# My Lily still not digesting food/WARNING! GRAPHIC PIC



## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Lily is still having problems digesting her food. Sorry for the nasty pic, but it's hard to describe. Currently, she is on plain chicken breast and white rice. Part of the poop is normal, and part is undigested. She has lost a little bit of weight and is too thin. I can get her stabilized and she will have a couple of normal stools, then go to the pic you will see below, and then it will get like soft-serve ice cream, kind of yellowish and watery, and sometimes like rocks. Sometimes, she will have the watery and the hard at the same time. She will go from pooping once or twice a day, and sometimes doesn't go for up to 36 hours. Then she poops everything out.

She has been on prescription prebiotics and probiotics and also on the NaturVet digestive enzymes along with a canned limited ingredient diet(Natural Balance venison & sweet potato) which my vet prescribed but this has not helped. I ordered some of the Animal Essentials digestive enzymes to try. I'm really worried about her, although she seems to feel fine. I have been doing research on her symptoms and the only thing that comes close is exocrine pancreatic insufficiency(EPI) Has anyone ever heard of this? It sounds serious. WARNING-GRAPHIC POOP pic-Sorry for this really gross pic, but I am so worried..:crying:


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Does she have this type of stool when she is on her canned food?


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

jmm said:


> Does she have this type of stool when she is on her canned food?



She will have a few normal stools. Then it tends to get like softserve ice cream with a lot of mucous and is watery around it.


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## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

How long does it take her to eat her food? If she is a fast eater, I would try breaking her meal into two sessions about 15 minutes apart. We did this for Hunter and it really did help the digestion issues and his stools returned to firm dark brown.

It may not be as easy a fix for your baby but it's worth a try


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Hunter's Mom said:


> How long does it take her to eat her food? If she is a fast eater, I would try breaking her meal into two sessions about 15 minutes apart. We did this for Hunter and it really did help the digestion issues and his stools returned to firm dark brown.
> 
> It may not be as easy a fix for your baby but it's worth a try


Thanks, Erin. This is a good idea. I am currently feeding her 3 small meals but she is usually the last one to finish.


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

April -- I don't have any suggestions, but I am sending lots of prayers for sweet Lily. I know that this has been going on for too long and her losing weght isn't good. rayer:rayer::grouphug:

(And, we are a crazy group -- we talk about poop, get excited about good poop, get worried about bad poop, show pictures of poop, etc., etc. Maybe we should rename ourselves the SM Poop Brigade.:HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley


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## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

I just wanted to add that you say that she's on Natural Balance venison.
Venison is a difficult protein to digest . Some of the other gamey meats as well.
I would try another protein source which will be easier to digest. For example.....my malt can eat anything except venison and fish or she will have a poop very similar to the pic above.


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## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

aprilb said:


> Thanks, Erin. This is a good idea. I am currently feeding her 3 small meals but she is usually the last one to finish.


Darn - it was worth a shot. Hopefully you can get to the bottom of this!


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## KAG (Jun 1, 2006)

Aww, April. You must be a wreck. Has your doctor seen Lily's stool like that? You probably did that already, just want to make sure. 

Praying for you and beautiful girl.
xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxo


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

poochie2 said:


> I just wanted to add that you say that she's on Natural Balance venison.
> Venison is a difficult protein to digest . Some of the other gamey meats as well.
> I would try another protein source which will be easier to digest. For example.....my malt can eat anything except venison and fish or she will have a poop v seem ery similar to the pic above.


Thank you. It doesn't seem to matter what I feed her. This has been going on for awhile now.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Has a fecal been done? 

Has she been dewormed with Panacur? 

Even if you do not find parasites, it is good medicine to empirically deworm a dog with chronic GI problems. 

Have you discussed with your vet sending off a GI Panel to Texas A&M? This is bloodwork. 

Have you discussed with your vet doing an ACTH stimulation test to rule out Addison's disease? Maltese appear to be prone to atypical addison's (so their electrolytes are normal). 

If you want to play the diet game, I would focus on a novel protein, a diet with carbs, and a diet low in fat. If you want to cook an elimination diet, realize you do only the 2 ingredients initially and have the diet balanced later on.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

KAG said:


> Aww, April. You must be a wreck. Has your doctor seen Lily's stool like that? You probably did that already, just want to make sure.
> 
> Praying for you and beautiful girl.
> xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxo


Thank you, Kerry. I have not told the vet yet. I'm trying to figure out if I should have tests run. It doesn't seem to matter what I feed her. She is not digesting food.


