How do we help our dog detox?

Hello friends,
We have an 11 year old shepherd/lab mix that seems to need a detox or gut reset of some kind.
We spent hundreds of dollars at the vet doing a whole bunch of tests, (including x-ray, ultrasound, a thyroid test, testing for parasites, all results were normal or negative) and all they can tell us is that "she's just overweight, put her on diet dogfood".
We feel like there's something else going on. Her stomach is swelled and she's had a ravenous appetite. She has loose stools and sometimes diarrhea.
We're wondering whether there might be some candida in her stomach, or some other imbalance that needs resetting..
I feel like I know what to do for myself or another human as going on a vegetable juice detox got me amazing results, but I don't think that would be advisable for a dog
Anyone have suggestions or experiences to share?

I'd fast her for a day, every week. Probiotics would be good to add - but not dairy from cows. A better option is going to be goat milk kefir, because it's easier to digest and its nutrients are more bioavailable. Lacto-fermented vegetables and fruits will help, too. But, go easy. A little at a time, so her gut isn't overwhelmed, exacerbating the problem. Start with about 1/4 cup of one of those options, after a day of fasting. I'm a very strong proponent of species appropriate food, and for dogs, that means a bit of everything, except grains. The only grain I use is an occasional little bit of oat bran as a binder, in homemade treats. There's not typically a need to 'flush' a dog's digestive system, because it already moves pretty quickly. Fasting gives their digestive system a break, and is a normal, healthy thing for predatory species, that is a proven means of boosting health and longevity.  

Two holistic vets I'd recommend, with an online presence, are Judy Morgan, DVM, and Karen Becker, DVM. Both have blogs, books on Amazon, recipes, videos, and small product lines. Dogs Naturally is another great resource for information and healthy products. I get nothing from sharing these folks, but highly endorse their products. One of the three has a detox product, for getting dogs back on track when they've had heavy medicine, surgery or vaccine reactions, too - I use it before & after the mandatory rabies vaccine. I'll see if I can find it, and link it back here, later. I have to get outside to my other critters, for now.

I don't know about detox for dogs because I don't detox even for myself.

It is frustrating when folks go to the vet and there seems to be no explanation.

I can help with the diet part.

I give my dog green beans for weight loss.

Before doing a vegetable juice detox make sure that the vegetables juice does not contain onion and garlic as those are bad for dogs.

You might make your own juice from green beans, carrots, and pumpkin as those are vegetables I give my dog on a regular basis.

Though I feel the whole vegetables are better because they contain fiber.

I am looking forward to hearing what other folks suggest.

Garlic - in small quantities - is very good for dogs' digestive and heart health - including fighting heart worms and other parasites, but in high doses, it's toxic. I make my small (cavalier king Charles)dog's food in batches that last about 6weeks. In each batch, I include a large head of fresh garlic, minced. My personal vet has approved this amount, and it's backed up by all 3 of the vets, I mentioned, above.

Onions, however, are very toxic to dogs and cats, alike.

Hi Frieda,
I'm no dog expert, and I have never run into this issue. I'm thinking about it from a human side, and wonder if there is some crossover.

I believe it is important to look long term when detoxing. I don't think it is good to do a quick detox, and then go back to the same diet that led us to where we needed the detox (yes, I know we can get junk in our bodies from all over, but our diet is such a huge part).

I guess, what I am wondering is whether the same would hold true for a dog. Dogs are designed to be a carnivore. In the wild, they rarely eat plants at all, and would probably never eat some of the items in commercial dog food. Would putting the dog on a more natural diet (more meat, organs, bones, feathers, fur, etc while doing a whole lot less wheat, carrots, potatoes, etc) help long term? Absolutely look at some of the suggestions specifically for detoxing in the moment, but consider whether a proper diet would help get the stomach back on track and keep it there long term.

If you are already feeding a high quality more natural dog diet, then you can ignore this. But if you are feeding the normal bagged dog food that so many people (myself included) use... maybe its worth considering.

Thanks y'all, for the helpful replies!
I've seriously considered having her fast and then give probiotics, b/c that's often what we humans do, but I wasn't sure.
Thanks a bunch for the vet references. I was so wishing for something like that, since the two places here locally don't seem to have answers.
We give our dog bagged dog food. We've been getting the grain free varieties for a good while. She hasn't been getting corn or wheat in her food for years, but occasionally we'd get food that had lamb and brown rice, cause she seemed to like it.(Actually, she's rarely ever had corn or wheat in her food, except for a handful of times that it slipped by me when other family members happened to pick up the food, forgetting to read the label.)
I am sure during her lifetime though, it's entirely possible she picked up some toxins.
We never fed our dogs raw meat, (especially  chicken:)),because we had animals, and didn't want them to develop a taste for it.
I'm wondering how I would go about making dog food. I'd love a recipe or formula. It's something that our daughter would probably help out with willingly, since this is primarily dog,  and she's pretty attached to her.
I will definitely look into those references.
Thanks again!

