Will I give my dog IBS by rotating flavors and brands? I'm really concerned that I may have upset her system. I have been rotating flavors and brands monthly and she's suffering from loose stool now. I have also been giving her produce which I thought was causing the loose stool. How do you diagnose IBS?

Rotating flavors and brands of food causes GI upset in dogs, and because you do it so frequently, that is probably the likely cause of her diarrhea. IBS is caused by dietary fiber deficiency, abnormal colonic motility, dietary intolerances, stress, and changes in the regulation of colonic function. IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning other causes of large bowel diarrhea, such as intestinal worms or colitis, have to be ruled out first before it's diagnosed. To help with her diarrhea, withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. Stick with one brand and flavor, and do not rotate it. If that doesn't help with the diarrhea, then I would have her seen by a vet.

As they have been on a chicken and rice diet for a month now and there is no improvement, I would try a different protein. You may want to try feeding rice and lamb or rice and beef and see whether this works. There is a possibility that your dogs have a very sensitive digestive system. You may also want to try giving them bottled water instead of tap water. Do this separately, ie try the bottled water first for a week or two before changing the protein. German Shepherd dogs also have a breed disposition for exocrine pancreas insufficiency (EPI). Discuss this with your veterinarian as a possible cause for the diarrhea.

Diarrhea is what happens when the intestine wants to get rid of something very fast....it then pushes ingesta and poop out quickly without letting it rest in the colon where normally the colon pulls out fluid and makes the poop firm. That said, diarrhea can have many causes such food over sensitivity, eating something that does not agree with the dog, intestinal parasites, an intestinal blockage, bacterial infection, viral infection, the weather, food change, stress, etc. I would fast Charlie for 24 hours and then put him on bland food for two days, such as boiled white rice and boiled white boneless chicken meat, fed in small quantities over several feeds and then transition back to regular food slowly over a few days. If this does not clear up the diarrhea or if the vomiting increases, or if your dog gets lethargic, it needs to see a veterinarian for an exam as there may be something more serious such as an infection going on.