german_shep_fan Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Hello everyone This is my first post here so i am a bit nervous. I hope i have posted this in the right section. I have a 6yr old male GSD who has had diaherra on and off since my 12 yr old sheppy died 7wks ago. Vet said at first IBS as this is apparently common in shepherds. We have done the bland chicken and rice diet for over a month on and off and he has had 3 lots of tablets. He is now just on a chicken diet and has been for the past 3 wks. Some days he is fine and goes to the toilet normally and other days he is not good at all. I had the vet back again today and he and I both agreed that stress is probably playing a big part. He has had IBS before but it has always cleared up after one round of tablets. The vet is ordering me in some Hills ZD and we are going to try him on that for a while and see if we can settle him down a bit. We have been taking him out for walks 3 times a day since i lost my precious old girl but i can see he is still fretting. Just wondering if anyone has had anything that has worked in the past for a fretting dog? I know it seems a stupid question but i am with him most days (doing night classes during the wk)and we shower him with affection ect (always have) but it hurts so much to see him so miserable. He goes to the dog park and sees his pals almost every day. So not sure what else to do. Basically just wondering if anyone has any suggestions? Thank you very much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilly Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 (edited) Try chicken and pumpkin (and a probiotic such as Inner Health Plus) - I find this works faster then chicken and rice. When we lost our rottie our GSD boy really missed him and fretted quite badly. It took weeks before he started to pick up again and for months after he would run around the yard looking for him everytime he got home. The best thing is to keep the routine as close to regular as possible. I did find it difficult not to sit and cry with him as I missed our boy just as much as him - it distressed him to see me so upset - so I had to be strong for his sake. Rescue Remedy might also help ... to you both ... Edited September 5, 2011 by Tilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalla Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 i am not a big fan of chicken mince and rice with dogs i have found rice to give some dogs the runs and some of my dogs are not fussed on the chicken and i have a friend who has 2 rotties that can't have chicken at all they go into shock ... has your vet checked for hook worms ? have you had a lot of rain this brings worms out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltavendale Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 I have a mate with a sheppard that had severe IBS. In hospital a few times so a little worse than most. But She was on a digestive powder, Natural Aniaml Solutions with a probiotic. Ultrabiotic 45, I think it is made by Bioceuticals. Have to get it from a health food store that has a naturopath. Stopped the runs straght away. She also changed her dog to a natural raw diet. Not sure of the rest of the details as she was being treated by this animal naturopath. All I know is the dog is doing really well now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilly Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Where abouts in Qld are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
german_shep_fan Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 I have a mate with a sheppard that had severe IBS. In hospital a few times so a little worse than most. But She was on a digestive powder, Natural Aniaml Solutions with a probiotic. Ultrabiotic 45, I think it is made by Bioceuticals. Have to get it from a health food store that has a naturopath. Stopped the runs straght away. She also changed her dog to a natural raw diet. Not sure of the rest of the details as she was being treated by this animal naturopath. All I know is the dog is doing really well now. Thank you very much for the advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
german_shep_fan Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 i am not a big fan of chicken mince and rice with dogs i have found rice to give some dogs the runs and some of my dogs are not fussed on the chicken and i have a friend who has 2 rotties that can't have chicken at all they go into shock ... has your vet checked for hook worms ? have you had a lot of rain this brings worms out yes he has been wormed and vet was not worried abt worms at all. I even asked him if i should do him again but he said no, lets wait till his tummy settles down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
german_shep_fan Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 Try chicken and pumpkin (and a probiotic such as Inner Health Plus) - I find this works faster then chicken and rice. When we lost our rottie our GSD boy really missed him and fretted quite badly. It took weeks before he started to pick up again and for months after he would run around the yard looking for him everytime he got home. The best thing is to keep the routine as close to regular as possible. I did find it difficult not to sit and cry with him as I missed our boy just as much as him - it distressed him to see me so upset - so I had to be strong for his sake. Rescue Remedy might also help ... to you both ... Thanks very much Tilly I hadn't thought of giving him something like Inner Health Plus. I didnt know u could give them to dogs lol yeah it hurts so much to know that he misses her as much as i do. Yeah his routine hasn't changed at all, its just my Tara girl isn't with us anymore They did most things together so it feels so empty without her. He goes to the dog park every arvo that i am home as he has lots of mates there, so that is good interaction for him at least I live in Brisbane. I see from your pic that you have a working line sheppy? Beautiful. Our shep is/ and have been the "old style" sheps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilly Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 If you wanted a second opinion ... check out http://www.animaloptions.com.au/ - Rowan is fantastic. My boy hates vets ... but actually likes Rowan ... even after his acupuncture session Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
german_shep_fan Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 If you wanted a second opinion ... check out http://www.animaloptions.com.au/ - Rowan is fantastic. My boy hates vets ... but actually likes Rowan ... even after his acupuncture session Ah thank you However been there done that the friday before last lol We for a chiropractic visit as i knew he was sore in the back end and he had slipped his pelvis. All is good now in that regard However doesn't seem to have made any difference re the diaherra. See the funny thing is, some nights he is fine on a certain food then other nights he doesnt seem to handle it at all. This is why the vet now thinks stress is playing a big role Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ltiger773 Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Just an idea, you might not be interested but would it be easier to get another dog so he's less stressed out. I follow the rescue forum on here and i know that german shepherd rescue has picked up 4 older shepherds in the last two months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
german_shep_fan Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 Just an idea, you might not be interested but would it be easier to get another dog so he's less stressed out. I follow the rescue forum on here and i know that german shepherd rescue has picked up 4 older shepherds in the last two months. Im just personally not ready for that yet. I know that sounds mean to my boy but he goes to the dog park to see his pals nearly every day and I still cry over my girl all the time. She was my pride and joy, i owned her mum and I picked her out the moment she was born. I am still getting used to not having her around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilly Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 It is highly possible he is picking up on your stress levels and emotions ... He will adjust to being an only dog and it is not mean not to get another dog just yet - we got our second dog about 2 years after we lost our rottie and I still get teary when I think about him even now. Our older boy adjusted just fine to being an only dog ... but adjusted just as quickly to sharing us with the new addition when he finally came along (which surprised me). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ltiger773 Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Just an idea, you might not be interested but would it be easier to get another dog so he's less stressed out. I follow the rescue forum on here and i know that german shepherd rescue has picked up 4 older shepherds in the last two months. Im just personally not ready for that yet. I know that sounds mean to my boy but he goes to the dog park to see his pals nearly every day and I still cry over my girl all the time. She was my pride and joy, i owned her mum and I picked her out the moment she was born. I am still getting used to not having her around No worries. It doesnt sound mean. Everyone copes differently. I know how you feel, my partner and i lost our 8month old german shepherd three weeks ago. I wrote about it in the health forum under 8 month old GSD died. Im working nightshift overseas at the moment and lucky im mostly in the office on my own cos i cry most nights over her. My partner vowed we were never ever getting another dog ever...and after three weeks, he drove to the pound and picked up two dogs from there because he missed her so much and probly more because im not home to help him deal with losing her. My thoughts are with you and i hope you and your best mate are feeling better soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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