Question regarding, well, Shih-tzu poop.

He should be seen if the diarrhea isn't resolving on its own using the bland, rice based diet. Is he puking?

Is there anything outside he could be eating? For instance, if you leave him out in a yard, could he be eating grass? Or other plants?

He could have picked up intestinal parasites, either ingesting them from the blades of grass, or having them penetrate through the pads of his feet (hookworms). He could have developed a mild gastroenteritis, either from something he found lying around the house or something he picked up outside.

Each of these requires different treatment. Sounds like you need to run a stool sample to check for intestinal parasites. If nothing shows up, a visit to the vet.

If you had chronic diarrhea for over a month, would your mom insist the doctor wasn't necessary?

I was wondering about parasites as well. I know my dog used to get worms quite often from eating 'stuff'.

I would get the vet to do a stool check, just for starters.

mirandashell said:

I was wondering about parasites as well. I know my dog used to get worms quite often from eating 'stuff'.

I would get the vet to do a stool check, just for starters.

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This was my thought.

I've also heard about plain canned pumpkin (not canned pumpkin pie filling; those spices are not good for dogs) being good for intestinal issues (either not being able to go, or not being able to stop).

But I think a vet check is in order, rather than more home remedies, if the ground beef/rice didn't help.

Canned pumpkin is great for their digestion. I cook for my beasts, and always add it in.

*Warning, It can make their poop fairly orange.

Our vet is really low key -- he always says if diarrhea doesn't resolve with the bland diet within a few days, or is accompanied by vomiting or lethargy, to bring him in. So, I'd get him checked out.

But assuming all is good with the vet, and if this is an ongoing or cyclical issue, I'd second the recommendation of pumpkin. Our Shih tzu/poodle mix often reacts to stress by getting loose stool (he's a little emo). We give him about a tablespoon of pumpkin (pretty much straight from the can) 2 or 3 times a week. It helps to keep his poop firm, and it helps keep his anal glands clear, because he has to work a little harder to poop. The vet and groomer both recommended it, and it has really been great. And he seems to like it (though will start turning his nose up at it before a whole can is gone -- so we end up wasting some every can, but it's not that expensive).

We just buy the store-brand canned pumpkin, but make sure you get plain pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie filling that has spices and sugar.

~suki

I had a couple of bouts of whipworm with my dogs. They'd have this intermittent diarrhea, but but all right otherwise. It took several fecal samples to find any eggs. Evidently, their life cycle makes them sporadic, unless the infestation is really bad. The worst thing is the eggs persist in the soil for a long time, so once your yard is infested, they'll tend to keep coming back.

We switched to a different monthly worm medicine (heargard doesn't fight or prevent whipworms), and the problem went away.

There are other intestinal infections that can be hard to pin down and may require repeated tests/treatments too. Giardia is one.

Other things that can cause diarrhea could be food sensitivities. Some dogs are very sensitive to corn and/or wheat, for instance, and some even need 100% grain-free diets. Others have problems on all meat, and actually need lower fat diets. These problems can develop gradually. If parasites are rules out, you might want to check ingredients and talk to your vet about some kind of elimination diet.

If you want to try plain, canned pumpkin to your dog's diet, make sure you get the actual 100% libby's (or some other brand) pumpkin and not the pie mix, which has sugar and nutmeg and stuff. Our local grocery store doesn't always carry the pumpkin, and when I had an older dog on the pumpkin diet, I actually ordered it on the web.

Metamucil powder (the unsweetened kind) can also be a way of adding fiber to a pet's food.

The canned pumpkin mentioned above is a very good idea but you need to use only a little, especially for a little dog AND it's canned pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie mix in a can. But, check with the vet. It's possible to avoid a vet visit by arranging simply to take in some of the poo in a container.