Siberian Husky Question-Food

[Kevin]

I own a 11 mos old Siberian Husky, and recently she's run into problems with diarrea. We were feeding her Nutro puppy food up until a few weeks ago, when she developed some watery stool.

We took her to the vet, and she gave us some prescribed WD, sensitive stomach dog food. After it was used up, we switched to some adult Nutro food w/herring (fish). We assumed, that due to the Northern Breed of Huskies, the fish ingrediant would be ideal. For the past few weeks, her stool has been a mixture of soft/hard. I've spoken with other husky owners who said that the breed tends to have sensitive stomachs. The diarrea hasn't affected her personality at all, and she hasn't lost any weight, but it can't be comfortable for her. I'm tired of spending money at the vet for remedies that don't seem to work. Oh ya, we've done the chicken/rice thing...Not working, although she loves the chicken.

I know every dog is different, but does anyone have any suggestions?

[kinderwood]

Kevin, have you had her stools tested for giardia? It's an intestinal parasite and it can often be missed with normal stool testing. In fact, it's not unheard of for it to go undetected even after 4 or 5 samplings. It does, however, present these symptoms and when it's found I believe they have medication to clear it up. Just a thought.

My other thought is that Nutro's foods are not single protein foods. So, (although I'd have to look it up to be sure) the Herring formula is most likely not all fish protein. If you want to try a single protein sensitive stomach food, I would try the Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach or Pro Plan Selects Salmon & Brown Rice. They only have fish protein and no corn, wheat, or soy. I've heard of many people having success with those foods.

Those are just my thoughts. Good luck!

[Kevin]

Kevin, have you had her stools tested for giardia? It's an intestinal parasite and it can often be missed with normal stool testing. In fact, it's not unheard of for it to go undetected even after 4 or 5 samplings. It does, however, present these symptoms and when it's found I believe they have medication to clear it up. Just a thought.

My other thought is that Nutro's foods are not single protein foods. So, (although I'd have to look it up to be sure) the Herring formula is most likely not all fish protein. If you want to try a single protein sensitive stomach food, I would try the Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach or Pro Plan Selects Salmon & Brown Rice. They only have fish protein and no corn, wheat, or soy. I've heard of many people having success with those foods.

Those are just my thoughts. Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback...We had her tested for intestinal parasites when we took her to the vet a few weeks back, and it came up negative (which is a positive). But i'm not sure if the test you're referring to (giardia) is what she was tested for. I'll have to ask our vet.

I'll look into the pro plan dog foods. Can their food be found at pet smart or Petco? Or would I have to special order it?

We're trying to go back to her puppy food and mix it with her new food to see if that helps settle her stomach a little. Maybe we switched too quickly. We're boarding her for a few days for Thanksgiving and then for a week during the Christmas holiday, so I'd like to get this under control before then.

[kinderwood]

Thanks for the feedback...We had her tested for intestinal parasites when we took her to the vet a few weeks back, and it came up negative (which is a positive). But i'm not sure if the test you're referring to (giardia) is what she was tested for. I'll have to ask our vet.

I'll look into the pro plan dog foods. Can their food be found at pet smart or Petco? Or would I have to special order it?

We're trying to go back to her puppy food and mix it with her new food to see if that helps settle her stomach a little. Maybe we switched too quickly. We're boarding her for a few days for Thanksgiving and then for a week during the Christmas holiday, so I'd like to get this under control before then.
If she came up negative the first time, I would test her again. Like I mentioned previously, giardia is something that is hard to detect and often times is hard to get a positive result on without several tries.

Pro Plan can be found at Petsmart or Petco. I would check there first as it tends to be cheaper there, but sometimes they carry it at local feed and/or farm stores too.

If she is 11 months old, I don't think switching too quickly is that much of an issue. In fact, we switched our girl "cold turkey" at about 6 months old and she did just fine. I would be more concerned about switching too quickly if she was 4 months old or younger. They tend to have pretty sensitive tummies up until that time. After that, I don't worry so much. However, every dog is different.

I hope something works out for her. Good luck!

[charm38]

I agree with kinderwood, have her re-tested. The vet can give her a liquid antibiotic to cure giardia,they may give it to you, if you ask.That happened to one of my pups, they found nothing wrong, but gave me the albon anyway, and she did much better!
Also a little remedy that works is canned pumpkin ( pure, not the kind ready to pour in a pie shell, this is in a can and is 100% pumpkin) Give a couple tablespoons (you may mix in food) "you may need to give alittle more as your pup is much bigger than a cocker spaniel"this works great, but has a down side: it works either way on dogs, if their stool is loose, it will firm it up, if their constapated, it will loosen them up, so monitor, and don't overfeed. I have found, 2x a day to be good for my pups. and usually only took less than 2 days, you may see firmer poop after the first feeding:) pro-plan can be bought in most grocery stores.

