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  • So our puppy does two odd things

    Hi All,

    Everything has been well with our boy. He's now exactly 4 months and 50 pounds.

    He does two weird things that we want to ask everyone here about:

    1. (WARNING This one is kind of nasty) White dog poop.. If he sees white dog poop out in public dog areas he goes for it like it's candy and sniffs it out no matter what. Amusing, but super nasty and we can't find the answer to this anywhere. Has anyone experienced this? Does it mean he needs calcium?

    2. Weird drinking habit.. He will go hours without drinking water, then he will drink an entire bowl of water and want more. I've never seen a dog "binge drink" like this. I try to trick him into drinking water but he doesn't care for it sometimes.

    From what I've usually seen, most dogs will empty a water bowl in a few drinking sessions. He definitely gets enough water but the way he does it seems weird so we thought we'd ask..

    Thanks!

  • #2
    I am a dane noob, so I dont know like the super experienced people on here... but wouldnt the water gulp-age be cause for concern for bloat? That being said, dont let my words worry you. Our boy will inhale water if we let him, and often times we have to interrupt him a few times. I will be watching this one for sure for the wisdom that is sure to come!
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    • #3
      I highly doubt your dog is lacking anything and he just finds the poop tasty. *GAG*... A lot of dogs will eat poop and you really need to discourage it. It's bad enough when they eat their own poop, but the bugs and germs they can pick up from stranger dog poop is so much worse. I don't even let Phin stop and smell poop!

      Phin is a dog that drinks copious amounts of water. He hasn't met a water faucet he didn't love! He was taught the word, 'Enough!' We let him get his fill and when he is being excessive, I tell him 'enough' and move his butt along. At 2 years old, I still have to tell him 'enough' at least 10 times a day to stop him from standing at the water fountain and slurping it up until he just about floats away.

      I wouldn't let him gorge on the water, that makes house training more difficult. I also wouldn't prohibit water either. Let him drink and then move him along. He will drink when he is thirsty. It takes pups a while to figure out that the water is always there and they don't need to drink every last drop at one sitting. You also don't need to worry about trying to get him to drink. As long as he knows where his water is, he'll drink when he is thirsty.

      In reference to bloat from the other poster, just avoid large consumptions of water before and after meals and after heavy excercise. They can have water during these times, I just don't let the dog guzzle it.
      Last edited by Angel7292; 09-18-2013, 09:44 PM.
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      • #4
        Thanks for the replies.

        Socrates doesn't go after fresh poop of any kind. He just always seems to find the old dusty, crumbled, white poop that's crushed and already mixed in with the grass which is why we usually don't even notice what he's doing until he all of a sudden has a piece in his mouth. It's so foul, and expected from a puppy, but there HAS to be a reason why he only picks those old dusty pieces. Even with a decent knowledge of chemistry I can't figure out why this could be other than calcium and maybe mistaking it for a bone? Anyway, as long as it isn't a common signal for a lack of something then we will not do anything different.

        Thanks for the advice about the "enough" with water. We'll start implementing that and see if it has any effect. He is pretty smart and potty-trained (gets our attention then leads us to the door and sits), but from a health standpoint I found the binge water drinking odd, and since high and sudden intake (as opposed to slow and steady) of anything will stress out body systems it's just something we don't love him to do. We'll work through it.

        Bloat, on the other hand, always has us worried even though he is only 4 months. We don't let him run or jump or get crazy for an hour after he eats or drinks a ton of water, so now after a meal or a ton of water we take him out to do his biz, then he usually comes back in to sleep for about an hour.

        Thanks again for reading and advising. Take care.
        Last edited by SocratesParents; 09-19-2013, 09:38 AM.

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        • #5
          Per the 15 year Purdue University bloat study:
          There was no correlation of bloat risk to exercise before or after eating, as most dogs bloated in the middle of the night with an empty, gas-filled stomach. There was also no correlation to vaccinations, to the brand of dog food consumed, or to the timing or volume of water intake before or after eating."

          Read a good summary of the study here: http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proce...5091&O=Generic
          "I don’t care if a dog is 150 pounds or 10 pounds, and whether the issue is leash manners or biting visitors. There are no dogs who need a heavier hand—there are only trainers who need more knowledge and a lighter touch." Suzanne Clothier
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          • #6
            Originally posted by thisiscyndi View Post
            Per the 15 year Purdue University bloat study:
            There was no correlation of bloat risk to exercise before or after eating, as most dogs bloated in the middle of the night with an empty, gas-filled stomach. There was also no correlation to vaccinations, to the brand of dog food consumed, or to the timing or volume of water intake before or after eating."

            Read a good summary of the study here: http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proce...5091&O=Generic
            Even if not for bloat, ever run with a large full belly of food or sloshing of fluid? It is just not good practice.

            Actually, the initial thoughts suggested not drinking directly before or after meals or consuming large quantities after heavy excercise. However, once they included other risk factors such as breed, stress level, history of GVD in a line, such things as water before or after a meal became less contributing (if at all). Does it mean it's not contributing? No. Multiple variations can contribute to a dog bloating. Since there is no clear cut and defining reason for certain, it never hurts to take precautions.

            It's simple enough not to let your dog gorge on water before or after meals. It's unnecessary and if it's just one little step towards precaution, then we do it.
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            • #7
              Originally posted by thisiscyndi View Post
              Per the 15 year Purdue University bloat study:
              There was no correlation of bloat risk to exercise before or after eating, as most dogs bloated in the middle of the night with an empty, gas-filled stomach. There was also no correlation to vaccinations, to the brand of dog food consumed, or to the timing or volume of water intake before or after eating."

              Read a good summary of the study here: http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proce...5091&O=Generic
              Thanks for the reply, and linking me to the study results. I'm much more into reading and comparing research results than random opinions, but opinions usually bring good points to light as well. Also curious if there have been any newer studies which may mention what causes bloat rather than what does not cause it. Feel free to link us.

              That said, the study did mention, "Dogs that eat quickly have a 15 percent higher risk of developing bloat." As Angel7292 alluded to in this thread, every little bit of precaution adds up.

              Thanks again!

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              • #8
                I actually spent an hour this afternoon looking for the study and not a summary of it. Perdue has taken down the page. I'm going to keep looking. I've emailed them to see if it's just been relocated somewhere else on the server.
                Last edited by Angel7292; 09-19-2013, 03:21 PM.
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                • #9
                  Ferg was a binge drinker around 4-5 months. I think maybe because on his growing days he could sleep through a freight train in the living room, and he wasn't about to get up for something as insignificant as a drink. And then he would get up and drain his 2 gallon bucket if I didn't stop him. His growth has slowed down considerably the past month or so and he doesn't binge much any more- on sleep, food, or water.


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                  • #10
                    [/QUOTE] In reference to bloat from the other poster, just avoid large consumptions of water before and after meals and after heavy excercise. They can have water during these times, I just don't let the dog guzzle it.[/QUOTE]

                    Thank you for that clarification.
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