Chronic Diarrhea

 

by Amy
(North Carolina)

Hi! I have a 2-yr-old male Rott & he has been experiencing diarrhea over the last few weeks. We switched foods: from Gravy Train to Wal-Mart’s Ol’ Roy (high performance) brand b/c he got to where he wouldn’t eat the Gravy Train. Since then, he has been having this problem. Should I change to a more expensive brand of food before taking him to the vet?

He is up-to-date on all of his vaccinations, and is NOT lethargic, nor does he have a problem being hungry. I was told to give him nothing but water for 24 hrs, then a bland diet of boiled rice in no salt/oil chicken broth for a week. Our other dog (Spaniel) is not having this problem. Any advice???

Thanks!
Amy B.

Hi Amy
I’d be fairly willing to assume that the digestive upset is due to the change in diet, and I’m afraid that the food brands you mention do not provide the type of nutrition your Rottie needs. They are both high in additives and fillers and as Rottweilers tend to suffer from Canine Allergies it’s quite possible that your dog is sensitive, or even allergic, to some of the ingredients.

Find a premium dog food that is specifically designed for large breed dogs (Solid Gold, Blue Buffalo, Timberwolf, Innova and Wellness are just some of the top brands on the market) and gradually change him over to that, then give him about 4 – 6 weeks for his body to adjust. If after that time he’s still having problems, or if he stops being happy, healthy and active then get him to your vet for evaluation.

Hope this helps, best of luck with your dog.

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Hi there,

My parents have brought home a 7 week old rottweiler pup.. She was the last of the litter to be sold off..

She does not have a certificate nor has she had any shots.

She will be going to the vet tomorrow.

I’m just wondering, Apparently her mum bit her, Why i’m not sure.. Now she has some hair loss on her muzzle and her eye lid is kinda closed… I’ve attached a pic.

Does she look fine or could it be more serious ? Overall what do you think ? Regardless. we still love her..

Ps. You have a wonderful site here… Just spent a good few hours going thru it… Really hats off to you

Regards
Mohamed

Hi Mohamed
Glad to hear you’re enjoying my site, that’s always good news to my ears!

From what I can see, Xena looks okay overall, but that eye definitely needs attention. It could be, if she’s been bitten, that the eye itself is damaged, or it could be an infection, or an eyelid problem (Rotties are a bit susceptible to eye issues such as Entropion – inward turning eyelids).

The bare patch on her muzzle could be due to her rubbing it on something, perhaps a fence, or crate door, but I can’t tell for sure from here. Of course, again if she was bitten by her momma it could be that she has a scar there and that the hair hasn’t grown back yet.

Your veterinarian will be able to assess her condition much better than I can as he/she will be able to conduct a hands-on exam (and I’m not a vet!), but hopefully all will be well and if Xena needs any treatment he/she will be able to prescribe it for you.

She’s looks like a great little girl, and I’m sure that you’ll soon be able to have her 100% healthy. Give her lots of love and enjoy her! Best of luck to you all.

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Hi im Mike and I have a rottie X staffy and he is 4 months old and he isn’t eating as much as I think a developing puppy should be, he hardly touches his breaky and dinner do u know anyways to make him eat? I have him on dry food.

Hi Mike
Puppies are like little kids and they go through ‘phases and stages’ in terms of appetite, these generally correspond with their stage of development.

It’s not unusual for a puppy to have a few weeks where he’s hungry all the time, followed by weeks where he barely seems to touch his food. The keys as to whether there’s anything to worry about are if he seems happy, healthy and active and if your vet thinks his weight is appropriate for his skeletal frame and age. If these areas are both fine, then I wouldn’t worry about this. He’ll be hungry again soon enough.

However, if he seems lethargic, has tummy troubles such as vomiting or diarrhea and so on, or if he just seems out-of-sorts, then I’d recommend having your vet check him out to make sure everything is okay. Also ask your vet if your pup appears to be of the right weight for his build, if he seems underweight then he may want to run a few tests to see if there’s a physical problem.

Some pups (and even older dogs too) are just ‘picky eaters’ and it’s best not to try to pander to their whims or to put a huge effort into encouraging them to eat – that usually causes more problems than it solves.! Just be sure you’re giving him a premium puppy food specifically designed for large breed puppies (see my Feeding Puppies and Best Puppy Food pages for more on this) and let him decide how much he wants to eat. Don’t give him snacks between meals or a lot of treats or ‘human food’ either, he may decide he likes that a whole lot more than his food and it will make matters worse too.

Hope this helps, best of luck with that adorable puppy 🙂

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About The Rotty lover 2159 Articles
My name is Dr. Winnie. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Duke University, a Masters of Science in Biology from St Georges University, and graduated from the University of Pretoria Veterinary School in South Africa. I have been an animal lover and owners all my life having owned a Rottweiler named Duke, a Pekingese named Athena and now a Bull Mastiff named George, also known as big G! I'm also an amateur equestrian and love working with horses. I'm a full-time Veterinarian in South Africa specializing in internal medicine for large breed dogs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 kids and Big G in my free time. Author and Contribturor at SeniorTailWaggers, A Love of Rottweilers, DogsCatsPets and TheDogsBone