Dog diarrhea: When to switch from bland diet back to kibble?

I'm sorry to hear that Cleo is not doing well. If she improved on a bland diet (chicken and rice), but the signs have returned on her regular food, then I would be suspicious that the food is the cause of the problems. I would recommend resuming the chicken and rice diet to make sure that the signs again resolve with a bland diet. If that is the case, then I would recommend consulting with your veterinarian for a recommendation for food based on what you were previously feeding (brand and protein source), how large the bag was and how long the bag has been open. It may be that Cleo does not do well on that particular brand or flavor of food, it may be a bad bag, or it may have been open too long and started to spoil. Depending on which of these things is most likely, your vet will be able to give you a recommendation on what to try, but I would recommend sticking with chicken and rice for now to make sure that she is back to normal before you make any other changes. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is a good sign that she improved with a bland diet, I recommend returning to chicken and rice with a probiotic such as fortiflora for 48 hours then slowly adding a sensitive puppy food (royal canin gastrointestinal junior or calibra puppy is my preferred option). Add kibble at no more than 20% every 2 days to allow the gut to adjust

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chloe. I am happy to hear that she is feeling better. I typically recommend feeding a bland diet (ie the beef and rice) for about 48 hours after the symptoms have resolved. After this point, you can reintroduce her original diet. Be sure not to give treats, dental chews, or other food human as you want to make things easy on her gastrointestinal tract. If her symptoms recur when she is back on her original diet, you can offer the beef and rice for 24 hours. If this does not resolve the issue or she has blood in her stool again, then she will need to see her veterinarian again. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Molly. Mucus typically indicates inflammation in the colon. So there is still a problem going on with her. It is generally fine to continue the bland diet, but I recommend that she sees her veterinarian for fecal testing. I hope this information helps!

It could be the brand of food or it could be the individual bag of food. Fast him for 24 hours then feed a bland diet in small, frequent amounts. Begin with 1 tablespoon every hour and gradually increase the amount. Feed bland until the stool is totally normal then transition slowly to the regular diet. Transition over 7-10 days. Consider a veterinary probiotic to promote a healthy gut. Brands include Bene-Bac, ProViable, ProStora or FortiFlora.

Yes, this can be normal after extended episodes of diarrhea. The bland diet is highly digestible and will produce less stool than the regular diet. Once the stool is normal and the slow transition to his regular diet progresses, you should see his bathroom habits return to normal.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Diarrhea resolving can take a few days, so it is normal that it isn't as solid as normal. The straining however isn't normal. I would recommend checking to make sure around her anus looks ok (no bleeding or wounds), and if you can feel under her anus at the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions, does it feel like hard marbles are under the skin. If this is the case she could have full anal glands which can be making her uncomfortable in her back end. This would require a vet visit to empty them before they burst. Otherwise, as long as she is eating/playing, I would just monitor her to see if the behaviour continues. If she is still straining tomorrow I would take Riley to the vet to make sure she isn't constipated, but it might just be a one-off episode. If her next poop is normal without straining then I wouldn't worry about it. Best of luck with Riley!