with the eggs?

I thought to keep her on eggs for a few more days since she seems to be going in the right direction. And then once her BMs are more regular, then add in a couple tablespoons of boiled salmon?

If you think the salmon is easy on her tummy and she is getting better, I'd try some salmon tomorrow and see how it goes.

I think I'll try giving her some salmon Sunday evening or Monday...hopefully her BMs are even better tomorrow!

Ginger was full of life on Sat! it was great seeing her! maybe keep with the eggs still and add a bit of salmon to it, like i think val said just keep adding to the base if she is doing ok with the base food then only add one thing at a time till she settles in with it. and you have the vet tomorrow so you can see what they say as well.

Ginger loves playing with other Sibes, for sure! It was great seeing Sierra, Jack and all the others (of course it was good to see you and Ken too!)

She didn't have a BM yesterday, but I have a feeling the 3 eggs she gets for breakfast and dinner isn't a whole lot to produce a BM everyday...just my guess - could be wrong.

Tomorrow makes a week since she's been only on eggs, so I'll give a little salmon starting tomorrow.

She does have an appointment with a different vet to get a second opinion...and this vet is a 'Holistic Vet' and does a combo western and holistic. Dr. Jones actually called me back and we talked over the phone for a few minutes about Ginger which made me feel more confident in taking G to see Dr. Jones for a second opinion.

Vet appointment went well. I felt really comfortable and confident with Dr. Jones. Exellent advice from the posters as she completely agrees 100% with limiting her to 1 ingredient to start, and eggs were an excellent choice. Doc also said that Ginger is a 'cool' dog (build, temperment, activity level, and GI sensitibity) and she would like to keep Ginger on fish, chicken, turkey and duck proteins (when we get to that point). There is a slight chance of a chicken intolerance, but we'll check that out once we get her BMs regulated. She does recommend TOTW (fish formula), as well as Orijen and THK, all fish formula - again, when we get to that point.

Doc will wait until she gets Ginger's records from all the tests done at the previous vet, and examines her next BM. So, we're on the right track...she did recommend me adding carrots for fiber (or broccoli) as the second ingredient next to eggs to get Ginger to have a daily BM and to balance her diet out so there's fiber and protein and other vitamins instead of just straight protein.

So - we're on the right track!
...and I'll place another update in a couple of days or so for information for the next person, in case there are others that have a similar issues...

Thanks everyone!!

That's great news! And that sounds like one fantastic vet to me Wish I had one that awesome around here!

Has she had another BM yet?

As far as the carrots and broccoli suggestion, I would suggest going with carrots over broccoli. Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, suppress the thyroid and should be given sparingly. Truthfully though I don't think you'd get much out of feeding plain ol' carrots. Dogs don't really digest carrots very well, it generally comes out looking exactly the way that it went in. I give my dogs baby carrots several days a week but it's really only for filling them up and not so much for nutritional value. Dogs' digestive systems can't break plant cell walls the way they do animal cell walls so for them to get nutrition from plants (i.e. veggies/fruits) the plant cells walls would have to be broken via some method. Cooking veggies would break the cells walls but then it also destroys the nutrients in the process. This is the PMR fan in me talking. But if you're going to add a veggie to Ginger's diet I would suggest carrots as a first choice and green beans as a second choice. If you do decide to give broccoli please use it sparingly.

FWIW, I do think you have a pretty good vet in Dr Jones too.

I already had carrots in the fridge, and I know she'll eat carrots, so I stuck with carrots....and you're right - the carrots come out the same way it went in but maybe in smaller bits

She hasn't had a BM yet, but I just started to feed her more yesterday along with the carrots, and she's been farting up a storm last night! LOL! I really hope she has a BM today!

I'm so glad I found Dr. Jones! Not that it means anything, but she also has another vet in her practice that has owns a Sibe!

I actually think that owning a sibe is a very important quality in a vet. Not to sound ridiculous, but when I did my search for a vet here after I moved, I specifically emailed around on forums, craigslist, and musher forums to find a vet that had Siberian experience. My vet now is an ex-Iditarod vet who also owns/has owned Sibes and it's SO important to understand this breed.

