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I have an eight year old German Shepard who has recurring ...


Sent to Pet Experts August 01, 2006 10:51 p.m.

I have an eight year old German Shepard who has recurring diarrhea. It goes away for 5-10 days and then comes back. I adopted him five months ago and he didn't have the problem the first two months. I haven't changed his food. I've tried Zantec 75 and digestive enzyemes added to his food as the vet has suggested. He doesn't appear to be in discomfort, as far as I know. Any other suggestions?

Optional Information:
Age: 8; Male; Breed: German Shepherd

Already Tried:
Zantec 75 and digestive enzymes given to be by the vet
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status: Closed   Value: $15   
Answer
August 01, 2006 11:41 p.m. (49 minutes and 57 seconds later)
ACCEPTED Check Mark

I would suggest looking at his food and maybe keeping track of what he eats including treats handed to him. And even his heartworm meds etc. It might be swapping to Interceptor from Heartgard would help if the bouts happen when he gets his heartworm med.
You may find he has a food sensitivity perhaps to a treat or to his regular food.
If your regular food has corn, wheat, soy, or beef those are fairly common problem foods. You might try swapping to a food with a high digestibility and an alternative protein and starch source. A food like Wellness fish or rabbit or venison or duck might work.
Or you might try a minimal ingredients food like California Natural Lamb, or just one with no grains such as Innova Evo.
You might also want to check him for tick carried diseases because they can cause all sorts of odd symptoms including diarrhea.
You may want to read about inflammatory bowel disease here
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/inflammatory_bowel_disease.html
Hope this helps you!

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PictureNancyH  -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 6951 Pet Accepts
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Reply to Nancy Holmes
Sent August 02, 2006 12:42 a.m. (1 hour and 0 minutes later)

Thank you. His treats are chicken jerky, one ingredient only. I've got him on Blue Buffalo Senior brand dog food which has no soy, wheat or corn (at least it's advertised as such) but now that I think about it I give him his glucosamine tablet in a little bit of cheese each day. Could it be the cheese?

Edited by Customer (name blocked for privacy) on August 2 2006 at 2:02am
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
August 02, 2006 9:00 a.m. (8 hours and 18 minutes later)

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PictureNancyH  -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 6951 Pet Accepts
30+yrs pet vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior & training, responsible breeding, small animal care
6/25/2008 to 7/2/2008

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