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## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

I was also thinking about dental treats. I have seen very strange looking poops after giving dental treats. Are you giving Lilly these?

P.S sorry for the previous message with the spelling error . I meant to say" Mine had very similar looking poops after eating venison and fish proteins.


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## revakb2 (Sep 8, 2006)

I am so sorry Lilly is still having problems. She seems like such a sweet girl. Jackie's advise (JMM) makes sense to me. My guys have issues with some foods, but nothing like what you are going through with Lilly. I see poops like that on occasion from my guys, but usually after I changed something in their diet. I hope you find the answer to Lilly's problem soon.


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## plenty pets 20 (Jul 8, 2006)

I would have some blood tests done to rule out liver problems or digestion problems. What age is she??


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## MoonDog (Jun 6, 2011)

Praying for sweet Lily. rayer:


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## coco&nina (May 8, 2008)

Hunter's Mom said:


> How long does it take her to eat her food? If she is a fast eater, I would try breaking her meal into two sessions about 15 minutes apart. We did this for Hunter and it really did help the digestion issues and his stools returned to firm dark brown.
> 
> It may not be as easy a fix for your baby but it's worth a try



I agree. Try this- If Lily inhales her food, you might want to try those special bowls to slow down speedy eaters. The one I saw was like $30. I came up with an idea to use a clean cigarette ash tray as a bowl instead. Just as effective and much cheaper too! Use the one with the grooves. It'll take her longer to get to the food by dispersing the kibble around the tray. She slows down and chew her food now instead of swallowing it. 

Is Lily older? My 13 yr old chi would throw up undigested food. I soften his kibble in the microwave with water for 15 sec and he no longer has that problem. 

Best to have her checked out if you don't see any improvements. Good luck!


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

plenty pets 20 said:


> I would have some blood tests done to rule out liver problems or digestion problems. What age is she??


She's only 2...I'm thinking tests, too.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

poochie2 said:


> I was also thinking about dental treats. I have seen very strange looking poops after giving dental treats. Are you giving Lilly these?
> 
> P.S sorry for the previous message with the spelling error . I meant to say" Mine had very similar looking poops after eating venison and fish proteins.



She has not been getting any treats. As for fish, she can't eat that. Venison & sweet potato was her original diet.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

jmm said:


> Has a fecal been done?
> 
> Has she been dewormed with Panacur?
> 
> ...




The fecal has been done and is negative. I have already tried the diet route. The GI Panel may need to be done. Thanks for your help. I will call my vet.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Dear SM friends, please pray for my dear Lily. Something is clearly wrong. It doesn't seem to matter what I feed her. I am going to talk with my vet about having a GI panel done. I don't know if this includes EPI, but I am going to see about this, too. I read that they need to be fasting to have this test done. The good news is she feels great and looking at her, you would never know anything was wrong. I will let you know what happens.


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## Snowball Pie's Mommi (Oct 16, 2008)

Oh, April ... bless your sweet heart for warning everyone about the graphic poops. We love our fluff babies so much that we can take some graphic poop pictures every once in a while. :HistericalSmiley: And, hey ... I think you have the perfect picture to share with your vet. I'm sure any good vet would appreciate seeing a clear picture like that ... it seems even better than trying to give an accurate description. 

Of course, it's best to take an actual sample of the poopies into the vet's office whenever you can. Whenever this has happened with Snowball, and if we don't have an appointment, we just drop them off at the vet's and they will run whatever testing needs to be done.

If it helps ... Snowball every once in a while has had poops like that ... however, not too often, knock on wood. Actually, yesterday, he had a really loose mucousy BM. But, I think his was due to a stressful event yesterday. And, it was hot outside. And, he had a little taste of mango the night before. Bless his heart ... Snowball and I were sitting in the car waiting for Felix to take some stuff inside the house ... and, then come back out to the car to help me inside. Snowball was crying and couldn't stay still. And, I couldn't figure out what was wrong because that is not like him at all. As soon as we got inside ... he ran to the pee pad ... started circling like mad (that's what he does before doing his poopies) and, the loose mucous started coming out. I felt so bad for him because now I realize he was holding it until he got to a safe place to go. 

Anyway, later we gave him his regular home cooked chicken ... and, thank God, he was fine. I wanted to limit how much he ate ... but, he was really hungry since he didn't eat his breakfast earlier on that day. 

As for Lily ... Jackie is, of course, giving you great advice. In fact, Jackie has me thinking now that I want to talk more with Dr. Krisi about parasites. Recently, we received a newsletter from our vet's office that in our area some dogs are coming down with heartworm and parasites ... even when they are on their monthly meds like Frontline, etc. :w00t: This really has me worried. Jackie, if you happen to read my post ... have you heard anything about that in your area?

