My dog's poop is soft and unformed, but vet tests are normal. Why?

Certainly a food change can cause soft stool - even if you switch back to the previous food. It's important to remember, however, that there are many causes of soft stool in dogs, and you shouldn't assume that the cause was the food switch. You can try to revert to a bland diet - boiled white meat chicken and boiled white rice mixed in 50:50 proportions, and cooked with no added seasonings or fats - in small quantities at frequent intervals. For examine, offer about 1/4 cup every 2 - 4 hours. If the stool returns to normal over 24 hours, then transition slowly back to the original food. If not, Jade will need to see a vet, because soft stool as well as potential pain after urinating can have multiple causes, and she may need testing, such as a fecal parasite test and a urinalysis, to determine the exact cause and appropriate treatments for her symptoms.

Bess may be having soft stool due to chronic intestinal parasite infections, maldigestion, or inappropriate diet. I recommend having Bess seen by a vet for bloodwork, x-rays, and potentially an abdominal ultrasound to rule out the conditions above.

The color of the stool is usually associated with something they are eating, but the yellow/orange color can sometimes be associated with liver disease. Since Marley does not seem to be responding to previous medical treatments, I would recommend that you discuss additional diagnostics with your vet. I would start with an intestinal parasite screening, and if that is negative, move on to bloodwork and/or a GI panel (specialized bloodwork). Occasionally all labs can be normal and surgical or endoscopic intestinal biopsies are needed.

Poor Porter! Some possible causes for his softer stool and weight loss include parasites, inflammatory bowel disease, food allergies, gastroenteritis from a virus or new foods, Addison's disease, among others. You can try offering Porter a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken and white rice (9 cups per day, divided into 2-3 smaller meals) for a few days, then gradually mix his normal food in with the bland diet over 5-7 days. Adding a probiotic ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=21478 ) to his diet may also be beneficial. However, if this does not improve his soft stool, Porter will need to go to his vet for evaluation and testing of his stool and blood to try to get to the bottom of this situation. I hope that all goes well!

This is very concerning as it appears to contain blood, mucus and possibly bowel lining. I recommend an oral worm medication, a specialist intestinal or hydrolyzed diet for 6 weeks and a probiotic/fiber supplement such as fortiflora to rebalance the bowel and rule out any parasitic causes. A full health check, blood tests and possibly ultrasound/xray if not responding or any weight loss, vomiting or weakness is noted

Yes, it can take time for the intestine to heal after surgery. As long as Marley has a good appetite and is producing stools, then a softer than normal consistency is okay with me. He should be evaluated by a vet if he has vomiting, a poor appetite, diarrhea, or no stools in 24 hours.

Hi, sorry to hear about these problems with your pup. First I would consider changing his food onto something for a dog with a sensitive stomach and se if that helps at all. Blood in firm stool can indicate straining so it's possible the food has too much fiber in it and is making his stool too hard. You can try a prescription diet made by Hill's called ID which is for dogs with sensitive stomachs. Also, you might want to look into an abdominal ultrasound or endoscopy to check for Inflammatory bowel disease. I don't think X rays will show up with much, i would go straight to the ultrasound. If they see anything suspicious, during endoscopy they can take biopsies. But then again, if he's not bothered by it in any way and keep on weight with a good appetite, it may just be food related or something he will grow out of. I would monitor him for those signs and pursue more diagnostics if you see them. Good luck, I hope this helps!