Pet Health Community

Howdy, Alaskamom!

I'm sorry to hear about Pixie and her stool problems. Congratulations on the pups, though. This article on Loose Stools has a whole chart dedicated to the possible reason for issues. It mentions yellow stools on it and suggests food intolerance (not food allergy) as a possible cause.

If your vet has run out of options, you may want to consult with a doggy gatro specialist if some of the suggestions in the article don't help or she gets worse.

Update us on Pixie when you have a chance,

Byroney

Thank you, Byroney, for the suggestions and the article. It had a number of things that gave food for thought but nothing really stands out as being totally descriptive of Pixie's situation. The troubling thing is that if it has anything to do with diet, her diet has not changed, and I don't understand what would bring about a sudden change in her digestion and tolerance of it. She is fed a high quality, holistic food with no by-products or bad grains called Holistic Select by WellPet. A while back, I got a large bag which has taken some time to go through, especially with her unwillingness to eat it during her pregnancy and the switch to the puppy version of it at the end of her pregnancy and during lactation. Does that stuff go bad? Is it possible she is less enthusiastic about it because of that? Doesn't look or smell bad. I mean, I wouldn't want to eat it (lol) but I might worry about the oils in it going rancid. Just makes me wonder since she gradually became less and less inclined to eat during her pregnancy. I went crazy working with the vet to offer her something nutritious--Boiled meat, chicken, rice, baby food, different brand canned, same brand canned, puppy formula!! Happily, after she gave birth, her appetite returned and she gobbled up the small/mini breed puppy food. She lost a lot of wieght initially but gradually gained it back. As her nursing reduced near the end, she even started feeling a little porky! I took her off the small/mini breed puppy food and switched her back to the old "big bag" of food, which she was less enthusiatic about than the puppy food. So, I started mixing in a little of the small/mini breed adult food (same line/brand) which I had recently gotten a great deal on, thinking that with the kibble size being smaller like the puppy food and being basically the same stuff, she would like it better. Hard to tell how much better she she likes it. Some days she eats well and enthusiastically 2X/da. and other days she will only eat once or ocasionally not at all. Her behavior and personality have changed since she became pregnant and had the babies so I get concerned as to whether it is related to how she feels or if she is simply being maternal and matriarchal! Often kind of a sourpuss. We have kept 2 of the puppies. Maybe she feels put out because they're "stealing her thunder". Oh my, I know I am rambling on here, but you see how there is so much ambiguity related to the pregnancy and what is normal. Her stool was just like a cow pie for weeks after the birth but, once again, we had to make allowance for eating baby poop, drinking urine, hormonal fluctuations, etc. There always seems to have been something that could have muddied the water. Now there is a great deal of improvement. She generally goes once a day, but this straining to get a second or third "dose" of poop out after the initial one isn't what I would consider normal, especially when the progression is to the liquidy, slimy, orange stuff. So I think it is going to be back to the vet we go and spending a lot more money on appointments and tests to try to figure this thing out.

alaskamom- orange colored stool can sometimes indicate gastrointestinal bleeding- or can be seen with some sort of liver insult. I'd certainly recommend a follow up with the vet, who may recommend x-rays and/or ultrasound (if not already done). It might also be a good idea to repeat a fecal sample.

It is also not unusual for dogs to develop some hypersensitivity to a diet they've eaten for an extended period of time without previous issue. Best of luck- keep us posted!

One other thing...not sure what color the probiotic chew is, but if it's yellow/orange that can also contribute to the stool color:).

Thank you so much, Dr. Draper. I will keep those things in mind when we move forward with our vet again. It seems the orange isn't all the time, which I don't know is good or bad. Most of the time more that mustard yellow color. "Back in the good old days", her poop used to be brown, and as I said before, dryer and smaller. The probiotic is something that she took 7 mo. ago when this all first started :). But it was white. Thanks for the food for thought.