[kinderwood]

I agree with kinderwood, have her re-tested. The vet can give her a liquid antibiotic to cure giardia,they may give it to you, if you ask.That happened to one of my pups, they found nothing wrong, but gave me the albon anyway, and she did much better!
Also a little remedy that works is canned pumpkin ( pure, not the kind ready to pour in a pie shell, this is in a can and is 100% pumpkin) Give a couple tablespoons (you may mix in food) "you may need to give alittle more as your pup is much bigger than a cocker spaniel"this works great, but has a down side: it works either way on dogs, if their stool is loose, it will firm it up, if their constapated, it will loosen them up, so monitor, and don't overfeed. I have found, 2x a day to be good for my pups. and usually only took less than 2 days, you may see firmer poop after the first feeding:) pro-plan can be bought in most grocery stores.
Thanks, I forgot about the pumpkin! I believe you're thinking of Purina One that's sold in grocery stores. While Purina One and Pro Plan are very similar, they aren't the same. Purina One tends to have more corn (it's closer to the top in the ingredients list) and includes artificial colors in it's mix (i.e. Caramal Color, etc.). There aren't any artificial colors in Pro Plan. Purina One is one of the better foods you can get in a grocery store though- better than Ol' Roy or most other "house" brands at least.;)

Just a comparison:

Pro Plan Adult Chicken & Rice
Chicken, brewers rice, whole grain wheat, poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), corn bran, fish meal (natural source of glucosamine), animal digest, dried egg product, calcium phosphate, salt, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, Vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite

Purina One Total Nutrition Chicken & Rice
Chicken (natural source of glucosamine), brewers rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), whole grain corn, whole grain wheat, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), non-fat yogurt, animal digest, calcium phosphate, salt, potassium chloride, caramel color, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite

[charm38]

you are right my mistake!

[siberianhusky101]

Before you try using ProPlan OR Purina one, which Nutro are you feeding? I've seen huge differences between NutroUltra and NutroMax. I would stick with complete holistic foods such as Natures Own and NutroUltra. almost all Purina product have corn, by-products and other fillers that keep your dog from getting the nutrition she needs. PetSmart has a 'any time with or without a receipt' return policy, that way, you can take a look at different food to see how they work with her. One last question, how much do you exercise your siberian? Huskies are bred as working dogs, and so require a whopping amount of exercise, which extends past running around the backyard. the more you walk your dog the healthier her stools should look. Its also true that Siberian have a tendency to have loose stools, I struggled with it for a long time with my siberian, even with the proper amount of exercise.

[kinderwood]

Before you try using ProPlan OR Purina one, which Nutro are you feeding? I've seen huge differences between NutroUltra and NutroMax. I would stick with complete holistic foods such as Natures Own and NutroUltra. almost all Purina product have corn, by-products and other fillers that keep your dog from getting the nutrition she needs. PetSmart has a 'any time with or without a receipt' return policy, that way, you can take a look at different food to see how they work with her. One last question, how much do you exercise your siberian? Huskies are bred as working dogs, and so require a whopping amount of exercise, which extends past running around the backyard. the more you walk your dog the healthier her stools should look. Its also true that Siberian have a tendency to have loose stools, I struggled with it for a long time with my siberian, even with the proper amount of exercise.
True. However, Nutro is not without its fillers or faults either- including the Ultra. Nutro tends to engage in ingredient splitting- ground rice, rice bran, rice flour, etc. So, while chicken meal or lamb meal, etc. might appear first of the label, rice may actually be the true first ingredient. Another thing with Nutro is that their Omega 6 & Omega 3 levels are way off and do not balance. There should be approximately a 5:1 ratio- Nutro is about 10:1. Besides that, Nutro uses Soybean Oil as well Corn Gluten Meal- which actually nullifies their claim that they don't use any corn. Corn is corn wether it be whole ground corn or a fraction like corn gluten meal. However, Corn is only a problem if a dog doesn't do well with it- the same is true of wheat. Otherwise corn is perfectly healthy carbohydrate that is a great source of Omega fatty acids. By-Products are not bad as long as you know the quality. These ingredients do not keep your dog from getting the nutrition it needs. They simply supply it in a different way.

