Hi Everyone. I am new to the forums. We have 2 Sibes-Sasha, 6yrs old and Kodi, 1yr old. About a month ago, Kodi had bad diarrhea in is crate and vomiting everywhere. So we made a batch of Rice and Boiled beef for him (as we were used to doing that with Sasha for so long when she was a pup) So after 4 days or so, Kodi finally pooped solid. Then we took them to the kennel for 8 days while we were on vacation, he was fine that whole time. A week after we got home, he had diarrhea again. Back to the rice and beef diet til he pooped solid again. Then 3 days later, he got it again. Finally we said enough's enough and took to vet. They said he had a bacteria strain in his large intestines, so they gave us meds and also a dewormer just in case, oh and also some Royal Canin bland diet food, wet and dry. He wouldn't eat any of the food and after a day and a half, he started vomiting, so back to the vet again. They took blood work and tested his pancreas and nothing was wrong. They said, just continue his medicine and go back to giving him rice and boiled beef til he gets back to normal. So we did. He finished his meds 2 days ago and we just started intruducing his dry dog food back into the rice and beef yesterday morning. By last night, he was pooping total liquid! What is happening? If it was a bacteria, then why would the bland diet bind him up and then have him be sick again? The dry food he eats is Royal Canin Active Special. he was on Royal Canin puppy til about mid Feb, then we started him on the adult food, so he's been eating it for a few months fine without being sick. Could he just now be getting sick from it?

I hate to say it, but the food your feeding (Royal Canine) is a pretty horrible quality food. He's doing better on the beef and rice because it's natural. RC is filled with processed, low-quality ingredients and fillers.

I would look into switching kibbles. Since he does well on rice, it's unlikely that he has a grain intolerance, so there's plenty of lower-priced, high-quality grained foods on the market.

Check out www.dogfoodanalysis.com. Most of us here feed at LEAST a 4* food or higher. RC is 2*.

Not for nothing, but vets don't have any training in animal nutrition, hence why they push crap like Science Diet and Royal Canine. And I mean no disrespect, when it comes to medical conditions, vets are clearly very knowledgeable, but just not in nutrition. How can you be with no training, you know?

Thanks so much for that info. I looked at that site and see that Iams is only a 1 star rating, which is what our Sasha eats. I am too afraid to change her diet though, cause it took us the better part of a year to get her on a food that she was ok with. However, for Kodi's tummy issues, do you think that it's possible that it's his dog food, even though he has been eating it fine for awhile?

When your vet did the blood test, did they only test his pancreas? Or did they do a full screening?

How long are you taking to transition him back to his food once he has a solid BM on beef and rice?

Kodi could be reacting to something in his dry dog food, if he's showing no other signs or symptoms indicating something else could be wrong (i.e. low energy, low appetite, etc.).

It'll be trial and error, but get him back to having a normal BM. Most Sibes cannot handle grains, such as rice, but Kodi sounds like he does OK on rice. I personally would do something other than rice, such as green beans (canned, no salt, rinced and drained) or carrots (chopped and blanched).

Get him back on a bland diet until he's back to a normal BM for at least 3 days. Then, decreasing the amount of beef/rice by about 20-25%, add 20-25% of the amount of kibble you would be feeding. If he's still having a normal BM after 3-4 days on this mix, then decrease beef/rice by another 20-25% and add kibble.....and so on. If at any time he starts to go soft, you'll know it's something in his kibble he's reacting to.

Are you giving him other food or treats besides his kibble?

Our vet did a full screening when they did the blood test.

Maybe I transitioned him too fast back to his kibble. Let's see, his poop was finally solid on Saturday, so on Sunday I gave him about 35% kibble, for dinner and 50% kibble on Monday for breakfast and dinner, and then Monday evening was his liquid stool again. SO maybe, you are right and I'm not doing it for a long enough period. I will keep him on rice and beef, maybe add some beans, like you said until he has a solid BW again. And will keep him on that for 3-4 days, then gradually transition back to dog food. I will see how he does over the next few days then before I call the vet again. Question, I was reading that a lot of the posts on here, mention eggs for yucky tummy. Should I try that too?

If he had not had the diarrhea BEFORE he went into the kennel, I might think that something happened to cause it there at the kennel.

1) Did you take his own food or allow him to eat the food they provide?
2) Could he had eaten a stone in the yard or run?

This happened to us once and we were hours away from a stomach x-ray when we learned that they had forgotten to feed her own food. Any sudden food change can cause problems.

I also think that if you could pin-point the ingredient that Sasha is allergic to, you could easily switch her foods. I had my first husky back in the day when Eukanuba, Iams, Royal Canine, Science Diet, etc, WERE the premium foods. If these are the one's you tried Sasha on then one ingredients that is not contained in Iams products but in all the others is SOY. I would consider that as her possible problem and see if it is on any of the ingredient lists of her treats or food. Perhaps you can switch her too!

And WELCOME!

