New dog with loose stools and diarrhea

**Dentalmom** · 08-23-2011, 01:37 PM

We adopted Jack (he is 1) from a foster home. He was a rescue dog.
We adopted him a week and a half ago. Since we got him his stools have been soft and now today its diarrhea.
We do not know any of his background because he was rescued. He was checked for heartworm a month ago and was checked by our vet a week ago for a wellness exam. He is eating fine and playing lots, just concerned about the soft stool/diarrhea.
He came with some food and we slowly added new food (Nutriscience) to his diet since he came to us.
I mentioned to our vet about the soft stool and he said it could be nerves from getting adjusted to a new home.
Jack is our first dog we have had and we don't want to be running to the vet for every little thing that is a concern with Jack.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Should we switch to a different dog food incase he is sensitive to the food we are giving him now?

**Samson** · 08-23-2011, 02:15 PM

Put him on boiled chicken and rice for a couple of days and then reintroduce his normal food gradually mixing it with small portions at first.

If that doesn't work, then he may be allergic to certain foods like wheat.

**Tanya** · 08-23-2011, 02:48 PM

Yes, changing homes can lead to this. My first foster (welcome to the world of fostering indeed) had explosive diarhea and there were many many clean-ups over the first week.

However, after a week now it should no longer be explosive. goopy maybe but not full on diarhea.

What I would do:

- find out what food he was on before (if they did not tell you already) and put him on just that for another month. we always tell families to stay on the same food for at least a month - to give them a chance to settle in before changing yet something else. yes some dogs are fine with a food change, but others are not.
- ask the rescue how his poops were when he came INTO rescue and how they were just before he came to you (if there are poop issues I always tell the adoptive families before they leave with the dog)
- I would also add canned pumpkin (but not pie filling, pure pumpkin) to his food, helps firm it up
- I would personally also have a stool sample checked if not already done, even if he was all cleared by the vet when he went into rescue he could have picked something up around the time you brought him home (it happens)
- be careful about not overfeeding, feeding too much can lead to diareah as well.

**Luvmydog2much** · 08-23-2011, 04:23 PM

Call your vet and ask for Purina Forti Flora. Works wonders on those nervous bowels.

**Sophiesmama** · 08-23-2011, 06:20 PM

Give him a couple heaping spoons of canned pumpkin. Not the pie filling, the real pumpkin. We mixed it with Sophie's food when her stools were lose, and it took care of the problem by the next day. The cool thing is that the pumpkin won't make them constipated either. It just makes the stool normal. Also you can feed him some plain yogurt. That gives him back his friendly enzymes.