Dog w/Diarhea gone circles with vet problem still stands?

Okay. You have a sick dog and your vet is not doing what should be done to help this animal and find out the CAUSE.

This is YOUR dog. This is YOUR money. YOU tell the vet what YOU want done.

1) A fecal float

2) A Giardia test for parasites

3) A complete blood panel including major organ counts. (Liver, kidney etc)

4) A prescription for Metronizadole NOW. This is a very good antibiotic and will start working on the parasites if the dog has Giardia. You do NOT have to wait for the test results.

5) Don't leave until YOU get what YOU want for YOUR dog.

Now call that stupid vet and TELL them.

Heartworm would have no bearing on his bowel problem. Other than just giving stool hardners (??)has his stool been tested for intestinal parasites? Has the vet done any other diagnostics to look for other conditions that are creating the diarrhea / sensitive stomach if parasites have definitely been ruled out? There is a cause somewhere for the diarrhea--firming his stool alone is not getting rid of the cause.

Try finding another vet also that will treat his digestion problem as a whole and not just treat with stool softeners.

You don't need to find another vet. Internal Otitis is an inner ear infection. There is inflammation and infection of the inner ear and most of the time it's proceded by an outer ear infection. This will make your dog dizzy because the affected part is the labyrinth which is part of a complex organ of balance. The labryinth purpose is to synchronize eye movement and maintain posture, balance, and coordination. It's painful and with feeling dizzy he will not want to stand up. Your vet does need to find out the cause. Hopefully he checked to make sure your dogs ear drums are still intact. Some of the causes can be from head trauma, brain tumor, poisoning, drug intoxication and infection, all of these should be ruled out. If the vet doesn't check these things he can't treat it properly.

I would suggest feeding him only on well cooked rice with a bit of natural yoghurt (for the good bacteria mixed in) for a few days. Then try gradually adding normal dog kibble. Try and get a brand made for sensitive dogs - hypo allergenice or wheat free for example. Then see if it improves. If it gets better and then gets worse again when you add normal dog food it's likely there is an ingredient in the dog food that doesn't agree with your dog so try another brand (This could get expensive - I recommend trying to buy small packs).

I take it all obvious things like worms and infection have been ruled out?

Did the vet do blood work? Did they rule out gastroenteritis, pancreatitis, irritable bowel??

I have a weimaraner with a sensitive stomach, basically she is allergic to red meat or gets upset stomachs if I give her people food so I have to avoid any food with beef and stop with the people food. Just because your dog is on a high quality dog food doesn't mean it's the right food for him and therefore you have to switch his food around to see what does work for him, runny stools are a sign the food isn't working for him.

I suggest asking your vet for Hills Prescription I/D food canned, or see if they carry Iams Low Residue kibble, or Royal Canin bland diet. Get his diarrhea cleared up first by feeding him a bland diet for two weeks, add plain yogurt (not low fat or fat free due to the artificial sweetners) to his food to help bring back the good bacteria to his gut. Also get 100% pure canned pumpkin add a tablespoon to his food it's great for clearing up diarrhea quickly.

Cease feeding the food he's currently eating because it doesn't sound like it's doing him any favors.

I suggest trying Taste of the Wild either the Pacific Stream or the Wetlands formula, avoid the Bison and Buffalo flavor due to the red meat content and see if that helps him at all, once his digestion is back on track.

Another food that worked for my Weim was Pinnacle Sweet Potato and Duck, but thankfully TOTW has been working well for her as long as I don't feed her red meat.

Look into giving 2 tablespoons of yogurt to his food twice a day to help with his digestion.

In the past my vet has suggested 10mg pepcid, prescribed Metronidazole (for inflammation) and even so much as given her a deworming powder to kill any parasites that are not obvious in her poop, the last thing they want to do is put her on a bland diet for the rest of her life, but the prices they charge for their prescription food is outragous so I haven't done it. That's another option you might want to consider.

Good luck.

If he is still eating normally (which for a young big dog means he chows when it is made available) then it's prob not worms...if he is not eating at full speed or is lethargic in even the slightest way i would get him to another vet. But if he is eating fine and has good energy just keep him on a steady diet of a high quality food (try a premium venison for sensitive stomach's) and just take him out as often as needed...and make sure he drinks plenty of water so he doesn't get dehydrated. I would not feed him any people food, just premium dry food...like i said try venison for sensitive stomachs.

I had a similar issue, if its not worms like giardea (which can only be found when they are shedding the cysts so its a cycle) it could be a bacterial infection, thats what my dog ended up having. They gave me claramax (may have spelt that wrong) and I give it twice a day for ten days. A second opinion may help but you can try giving a little bit of pureed pumpkin (not the pie filling but just 100% pumpkin) a little dab and some yogurt (plain) once a day to help his body's immune system and stools.

Try adding canned pumpkin, without any spices or sugar in it, to his food. Usually, about 2 tablespoons in his food, will help to firm up his stool. This is something you can use long-term without any side-effects. You should also speak with your veterinarian about adding active culture bacteria to his diet to help his digestive system work more efficiently. You didn't mention what his normal diet is, but you may want to consider feeding a food with a different meat protein and/or carbohydrate source to see if that helps to improve his issue.

At this point, I would try a holistic vet, even if I had to drive a hundred miles (I've driven 300, at high speed, twice to save one of mine).

BTW, you can also use acidophiles capsules from Walmart, if the probiotic therapy helps. It would be a little more cost effective, especially over the long term.

It's spell DIARRHEA. You have your vet refer you to a canine internal medicine vet. You don't come to YA's for answers. I've driven over 2 hours to see a specialist.