This is the formula I use, for mine:
Raw 'loaf' formula:
8 # grass-fed raw beef &/or red game meat(venison, elk, Bison, etc - sometimes with poultry or lamb, rarely with pork),
1# raw organ meat (kidney, brains, glands, etc)
3/4 - 1# sardines, mackerel, or salmon
1/2# liver
1/2C raw, dried, ground eggshells from above chickens
1C psyllium husk fiber (or oat bran, if the psyllium husk fiber is unavailable)
1/2C mushroom powder (Shiratake, reishi, lions mane...)
1C flax seed
2 heads garlic
12oz fresh or frozen blueberries
12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
1 -2# kale, broccoli, cauliflower, etc
1/4# fresh ginger
1# celery
1# carrots
1bunch parsley
1# pumpkin
1/2# bananas
2T cinnamon

Gently cook veggies, until tender, cool. Combine everything well, dehydrate and portion @ 25g/meal. Shelf stable.

Dogs will, left to their own devices, often hunt and greedily eat berries and other fruits, and a wife variety of veggies. In fact, neither of our current dogs has ever met a fruit or veggie they didn't like. But, this makes sense. Wild dogs, including coyotes, wolves, foxes, and feral dogs, will eat all of what they kill - including their intestines, and the contents, and many of their typical pretty are vegan, or omnivores who eat things like bugs and lower life forms for protein, but still eat more fruits & veggies. Dogs will go for leafy greens, and even have some rudimentary herbal remedies they instinctively find and eat, when they need them - a prime example is eating grass, when they need to vomit. Rich colors are high in antioxidants,too - beta keretine is good for their vision. Blueberries are amazing for keeping their faces clean, if a dog is prone to tear-staining. Pumpkin is a fantastic way to stop diahrea, cranberries(not sweetened) are excellent for the urinary tract, especially for dogs prone to UTIs, and variety is important - change up the fruits & veggies (though Charlie ALWAYS gets blueberries & cranberries). The trick is getting the balance between proteins and plant matter. That's where the formula comes in. I didn't just dream all this up - but, in no animal dietician, either. I took a raw food, species appropriate certification course, specifically for dogs and cats. It was pretty intense, but I'm glad I did it.

That's pretty impressive. I didn't know garlic is safe for dogs. I had always heard it was toxic. Charlie is blessed to have you as his human! I'm sure he is a happy and healthy little dog
So I'm wondering, do you just use a food dehydrator to dry the food, and do you form it into chunks or pieces first?

I've recently begun freezing about 2/3 of it, in individual portions, because I believe less processed is better, she needs the moisture, and her digestive system handles it better, now. When Charlie was a puppy, she struggled a bit with loose stools, so I started dehydrating it, and it helped, immensely. At almost 5yrs old, the moisture seems welcome.  I'm still dehydrating the rest, so it travels better, and can be use for training, more easily.  I use snuffle mats now, with the dry food, to slow her down, and a slow bowl, with the wet food, to prevent her from gulping - which may also play a part in the moisture being less an issue.

To dehydrate it, I place parchment paper on the trays, and spread the food out, to about 1/8 - 1/4" thick, and dry it at 125°F, until it is brittle, and thoroughly dried (during which time, my husband goes nuts, because her food smells so good, and it fills the house, making him hungry, the whole time, lol) Then, I break &/or chop it up and portion it.

Charlie starts her day with a raw egg and 1/4t of a multi vitamin&mineral supplement, then at night, she gets a portion of the meat mixture.

Chicken and rice and pumpkin are all easy on a dog's stomach and usually what is prescribed for something acute like a gastritis.  You might go with that for a week or so along with something with probiotic to rest her gut then ease her into the dog food you intend to feed. I'd probably fast her for a day first.  She may just be one of those dogs with a sensitive tummy.

Thanks so much for the helpful replies, folks!

Our dog seemed to be doing better after a 24 hr. fast, followed by a week-long bone broth detox. (Poor dog, the kiddos gave her lots of TLC, but she seemed a bit confused.) We let her have ample amounts of broth, cause that's all she was eating, giving it to her four or five times throughout the day.
We gradually introduced healthy homemade dog food, mixing it w/ bone broth, using Carla's recipe as a guideline. (Thanks, btw!)  

We could immediately tell her poop didn't smell like a sick baby's diaper anymore, and she didn't seem quite so ravenous. (Although she will still dig up beetle grubs any chance she gets, ugh!)
We've done a few more 3 day broth diets since then, about one per month. The holidays were a busy time for us, and we like to be especially attentive to her while she's on a broth diet, so she only got one between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
She could still stand to lose a few pounds, but hopefully with warmer weather, she'll get more exercise again. In the meantime, we're following these suggestions and frankly, getting better results than we did taking her to the vet.

That's wonderful, Frieda! Thanks for the update! It's so good to hear!