# Blue buffalo and diarrhea



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Started him on bb puppy yesterday and wham today bad runny stools! He has never had this problem on Royal Canin.....

How do I get this STOP quickly???? New to this so need help...


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Did you give him ALL BB, or mostly RC and a little bit of RC?

whenever you switch kibble you want to do it slowly over the period of 2 weeks or so. Not in a day. GSDs especially have very sensitive stomachs and can't handle abrupt changes.

So for now go back to the RC and see if that works, if not you will need to start him on just rice and boiled chicken until his tummy settles. Then slowly add the RC back in and then eventually the BB, or you can slowly transition him from the Chicken and rice, to the BB directly. 

Stop feeding the BB for now though. Too sudden of a change for his tummy and now he needs a rest.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

For the last week I have increasing amount of BB and last night and this morning went all BB...I feel so horrible I caused this. Should he skip a meal???


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

He is still a pup, so i wouldn't skip a meal, but I would feed him the overcooked rice and boiled chicken. Before you went to the final all BB, how much of each food were you feeding?


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I would go rice and chicken and add in the BB directly, skipping the RC. You can also add a little Pepto Bismal or Pumpkin to help his tummy settle.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I was feeding him 50 50 mix...can't do rice and chicken....he gets very itchy with fresh chicken....going to try going back to RC and a tad of pepto......can't find pumpkin here...
the idea was to ween him off RC and on to BB LBP...and then begin to go to adult food BB BASICS(no fillers) by end of summer....but I see this is going to be a challenge...


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

Go back to 50/50 and increase BB slowly over a few weeks he should be fine.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

How long has he had runny poop?

When I made the switch from Purina to Solid Gold I did it slowly and for about 4-5 days he had runny poop and then it all went away. When I switched from Solid Gold to Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness he had runny poop for 2 days and then it went away


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

today is first day it is runny.....


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Gave him some white rice/and RC BB mix.....can someone please tell me how much pepto is ok, I have the chewable tablets....he is 14 weeks tomorrow and 33 pounds...thanks....

We have had 5 bouts of diarrhea since yesterday afternoon....


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I wouldn't use the chewable tablets. Your dog won't chew them up they way they are supposed to, and they pass right through. Tag had eaten something that disagreed with him, and I just gave him a spoonful. If he had diarrhea again, I would administer another spoonful.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

ok, sounds rational....HOW DO YOU GET PUPPY TO SWALLOW liquid? I can see how if you crush tablet and put in cheese he will eat it, but how in the devil do you get a spastic land shark to take it???


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

I have had problems with several adult dogs (my own and fosters) having soft stools and occasional diarrhea. After I switched them, their stools were normal. I wander what it is with Blue Buffalo, but I will not be using it any more. It is disturbing when a dog has better stool on Purina than on BB.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I just put the spoonful over his food or in a bowl...My dogs all just lap it up...

Although I suppose if he gives you a lot of trouble with that you could use an oral syringe or some kind of dropper/baster to squirt it into the back of their throat.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

think I am going with the syringe method...he shows no interest in food....just letting him rest in his crate....


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Has he gotten pretty lethargic with the diarrhea? If he's showing a low activity level I would watch him pretty carefully. There might be more going on there than just tummy upset.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

He seems so so....went for a walk in the woods....he had a blast, came back a crashed hard so going to let him sleep and eval in a few hours...he also drank a few mouthfuls of water from a creek yesterday and today....it's food based problem for sure but wondering if the water contributing to it?


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Possible. Tag got diarrhea when he had too many hot dogs at training (the high fat in hot dogs can make the puppies jet propelled) and when he ate too much of a giant bully stick. 

One puppy we had had difficulty switching foods, we'd just put a little Pepto on his food at every meal and by the end of a week he didn't need it anymore and had adjusted. Sometimes the irritation in the bowels alone is enough to keep the diarrhea going, which is why you usually fast adult dogs.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

well on top of the food switch he had a good long chewing on a raw knucklebone so I have a lot working against me....will post an update later on his condition...


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## EmilyK0429 (Dec 6, 2009)

If he is allergic to chicken you could use ground beef instead and drain the fat and put it with some rice. I would do that over adding rice to RC and BB. If it was me, I would feed rice and beef until his stools were back to normal and then slowly add in the BB.


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## GSDgirlAL (Jan 4, 2008)

I hate to hear your puppy isn't feeling well. I wonder if the BB is just too rich for him? I hope he gets to feeling better, keep us posted.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

I don't think the BB itself is the problem, but instead adding it too quickly.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

GSDSunshine said:


> I don't think the BB itself is the problem, but instead adding it too quickly.


I agree


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

So, after a few days and he gets regular again....(he ate rice/chicken with pepto tabs at 11 and NOTHING....don't know if that's good or bad.....

anyway, he normally eats 3 1/2 cups a day....what ratio should RC and BB for how long and then how much of an increase? Obviously I went to fast...keep in mind over the next few weeks his food intake may increase by 1/2 cup....

Thank you ....Thank you.....Thank you.....