Sometime back, I wrote that I was worried about Snowball not eating and having problems with his poopies. After working with Dr. Krisi and another specialist ... we fine tuned his diet a little. And, now he is fine. If he would have had another loose BM after his chicken dinner last night ... then we would have taken him in to to get things checked out further.

So, I hope with Lily that it is not something serious to worry about. I have a feeling it's not. I will pray that she will be back to normal in no time. 

Hugs to both you and Lily.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Oh April, I am so worried about darling Lily. I want to tell you that I went through a similar problem with Ru for a long time. I did put her on a Prescription Diet for a while and it cleared up. Now, I know that nobody trusts Science Diet foods, but for a short term it did cure Ru. But, I will hold my dear niece in my thoughts and concentrate on her good health. It could also be a stress related symptom...she could be picking up stress from you. I have been having a really weird time with Ray...that is, I now realize, all stress. Itsy bitsy tiny stresses really upset our dogs...and the more we fear the worse it gets. Realistically, Lily is in no immanent danger. If you could just manage to look at the fact that she is happy, active and well...and if you could just manage to stop having fear...all big ifs. Maybe, you could say to yourself that you won't worry for today. Okay. That is probably no help at all. So, I'm going to get busy on a prayer bow for my little niece. For now, please shower her with kisses from all the aunties here on SM who love her.


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## coco&nina (May 8, 2008)

Praying that it's nothing serious. Please keep us updated. *Hugs*


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

That's strange about the venison. I've found the dogs I've had on NB Sweet Potato and Venison digested it better than other proteins. My vet even recommends it.
It may be the amount of venison rather than the venison itself?


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

April - i'm so sorry about Lilly. I do have to say that once in a while Tyler has poops that look like that...half brown, half lighter looking but all the same texture - not too hard, not too soft. (TMI I know). He's only been having that since I started to give him dog food along with his usual home cooked. But he seems fine and his weight is the same so I wasn't thinking much of it. I give him Fresh Pet which is refrigerated and comes in a roll. My vet had suggested it as a good quality food.


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## totallytotontuffy (May 16, 2007)

Has the vet done blood tests for protein, b-12, albumen levels? If she is losing weight, she could have a protein losing enteropathy such as lymphangastasia or irritable bowel disease. How much weight has she lost?


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Kinda looks like Sasha's poos when she sneaks a piece of paper towel or napkin. Some times she sneaks a little nibble of napkins that we have in the door pocket when we don't see them in time... or if one falls of the table...


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## Canada (Jun 4, 2009)

If Lily is doing poorly on Chicken, Fish, & Venison,
has she tried Lamb yet?
I would imagine you've tried everything for her...
That's great that you're having the tests done, I hope it is nothing too serious for sweet Lily.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

totallytotontuffy said:


> Has the vet done blood tests for protein, b-12, albumen levels? If she is losing weight, she could have a protein losing enteropathy such as lymphangastasia or irritable bowel disease. How much weight has she lost?


We have not done any blood tests yet. Her last vet visit, she was 4.3 lbs. I weighed her yesterday and she was 3 lbs, 14 ozs. That's a lot considering she is a tiny dog.


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

Sorry Lily is having these issues April  Bailey's poo looked sort of like that when he was on canned food. In fact, his poo was all sorts of weird when he was on his limited ingredient canned diet but he was doing fine otherwise so I didnt worry much...it got normal when I switched him to a different brand of canned and a dehydrated raw mix. 

Are your girls on any priobiotics? If not, then that may help Lily. 

Regarding the weight - different scales will give different results, so I wouldnt worry about that quite yet. Let us know what the vet says when you talk to him! I pray Lily will be 100% better soon!


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

Back when I first got Jett and was really struggling with his IBS issues (could have been IBD but I did not want to put him through a liver biopsy to get the diagnosis and he responded well to treating like IBS & IBD), his poops looked like that while feeding home cooked chicken breast and rice. The consistency and mucous was the same no matter what I fed. So if that pic of the two very different colors in the same poop is while she's on the home cooked chicken and rice but not the canned food...just know so was Jett's. On the canned limited diet his poops were all the same color but still had the same consistency. Jett does have trouble digesting his food. Back when he was sick, not only did we have trouble with his poop, but he would throw up his entire breakfast around 3:00 or 4:00 that day. It should have been digested by then. By giving him Animal Essentials Probiotics with Digestive Enzymes, that helps him digest his food properly. The AE Probiotic with Digestive Enzymes may not be the right match for every dog so you may have to try several to find the one that works best for Lily.

