My puppy is on Composure Pro for nervousness. Why are her stools soft?

Peeing in the house, barking excessively, soft stool and drinking a lot could all be caused by stress/anxiety, for which non -prescription VetriScience daily Composure chews (available on chewy.com) may help, however a consult with your veterinarian re: Prozac (which takes 3 weeks to take effect) or an alternate anti-depressant /anti-anxiety medication or the help of a trainer may be needed. It would be safest however to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam, full screening bloodwork, a urinalysis and fecal exam to rule out parasites as the cause of the soft stool or renal disease/diabetes as the cause of the increased drinking. Your vet can also prescribe/send home metronidale which is an anti-inflammatory antibiotic to resolve the diarrhea +/- probiotics to help with the soft stool. Good luck!

Hi, Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would recommend following up with Copper's veterinarian before his medication runs completely out. They may want to extend his prescription or recheck him. Be sure to feed whatever diet his vet has recommended with no other food or treats. Sometimes a probiotic, such as FortiFlora, can help. I would speak to his vet and follow their suggestions. Diarrhea can be caused by anything from stress to dietery indescretion to food intolerance or infection. I hope Copper is back to normal soon.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bella. There is usually a medical reason for soft stool. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. Fecal testing may be needed and possibly bloodwork. Parasites and diet are the most common causes of diarrhea or soft stool in young dogs. It may be that her current diet does not agree with her. Her breed, however, is prone to a condition known as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. I hope this information helps!

Metamucil may help some but I would keep her dose very small like around 1 teaspoon twice a day. You could also try to just add a small amount of canned plain pumpkin instead of the Metamucil. I would also consider trying to add in a probiotic and a sensitive stomach diet. I like a few different types of probiotics - propectalin, vetriscience probiotic chews, purina pro plan fortiflora or proviable. If you decide to switch her food, I would transition her from the old food to the new food very slowly over a 2 weeks period. If you haven't had her examined by a vet I would strongly recommend to have her looked at. There are a lot of things that can also cause loose stools like parasites, food sensitivities, inflammatory bowel disease, bacterial infections, giardia, and much more. Your vet will start with checking a fecal sample. I hope this helps!

Probiotics wouldn't hurt. You can get them from your vet or use plain yogurt (not sugar free or flavored) to add some to her meal. You can also use a little canned pumpkin to add some fiber. However if the soft stool continues, a fecal exam to rule out any issues such as parasites or GI upset is best.

That depends on how soft it is and how frequently that is happening. For some dogs, their ‘normal’ is firm in the beginning of the stool and then softer (but still formed) at the end. If every thing else seems to be normal and you don’t see any problems with the whole stool being soft/loose and no liquid/unformed stool at the end, you may do nothing and just monitor for now. It may also be beneficial to take a photo of the questionable stool and post again so that we can see what you are seeing. I assume you have done all the parasite testing (including giardia) and routine deworming to rule out parasites? If I have a patient who is continuing to have a softer stool, I will often treat them with a 5 day course of Panacur just to be certain no parasites remain. I agree that if the metronidazole does not seem to be making a huge difference, I would probably shy away from that. If I suspect a bacteria cause to continued soft stool, I will often treat for 6 weeks with an antibiotic called Tylosin or I will treat for 10 days with a sulfa-type antibiotic. Lastly, a continued soft stool could also be related to food allergy. The diet you are feeding is excellent. It’s meant to break down easily and decrease the work load on the cells. This diet is very good for dogs who can’t handle the richness of most dog foods. It is not however formulated for dogs who have food allergies. That is a different immune process. Don’t be tempted to put him on a grain free diet. Most dogs who do have legitimate food allergies are not allergic to grains. Instead know for sure if it is a food allergy. The diet I recommend is made by Royal Canin and called hydrolyzed protein adult HP. Since Bentley is a boxer puppy, he is still growing. This diet is formulated to meet the requirements of growing puppies so it will both help with food allergy as well as support normal growth of his bones and soft tissue. You would conduct a food trial on him which will last for 12 weeks. The stool is normal at the end of 12 weeks, then you know it’s an allergy. I recommend to discuss any of these options with your veterinarian if the stool is still abnormal or if Bentley continues to get problems with a loose stool in general. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!

It is most likely due to the food change. Puppies can also have intestinal parasites, so it is always recommended to have a stool sample checked on Kylo. Your veterinarian can also give medication to help resolve the stool quicker and easier. They also can dispense a bland diet to help resolve it. Then you can gradually transfer her back onto the food she did well with. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.