Everyone,

My puppy's name is Aspen. He's almost 2 years old. For the past ~3 months, he has had on/off diarrhea issues. By this I mean, he would have hard as rock stool for ~2-3 weeks, and then randomly out of the blue he would have liquid diarrhea, usually in my crate when I got home from work.   This diarrhea would persist for about 1 week, and then it'll slowly get back to hard and normal stool, then sure enough out of no where liquid diarrhea, I'm talking explosive diarrhea, this has been a repetitive issue.

About a couple weeks ago (issue had been going for 2 months) I was rubbing him and found huge deer tick on him, then panicking I looked all over him and then found another smaller, normal looking tick. Then I was looking online and saw that Lyme disease is a result of deer ticks, and all of his signs started to make sense. He has been super lethargic lately (more than a normal husky), lost a bunch of weight, not really acting like himself and loss of appetite. The lack of appetite is most concerning to me because he used to crush all his food the instant I gave it to him and wanted more, but for the past week, I'll put his food out and he'll nibble on it and then walk away (he'll eat it later though of course, maybe it's the meds my vet gave). All of these issues, on top of the deer tick being the carrier of Lyme disease, I thought I had figured it out. I took him to the vet and they did a Lyme disease test and it came back negative.

The vet recently gave me medicine to take over the weekend, 2 different medicines and 1 probiotic, and his stool has been like orange/pumpkin color soft serve and mushy, puddles of it, so that clearly didn't work.

This is where I need your help!!! The vet tried to tell me that I'm feeding Aspen too high of protein content diet. I'm feeding him Acana Pacifica, which she said has like ~40% protein, and that the recommended is like ~16/18. The thing is, I don't know if she's just trying to sell me her prescription dog food that she recommends to make a profit or if this could actually be an issue? I've been feeding this to Aspen his entire life since he was 6 weeks old so I'm having trouble thinking that this is the problem. I've heard from multiple people on this forum before that they feed their huskies Acana and Origen, which are same brand and high quality dog food and I'm assuming they don't have any problems?

Given what I said above, would anyone recommend switching his food or have gone through this and fixed it that could lend some advice? If switching food, any brands that you would recommend? i.e. I think I've seen blue wilderness etc.

Aspen and I thank you for your help!

Some dogs do have issues with certain foods, I think at this point it wouldn't be a bad idea to consider switching to something a bit less rich. I tend to not listen to vets when they try to push a prescription food (I just got into it with a different vet than we usually see on that one), because as you said they are getting paid to push foods. They also get very little nutrition training and don't always understand that corn and chicken byproduct are really bad to be feeding.

If you want to give the Acana one more shot, you could always reset Aspen's system with a few days of eggs and a filler. When I need to reset one of my dogs, I do scrambled eggs and green beans, and their poop firms up almost immediately. You can then slowly start adding the Acana back in, and if he goes soft again that's when I'd look into switching. Pure canned pumpkin also helps a lot with tummy issues, I'll give a couple tablespoons with their meal and that helps too. Good luck!

I'm giving him 3 hard boiled eggs, about a cup of green beans and half cup of carrots.

Do you think this is fine?

The last time I did the egg/green beans/carrot combination, his stool firmed up pretty quick. The past two times he's shat it has still been pretty sloppy and this time just lighter and mushier..

Thoughts? How long should I continue the egg/carrot/green bean feeding?

Also, the vegetables can be served uncooked correct?

Thank you!

the amount you are feeding sound fine, its about what i did for our girl, is that is only meal or are you feeding that twice a day? i did 2 eggs and 1 cup of beans 2x's a day.
uncooked is fine, i went to costco and bought the GIANT can of green beans and rinsed them and they were cooked, it was cheaper then fresh beans.
i would look into a grain free food with 20-30g of protein in it, i have heard of a few pups getting sick on the higher protein foods after a while.

