Diagnoses: canine uveodermatologic syndrome (quite rare in Labs), arthritis, cataracts in right eye, hypothyroidism
Medications and Supplements: prednisolone (for eyes), Previcox, generic Levothyroxine, Dasuquin, MSM, Kirkland fish oil, Probios multi-species probiotic, generic Metamucil, monthly invermectin tablets and Pancur-C twice a year.
Food: 2 ¼ cups of dry food (Precise Foundation Formula and Nature's Domain Salmon, combined), one tablespoon of wet food (Nature's Domain) and one can of green beans. All food is split between two meals per day.
Despite a number of problems, the dog does quite well. He is happy to go for walks, eats well and is thrilled to continue to open and close doors and retrieve dropped objects in my home. Biannual blood work is excellent. Recently, (before I added the Metamucil) he has begun pooping frequently, especially on walks of no more than a quarter-mile in length. The Metamucil has helped to firm things up, but frequency is a concern. His poops have always been somewhat loose, even as the young adult.
He has no accidents in the house, even overnight. On walks, the pooping seems involuntary and I'm wondering if it’s exercise-induced. I know that he's an old dog and this probably just goes with the territory, but I'd appreciate any suggestions. For example, would a dog-specific probiotic be helpful?
I'll certainly ask my vet, but many members of this forum have had old dogs, and may have been through this.
Consider cutting back on the green beans. Yes, it could be that the exercise increases the frequency, given his age. Or it could be all those beans. The Metamucil may be easier on his system.
Thank you, Charlotte. I appreciate the reply. The beans were suggested by the organization that trained him. It's a way to fill him up with causing weight gain. One can may be too much at his age, I guess. He's about 73 pounds and weight is not a problem.
You an also try adding a little baby rice cereal to firm the stools up a bit, a forkful of canned pumpkin also works to firm up and soften stools like the Metamucil , but can be a tasty treat. Mineeat it right off the fork.
I did try the canine probiotic but found another called Premo Probiotic ( on Amazon) that is similar that works well for much less.
You don't say how much metamucil he is getting. It may not be enough. My nursing moms get a rounded tbs of metamucil twice a day, with meals. Of course, they are eating much more than 2-1/2 cups per day. Probably more like 8 cups per day. Since doing that I never have the common stool problems any more. It can't hurt to increase and see how he does.
