I have a 16 year old Jack Russell named Lucy. She has had diarrhea for a week and a half. She went to the vet and her blood work was good and no problems in the poop. she is still alert, drinking normally, peeing normally and seems herself. Just she poops once a day now and it’s diarrhea. The vet put her on a medication that made things worse so in agreement with the vet we took her off. She has been on a rice and boiled chicken diet during this time. Yesterday I gave her 1 ml of pepto Bismal. Its seems to be helping but her poop is still very soft. Should I consider giving her anything else. This seems to be going on a bit too long. Oh and she has Pica too which is probably why we are going through all this. So is there anything else we need to do or consider?
There are many many things that can cause diarrhea. In some cases we opt for medical therapies to see if there is a response to treatment, or blood profiles, fecal exams , and digestion profiles. Other cases can be stress or disease. Of the first trip to the vet didn’t realize it it’s probably time to go back. It can be a long exhausting proxies to figure it out.
For my patients I take a detailed history, talk about diet /!; start some diagnostics like a fecal and bloodwork. Then talk about history and home environment. I also talk about probiotics and supplements. There is a lot to talk about with your vet. Find someone you trust and can work with. It is a process. And it takes time and dedication.