[wildcatmama7]

Hello everyone! New member but I have been reading the forum for awhile. I was wondering if anyone had a dog with issues like mine….

We have a 1 year old female boxer who has had on and off soft poops since we got her and eventually they were progressing to cow patties. At first she was a healthy weight and then after a period of about 6 months she was skin and bones despite feeding her over what the dog food brand recommended. I could never get her above a cup and a half of food per sitting without diarrhea. I thought maybe it was a protein sensitivity to chicken. So we tried to switch to TOTW Pacific Steam, fail. Diamond Naturals lamb and rice, fail. Took her to the vet, all the labs were normal. I convinced to test for EPI (twice) and that was normal. Stool tests were normal. We did a round of antibiotics anyway. We knew peanut butter (fats in general) really set her off so we tried a low fat food by Eagle Pack, fail. This entire time the only shaped poop was on Iams Minichunks, which may not be premium food but she ate it and we had shaped poop, albeit soft. The vet gave us a prescription for Pancreplus while we waited for the EPI testing and bam, immediately solid poop. Not perfect but way better. Added some Slippery Elm twice a day, even better, but still no wait gain and stuck at 1 cup 3x a day of food. Unfortunately while all this was going on she developed a taste for poop because she was starving and now we fight that battle as well!

As a last ditch effort before going to an IMS I asked for a RX food. I had two on the list, first a non-hydrolyzed (PPP Gastroenteric and then PPP Elemental prior to their recall). Our vet uses Science Diet but after all my research I liked the nutrition set up of Purina Pro Plan Gastroenteric because it was closest to the Iams were were using in fat and fiber. We are at half a cup of it and half a cup of Iams with digestive enzymes every meal and life is beautiful. 2-3 poops a day most days and dark brown solid poop. Still no weight gain but we stopped losing and I plan on adding more food once we get to one type of kibble. If we give too much food she doesn’t digest it and it doesn’t just defeat the point, it makes it worse.

Has anyone had a boxer who responded to enzymes so well and needed RX food? How did you get them to gain weight? I feel awful because I want to add more meat to her food and fatten her up but she can’t handle it. It’s so frustrating. Right now I just am waiting for a few months of solid poop before I rock the boat with added protein.

Fortunately she is a typical boxer and happy and energetic as ever. She does tucker out easy but she has the get up and go of our last one. She is sweet mannered and such a big baby, which makes watching her waste away even harder. I have been on several other forums and Facebook pages looking for answers and outside of EPI and IBD (which we are treating both now, minus steroids which won’t work with her appetite being out of control as it is) we haven’t found any other suggestions.

So far on food we have swung and missed with these foods:
Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream
Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice
Evengers Vegetarian Wet Food (as a topper for calories)
Beechnut Blended baby meat - Turkey and chicken (as a topper)
Bananas
Sweet potato
White potato

The only human food she can handle is white rice, boiled down to slop. And that’s only for a few days straight.

The picture with her playing in the water was in July when she was a healthy weight. The other two are from the last month.

 

[Kaco Boxers]

Boxers and sensitive tummies go hand in hand which is why I have been a raw feeder for 20 yrs.
Keep her on what is working and over time slowly increase her food amounts. I would also consider adding in cooked/drained ground beef or Turkey mixed 50/50 with white rice. Even adding in 1/2 cup to each meal will increase her daily calorie intake. Digestive enzymes, probiotics will help with nutrient absorption.

There is a wonderful product by The Honest Kitchen called perfect form….. it has slippery elm, dandelion leaf etc which are all great for IBD and inflammation.

Did you by chance try a round of Metronidazole?

So once the digestive tract becomes inflamed, it causes loose poops. If left for to long it can cause IBD. Metro will help calm the digestive tract down… it could take weeks to start working but that with diet change should help her.

 

[[email protected]]

I too have had to use metroidenozole for my male with a touchy stomach, but be careful I had one dog break out in hives when I had already used it with her, then she needed another dose and broke out. My current female got an intestinal unbalance of bacteria due to having giardia as a puppy she was put on Baytril for a month or so because she was having constant diahrea and weight loss. Welcome in to our community!

 

[Koa1013]

my boxer pup had the worst poops for the first year or so, tried different foods and a round antibiotics after all tests pointed to nothing just like you describe. my vet sent us home with a bag of Hills Science gastrointestinal Biome to try. was not a fan of nutritional profile and by no means intended to keep him on it permanently but boy did it fix things. our vet also recommended purina pro plan sensitive stomach salmon and rice so we bought another small bag of the Hills science and slowly transitioned him, maybe over a month's time. he is now 2 and still having normal poops even when adding this like yogurt, banana, beef liver, boiled chicken breast, goat kefir, salmon skin, etc. my parents use Nootie Progility Pre & Probiotics Soft Chew Supplements which have digestive enzymes as well, had to slowly transition to recommended dosage, but has helped their boxer. hope that helps a bit.

 

[Dave Smola]

Hello everyone! New member but I have been reading the forum for awhile. I was wondering if anyone had a dog with issues like mine….