For example, I took Koda to my mother's vet once and he said that Koda was too skinny and recommended Science Diet to me and I looked at him like he had four heads. Koda was a perfectly young, healthy, lanky Siberian teenager-- not too skinny. But vets who don't know sibes, don't know any better.

Wow! You're lucky that you've found an ex-Iditorod-vet! That's awesome!

cmanding wrote:

She hasn't had a BM yet, but I just started to feed her more yesterday along with the carrots, and she's been farting up a storm last night! LOL! I really hope she has a BM today!

I'm so glad I found Dr. Jones! Not that it means anything, but she also has another vet in her practice that has owns a Sibe!

My sibe doesn't have a problem with smaller amounts of egg but when I start feeding larger portions of egg he gets very gassy which is not pleasant for me. lol None of mine have gas with carrots though.

I also find it good to be familiar with this breed with the vets I go to. My current holistic vet doesn't have a husky and nor does anyone in her office but she knows her stuff when it comes to the different breeds and she's very familiar with huskies just like she is with Chihuahaus. I know probably a little too much about the breeds that I have at home so it really isn't too big a deal if I go to a vet that isn't as well versed in my breeds as I am since I can probably teach some vets a lesson or two.

Nice! Ginger was certainly gassy last night and this morning. LOL!

She DID have a BM this morning (9am)! Yay for her! AND it was still 1/2 soft form and 1/2 diarreha, BUT it was more firm and less runny that is has been - so we ARE headed in the right direction!

After Dr Jones reviewed Ginger's records from the previous vet, she found that the fecal exam they did only tested for worms! GGrrrr! So Dr Jones will be running a full fecal exam just to make sure there isn't anything else going on.

Ok so i think i need this vets info

can you post it in the recommendations section for all CO folks?

Val thanks for clearing up the broccoli part as i also thought they were bad for dogs. but is it only one part of it like just the head or just the stalk or is it all of it?

http://www.washingtonparkvc.com/site/view/135440_OurDoctors.pml

Washington Park Vet Clinic

I've also posted this info under the recommendations section.

jbealer wrote:

Val thanks for clearing up the broccoli part as i also thought they were bad for dogs. but is it only one part of it like just the head or just the stalk or is it all of it?

I believe that applies to the whole broccoli, not just the head or stem.

Ok, another BM and it's ALL FORM! a lot of carrots, but it was all form! Didn't think I'd ever be so happy about dog poop, but I'm happy she's on her way to being back to normal BMs!

Yay for Ginger! That is such great news, Claudia!

cmanding wrote:

Didn't think I'd ever be so happy about dog poop, but I'm happy she's on her way to being back to normal BMs!

Boy do I know the feeling!

YAY! We've all been there, trust me

Thank you Tori, Val and Heather, and everyone else for all the invaluable advice and guidance!

Just talked to Doc and after a week of being on eggs and carrots, and BMs still looking good, we'll start with small amounts of canned TOTW salmon...and if that works out well, we're slowly headed back to kibble...whew!

Now I gotta get more eggs and carrots!

This will be my last update as Ginger is pretty much back to normal!

Her full fecal exam came back all negative; She has a clean bill of health!

And as of Wednesday afternoon, her BMs have been pretty much normal! YES, NORMAL (of course with the exception of the carrots in there ) All form, and easy to pick up! No diarreha since Wednesday afternoon!

She'll remain on her eggs and carrots diet for the remainder of the week, and she'll start back on regular dog food starting Sunday, in small amounts, to make a slow transition back to regular dog food, fish formula.

Thanks again everyone!
I'm SO glad Jenn sent me here!

Claudia and Ginger

YAY!!! I'm so happy for you Our silly dogs and their sensitive tummies! Keep us posted on her progess and please stick around! I'd love to see more pictures!

Welcome to the forum

I will definitely stick around, and I will be posting more pics!

I'm so happy for you and Ginger, that's wonderful news! But please don't let that be your last update, we want to know how it continues for her. I would start small when you start incorporating the kibble back into her diet. With my most sensitive girl I start with less than 5 pieces of kibble mixed in with her normal food for the first couple days to see how she does and just keep doubling the amount if she continues to do well every few days. For most "normal" dogs it's not necessary but the really sensitive ones it's worth it to go slowly.