Poo issues again! D= Diet

Hi everyone! I'm back again with poo issues with Mila! ever since her diarrhea episode last month I only feed her just her plain old dry dog food (its Pedigree dry dog food). Now this time shes been having dry crumbly poo & shes straining & yelping sometimes. This has been happening now close to a week I would say. She does poo every day. Sometimes 2x in a day. She eats her dog food normally. I only give her 1 small cup at a time cuz she whoofs down her food then laps up a bunch of water then is burping for the next hour. So giving her small amounts of food did help that a little.
After reading on PetMD of course I read the horrible causes of her constipation issue. Could it be a simple thing like her dog food isn't giving her what she needs? Not enough fiber? She does get good exercise. We go on our morning walks. What could this be now? Due to finances I haven't made a vet appt yet. My husband has health issues & the bills for that are horrendous!I'm hoping in April to get her to my vet & examine Mila. So in the meantime should I change her diet up a bit? Change the dog food to something with more fiber? TIA!

Is she really “ gulping “ her food down. If so that could be why she is burping quite a bit.
If you think she is you could spread the biscuits about on a tray, that way she has to nuzzle about and pick them up one at a time, if she is bolting food down it can give a dog bad wind
About the amount of water she is drinking, we sometimes hydrate SOME of Yojis biscuits with water and add some crunchy ones
I wouldn’t dare and try to advise about the “ poo “ issues, but, I’m sure someone will be along to help you
Keep us all posted, we are interested how things go after we reply to someone
Philippa x

I would give the vet a ring and explain she had bad diarrhea and is now constipated, they might give you more to go on.

Thanx ladies!
Philippa: yes she does really whoof her food down fast. I'll try what u suggested & spread the kibble out in her bowl. It seems like she still whoofs her food down fast. Why does she do that? Its not like I starve her! lol. She does drink water pretty good. She was on a bad streak there this past week where she would constantly get into the trash & I caught her chewing on the corner trim along the floor (base board? Lol). She was a naughty dog there! I'm going to have to ring my vet then sooner than I planned. Ill keep you posted tho!

Update!

It seems as tho her poo appears to be normal & she isn't yelping. I have no idea what was going on there! lol I can sometimes worry too much over the smallest things! I will still definitely make a vet appt for a check up tho once my finances allow!

Now since I can't seem to find the thread I had of my moms GSD pup so I'll update ya on that here!
My parents are definitely keeping him & decided to seek out a really top of the line trainer in our area here. He came to my moms house yesterday for an evaluation. Blaze did so-so. The trainer suggested my parents should send Blaze to their training facility for I believe 21 days? Not sure exactly for how long. Moms been struggling to handle him cuz hes so strong! idk how she can hang onto him! So this training for Blaze will be the best for everybody there. then when he returns to my parents the trainer will then train my parents on how to handle him. So I'm praying all will work out there for them!

Sorry I don’t agree and it will be a waste of money, no way would I trust a stranger with my dogs,no one knows what some trainers will do to your dog to get them to listen.

Problem behavior and training is not really something that someone else can do for you, despite what many trainers will have you believe, and unless your mother learns how to work through her strengths and weaknesses in training, it's not going to do any good to send him off to someone else, he could perform perfect obedience/ behaviour for them, come home and it flies out the window.
Plus your mother would still have to keep up the training ‘every day’.Training is a journey not a destination.

It would be more beneficial for a trainer to come out to her at home to work with both at the same time.

100% agree Vee.

So do I. When Pereg was going through an almost impossible stage [before her epilepsy] I had a recommended trainer come here and taught both her and me what was and was not acceptable. Actually he did not teach her, he taught me. And it worked.

He also brought one of his own dogs who was a great help.

But no way would I let a trainer take my dog to a "training facility" to train them to their ideas.

My dogs were/are mine, and nobody takes them away to "train" them.

I definitely agree with what ur saying. I even told her in the beginning about a trainer. I told her yeah it would be good for both Blaze & mom but I also told her that she needs to continue on with it after training is over. They really can't afford to send him to doggy training school. It would be better if the guy came to their house & taught them both cuz she definitely needs the training too! But again she & dad r very stubborn & guess they'll have to find out. I just hope for the best there. I've tried & tried to talk to them & have them see reality. But they do not like to live in reality

I am soooo happy to share that after talking to mom about sending Blaze away to be trained she actually listened to what I had to say & she decided that after thinking about what I said shes NOT going to send him away!
Lol shes going to do more research on finding a more affordable trainer that can come to the house & work with BOTH of them. I'm so happy shes finally listening to me! lol

That good Jessica, well done for advising her
Whilst she is organising it how are thing going with Blaze, behaviour wise ?

I guess hes been his usual puppy self. I don't agree with this, but she keeps him in his kennel most of the time. She'll take him out to potty & play with him for a bit & walk him down below the field where they live. Its been so rainy & muddy here that both me & mom have kept our doggys inside! lol cabin fever here! lol. Its so muddy at my place that I'm about to throw Mila over my shoulders & carry her out to her potty spot in the woods! lol. My floors have been a mess! Lol thank goodness for hardwood floors!

Jessica, what do you mean by his kennel? Do you mean an indoor crate or an outdoor closed in kennel?

Oops! Sorry! I should have explained better....they have a big (not exactly sure how big) kennel type set up inside in their basement. Its not a crate but more like I guess a big cage? it's big enough that they have a futon matress in there & hes got enough room to move around & not be cramped.

And you say she keeps him in this kennel/big cage most of the time? In the basement? Does he not get any freedom?

How can he be "his usual puppy self" when he is shut in a cage most of the time. How can he be a "normal" puppy when shut in a cage in a basement?

Sorry Jessica but I do not think your mother should have any dog, let alone a GSD, if she is going to shut it in a cage in a basement most of the time and just take it out to pee and poo.

Poor boy, no wonder he has behaviour problems with no stimulation, interaction, training, socialisation, etc

It sounds as if Blaze would be better in a new home while he is young enough to bond with an experienced handler. There is no shame in admitting that she has taken on more than she is able to cope with, and something smaller and more biddable would probably suit her much better.

I suggested the same in this thread http://www.forum.breedia.com/threads/gsd-bad-behavior-issues.17637/

But it appears the mother doesn’t want to give the dog up, but she has to realise its not all about her, its about the welfare of the dog.

I totally agree with u ladies! I dont agree with how shes handling the situation either. Problem is my parents have already spent a ton of money into Blaze & now its like they gotta make work & wanna keep him. She said if she were to sell Blaze she would never forgive herself & be extremely depressed. She says she does play with him but because he causes such a ruckus when hes upstairs & is destructive she keeps him mainly in that cage thingy. So until she finds a trainer to come to her house & work with them she keeps him contained. I personally don't think that's right but shes very stubborn. That would be like if u locked a child in their room & never let them out only to eat & go potty. They would have serious behavioral problems. Same thing applies to animals! They have feelings too! I explained that to her before...idk I sure hope things turn around for the good for them.

The way your mother is treating poor Blaze is nothing less than cruelty.

I am sorry Jessica but if your mother would be extremely depressed if she had to sell him, how on earth do you think Blaze feels shut in a cage all day. S*d the money he cost - he deserves a life where he can be a dog, not a "thing" shut in a cage.

Tbh I am absolutely disgusted at the situation and wish I could take Blaze to give him a proper life.