We have a 1 year old female boxer who has had on and off soft poops since we got her and eventually they were progressing to cow patties. At first she was a healthy weight and then after a period of about 6 months she was skin and bones despite feeding her over what the dog food brand recommended. I could never get her above a cup and a half of food per sitting without diarrhea. I thought maybe it was a protein sensitivity to chicken. So we tried to switch to TOTW Pacific Steam, fail. Diamond Naturals lamb and rice, fail. Took her to the vet, all the labs were normal. I convinced to test for EPI (twice) and that was normal. Stool tests were normal. We did a round of antibiotics anyway. We knew peanut butter (fats in general) really set her off so we tried a low fat food by Eagle Pack, fail. This entire time the only shaped poop was on Iams Minichunks, which may not be premium food but she ate it and we had shaped poop, albeit soft. The vet gave us a prescription for Pancreplus while we waited for the EPI testing and bam, immediately solid poop. Not perfect but way better. Added some Slippery Elm twice a day, even better, but still no wait gain and stuck at 1 cup 3x a day of food. Unfortunately while all this was going on she developed a taste for poop because she was starving and now we fight that battle as well!

As a last ditch effort before going to an IMS I asked for a RX food. I had two on the list, first a non-hydrolyzed (PPP Gastroenteric and then PPP Elemental prior to their recall). Our vet uses Science Diet but after all my research I liked the nutrition set up of Purina Pro Plan Gastroenteric because it was closest to the Iams were were using in fat and fiber. We are at half a cup of it and half a cup of Iams with digestive enzymes every meal and life is beautiful. 2-3 poops a day most days and dark brown solid poop. Still no weight gain but we stopped losing and I plan on adding more food once we get to one type of kibble. If we give too much food she doesn’t digest it and it doesn’t just defeat the point, it makes it worse.

Has anyone had a boxer who responded to enzymes so well and needed RX food? How did you get them to gain weight? I feel awful because I want to add more meat to her food and fatten her up but she can’t handle it. It’s so frustrating. Right now I just am waiting for a few months of solid poop before I rock the boat with added protein.

Fortunately she is a typical boxer and happy and energetic as ever. She does tucker out easy but she has the get up and go of our last one. She is sweet mannered and such a big baby, which makes watching her waste away even harder. I have been on several other forums and Facebook pages looking for answers and outside of EPI and IBD (which we are treating both now, minus steroids which won’t work with her appetite being out of control as it is) we haven’t found any other suggestions.

So far on food we have swung and missed with these foods:
Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream
Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice
Evengers Vegetarian Wet Food (as a topper for calories)
Beechnut Blended baby meat - Turkey and chicken (as a topper)
Bananas
Sweet potato
White potato

The only human food she can handle is white rice, boiled down to slop. And that’s only for a few days straight.

The picture with her playing in the water was in July when she was a healthy weight. The other two are from the last month.

View attachment 137636
View attachment 137635
View attachment 137638

Hello everyone! New member but I have been reading the forum for awhile. I was wondering if anyone had a dog with issues like mine….

We have a 1 year old female boxer who has had on and off soft poops since we got her and eventually they were progressing to cow patties. At first she was a healthy weight and then after a period of about 6 months she was skin and bones despite feeding her over what the dog food brand recommended. I could never get her above a cup and a half of food per sitting without diarrhea. I thought maybe it was a protein sensitivity to chicken. So we tried to switch to TOTW Pacific Steam, fail. Diamond Naturals lamb and rice, fail. Took her to the vet, all the labs were normal. I convinced to test for EPI (twice) and that was normal. Stool tests were normal. We did a round of antibiotics anyway. We knew peanut butter (fats in general) really set her off so we tried a low fat food by Eagle Pack, fail. This entire time the only shaped poop was on Iams Minichunks, which may not be premium food but she ate it and we had shaped poop, albeit soft. The vet gave us a prescription for Pancreplus while we waited for the EPI testing and bam, immediately solid poop. Not perfect but way better. Added some Slippery Elm twice a day, even better, but still no wait gain and stuck at 1 cup 3x a day of food. Unfortunately while all this was going on she developed a taste for poop because she was starving and now we fight that battle as well!

As a last ditch effort before going to an IMS I asked for a RX food. I had two on the list, first a non-hydrolyzed (PPP Gastroenteric and then PPP Elemental prior to their recall). Our vet uses Science Diet but after all my research I liked the nutrition set up of Purina Pro Plan Gastroenteric because it was closest to the Iams were were using in fat and fiber. We are at half a cup of it and half a cup of Iams with digestive enzymes every meal and life is beautiful. 2-3 poops a day most days and dark brown solid poop. Still no weight gain but we stopped losing and I plan on adding more food once we get to one type of kibble. If we give too much food she doesn’t digest it and it doesn’t just defeat the point, it makes it worse.

Has anyone had a boxer who responded to enzymes so well and needed RX food? How did you get them to gain weight? I feel awful because I want to add more meat to her food and fatten her up but she can’t handle it. It’s so frustrating. Right now I just am waiting for a few months of solid poop before I rock the boat with added protein.

