Advice....Can too much pumpkin be bad?

[lindamarie]

I had mentioned in another thread that Bogart's poo's are really firming up after I added some pumpkin to his kibble when he had loose stools.
He was really doing great so I decided to keep adding a few teaspons morning and night.
Well..........now he's loose again!
Should this NOT be a daily thing?
I'm confused and concerned as to why he's going through this. He poo'd several times today. Not just in one spot either, but that squat....go.....move around the yard squatting and tiny drop thingie going on! It's not really diarrhea.....just loose.

[KingstonTodd]

I have given a total meal of pumpkin before, for 2 meals, and was OK. It is a fiber, so too much gets things moving, but it absorbs water so the poop should be firm. If its not and you are mixing kibble, I suspect the kibble is not digesting properly and there may be an issue with that. Have you tired pumpkin and home cookin' first, and if firm andd the kibble back slowly and see if it brings the issue back.

[Jac]

Linda, has your vet treated Bogie for parasites?

Even if they don't show up in a sample, it doesn't hurt to treat...and some parasites are really hard to identify because unless you happen to get one in a sample, they can test negative.

With the various bouts of intestinal trouble that Bogie has, I wondered if he has been treated...and if not, I'd ask for some.

Often a dog has more than one type of parasite...round worm and coccidia and girardia...and often breeders will treat for roundworms and then for coccidia and then for girardia. OR if you are only treating one, you might need to repeat it to kill any eggs that may be hatching.

Just wondering...

[MaxandMe]

PUMPKIN and sweet potatoe can go both ways on a dog and as each of us have differing digestive systems so do dogs.
for some dogs TOO MUCH may cause pumpkin and/or too much food in one meal can cause mushy poops.
just as too much pineapple in adult dogs can cause constipation or have w/mine in the past
(and leslie's too).

QUESTION: does Bogies mushy poopies come in cycles? like say every 2 or 3 weeks? as whipworms have that type of hatching cycle
and they're one of the hardest parasites to test positive.

Max when we couldn't figure out what was wrong he got treated cross the board even tho he treated neg to tests
i had an excel spreadsheet i did to figure it all out and cooked for 4.5mos as every time we tried a new food back to scratch (no pun intended).
NOW @one time we found a food that worked but after trying Innova, Evo, Calif Natural, Taste of Wild, Wellness, Blue Buffalo

NOW .......he's fine. IT TOOK some time but we did figure out w/MAX that fish, LAMB, too much protein and High protein fillers gives him the mushies
anothet thing he ONCE had a bag of food that was expiring UGH !! we didn't check......we do now !!!
IF a food is expriring or expired it can have mold you can't see and/or add bad bacteria to a dog's system.
thus another case of long term mushy poopies if an unsuspecting bacterial infection takes hold

LINDA I SURE HOPE YOU FIND THE SOURCE as i know how frutrating, worrisisome it can be and not much better for bogie either
it takes time. I also documented what Max ate as i did when my kids got allergies aka process of elimination to find the source.
(again no pun intended).

[lindamarie]

Thank you ALL!
I was up again last night with Bogart and have yet to go outside and look at what he managed to produce, but I could tell from the window..........it wasn't good.
Todd..........we need to back off of the kibble for now and I'm just going to do a small amount of pumpkin and rice this morning. OH! And he has his Therapy Evauluation today at 3 PM!

Jac.........If you recall, Bogart came "packaged" as a 9 week ole puppy with all of the parasitic stuff going on.....we went through hell with that!
He hasn't been checked recemtly but for his "physical" when they ask to bring a sample in........OR............this past summer when he got into that woodchip and all they looked for was blood.
SO! We may have to do that!

Annmarie.......It IS cyclical!! It's been about 2 weeks now since his last ordeal! Then looking back........maybe about 3-4 weeks before this! OH NO! Whipworms!
I don't know if anyone will see this before I feed him.........but should I add the pineapple? I think I have some. If not, I could just do the rice/pumpkin now and add pineapple later tonight.

What is really strange is how after the last bout with this.......the pumpkin made his stuff almost rock hard! I mean, we were on a walk and when I picked it up it was "WONDERFUL"!
So, he consistently was having these "nice" poo's...then BAM! We're back to where we were.

I called to the groomer........as he was there on Friday ....and asked if she had anything going on there and she didn't. But, it's only Monday, so she may not have had any other calls yet if it's viral!

