to dog owners (bit yuk, sorry) - dog has mucus in poo, is this bad?

[Cha]

Sorry - have posted in other subjects before I realised there was a pets section now. Thought I might have a better chance of a reply if I re-post here.

Just wondering if there are any vets or knowledgeable dog owners out there. Our 12 year old mutt has always had a bit of a squitty tummy ever since we first got him (Battersea, 5 years ago) but as he gets older, it seems to be getting worse. Now if he eats ANYTHING apart from his dog food ie scraps from the table, bones he finds in the park etc he gets the squits. And what is worrying me is that there is a lot of jelly-like mucus in some of them. I am worried. Should we take him to the vet or is it normal for a dog that has a sensitive tummy?

[BethAndHerBrood]

I have nothing else to say on the matter!!

[Cha]

Don't you just sometimes think - how many poos do I have to deal with today? The toddler's nappy, the 3 year olds bum to be wiped, the dog's turds, your own. Poo fest.

[milliways]

Can you phone your vet for (free) advice?.

When our last GSD got old & incontinant we were given stuff to add to his food to sort his stomach out. Ended up covering all food with a charcoal substance so if/when he had an accident it was odourless & dry so easy to clear up. Meant we were willing to put up with the condition & not write him off as too old.

Hope you get this sorted & he is ok!

[Cha]

Our vet is about as money grabbing as you get. Would probably bill me just for the phonecall - and then tell me to come in, to be billed again. Was thinking of upping the dog's insurance B4 I go - the one he's on only treats one condition for a year, then stops. He has been so healthy for so long, we only just reduced the cover a few months ago. Just KNEW this would happen...

Think if mumsnetters can reassure me this is just part of his food intolerances, then we can leave it. But have a horrible feeling that this is just the beginning of the end. Am I right to be so worried?

[milliways]

How often do you feed him. Our vet is a family friends so we are v.lucky. He told us that as they get older then stomachs cope with less & need little & often. If you are out & cannot do lunch, make sure he gets a breakfast - one meal a day is not good. You can great dry food mix for older dogs & mix with a tiny amount of tinned food if you think it looks boring (i always did). James Wellbelove food is good.

[Fio2]

personally, i would try to stop him eating scraps and anything else he can get his teeth into. he needs proper doggy food IMO. that will make hs stools better

my digs are squiffy stomached bu they are fine on chappie

[Branster]

Don't know what it is but would advise the following:

Do not feed the dog for 12-24 hours (and make sure he doesn't pick anything up off the street), then give him rice& boiled chicken for a couple of days and gradually re-introduce his normal food.
Make sure he's also wormed, just in case.

See how it goes. If it's still the same, take him to the vets. they might suggest changing his diet if it's not too serious.

[Cha]

We used to give him breakfast but he was getting fat so we cut it out. I will reinstate it. We give him Sainsbury's Scout tinned, 1 small tin a day, plus 2-3 handfuls of mixer or complete. He is a lurcher collie cross and about the height/weight of a rough collie. I did try Sainsbury's Senior but it stank and so did dog's breath (well, even more than it does normally). We are not loaded at the mo, so anything more expensive than Sainsbury's own is not all that possible. How much does the Wellbelove stuff cost and where do you get it from?

[FenellaTheKettleWitch]

Hello, I'm new here! It sounds like pooch has colitis, ours has had it for years. All we have found that helps is sticking rigidly to dry dogfood (ones for sensitive tummies are better) and no scraps at all. It usually settles down after a while, but we were told to not give any food for 24hrs after a squitty episode. Hope that helps!

[Cha]

Posts crossed Branster and Fio2. We try not to give him anything else apart from his food now, but can't stop the occasional chicken bone in the park. He always has a dickie stomach after eating bones, but it is the mucus that I am worried about. He's not had that before. Bit difficult re the chicken, Branster, as we are veggies! But could always just give him rice .

[Cha]

Fenella - what a fab name, I LOVED that programme. The colitis thing, yes, that was what I was thinking it was. My friend has ulcerative colitis and I remember her talking about mucus. Is what made me think that dog had something a little worse than just the normal squitters. So we should just give him dry food? He will DIE. And as for starving him for 24. Poor old hound. But if that is what is the treatment for colitis, then maybe that is what we should do? What happens if you just leave it? Something horrible no doubt.

[milliways]

here is a free sample offer.

We get it in huge sacks from Pet wholesaler, who does buy 4 get 5th free on a card stamping system. It does work out cheaper than tins, us a small amount of sainsburys tin to mix with it (we use 1/4 - 1/3 tin per meal for a v. large GSD).

I know vets are expensive but they may put your mind at rest if it doesn't clear up soon.

[milliways]

James Wellbeloved Homepage shows good for upset stomachs - additive & dairy free etc.

[Cha]

Thanks Milliways. Checked out the website, looks good and I have ordered the free sample. Where is this wholesaler that does this good deal based?

[milliways]

My DH picks it up in Newbury/Thatcham area (Berkshire). Before that we got it from our local independant Petshop who did free home delivery - it's worth asking.

[gscrym]

Ours is a lurcher and she gets like this. Vet says it's colitus and the James Wellbeloved stuff is what we fed her. I thought I had posted this earlier but I'm crap at anything slightly technical today.

[Cha]

Did your vet recommend Wellbeloved stuff, gscrym?

[gscrym]

The vet asked what we fed her and when we said it was James Wellbeloved, the vet said that was what she would have recommended anyway. Our pooch is 8 so not that much younger than yours. We also stopped giving her any leftovers which went down like a lead balloon. She's more than partial to a donner kebab.

[Cha]

Poor mutt. Ours is partial to anything, the more rotten and disgusting the better. No wonder his guts are in such a foul state. Did yours ever get tinned meat? If so, how did she cope with the change to dried? Ours will be very depressed and reproachful. Even more than he normally is. Do you mix it with a bit of meat to make it more palatable?

[miggy]

Another very good dry food for colitis is the dry version of chappie-suits some dogs even better than wellbeloved. You could add some tinned chappie too if you are worried about him not liking dry.
Dry is however-cheaper/better for teeth/more convenient.
also chappie-v.cheap which is a bonus!

[Cha]

Always used to buy Chappie for him and other dogs we have owned, largely because a vet recommended it and it was cheap! But this dog has such filthy breath (hot dead fish) that adding Chappie to his hallitosis problem was just too much and we switched to more meaty tins. Breath still reeks though, so might just try going back to Chappie, especially if it's good for his dodgy tum.
BTW - lots of advice to starve him for 24 hours after he's had the sqits. Where do you get the willpower? He would just drill me to death with his soulful eyes and drive me insane with his whines...