Fortunately she is a typical boxer and happy and energetic as ever. She does tucker out easy but she has the get up and go of our last one. She is sweet mannered and such a big baby, which makes watching her waste away even harder. I have been on several other forums and Facebook pages looking for answers and outside of EPI and IBD (which we are treating both now, minus steroids which won’t work with her appetite being out of control as it is) we haven’t found any other suggestions.

So far on food we have swung and missed with these foods:
Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream
Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice
Evengers Vegetarian Wet Food (as a topper for calories)
Beechnut Blended baby meat - Turkey and chicken (as a topper)
Bananas
Sweet potato
White potato

The only human food she can handle is white rice, boiled down to slop. And that’s only for a few days straight.

The picture with her playing in the water was in July when she was a healthy weight. The other two are from the last month.

View attachment 137636
View attachment 137635
View attachment 137638

First of all, please get that pinch choker off her! Boxers have enough breathing issues without that added one. Seondly, try cottage cheese and/or yogurt, either of which should tighten stools. A 1-year-old is still growing skeleton, and may not have had time to flesh it out yet. I am afraid of raw food, seeing all the recalls constantly being posted. I have a recipe for a chicken stew I cook weekly as an add-on to 1 cup of dry kibble: 2 whole chicken legs OR 3 thight, 3 medium sweet potatoes, diced, 3 carrots, diced, 1 C of zu cchini or pumpkin, diced.
Boil meat @ 1 hour, remove and shred meat and dice skin. Keep boiling bones another hour. Remove bones and return meat and the diced veggies. Can return skin unless fat causes problems. (I always have a bowl for lunch before adding back the skin.) Put @ 1/4 C. over dry kibble - our dogs gobble it up without fail.
Dave Smola, 40-year breeder of boxers with 4 adults (and 7 pups) currently in residence.

 

[wildcatmama7]

Thanks for the tips Dave. Fat does irritate her. Fortunately she has a healthy appetite, in fact too healthy of one. I may try cottage cheese as a topping once she has been stable on the RX diet for a few weeks. She needs the calories.

She does not wear her prong collar unless she is on her leash. The picture where she is laying down with it on is between the boarder and home. We keep it on for short car rides in case she needs to quickly get out. It isn’t tight on her at all as I do not have it as tight as most people keep them. She doesn’t pull with it on, so there is nothing that keeps her from breathing well. It takes one light pinch of a reminder and she walks perfect. We have her on a prong collar because despite the slim structure, she can yank us down the block if she sees a squirrel and she is still a pup learning to walk. The other picture where she is propped up she is visiting with a cat friend on our daily walk, and while the leash is taught, the collar is not. I rarely have to use it to correct her. It is really just on for both of our safety. I do understand your concern. We actually have a frenchie who is extremely dog aggressive that we had to quit walking regularly because she will not respect a prong collar, a thick leather training collar, or an anti pull harness. She will pull until she struggles to breathe and never relax, so we take her to a field and play ball instead of walking. She listens perfectly and comes directly back when called. The boxer - not so much- they all learn differently.

 

[[email protected]]

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a pinch collar used correctly and fitted correctly if control and safety are an issue. I keep my dogs on reduced fat diet, I cook ground turkey (mostly fat free) or fat free chicken as topper for my dogs kibbles sometimes add a splash of no salt chicken broth.

 

[cathyv]

I will say that I have to use a pinch collar with my boy, he has pulled me down on the ground twice. I know, train him. It takes a while to overcome 2 years of bad or no training. But I DO turn the pinch collar around so it is inside out when he is say in the car. I turn it back around before I get him out of the car anywhere but at home. and if I load him in the car to head for home, it comes off right then and there. I will never allow him to lie down with the prongs turned inward.

As to dietary issue: I had a friend some years ago with a german shepard who had the same issues. I know that they gave him some sort of digestive enzymes from the vet. It wasn't "sensitivty" or food allergies, he simply had a severe deficiency of digestive enzymes. He had to have several of them before or with each meal. Made a world of difference! I only remember because I watched the dog for them now and again, wish I could remember what they were giving him.

My boy's initial tummy issues due to very strong antibiotics for lyme continued for a bit even after the antibiotics were done. Knowing what they do to human digestion (kill off good bacteria) I started him on probitioics. He was 15 lbs underweight when we adopted him. He still throws up and gets really loose stool once in a great while (I attribute it to anxiety if we've been gone from the house a bit and feed him right when we get home), but a food change solidified his poop up considerably. Mixing diamond natural adult dog all breed with their light food (both are lamb and rice) along with cooked lamb and sweet potato or pumpkin that we make for him. He was getting to be a bit of a portly pup, so we dialed it back a bit by mixing in the light food. I feel like I owe an awful lot to the probiotics; his coat, digestion, gas and demeaner improved immensely with them. I had asked at the shelter about salmon oil because his coat was so poor, they were the ones who initially mentioned probiotics.