On the lighter side.......I have to tell you about my Service Dog..SWEETHEART.....Mr. Goodie two shoes who can lie still in Church for the entire Mass, sit under tables at restaraunts and no one even knows he's there............WELL! Guess what my angel did at the GROOMER last Friday!
He ripped a towel into 20 pieces............climbed on top of a table and chewed the short collar off that they put on him!
It's like he became a 2 month old puppy again! Catherine, the owner, LOVES HIM.......SHe just described a part of Bogart that I didn't even know existed any longer!! I am slightly shocked.. ......yet a part of me thinks it's funny! :P As long as he doesn't do this at home or in public.......I think we're fine! But, what on EARTH got into him!??

[SamsonsMom]

Linda some puppy got into him - and HELLO MOM was not there to correct the situation! I think it's funny too! And heck why not let him act like a misbehaving teenager if he isn't 'on-duty'? I have about 10 rags with nice torn holes in them from the doodles. Don't know what it is about a towel but MAN they love them.

Hope he gets to feeling better though! Firm poop thoughts coming your way.

[kirama]

Beck had quite a few bouts with Diarrhea & an upset tummy when he was young, the vet scolded me for giving him too much pumpkin and said that upset his tummy all over again, her advice was 2 tablespoons and no more than that! What she had us to was take him off all solid food for 12 -24 hours then give him chicken and rice with a little pumpkin, add yogurt and oatmeal, if that is tolerated start reintroducing kibble a little at a time. He's ok now no problems for several months, but not long ago I ran out of home cooked so I gave him some ground lamb canned food with his kibble, what a mess...he really got the runs and didn't want to eat anything for about 24 hours after that.

[freddies_mum]

I have to agree with the last post - starve for 24 hours, then feed on something bland such as chicken and rice, possibly with a bit of scrambled egg. Probiotic yoghurt is also good to restore the good bacteria in the digestive system. If this doesn't work after a few days I'd say it's a trip to the vet's.

In the UK we worm every 3 months - is this normal practice in the US too?

[lindamarie]

Kirama........funny you should mention what your vet said about the pumpkin! Our vet said pumpkin is causing the runs!
I am soooo confused! First, it worked to firm......then it created it. So, yes, we took him to the vet. No parasites, no temp........just too much pumpkin!
I never gave him more than a couple of teaspoons, maybe a tablespoon? But, it looks like it started creating the opposite effect.
She said they give pumpkin to constipated cats to loosen their stool. GEEZ!!

He was put on Endosorb and he just got his 2nd dose......we also JUST got home and fed him a cup of kibble w/ 1/2 cup rice. She said we didn't need to fast him for 24 hours but just get off the pumpkin!

In the USA....we don't worm our dogs like in the UK. Maybe we should?

Samsonsmom.......I KNOW! I still think it's FUNNY! Especially since he just passed his FIRST Therapy Evaluation with flying colors! I'm posting on this in my other thread.......I am sooooo PROUD OF HIM!!

[Jac]

Well, in my holistic book about dogs, the vets that wrote it say to give pumpkin...so I guess that it depends on who you talk to.
But in all things, pay attention and use your best judgment...
We deworm on a regular schedule...many people don't because heartworm prevention now contains extra for other parasites too, so if they get that regularly, they are usually protected. That is not to say that an episode won't happen though, so my first thought when I see loose bowels is "worms!" and I start deworming...

[lindamarie]

Thanks, Jac! You just reminded me to give Bogart his last dose of heartworm!
I do believe that the pumpkin thingie does depend on who you talk to. Especially since it worked for Bogart at first! It's confusing to me.
Well.........he still had a loose stool this morning. I wish it would just go away!

[KingstonTodd]

Pumpkin does work both ways, so you are not confused. Its a fiber, so it gets the mail moving when you traffic is backed up. But it also absorbs water, so it dries up runny poop along the way. Its like MAGIC. Maybe Bogie has an intestinal issue that makes his situation unique, but my guys can eat a whole can and not get runny, so I wouldnt say it causes loose stool, just makes MORE stool. What did the vet said about his fecal test? Negative for what? Did they test for everything of just a few usual suspects? If the loose stool is persisting, I'd get is checked again, and ask for it to be more through. Constant runny poop can cause pain, redness, and eventually bleeding around the anus, then you have to rub vasoline on it to create a barrier between the skin and the poop. I'd want it figured out before it gets to that point. Is Bogie back on kibble or still boiled chicken and rice? I feel bad for the poor little guy. It not fun having the runs.