I agree to rule out the other things that have been mentioned with testing, but if all is negative why not try Animal Essentials Phytomucil? If it is an IBS or IBD issue...even stress induced colitis...the Phytomucil will help to heal the GI tract. Sometimes they need a little help to heal the GI tract when just simply a limited soft diet and probiotics alone isn't doing it for them. The Phytomucil Tincture is for the upper GI tract and the Phytomucil Powder is for the lower GI tract. Since there is no easy way of figuring out if her issue is coming from the upper or lower without some pretty invasive testing, it certainly won't hurt her to use both. I would put her on both for 30 days and then let her rest 2 days. You can do another 30 day session and then observe or observe after her first 30 day session.

I have to say I'm pretty impressed on how quickly the Phytomucil does seem to help. Jett gets stress induced colitis and the other week I had a contractor in the store to work on the floor and he was doing some stomping and even jumping to try to slide part of the laminate flooring down a bit. This terrified Jett and he reacted. A couple of days later I noticed soft stools with a bit of mucous and later at the store he had terrible gas that smelled so rotten, the same day he developed the soft stool. When we got home that evening I gave him both the Phytomucil Powder and Phytomucil Tincture and within an hour his gas completely stopped. I'm keeping him on it for 30 days but so far no more soft mucousy stools or gas. He is one that picks up very easily on stress. In fact, I'm thinking he was more sensitive to the contractor due to the stress of my trying to buy/sell houses and the upcoming move. Even though I don't act differently (that I'm aware of), I know he's picking up on it.

Just a thought....you don't have a cat that uses a litter box do you? A customer of mine went through something similar recently and they were thinking all types of things. Come to find out her dog was sneaking cat poop out of the litter box and the cat litter was tearing up her GI system.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Crystal&Zoe said:


> Back when I first got Jett and was really struggling with his IBS issues (could have been IBD but I did not want to put him through a liver biopsy to get the diagnosis and he responded well to treating like IBS & IBD), his poops looked like that while feeding home cooked chicken breast and rice. The consistency and mucous was the same no matter what I fed. So if that pic of the two very different colors in the same poop is while she's on the home cooked chicken and rice but not the canned food...just know so was Jett's. On the canned limited diet his poops were all the same color but still had the same consistency. Jett does have trouble digesting his food. Back when he was sick, not only did we have trouble with his poop, but he would throw up his entire breakfast around 3:00 or 4:00 that day. It should have been digested by then. By giving him Animal Essentials Probiotics with Digestive Enzymes, that helps him digest his food properly. The AE Probiotic with Digestive Enzymes may not be the right match for every dog so you may have to try several to find the one that works best for Lily.
> 
> I agree to rule out the other things that have been mentioned with testing, but if all is negative why not try Animal Essentials Phytomucil? If it is an IBS or IBD issue...even stress induced colitis...the Phytomucil will help to heal the GI tract. Sometimes they need a little help to heal the GI tract when just simply a limited soft diet and probiotics alone isn't doing it for them. The Phytomucil Tincture is for the upper GI tract and the Phytomucil Powder is for the lower GI tract. Since there is no easy way of figuring out if her issue is coming from the upper or lower without some pretty invasive testing, it certainly won't hurt her to use both. I would put her on both for 30 days and then let her rest 2 days. You can do another 30 day session and then observe or observe after her first 30 day session.
> 
> ...



Thanks, Crystal. I will keep what you said in mind. We do not have a cat. She does not have diarrhea- no matter what I feed, about 1/4- 1/3 of the food comes out undigested and she is losing weight. The enzymes and probiotics have not helped, either.


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## elly (Sep 11, 2006)

Pancreatic Insufficiency will cause weight loss and the stools have undigested food in them. My Ellie had liver disease and was dx with Pancreatic Insuffciency. After reading your reply to Crystal I think I would have the test, Ellie's came on very fast and she was losing ounces a day. I added Enzymes to her food and she did really well. You have to get the Enzymes from a vet over the counter will not treat PI.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

So sorry to hear of poor Lilly's problem. :grouphug: wish I could help. These tummy issues can be pretty perplexing. I don't think I have any more to add, but am hoping and praying you find an easy solution.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Cathy, I think you may be right. Wouldn't you know my vet is out of town until Monday.:smilie_tischkante: We have an appointment for 8am that day because Lily needs to be fasting for this blood work. My vet has already seen her for this problem so I want her to handle it. It can wait until Monday as she is stable and feeling fine. It seems to help to feed her 3 small meals a day, less stress on her tiny digestive system. I am going to ask the vet about doing a complete GI panel along with testing her for EPI. I will keep everyone updated.


