Okay so this story starts earlier this morning at around 2am. I just finished watching a movie about Chemistry (Because Science is fun when you're not forced to do it, okay?) and went to let Yukon out before bed. He was a little jumpy and wasn't able to hold it down several flights of stairs, so he peed a bit on the way down. I wasn't really too worried though as he's still a puppy and does still have accidents about once a month anyways. I just chalked it up to me not taking him out often enough that day and left it at that.

Anyways we went to sleep, woke up, and he went to the bathroom like normal; absolutely nothing alarming. He didn't really want to eat his breakfast, but he had a large dinner and didn't get any exercise this morning. So I just assumed that he wasn't hungry. However when I took him out at 2:30pm right before I went to work he pooped a lot and it was runny. I didn't think much of it at the time as I had to leave for work. At the back of my mind I did have this thought that he might not be able to hold it and might poop in his crate, but stupidly dismissed the thought for several reason that just seem plain dumb now. When I got back from work I got myself something to eat, watched a bit of TV, and did some chores. But when I went to get Yukon at around 8pm there was poop everywhere. It wasn't just super soft poop like it was earlier either. It was almost pure liquid and it looked like he went several times.

Obviously I regret not taking him out right when I got home at around 6:30pm, but there's not much I can do about that now. I cleaned him and the room up using Oxi Clean and a bleach solution. He doesn't seem sick and outside of being a little tired he's acting quite normal. I really do hope that it's just a simple upset stomach. Still, he has smelly farts which is odd because he generally doesn't fart at all. I decided to not feed him anything until tomorrow evening to "reset" his system. I'm also going to have someone check on him every two hours tomorrow while I take the SAT, just to make sure that he doesn't poop in his crate again.

I'm not sure if I should call the vet about this or not. I did get him a new bag of Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete that I started using around Sunday. I heard that the recently changed the recipe so maybe that could be it? Is there anything else I can do or am I doing anything wrong? Any advice or comments would be well appreciated.

You can feed him some canned pumpkin it can help fix them up. But if it keeps on for a few days or he starts to act weird go to the vet.

Aidan, we changed Layla over to TOTW High Prairie around a month ago because she had started having issues. I couldn't think of anything else it could be but the Extreme Athlete. I also heard they recently changed the formula to add more fruits and veggies so I'm thinking that was it, though I'm not sure how recently the change took place.

Layla was doing well on TOTW for a few weeks until a few days ago, when she also started having diarrhea. I switched her to a bland diet (rice, boiled chicken and a little canned pumpkin) for two days and now we're incorporating her kibble back in but we're still getting diarrhea. I can't think of anything she might have gotten into that would cause this; I'm sure you're also trying to rack your brain trying to think what could cause Yukon's diarrhea. The only thing I can think of now is the heat. It's starting to get into the 70s and 80s here, so could the higher temperatures be causing it? Right now Layla's kind of having periods of constipation and diarrhea, so I'm not sure what to think.

I'd wait it out and see if it gets better on its own, maybe try feeding him a little less or do a bland diet for a few days and see if you can get his GI system to reset itself. Wish I could help more but I'm just as baffled as you!

I agree with Elise. If it doesn't get any better in a couple of days, I would take him to the vet. You don't want him getting dehydrated and you can get him checked for any parasites. You can also feed him some boiled rice and chicken.

This was pretty much the exact thing that happened when Okami was a around 9 months old. Vet told us that she had a sensitive stomach (more sensitive than normal for a husky) and needed to go on Adult food, and to switch her to a bland diet before switching her. So for the bland diet route we did boiled beef for a week, and then slowly started adding a new food to the boiled beef for another week, till she was solidly on the new food. 4Health Turkey and Potato corn and grain free (Tractor supply brand, also by diamond, but like half the price of Totw, Blue Buffalo etcetera... but just as good.)