I am feeding that to him 2x a day. (3 eggs, cup of green beans and about half cup of carrots, trying to get him to put on some weight since he lost some before)

Would you recommend any dog foods? I don't want to get the cheap stuff since I have Acana now.. and that's similar to Origen.

But if that is too high, perhaps blue wilderness etc?

Thanks for the help!

Imo, 40% protein is way too high for the average dog. Super high protein is a lot of nitrogen, which can be hard on the kidneys over a long period of time. If it were me I would look for something closer to 20 (more if he's *really* exercised hard daily). I'm not going to advise a particular brand, but most have a protein content in that range.

I'm very happy with the tractor supply 4 Health grain free turkey and potato -mid 20's on the protein, Ami likes it, easy to get (at least around here, many of the others are not) and affordable. Since switching, no more pudding poop or gurgling stomach and frantic grass eating in the morning!

My dog had severe stomach issues since he was a pup. I finely found that it was the dog biscuits that contained grain that was giving him bloody stools and diarrhea. I feed him TOTW salmon, it is 25% crude protein. As long as he does not eat grain of any kind he is fine. Hope this helps.

For blueeyedghost and jbealer, so I have been feeding him the hard boiled egg / raw green bean combination for 3 days now.

Today it seems like things are even worse. He couldn't even wait until I got him to the grassy area when I let him out today.. started to squat and diarrhea liquid poop all over the concrete. Later, I got him to the grass and then he pooped again, this time it was light green color, still liquid form with tiny chunks of stuff in there.

Has anyone ever experienced this ongoing diarrhea liquid issue when trying to get them to balance back with egg/carrot combo?! I don't even know what is going on anymore.. I'm so frustrated. I just want him to shit hard stool and it hasn't happened in weeks-months.

The vets don't know a thing, they just try to sell me prescription dog food or give him a lot of medicine. Do you think it could be some sort of virus? kidney failure? idk? He's only 2 years old.

I'm trying to fix this issue asap so he can start putting some weight back on. please any more advice!!!

Has your vet done a stool test on him? for parasites and other things, not just a Lyme test?
maybe back off the carrots, and add in some plain greek yogurt to the mix.
i have feed, all grain free and all 4 stars on the dog food list
Nature Domain
TOTW
Natural Balance LID (on this now for Jack)
Wellness

Jack had runny stools for like a month and was having some skin issues and after about 2 weeks on the NB LID food his poop is so much better. We did go hiking and he drank some stream water and now he is mushy again, so waiting to see if he got a bug or not in the next few days.
maybe its time to see a new vet?

yes done stool test for all the giardia, worms, etc etc. all came back negative. I think I'm going to go buy either TOTW or Blue Wilderness?

At this point, since he already has liquid diarrhea and it's not getting better. Do I need to slowly transition him to the new food with my Acana? Or can I just start feeding him the new food right away? I'm sure it'll continue with the diarrhea but I just want to get this figured out sooner than later

jesselpark wrote:

yes done stool test for all the giardia, worms, etc etc. all came back negative.  I think I'm going to go buy either TOTW or Blue Wilderness?

Did they do multiple tests? With giardia at least, one negative test is not enough to it rule - cysts are not being shed constantly. Sometimes, they just treat empirically, especially if symptoms are consistent with giardia but with negative test. Husband always says that a negative test is not always helpful.

i say just switch the food, there is all ready a stool issue so i would not wait. not sure about Blue and the protein #, make sure its not to high.

Update: I switched his food to TOTW pacific stream.. after about 3-4 days his stool started to improve, almost getting to hard stool. When I did see hard stool, it was when I came home and it was in his crate (my assumption is that he ate a majority of it) because later for the next night and day he was vommitting his shit and it was horrific.

Anyways I hoped aside from the vomit issue, the TOTW would get his stomach back in line. Gave it a few more days, this morning I didn't wake up to the sound of my alarm, I woke up to the noise of his explosive liquid diarrhea as he spewed all over his crate, the carpet, and my wall.

