What causes recurring diarrhea in my German Shepherd with negative test?

Chronic diarrhea can be a frustrating issue! In a young German Shepherd, my main concerns for Charlie are that he may have intestinal parasites, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or inflammatory bowel disease. If he has not recently had a stool sample checked for parasites, this is a good starting point. If no parasites are seen, consider discussing blood work (CBC, chemistry, B12, TLI, folate) and an abdominal ultrasound to try to get to the bottom of this situation. Probiotics (Fortiflora and Proviable are two brands) may be beneficial. I hope that all goes well!

Unfortunately we have. I would highly recommend placing Echo on probiotics (i.e. Advita, Fortiflora, or Proviable) for roughly 2-4 weeks, adding 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (not the Pie filling) in his food daily, Purina EN Gastrointestinal food can be tried, and then consider having the stool rechecked through your veterinarian. Oftentimes if a pet has many worms they need multiple dewormings to get things to return to normal. I would try those suggestions first and see how Echo responds. If the stools still have not resolved after 2-4 weeks, then consider treating Echo with a long term antibiotic (i.e. Tylan powder) to treat for suspected inflammatory bowel disease. I hope that things resolve soon for Echo. Take care http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=598

Finding the cause of the diarrhea is the most important thing right now as the treatment will depend on the cause. If you haven't already, having a fecal exam done as well as possible bloodwork or X-rays is best. This can help rule out common issues such as parasites, infections, etc that can cause diarrhea. German Shepherds are also prone to some issues that can cause malabsorption, which can lead to diarrhea, discolored stool, weight loss, etc. Bloodwork can help to rule these out, and in most cases the issue is resolved with a daily medication. If no major issues can be found, then a food trial may be helpful for finding any food allergies causing the GI upset.

There very well could be something else going on based on his age and the frequency of his episodes. Your vet can start with another fecal exam to make sure there are no parasite or bacteria. You may want to try a food trial of a hypoallergenic diet incase it is due to a food allergy. Older pets can get an inflammatory bowel or pancreatic problem and a diet change is a good test. They can also do bloodwork to check for any endocrine diseases such as Addison's. An ultrasound is also an option to look at the intestines and measure the thickness or look for a mass to see if a biopsy is warranted.

German Shepherd Dogs are predisposed to a disease called Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) which causes chronic diarrhea and weight loss due to maldigestion. This disease is fairly simple to diagnose and treat. Here is a link with more information on this disease: https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1627

With a normal stool sample and blood panel, the next steps are experimenting with diet - specifically a hypoallergenic prescription diet (such as Royal Canin Ultamino, which is definitely the most expensive option, but also the one that seems to work best in diagnosing food allergies. It takes eating ONLY the prescription food for about a month to see if it helps, and then if it does help you can certainly experiment with less expensive foods. If you she would having signs of food allergy you'd need to do a full 3 months, but for intestinal issues, you should see a response in just a couple weeks) OR a high fiber/easily digestible diet (such as Hills Fiber Response EN). Some dogs need continual probiotics to keep normal stool. Treating any underlying anxiety (if present) can also help. Finally, a gut biopsy, which is much more invasive and costly can be done. Since she isn't yet spayed, I would consider doing a gut biopsy when/if she is spayed because that would be minimal additional expense or trauma for her while she's already have an abdominal surgery. I hope that helps! Wishing you the best with this difficult issue - It can take a long long time to get to the bottom of things

I am sorry Chingo is not feeling well. With Chingo being older I would recommend taking him to the vet for a good exam and some basic testing like blood work. IT is possible that parasites, gastric upset or even infection has caused the diarrhea. However with his older age I would be concerned about possibly a more sever underlying disease. You can try an over the counter probiotic with a bland diet for 24-48 hours of boiled chicken and white rice. However if the diarrhea does not improve Chingo really needs to go to a vet. I hope that helps