Could be a few things. I had a pretty constant struggle with Diz having diarrhea last summer so as the others suggested, I'd start with a bland diet, then try a different food. When Diz was having issues I had luck with merrick lamb and rice. The extra fiber from the rice helped him. It could also be a parasite he picked up somewhere. Any shared water bowls in the last couple weeks? It could also be the heat and/or over feeding. When you say he had a huge dinner the night before the issues, what was included? Just food, or something else? How much more than normal did he eat? As a pup Diz could handle about 2-2.5 cups before he'd get the runs, and now he can have about 1-1.25 cups a day, split into two meals. Any more than that and he gets diarrhea.

Keep him hydrated Aidan. Pedialite or Gatoraid or an equivalent. Keep track of his temp. if he starts to show a fever get him to the Vet.

Well the good news is that Yukon is doing better. His stools aren't liquid anymore, although it is still soft-ish looking. I'm wondering if it's just a sudden change in temperature, or if maybe he got at something on the floor...

Playing with the Big Dogs wrote:

You can feed him some canned pumpkin it can help fix them up. But if it keeps on for a few days or he starts to act weird go to the vet.  

I think I'm going to try that, thanks!

capellalayla wrote:

Aidan, we changed Layla over to TOTW High Prairie around a month ago because she had started having issues. I couldn't think of anything else it could be but the Extreme Athlete. I also heard they recently changed the formula to add more fruits and veggies so I'm thinking that was it, though I'm not sure how recently the change took place.

Layla was doing well on TOTW for a few weeks until a few days ago, when she also started having diarrhea. I switched her to a bland diet (rice, boiled chicken and a little canned pumpkin) for two days and now we're incorporating her kibble back in but we're still getting diarrhea. I can't think of anything she might have gotten into that would cause this; I'm sure you're also trying to rack your brain trying to think what could cause Yukon's diarrhea. The only thing I can think of now is the heat. It's starting to get into the 70s and 80s here, so could the higher temperatures be causing it? Right now Layla's kind of having periods of constipation and diarrhea, so I'm not sure what to think.

I'd wait it out and see if it gets better on its own, maybe try feeding him a little less or do a bland diet for a few days and see if you can get his GI system to reset itself. Wish I could help more but I'm just as baffled as you!

Yeah if it is the food then he'll need to be switched off of it ASAP. It was cheaper than TOTW, but I don't like it when people are trigger happy with their ingredient lists...

Rocio_Caballero wrote:

I agree with Elise. If it doesn't get any better in a couple of days, I would take him to the vet. You don't want him getting dehydrated and you can get him checked for any parasites. You can also feed him some boiled rice and chicken.

He does drink a lot of water, although I don't know if he gets enough now that it's getting hotter out.

lillith87 wrote:

This was pretty much the exact thing that happened when Okami was a around 9 months old.  Vet told us that she had a sensitive stomach (more sensitive than normal for a husky) and needed to go on Adult food, and to switch her to a bland diet before switching her. So for the bland diet route we did  boiled beef for a week, and then slowly started adding a new food to the boiled beef for another week, till she was solidly on the new food. 4Health Turkey and Potato corn and grain free (Tractor supply brand, also by diamond, but like half the price of Totw, Blue Buffalo etcetera... but just as good.)

Boiled chicken and rice eh? I might try that if we have some. Like I said earlier I'll probably switch him off Diamond Naturals once he finishes his current bag of food, and I'm always up for cheap high quality options!

wpskier222 wrote:

Could be a few things. I had a pretty constant struggle with Diz having diarrhea last summer so as the others suggested, I'd start with a bland diet, then try a different food. When Diz was having issues I had luck with merrick lamb and rice. The extra fiber from the rice helped him. It could also be a parasite he picked up somewhere. Any shared water bowls in the last couple weeks? It could also be the heat and/or over feeding. When you say he had a huge dinner the night before the issues, what was included? Just food, or something else? How much more than normal did he eat? As a pup Diz could handle about 2-2.5 cups before he'd get the runs, and now he can have about 1-1.25 cups a day, split into two meals. Any more than that and he gets diarrhea.

