[cmives]

my 9 month old Maggie started having pretty loose stools which are light colored and they look (sorry this is gross) like they have some mucus around them (almost like a sausage casing). she had eaten a few of my iris flowers pre-bloomed the other day. i expected maybe a few loose stools but we are on day 2-3 now. i called the vet and they said to do rice and boiled chicken or beef which i've done plus a little canned pumpkin. she is acting fine otherwise (and she had an accident on my dining room carpeting which is a whole other story), but this morning she threw up and ate it (sorry gross!!!!!!!!).

the vet said to just keep an eye on her and see if her gums are sticky instead of slimy, that could mean dehydration. she is drinking fine and everything but I am getting tired of these loose stools. we haven't otherwise changed her diet. she did chew apart her rope toy and has been eating the strings which make up the rope as though they were spaghetti. i've seen evidence in her poops (before they were loose stools) but I'm wondering if she may have something (a strand or something) stuck in her system. or are irises dangerous for dogs (like poinsettias or other plants can be)???

i'm just getting a little worried, and i'm getting tired of not being able to go anywhere for fear that she is going to have to go poop while i'm gone

thanks in advance for any insight you may have! i wish dogs could talk.
christine

 

[Jac]

Hi Christine,

There are two things that jump out at me with your situation...the mucus casing...could be parasites...worms. Be sure to take a stool sample in to your vet for testing.

The other is the string eating...that can be very dangerous and could cause problems.

I don't know if you have just been calling your vet or if you have gone in...but I'd say to go in. It has gone on too long and with these two things alone, I think it would be wise to have the vet do more than give phone advice....

Not to worry, it still could be nothing...but still, if I were in your shoes, I'd see a vet.

Hope everything is better by tomorrow.

 

[Maureen]

hey Christine, how's Maggie now?

Can I suggest some yogurt or PLAIN canned pumpkin?

Also you could put Maggie on a rice diet -cooked in chicken broth for a day and then add some chicken. Like, maybe 1 breast to 4 c. of cooked rice? Or 4c. uncooked rice?

If I have a dog with a GI upset like this I take them off all food and start back slowly.

keep us posted!

 

[cmives]

Thank you Maureen and Jac: Maggie has been on rice and boiled beef with a few teaspoons of plain pumpkin thrown in for 2 days now. i have not given her any of her regular food.

today the "stop em up casserole", as we lovingly refer to it, has been working, I guess. she hasn't pooped yet today, as far as I know. now that worries me.

i will definitely get in to see the vet monday morning if things aren't back to normal. i know I can call them tomorrow if I'm worried; i just don't know if they have sunday office hours.

she is drinking great, and very active as typical for her. it is just the weird looking poop she had.

thanks for your input; you guys are so knowledgeable, and I really appreciate it!
Christine

 

[Angie]

this canned pumpkin, I have not been able to buy in England, is it only produced in America?

 

[redhead5431]

maggie

as a breeder i am always checking stools. color and looseness as well as odor raises a red flag for me. if it were me i would have a sample checked for parasites. i might add it is cured very easily.