That said, all I'm trying to do is point out that no food is "perfect", including Nutro. Nutro is not "better" than Pro Plan- the vice versa is true also. It is not my intention to "push" Pro Plan or Purina products. Kevin presented a problem, and I gave suggestions that I know have worked for fellow breeders and/or exhibitors- most of whom, admittedly, do feed Pro Plan products. I can suggest "better" quality foods that may work also (at least one of which I know has been used successfully as an "elimination diet" for allergies) if anyone is interested. However, I do understand that not everyone can afford to spend $40 or more on a bag of food, nor do they always have every food available to them.

[Kevin]

Before you try using ProPlan OR Purina one, which Nutro are you feeding? I've seen huge differences between NutroUltra and NutroMax. I would stick with complete holistic foods such as Natures Own and NutroUltra. almost all Purina product have corn, by-products and other fillers that keep your dog from getting the nutrition she needs. PetSmart has a 'any time with or without a receipt' return policy, that way, you can take a look at different food to see how they work with her. One last question, how much do you exercise your siberian? Huskies are bred as working dogs, and so require a whopping amount of exercise, which extends past running around the backyard. the more you walk your dog the healthier her stools should look. Its also true that Siberian have a tendency to have loose stools, I struggled with it for a long time with my siberian, even with the proper amount of exercise.

Thanks for the feedback.

Kaya gets 2 full hours of walk/running on the leash with me every day. It seems to be more than enough exercise for her. She seems very content throughout the day when she's at home. Since I started this thread, her poops have been improving quite a bit. We went back to her puppy food (chicken and rice formula), and it's improved quite a bit.

We've been using the Nutro Natural Choice brand, not the Nutro Max. Can you find the Nutro Ultra at Pet-Smart? I don't remember seeing it offered anywhere.

[Kevin]

I don't mind making my dog's food myself. Does anyone have any suggestions and or recipes for a Husky that may be healthy for her? I've heard of many dog owners that bypass dog food all together and make their dog's dinners. Has anyone had success with this?

We're currently adding a little cooked chicken with her dog food, and she loves it. Her poops are getting much better since we got away from the herring and stuck with the chicken protein.

I appreciate the help and feedback from all of you.

[melissav26]

I am having the same problems with my siberian husky. He started getting diahhrea around 4 or 4 1/2 months. We took him to the vet and he got antibiotics, Purina Vet Diets EN and forti flora probiotic powder for about a week. This helped but 48 hrs after we stopped the antibiotics he started having diahhrea again. He has very loose, liquidy or mushy stools. Occasionally we find some mucus in it.

So after the diahhrea we did another course of antibiotics and he got better. 48 hrs after that course stopped the diahhrea started again. So we went back to the vet. He did another fecal test which came up negative like the first. He gave us a 3 day liquid dewormer. I gave him that but it did no good. I then began feeding him chicken and rice with added Nupro which is a supplement full of vitamins/minerals/enzymns and probiotics. After a few days he was still getting the loose stools. The vet has now switched me to a special diet of Pruina Vet Diet EN and only bottled water. No treats or bones. Just the food and water. We switched him 2 days ago and the diahhrea has gotten worse, which they said might happen b/c of the cold-turkey food change. So I am waiting to see whats going to happen in the next few days or weeks. We have been dealing with this for about a month and it's been super stressful. I'm really hoping this helps. I posted something on curezone about this and a man answered me back saying that his dog had the exact same problems and it turned out she was allergic to rice. Rice is in almost every dog food. My vet thinks this is a possibility as well. One dog food I found was Pinnacle which is rice free. You may want to try that. It's a bit expensive but you can get it at k9cuisine.com with free shipping. Your sibe might also be allergic to rice.

[Kevin]

I am having the same problems with my siberian husky. He started getting diahhrea around 4 or 4 1/2 months. We took him to the vet and he got antibiotics, Purina Vet Diets EN and forti flora probiotic powder for about a week. This helped but 48 hrs after we stopped the antibiotics he started having diahhrea again. He has very loose, liquidy or mushy stools. Occasionally we find some mucus in it.

So after the diahhrea we did another course of antibiotics and he got better. 48 hrs after that course stopped the diahhrea started again. So we went back to the vet. He did another fecal test which came up negative like the first. He gave us a 3 day liquid dewormer. I gave him that but it did no good. I then began feeding him chicken and rice with added Nupro which is a supplement full of vitamins/minerals/enzymns and probiotics. After a few days he was still getting the loose stools. The vet has now switched me to a special diet of Pruina Vet Diet EN and only bottled water. No treats or bones. Just the food and water. We switched him 2 days ago and the diahhrea has gotten worse, which they said might happen b/c of the cold-turkey food change. So I am waiting to see whats going to happen in the next few days or weeks. We have been dealing with this for about a month and it's been super stressful. I'm really hoping this helps. I posted something on curezone about this and a man answered me back saying that his dog had the exact same problems and it turned out she was allergic to rice. Rice is in almost every dog food. My vet thinks this is a possibility as well. One dog food I found was Pinnacle which is rice free. You may want to try that. It's a bit expensive but you can get it at k9cuisine.com with free shipping. Your sibe might also be allergic to rice.