No he doesn't share water bowls with anyone or anything, in fact he doesn't even socialize with other dogs as much as he should because there aren't any dark parks within reasonable driving distance. Yukon ate about 1/2 cup more than normal on Thursday. I don't put anything special in his food either because I'm evil. Although I did give him a couple dog treat after dinner. Just normal treats that he's been accustomed to for a few months now.

Hughie wrote:

Keep him hydrated Aidan.  Pedialite or Gatoraid or an equivalent.  Keep track of his temp. if he starts to show a fever get him to the Vet.      

Yeah dehydration is an issue and I think that I'm going to need to increase his water access. I can wait until he's old enough to carry his own water.


Thanks for all the helpful suggestions! Yesterday was a hectic day, but now that all that stressful stuff is said and done I can think clearer now. Yukon really is doing better and one of my friends told me that dogs just sometimes go through phases where they have soft stools for a day. So hopefully it's just something simple like that, thanks again!

lillith87 wrote:

4Health Turkey and Potato corn and grain free (Tractor supply brand, also by diamond, but like half the price of Totw, Blue Buffalo etcetera... but just as good.)

When we first got Ami - he had impressive diarrhea - but I was overfeeding because I misunderstood the feeding amounts from the shelter (like - double  ) But even after getting the amounts right and severely limiting rawhides and marrow, he continued with soft "pudding" poop. But everytime I tried to change foods, the diarrhea would return. Finally, in the last month, I have successfully switched to th ehealth turkey and potato and poop pick up is now a breeze. Also, the bones that I get from the butcher really help consistency (they're some sort of vertebra with lots of connective tissue and shreds of beef - each one about the size of my fist, he gets 1 most afternoons (a "grooming aid" - he stays still  ) But, at the moment I am really satisfied with the 4Health stuff.)

I was planning on switching to the extreme athlete last winter, but when I contacted the company for samples, their vet contacted me and said it was not recommend it for dogs not actively sledding - said it was too rich and would make him sick - the suggested their chicken and rice formula instead.

Turkey and potato works well for Diz, but I have him on a different brand. Do you know why it wasn't recommended for dogs shedding? Or what that has to do with anything?

I think she said sledding.

capellalayla wrote:

I think she said sledding.

Yup - sledding - it was because of the high protein and fat content (which I thought might be needed because he was outdoors most of the time and I was worried about the cold  

Layla's breeder starts her pups on Extreme Athlete because of the fat and protein content and because it's an all-life-stages kibble. Once they turn 1 year old and aren't actively sledding she used to put them on the chicken and rice formula but now feeds Tuffy's Nutrisource. She says it's much better and has been really good to even her pickiest of eaters. It's just so hard to find in the store!

amymeme wrote:

capellalayla wrote:

I think she said sledding.

Yup - sledding - it was because of the high protein and fat content (which I thought might be needed because he was outdoors most of the time and I was worried about the cold  

Ha ha!!! Darn ADHD! Sledding makes a lot more sense.

Well Yukon's Diarrhea is pretty much gone now... It's really weird, one day he was fine, then he was sick for a day, and now he's fine again. I bet he probably got at some chocolate crumbs or something else along those lines... -_-

AMB wrote:

Well Yukon's Diarrhea is pretty much gone now... It's really weird, one day he was fine, then he was sick for a day, and now he's fine again. I bet he probably got at some chocolate crumbs or something else along those lines... -_-

OMG, same here with Layla! After we finished the bland diet we slowly reintroduced her kibble. Today was the first day with all kibble and no more chicken and rice, and we fed her a quarter-cup less than usual and so far things are looking a lot better. I really do wonder if they were adjusting to the summer temperatures?

Also: Glad to hear Yukon's doing better!

Yeah it could be the sudden change in temperature that cause all the problems... I didn't really feed Yukon a bland diet, I just reset his system and stuck to only giving him half a cup of food for a couple of days with some pumpkin based treats. (since I don't think we have any canned pumpkins) Glad to hear that Layla is doing better as well!