Aspen is an amazing dog, but his one and biggest flaw is his horrendous stomach problems. I am so frustrated right now, PLEASE can anyone help me?

Someone mentioned that they did allergy testing and found out their husky was allergic to chicken/lamb etc or fish etc... is this common? how much does this cost?

If anyone can correctly help me diagnose Aspen's problems I will personally PayPal or Venmo you like $200 bucks. I just need to get this issue figured out before I move to my new apartment. This has been on going for like 3-4 months now and it's terrible and I literally don't know what to do

amymeme wrote:

jesselpark wrote:

yes done stool test for all the giardia, worms, etc etc. all came back negative.  I think I'm going to go buy either TOTW or Blue Wilderness?

Did they do multiple tests?  With giardia at least, one negative test is not enough to it rule - cysts are not being shed constantly.  Sometimes, they just treat empirically, especially if symptoms are consistent with giardia but with negative test.  Husband always says that a negative test is not always helpful.

They only did 1...

jesselpark wrote:

Update: I switched his food to TOTW pacific stream.. after about 3-4 days his stool started to improve, almost getting to hard stool. When I did see hard stool, it was when I came home and it was in his crate (my assumption is that he ate a majority of it) because later for the next night and day he was vommitting his shit and it was horrific.

Anyways I hoped aside from the vomit issue, the TOTW would get his stomach back in line. Gave it a few more days, this morning I didn't wake up to the sound of my alarm, I woke up to the noise of his explosive liquid diarrhea as he spewed all over his crate, the carpet, and my wall.

Aspen is an amazing dog, but his one and biggest flaw is his horrendous stomach problems. I am so frustrated right now, PLEASE can anyone help me?

Someone mentioned that they did allergy testing and found out their husky was allergic to chicken/lamb etc or fish etc... is this common? how much does this cost?

If anyone can correctly help me diagnose Aspen's problems I will personally PayPal or Venmo you like $200 bucks. I just need to get this issue figured out before I move to my new apartment. This has been on going for like 3-4 months now and it's terrible and I literally don't know what to do

I'm having a similar issue with my dog right now. He's always had a very sensitive stomach and it seems like once he gets set off by something, it leads to a few weeks of off and on diarrhea, mostly on. I'm currently in an episode that is now spanning about 3 weeks. He'll do okay for a day or two, then really bad for a few days. The stuff I normally use to clear him up hasn't been working this time, so I'm taking him in for blood work, and some more extensive testing, but he has some other symptoms beyond the diarrhea.

I wouldn't normally suggest this to just anybody, but since you've been having this issue for so long, and it is on-going, and your vet isn't helping, here is what I would do:

1. No food for 48 hours, give water freely. You can also give him pepto during the fasting period to help settle things. I use the tablets and give one tablet 2-3 times a day. Also, get a basket muzzle and have him wear it when you're gone so he can't eat his poop.
2. Order this: pancur c dewormer (amazon or 1800petmeds) and give for 5 days, then in 2 weeks repeat for 3 days, then again 2 weeks after that again for 3 days. It will treat both coccidia and giardia, along with worms and some other parasites. Order, to have on hand, fish zole   (metronidazole) from http://www.fishmoxfishflex.com/ (not using it this time, but it's a good thing to have if an issue pops up again) Finally order: http://www.amazon.com/Thorne-Research-Gastriplex-Canine-Capsules/dp/B0038NF8IA
3. After the 48 hour fast, feed bland diet (and start worming meds) as follows: 3-4 hard boiled, or scrambled eggs (DO NOT ADD OIL OR ANY FAT) and 1/8 cup plain pumpkin (100% pure pumpkin) twice a day. Do not use chicken or rice for the bland diet. Follow the directions for the worming meds by weight.
4. Feed the egg and pumpkin for the full 5 days he is on the worming meds, then, if he is firm after you have finished the wormer, start to add dog food back extremely slowly. If he is not, continue the egg and pumpkin for another 48 hours. Wormer can cause diarrhea so don't lose hope if he still has the runs while on the wormer. By extremely slowly, I mean less than a quarter of a cup per meal and increase only if he is firm.
5. Once the wormer is finished, start to give him the gastriplex with meals. If he stays firm when you start to add the dog food back in, you can slowly increase dog food and decrease eggs. Continue adding pumpkin to every meal. Depending on how many cups a day you feed, it could take you a couple weeks to get up to all dog food and no egg.
6. Once he is fully back on dog food you can stop adding pumpkin. Give him only 1 cup of food per day for a week and then add in a quarter cup per day after that. Most huskies require far less food than it recommends on the back of the bag, and overfeeding can cause the runs (my boy is 50 lbs and requires 1 to 1 1/4 cups per day). If it comes back after you have added more food, than you will know what is 'too much' for him and  you have reached your magic number.
7. If he never firms up on the dog food than you will know he is reacting to the dog food. I would also suggest getting a food where the only protein ingredient is turkey. It's relatively neutral and a lot of dogs don't react to it. NO GRAINS, NO CHICKEN.
8. Continue with the gastriplex until you use the whole bottle.