Thanks for the feedback.

After going back to the chicken and rice formula puppy, it's been getting much better. We were also taking her to the park a lot before the diarrhea got really bad. She may have been picking something up off the grass, like rabit poop or something. Since we've been sticking to walks/runs on the leash only, her poops have gotton much better. Maybe your dog simply ate the wrong plant.

[melissav26]

Thanks for the feedback.

After going back to the chicken and rice formula puppy, it's been getting much better. We were also taking her to the park a lot before the diarrhea got really bad. She may have been picking something up off the grass, like rabit poop or something. Since we've been sticking to walks/runs on the leash only, her poops have gotton much better. Maybe your dog simply ate the wrong plant.

You might be right...I don't know. He likes to eat dirt...which is bad but sometimes it's hard to stop him, he gets a mouthful once in a while. I found this dog food by Buffalo Blue that is made for high endurance dogs like huskies...I think it's called Wilderness and it has a wolf or husky on the bag. It's high protein and low carb and has no rice...wich is amazing. If this new food that the vet put him on doesn't work I may try that. Malo is still a puppy so I may have to wait a couple more months. I just want this to get better. I'm thinking about getting a treadmill so he can get some more exercise. I try to walk him everyday but have tendonitis in my right ankle so walking for an hour or more is hard and painful the next day. Reading some of the replies to your initial post got me thinking that he may be stressed from not enough exercise. It's good to know I'm not the only one experiencing this problem. Thanks for your post...I don't feel so alone now ;)

[siberianhusky101]

Yes NutroUltra can be found at PetSmart, another you might try is Blue Buffalo's Wilderness formula.

[reneesrad]

Quick question- my siberian husky puppy loves puppy chow. I tired feeding her blue buffalo (this is what the experts recommend) and she got sick and threw up. Is puupy chow a terrible food to feed her?

[siberianhusky101]

did you introduce the food to her slowly? sometimes if you switch cold turkey they will get an upset stomach. YES puppies should be fed on a puppy diet until they are 12 to 18 months old.

[Kevin]

You might be right...I don't know. He likes to eat dirt...which is bad but sometimes it's hard to stop him, he gets a mouthful once in a while. I found this dog food by Buffalo Blue that is made for high endurance dogs like huskies...I think it's called Wilderness and it has a wolf or husky on the bag. It's high protein and low carb and has no rice...wich is amazing. If this new food that the vet put him on doesn't work I may try that. Malo is still a puppy so I may have to wait a couple more months. I just want this to get better. I'm thinking about getting a treadmill so he can get some more exercise. I try to walk him everyday but have tendonitis in my right ankle so walking for an hour or more is hard and painful the next day. Reading some of the replies to your initial post got me thinking that he may be stressed from not enough exercise. It's good to know I'm not the only one experiencing this problem. Thanks for your post...I don't feel so alone now ;)

What's the latest with your Husky? Have his stools been getting better? Our Husky, Kaya, is still having periodic problems with her stools. She'll go a few weeks with no problems, then she'll have loose stools. She never has parasites, so it's got to be something she's picking up on walks or when she's running around the backyard. Who knows...At least her personality is un-changed. :)

[Kevin]

I've read a lot of stuff about Sib Huskies being alergic to rice, but how do you know for sure? Is there a way to test for it? Right now, I'm just assuming she is, and we don't know for sure.

[peter love dog]

I found this word somewhere on the internet "Siberian Huskies are know to develop allergies to certain kinds of food and if you constantly change what you are feeding your dog then they could develop a digestive allergy to something. If you feed your dog something different and it gets sick then get to the vet and prepare to stop feeding your dog that particular food."

Hope this help.

[siberianhusky101]

No, Siberian Huskies are not allergic to rice. Grains are the thing that is the most common allergen in dogs (all dogs). Wheat is what you find in most generic dog foods. I feed all of my pets the blue. Keep a watch on it though, sometimes Blue Buffalo is too rich for some sensitive stomachs. It's not a problem to switch around foods, as long as you do it slowly, keeping them on foods that have corn or wheat is what I've seen results in food allergies.