My 15 week old cav Flynn's motions have totally changed.  They used to be firm and darkish brown (he is fed on Eukanuba).   Now they are much looser (not runny runny) and a reddish brown colour.  Spoke to the vet when I took the cat in and he said to give him chicken and rice for a while.  Have been doing that now for a couple of days and now is motions are still loose and are a yellowy brown colour to start with and then reddish brown.

I don't think it is diarrhea (spelling??) as he is not constantly going.  It is only three or four times a day.  In every other way he is fine.  Nose is wet, he is happy (tail always wagging) and playing a lot (running around the room with his Frisbee as I type).  He has the odd sneeze but I think that might be down to the guinea pig straw he likes to try and eat.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks for your help

I was always told that diarrhea was not down to how often you *went* but what consistancy the motions were when you did go. Does he ever have any treats to eat at all?

Yes he does have treats.  My kids bought him a dog stocking for xmas and he had some treats from there but we stopped giving him those about 4 days ago.  His motions are not runny but much much softer than normal.  Do you think starving him for 24 hours might help?

It could just be the treats have had an adverse effect on him ...they often seem to get upet tums at this time of year :)

Make sure he has plenty of clean water to drink and only give him boiled chicken and rice for 24 hours ...see if that helps him firm up a bit :)

Thanks Melodysk but we have been giving him chicken and rice for two days.  Last night his poos were a little firmer but this morning they seem to be a lot softer.  He seems so happy though and is running around like a maniac with his tail wagging and playing with all his toys.  Do you think it might be the straw from the guinea pig cage that he is trying to eat.  He does love to pick  things up and eat them on our walks but I normally manage to retrieve everything. :D

It is possible that the straw has been treated with something that is upsetting his stomach .....or that he has picked something up on a walk .....if you are at all worried, pop him along to the vets with a stool sample and see what the vet says :)

Thanks I think I will do that.  We will see how he goes today and if he still isn't right tomorrow will pop him along to the vets.  Being a novice dog owner I panic about everything.  I am more relaxed with my cats, guinea pigs and parrot though. 

Thanks again for your help.

Not a problem, I remember what it is like with a new pup ;)

The commercial treats as found in the stockings are often brightly coloured, so as wel as making him loose this is where the colour change may have come from?  Just one thing to consider.

I really like this board.  Everyone is very helpful.  I have been reading most of the posts over the last couple of months and have learnt so much from you all.  Thanks

By and large the forum does what it is supposed to and that is act as an 'Information Exchange', hope you sort your little problem out.

Also something worth considering is whether the fod you feed has recently changed it's formulation which could effect teh colour of the faeces. 

Also slight bleeding in the rectum caused by a bit of constipation may have colured the faces,a dn then  changing the food has caused the slight looseness.

I think getting a stol to the vets is an excellent idea, because if there is a bacterial infection then it can be treated appropriately.

Cat biscuits are what sprung to mind!  These are often reddish brown and remind me of the sort of dog treats you get in Xmas stockings.

Hope Flynn's feeling better now - good idea of someone's to take a sample poo with you to the vet if you do have to take him along. :-)

Is it soiled straw from the guinea pig cage?  While most dogs seem to process "tipbits" from other animals an excess could cause too much bacteria being taken in at once to be coped with.  I would keep him away from the area if possible at least until is older and bigger.

The straw he likes to eat is the fresh stuff after the cage has been cleaned out so it is not soiled.  We are going to move the guinea pigs though and keep him away from them.  I think we will starve him all day and give him some chicken and rice for tea tonight and see if that helps.  It is going to be a long day for him though as he is running around looking for food already.

Again thanks everyone for your help.

You could try giving him live yoghurt to help with the gut flora.

I found that when my pup had an upset tum, he was quite 'loose' the whole time we fed chicken and rice and the colour was yellow - just like baby poo. Harvey only firmed up when we put him back on dry food....I weaned him onto JWB turkey and rice recently and he's doing so well on it.

Hope Flynns soon better, do you have any recent piccies??

Hayley x