[MaxandMe]

LINDA right now you need to talk to the vet possibly and maybe even do the homemade diet for a week or two?
Meaning let Bogies intestines calm down and also what Kirama said is correct i never give more than 2 or 3 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon.
IF not i give one say 1/4in round slice of sweeet potato.

Ask your VET about probitics sold in walmart it contains acidofilus(spelling) as well as Papaya extract tablets (again in walmart)
probitics helps a dogs digestisve system but also helps a dog produce natural antibitoic ........the papaya enzyme tablets
helps a dog absorb nutrients via the intestinal walls instead of passing thru as poop. Plain Yogurt adds good bacteria.

NOW at one time Max was treated across the board for whipworms othr worms that don't show up on tests.
BUT we agreed his diarrhea came back which was cyclic. So we agreed on the homemade diet which took me months of research,
also got Cornell Univerity canine nutritionist etc

all i know was it was a pain at 1st to cook but eventually it helped.
i NOT only boiled chicken and beef but in beginning i rinsed it afterward in warm water to rid it of grease as well.

NO more than tablespoon of pineapple either..............BUT ASK your vet
rice is good for short term homemade diets but for a longer term oatmeal can be alternated as it has more nutrients
again.

I have the recipe if you need it but REMEMBER toomuch food in one meal can also produce mushy to diarrhea poops.

YOU can always consult witha pathologist vet who charges same as regular vet and much more trained/experienced
in what to look for along with nutrition etc. There could even be an ingreidient buildup in his food that causes this

also the metronidale (spelling) would work the 1st week after that it didn't.
Peanut luckily is the cast iron tummy dog (whew)


sooooo giving him bland diet for a week or so and see if he still gets diarrhea is another way to see if its worms/parasites
that aren't showing up on tests as some are sooooooo hard to find.

EMAIL ME WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE.......I AM HOME NOW FOR THE NEXT 9 WK OR MORE RECOUPERATING
i even have the scheule of meds that gave MAX along with pepcid when Max was JUST LIKE you describe bogie!

it's hard but hang in there.......you do get thru this

[lindamarie]

Thanks........
I'm not sure exactly what parasites they tesed for and WHY they didn't say for him to be on a bland diet! Either that, or Walt got it all wrong saying he could be left on kibble. My gut was telling me that this is STUPID!
As I write this, I'm boiling the chicken and rice and doing it the RIGHT way. I am so irritated at NOT putting him on bland and now all Walt keeps saying is that the meds willl work and NO pumpkin!
It makes me leary of the pumpkin because the vet "said so". But, I think today when this is all done boiling, I'm going to add some pumpkin. RIght now I don't believe it WAS the pumpkin.....because the diarrhea stopped when I used it before!.......Annmarie,.........I will also get some sweet potato today.
Maybe I just over did it because he liked it and when the poop returned to normal, I kept giving it to him. I doubt it. I also NEVER gave him more than 2 heeping teaspoons.

Poor guy, it was our anniversary yesterday and last night we went to dinner with some friends. Bogart was under the table. Near the end, our one friend started airing the air with her napkin and when we got the valet, a woman next to me could smell Bogart's gas on a windy, cold night!...........and so could I!
We got him home and he produced another mushy stool, so he was holding it in at the restaurant. The meds must not be doing much.

If this bland diet doesn't work WITH pumpkin......we're going back and having them check for whatever they may have missed. I'll call first and ask exactly what they looked looking for.
What's strange is that Bogart can hold it in like walking through a mall or at the University on Monday. It's not like there is an urgency, right now, to go..........but when he does............he's loose and also now gassy!

My neighbor said Finn had this going on too. She keeps switiching foods.........but recently resorted to rice, chicken broth and carrots.
UGH! This has to be fixed!

[Jac]

What are the meds that the vet gave him?

With the neighbor's dog having similar problems, it could very well be girardia or coccidia...

You can give a dog imodium (sp?) ... I give it to my dogs when I see them with loose bowels. It is only to relieve a symptom, though, so you do need to find the cause. Silly vet.