This is a longish process and will probably take at least 2-3 weeks to get him fully back on dog food, but you have to be patient and do it right. No rushing, or you will regret it... Don't forget to do the follow up rounds of the wormer as well to fully get rid of the parasites if they are present. Good luck! I know how completely frustrating this can be!

Also, nix the green beans and carrots (for my first husky, carrots were a sure ticket to the runs, especially if raw). Literally eggs and pumpkin only, no treats, nothing else. Also, make sure you wash and disinfect his food and water bowls before you get started on things.

Not recommend to run the "just in case" wormer treatment, unless examinations come back with positive result.

Grizzly&Charcoal wrote:

Not recommend to run the "just in case" wormer treatment, unless examinations come back with positive result.

What would you suggest to help with this issue?

Also, for what it's worth, we went to see the vet last night for this issue and he essentially said to do exactly what I described above and rx'ed metronidazole for 5 days, and a probiotic for 2 weeks, BEFORE running the stool sample. His view supported Amy's comment that a negative test result doesn't tell you a lot, but I will be dropping off the sample tonight anyway. He's treating based on the symptoms. He did also run blood work at my request. Basic CBC, blood chemistry, and thyroid panel (Amy's suggestion), although he told me he thought the thyroid panel was a waste of money. But, what's $50 on top of an already expensive visit? I just figured that with the basic cost of the exam, plus blood draw, I may as well just cover the bases. I would try what I outlined above first, and if/when that doesn't work, you can go from there.

One other thing I forgot to mention. If you have been using eggs for the bland diet you might want to consider switching to boiled ground turkey and pumpkin, just to take a break from eggs.

I think Jen gave such great and easy to follow advice. We have been going through this for awhile also. Miya is almost 20 months old, and she self fasts about once a week since she was very young. When she does this she eats her raw meaty bone and that's it, then the next day she resumes eating. I knew something was wrong when she stopped eating her bones. I was really very concerned, like you all are with your babies. Friends invited us to the lake on Sunday, while waiting for them we saw a tape worm, I was overjoyed and sick at the same time. Husband went to vet first thing Monday morning and got drontal xl, the vet wasn't happy about our demand, but it would have been days before they would see her, and more importantly we knew that it may not show up on tests. Today Miya seems better. Will do a follow up pill in a couple of weeks. Miya has no fleas so we did overlook the tapeworm as being the problem. I can say that I followed similar steps as Jen posted. On Saturdays meal I gave Miya turkey burger with a tidge of garlic powder and mixed with pumpkin. I think the worms hated that meal and that's why I seen the worm on her fur, ick. Please try and follow Jens steps, follow package directions for the dewormer, Miyas one pill was $22. They are crafty bugs, I would use the dewormer for peace of mind.
renee