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## mary-anderson (Jan 12, 2010)

April, I'm so sorry Lily is not well. I don't have any advise but I will be sure to keep your girl in my thoughts and prayers.


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## elly (Sep 11, 2006)

aprilb said:


> Cathy, I think you may be right. Wouldn't you know my vet is out of town until Monday.:smilie_tischkante: We have an appointment for 8am that day because Lily needs to be fasting for this blood work. My vet has already seen her for this problem so I want her to handle it. It can wait until Monday as she is stable and feeling fine. It seems to help to feed her 3 small meals a day, less stress on her tiny digestive system. I am going to ask the vet about doing a complete GI panel along with testing her for EPI. I will keep everyone updated.


I will keep Lily in my prayers. Ellie did not act sick with PI but she was very aggressive over food. My vet had me feed more small meals until we had the results. Sending prayers.

:wub:Cathy and Mercedes:wub:


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## romeo&juliet (Jun 23, 2011)

Hope everything gets better so sorry lily is going through this and i know you must be so worried sending hugs and kisses and prayers all gets better. :wub::wub::wub:


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## Bibu (Jun 3, 2010)

Poor Lily! I know it will be stressful to wait until Monday to get to the vet but I'm going to pray that the vet can do those tests and find out what is bugging your baby girl! I will also pray that it will be nothing serious. Hugs to little Lily and you!


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## plenty pets 20 (Jul 8, 2006)

Try adding some carbs to her diet like baked potato and dont add fat. Hard boiled eggs and boiled chicken breast.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

plenty pets 20 said:


> Try adding some carbs to her diet like baked potato and dont add fat. Hard boiled eggs and boiled chicken breast.


Thanks, Edie. I may try that. For now, I don't want to rock the boat until after I see the vet on Monday. I just pray it will be an easy fix.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

elly said:


> I will keep Lily in my prayers. Ellie did not act sick with PI but she was very aggressive over food. My vet had me feed more small meals until we had the results. Sending prayers.
> 
> :wub:Cathy and Mercedes:wub:


Lily has become a little more aggressive/over-eager with her food. Thank you for your prayers.


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

April -- as I said before, I don't have any advice or info on this -- but just want you to know that I'm continuing to pray for sweet little Lily.


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## Katkoota (Feb 18, 2006)

Poor precious Lily. I pray that u figure it out and that it isnt anything serious (hugs)


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## plenty pets 20 (Jul 8, 2006)

I had a girl with PLE and this was the diet she was on and taking Viokase to help the pancreas digest better. Hopefully you can find an answer fast. I know how hard it is to watch them act like they are starving. They actually are since they arent digesting correctly. Wishing the best for your girl.


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## Tanner's Mom (May 27, 2005)

Oh, April, poor little Lily, have you talked with her breeder about this. I'm sure she'd want to know about the problems and she may have some insight.


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## cyndrae (Aug 30, 2009)

I am keeping you and Lily in my prayers. I don't have any advice but agree with Lynn. What a great place we have here where we talk about poo and even pictures. 
But honestly I have learned so much about our little fluffs on this site. I am constantly spreading the things I learn to others. For instance strapping our dongs in when driving and looking for pills and such when staying in hotels. 

Get better little Lily! You are in my thoughts and prayers!!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I was assuming you'd done an initial work up. I would go somewhat in this order:

Chem panel with electrolytes, CBC, urine analysis, fecal (Repeat), pre- and post-prandial bile acids. Deworm even if the fecal is negative. 
Dogs with MVD sometimes also have an inflammatory condition in the liver and intestines. Liver shunt can also cause vague GI signs. 

If all is normal ATCH stim and GI Panel (must go to Texas). 

If all of this is normal then I would get a referral to an internal medicine specialist. They may recommend further tests like endoscopy and biopsies.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Tanner's Mom said:


> Oh, April, poor little Lily, have you talked with her breeder about this. I'm sure she'd want to know about the problems and she may have some insight.


 

I do plan to contact her breeder. I want to wait until we have a firm diagnosis. With Lily's symptoms, it could be any number of things, some of which could be congenital, and some may not. If she does have pancreatic insufficiency, because she is so young, this would be congenital. I hope this will not be the case. We'll just have to wait and see.


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## RudyRoo (Jun 24, 2011)

I'm so sorry that Lily is going through this rough patch, and wish I had some advice to add, but since I don't I will be keeping you all in my thoughts!


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