My dog's stool is still soft after meds. How can I firm it up?

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!

Hi. I would recommend adding a spoonful of canned pumpkin to each meal to increase fiber. You can also add boiled rice. If that doesn't help, i would recommend talking with your veterinarian about possibly getting him on metronidazole to help firm up the stools. Good luck

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. You have been on the treatment for 4 days now from the sounds of it. I would recommend giving the food more time to help normalize the stool. You can also add in a probiotic such as Purina Fortiflora to see if this helps resolve the diarrhea as well. If there is still no improvement going in to next week, then I would contact the veterinarian you saw to discuss further options. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can make sure that there is enough fiber in his diet. You can add canned pumpkin to add fiber to his diet which may help firm up his stools. You can add 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin to his meals. You can also add probiotics such as Fortiflora. Best of luck!

This could still be from the parvo. Puppies can have abnormal stool on and off for up to a month after surviving the disease. If that’s not the case, often a prescription strength high fiber or hydrolyzed protein diet will help. There are some cases that will not respond to diet, and at that point your vet can discuss referral to an internist, further testing, or medications like Tylan powder to help. Best of luck to you and Luna!

Based on what you are saying, it sounds like Pepper might benefit from a probiotic in her diet to keep her more "regular". Organisms like Giardia have the ability to complete throw off the microflora of the intestinal tract, so the addition of something to right the situation is often required. There are several over the counter ones available at pet stores, my favorite being fortiflora canine. You just sprinkle it on the food once a day for thirty days. Dogs usually love the taste so it's not problem. It will be nice to know if the Giardia is gone after the retest, but I think the probiotic for now is the best plan of action.

Hi! I would say that it is likely ok. Sometimes it takes a bit longer to see results. If it is just soft and Snowball is otherwise fine, I would just give it a few days before getting concerned. Keep in mind that metronidazole is not always a curative medication for diarrhea but rather an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties that help with colitis. This means that it will not treat an underlying disease every time. Perhaps try a few days on a bland diet mostly composed of boiled chicken or turkey and rice. If no resolution within a few days, it may be appropriate to start her on a probiotic or try a different medication such as Tylosin. Best of luck with her!