Ask the Veterinarian/Puppy poo reflex

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Expert: - 5/24/2010


Question
I have a 7 month old blue Queensland heeler. She recently started pooping while shaking off after a bath. As she shakes dry her poop slings out everywhere!!!! she has all her puppy shots and has been eating the same food since we brought her home. Purina puppy chow. I'm worried there is something wrong with her reflexes or ability to control her bowels.

Answer
Well you are feeding her food that is not good for her. Purina puppy chow is coated with milk and ALL dogs are lactose intolerant as soon as they are weaned.

That alone could cause her to have looser stools that she can't control. But I would have the vet take a look at her rear end to be sure that there isn't some sort of muscle problem. Fecal incontinence is really rare in young dogs.

Get her on some Science Diet Puppy growth. It has optimal nutrition and makes the stools firm and small. She is eating a very poor quality food, no matte what. Purina has no compunction about what they put into their food from batch to batch because of their formulation style, which is an open formulation. That means that whatever was cheap on the docks that day goes into the food.

Science Diet uses a fixed formulation so that they get the same food, bag after bag.

But have the vet look her over first, then get some SD while you are there and get her switched slowly over 7 days to her new food that will make her the healthiest she can be for life.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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