Probiotics for dogs?

[PollyOR]

My older dog (13) occasionally has potty problems in the middle of the night. When this happens her stools are loose with lots of mucus. I know this tends to happen if she is given a rawhide chew, so I banned those about a year ago. We haven't changed her food but she does tend to sneak tissues off of my bedside table. I've tried to ban the sharing of human food but even I tend to forget that rule since we've always shared with her.

 

I would like to at least try a probiotic before we head to the vet. She hates going to the vet! My usually mild mannered dog gets so anxious that she has to be muzzled because she has nipped the vet on a past visit. Yeah, that was embarrassing. :blush:

 

There is one other thing that might be affecting her stool. She has a sore area that she constantly grooms. I wonder if it possible that the serous fluid is upsetting her digestive tract?

[celticmom]

Some dog foods include probiotics. I know Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul does and there are probably others as well.

[AngieW in Texas]

Have you tried giving her canned pumpkin? I can get 100% pumpkin in a can on the spices aisle at my grocery store. You just have to make sure that you get 100%pumpkin rather than the pumpkin pie filling.

 

That was one of the first things the vet suggested when my puppy had diarrhea.

 

http://raisinghealthydogs.com/discover-the-health-benefits-of-canned-pumpkin-for-dogs

 

I feed our puppy exclusively through her Kongs and hand-feeding her kibble as training treats. When I prepare her Kongs, I mix her kibble with canned pumpkin to make it more difficult to get out. It takes me about one week to go through a 14 ounce can of pumpkin.

[Pawz4me]

Fortiflora for dogs. I haven't had to use it on any of mine, but I've heard many glowing reports about how great it works. Your vet should have it. So does Amazon --

 

http://www.amazon.com/Purina-Veterinary-Diets-Fortiflora-Sachets/dp/B001650NNW/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1355077254&sr=1-1&keywords=fortiflora+for+dogs

 

(Just as an FYI, there's also a feline version available.)

[vettechmomof2]

Sounds more like she has a nervous condition and I would recommend a vet visit and explain ALL of these things to her.

The lick wound, the loose stool when away from her family are all common symptoms of a stress disorder.

Fortiflora is a good probiotic formulated specifically for dogs/cats(different for each species). A dollop of PLAIN yogurt can help as well but I would reduce human food if that hs been known to cause this before and go from there.

[PollyOR]

Thank you all so much! I appreciate your help.

 

Vettechmomof2/Allene, I'm SO glad we decided to stay home this holiday. There had been talk of traveling but I knew that taking her with us would be too much sress. DH doesn't realize how much she hates riding in a car. Our other option, leaving her at a kennel, isn't something she enjoys either.

 

I think I'll try the pumpkin first since the grocery store is open 24/7.

 

Thanks for the name and links for a probiotic. That will be next on my list.

 

If those two things don't do the trick, we'll check with the vet. This dog was always my "low key" pet. The cat was a nightmare as far as care and expense. He died last year (still miss him terribly). I guess the dog has decided to take his position. ;)