Bae0879 wrote:

Thanks so much for that info. I looked at that site and see that Iams is only a 1 star rating, which is what our Sasha eats. I am too afraid to change her diet though, cause it took us the better part of a year to get her on a food that she was ok with. However, for Kodi's tummy issues, do you think that it's possible that it's his dog food, even though he has been eating it fine for awhile?

I went through diarreha with my girl for a couple of months. Once I got her back on track and tried introducing the kibble she was eating before, less than a 1/4 c would set her back to diarreha. So it is possible that Kodi could have developed an intolerance to something in his kibble.

Some Sibes, like mine, have sensitive tummies. Others, have stomachs of steel, while there are also some that are VERY sensitive with food.

My girl can have chicken if it's raw, dehydrated raw, freeze dried, or baked at low temperatures, but cannot tolerate it in kibble form. She also cannot tolerate rice, or venison in any form. She doesn't do well with beef, unless it's raw, but only up to a certain amount.

So it may not necessarily be the ingredient, but it could also be the process in which the kibble goes through.

Eggs are good because it's a neutral protein. When I was trying to figure out what was going on with my girl, I didn't know if it was chicken, beef or rice. But since you want to make sure they still get the proper nutrients on a bland diet, eggs are typically what all Sibes, or any other breed, will do well on.

Also Lisa brings up a good point about the kennel....

Lisa, that is a good point about the kennel, but he actually got it before he went to the kennel. And he ate his dog food, that I prepackaged for him, the whole time there, and they said he was fine. Weird.

Claudia, thanks for the info on the eggs. Maybe the eggs are a good idea to add in with the rice and beef. The only bad thing with the rice/beef diet for him now, is that, it's almost like it isn't enough. He is always still hungry. Maybe if I add the eggs for protein, that would help?

I never thought about the soy thing with Sasha. I might have to thing about switching her too then. Thanks Lisa.

Kodi doesn't show any other signs of being sick, other than his stool. He is still full of energy.

Just for fun, here is a picture of Sasha and Kodi, standing on the dashboard of our Motorhome when we went camping this past weekend. Everyone stares when we drive by, it's such a funny site.

I'm not sure if I can figure out how to add a picture on here, but here goes..

How to Post Pictures

Here's a link on how to add pictures to your post.

Since you are working through figuring out what is causing him soft/liquid stool, and you know beef/rice sits in his tummy just fine, start with that. He's only 1 yr old, so maybe you're not giving him enough? How much beef and how much are you giving him?

Well, I am only giving him about a cup and a half twice a day. Should he have more?

Ok, let's see if the pic works this time, thanks for the instructions.

Your feeding amount sounds fine at 3 cups a day. Both dogs look to be a healthy weight from the picture.

I would do trial and error with different foods. My Siku has a stomach of steel and does fine on anything. Elara, however, is sensitive to some foods. I just tried a few different kinds until I found some she doesn't react to. Also found out she was having issues with the edible bones I was giving them. So now she gets a pig ear while Siku is still finishing off the bag of edible bones. I think she's sensitive to some grains.

First let me say that your 2 remind me A LOT of my two! Mya is 5yrs old (black and white) and Kody is 9months. He has the same long legs as Kodi and sits the same too. So cute! Check out the Mya and Kody thread under scrapbooks and you'll see.

I had the same issue with the diarreah when we first got Kody (he was 3 months). My vet also gave him meds and told me to put him on some ID formula and then science diet. Neither worked when he wasn't on the meds. I followed Val (HuskyLuv) and Claudias suggestions and after 2 months of trial and error he's totally fine now! I started him with the eggs and carrots until we figured it out.

He'll go soft if he eats the smallest piece of ANYTHING that doesn't agree with him.

BTW, have you recently switched his treats?

I haven't switched his treat or anything that I can think of. We got his when he was 9 week old and he has been fine up until now.

I gave him the rice and beef for supper last night, tried to mix in a little probiotic powder that the vet gave me and he wouldn't eat it. Then tried to mix in some scrambled eggs and he wouldn't eat them. He doesn't like the consistency of mushy food. Emptied his bowl and gave him just the plain white rice with boiled ground beef and he licked it all up. He has a BM last night and it was loose but a little more formed. I think I'm going to keep him on the rice and beef for a bit.

Is it possible that he was fine with his kibble all this time and then all of a sudden, it doesn't agree with him anymore?

Melissa, your Mya and Kody are so cute! Yeah, my Sasha is a little bigger than Kodi. Sasha weighs about 60 and Kodi only weighs 42 and he is a little taller than her.

It's very possible. Dogs can develop allergies just like humans can. Huskies are especially prone to it when eating lower quality foods. It's like the difference between eating McDonald's and organic food. If your system isn't primed for it, you'd start to develop allergies as well, you know? That doesn't mean that you've been doing anything wrong, just that he is probably one of the more sensitive sibes!

I would keep him on the beef and rice for a bit like you said. Then try introducing a different kibble back slowly. There are a TON of good rice-based kibbles out there if he does well on rice. Just try for something higher quality. You should be able to find one in about the same price range

HA! That's one of the best Husky pictures I've ever seen!