What to do for soft poo?

[Bishsticks]

Hello again,

My little guy, Oreo, is having some soft poo problems. He'd had diarrhea beginning Dec. 11. We finally found a vet who could see him here, and he was tested for infections and parasites, with nothing found. The diarrhea cleared up for two days at Christmas, but it's soft again, though not full blown diarrhea like before. It's not runny or wet. It's well-formed but shiny and soft enough for him to squish when he steps on it. He's eating and drinking well, still active and weighs about a pound and a half which is over 600 grams I think. When the squashy poo started up again, the vet tested it again yesterday and nothing found.

He's a rescue so we don't know how old he is. We only know he's at least 8 years old. He's on Oxbow Timothy Hay and is currently receiving a mix of Mazuri and Oxbow pellets as I want to switch him to Oxbow. Right now it's mostly Mazuri. He was on this mix when his poo was normal for those 2 days. He drinks filtered water. I've given no treats since this began except for half a piece of Shredded Wheat in the morning and at night.

I'm thinking of pulling the pellets altogether but wondered how long is OK on just hay alone? And can he have more than one Shredded Wheat a day? I thought the fiber might be good for him.

Is there anything else I can try to firm up his poo?

Thanks. ^_^

 

[tunes]

I personally have not had luck with Mazuri pellets. They gave all my chins soft poops. I would try pulling all of his pellets and give no treats. Give nothing but fresh water and the Oxbow hay for a few days and see if the stools firm up. If they do, try giving just the Oxbow pellets, but start slowly, just a teaspoon at a time.

You can also try using some acidophilus every day until things settle down.

What is your water supply? If you are using tap water, that could be causing the diarrhea. Try either reverse osmosis or water that has been run through a filter like PUR that filters for giardia.

Technically, he could be on just hay indefinitely. Some people use a pure hay diet. Their coats aren't generally as nice and they may not be as bulky as they were before, but the chins seem to do okay with just the hay.

 

[Bishsticks]

Thank you for the suggestions. I shall try them. I have ordered some acidophilus that should be here by the weekend.

Oreo drinks tap water that gets filtered through a PUR water pitcher first. I've removed the pellets for now and given extra Timothy hay. I'll go straight to Oxbow when I reintroduce them, slowly.

His poo is looking well formed tonight, though still soft and shiny. I'm really hoping we can get this cleared up soon.

Thank you!

 

[Gehenna]

I pulled the pellet food when my guy was having some diarrhea issues. My vet said to just keep him on hay until his stool firms up, and that I could have been possibly over feeding him. Once the poop firms back up to normal, reintroduce pellets. I think it's recommended 1/8th of a cup daily. Hope he gets better soon!

 

[Chinmama]

We had random soft poo issues on Mazuri too. Everyone has been fine since switching to Oxbow.