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

well I gave him another small bowl of rice/chicken and water....he gobbled it up....and still no bm. I feel this is a good sign that the pepto and food is doing ok and the food isn't upsetting his stomach. I guess total he has had 3 doses of pepto so that should really help....sorry for so many questions, BUT after a stint like we had all night when should I expect him to go?


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Consider that everything you're giving him is designed to stop him up. I wouldn't give any more Pepto until he poops. Also prior he has really cleared out his whole digestive track with the diarrhea, and now he's probably going to poop a brick. I would expect anywhere from 6 to 24 hours before the next poop depending on how often he was regularly pooping before.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Makes PERFECT sense, just like people...why is it when emotions run high we forget basics? I keep taking him out waiting for him to go and he is sort of looking at me like"WHAT GIVES?"

He was going about 3-4 times a day eating about 3 1/2 cups RCBABYmax 30 large breed puupy food.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Yep. Like people  They usually skip a poop cycle or two if they've been consistantly eating before they poop again.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

So I know you currently feed RC maxi puppy 30 with 461 k/cals per cup and I chose the large breed fish and oatmeal for transition. It has 420 kcal/cup. So to feed the same amount of kcal per day...

He gets 1613.5 kcal a day now, and to get about 1600 kcal for the BB, you should feed 3.8 cups, we will round down for now and say 3 1/2 cups. (makes it easier to measure) You may find that he will need more or less of the new food depending on how his body metabolizes the food. For example the RC has corn gluten meal to increase the protein amounts but the protein from corn gluten meal is not easily digested, neither is protein from soy. 

Next: 2 week plan (12 days):
You need to know percentages since you will go by 1/7 ths. 1/7 = 14.3%. Every 2 days you will increase the amount of the new food by 14.3 percent, and decrease the old food by 14.3% approx.. I'll show you what I mean below. (remember that this is per day and each meal needs to be an even mix)

Days 1-2: 
3c. RC
1/2c. BB

Days 3-4:
2 1/2 cups RC
1 cup BB

Days 5-6:
2 cups RC
1 1/2 cups BB

Days 7-8:
1 1/2 cups RC
2 cups BB

Days 9-10:
1 cup RC
2 1/2 cups BB

Days 11-12:
1/2 c. RC
3 c. BB

Day 13:
3 1/2 c. BB


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

well spoke too soon, just took him out and REALLY bad runs AGAIN.....he's looks so sad......and is so sleepy....urine is clear, been drinking some and ate a few ice cubes....


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Rut roh!  You said he didn't always do well on Chicken right?

Can you boil some hamburger? Try to make sure it is rinsed off well, to remove the fat. You can use that instead of the chicken.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

ok, what about fish...I have sockeye salmon, too.

Chicken amount was very small, and he's not itchy...


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

when do I attempt feeding him again? He ate small amount about two hours ago?....I know he's hungry but he's so sleepy from all he's been through...I'm worried sick!


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I would Leave him be for now. I would not keep tryng to make him eat. Let him chill for the night, give him a little Pepto and let him clear his system out. Try feeding again in the AM.

Make sure he has lots of fluids so he doesn't dehydrate. 

What kind of diarrhea are we looking at? Is it straight liquid? Or is their still some consistancy to it? This article has some good advice. 
Diarrhea in Puppies


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

it's both, but mostly pudding....

I found pure pumpkin, have a friend bringing it by(I'm exhausted). I have read so many good things about it, in the morning when I feed him how much should I add? I know he will want to eat in the morning because he acts very hungry now...

I have read some just add a teaspoon or so....is that about right?


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

So far so good, ate a small portion of rice/chicken with handful kibble for breakfast....his stool was very loose but IMPROVED!

Went on 2 mile hike...came home fed him another small portion w/pepto....and I wait. 

Hopefully he is on the mend, will post if he isn't well in a few hours....


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

It has been three hours since I fed him another small portion....and he just had a bm, it is still loose BUT so much better. I think we turned to the corner! 

I want to thank all of you who continued to reply and help me through yesterday and give me all your experienced advice!You helped me help Jake get better a lot faster. I am sure I will be posting again very soon!


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## PaulH (Aug 24, 2005)

I had a similar issue with my puppy who is now 4 months. Have used Blue Buffalo LBP since he got off the plane from germany. The breeder was feeding what seemed like a medium quality puppy food. He has done great on the BBLB puppy food. He had the runs but I concluded he had eaten something outside. It cleared up quickly. I was almost too quick to change. Glad I waited. He is doing great and growing at the right rate. Whatever works best


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

thanks for that....seems to be adjusting SLOWLY


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

I also fed my pup (13 wks old) BBLB puppy with excellent results, His breeder had him on it and i continued with it. Now i'm mixing 1/2 & 1/2 w/BB adult. (my vet told me to get him over to adult as possible, as he doesn't want him growing to fast to quick.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

I keep my pups on Large breed puppy food for at least 12 months. Large breed puppy food is designed to grow your puppy at a slower rate than an adult food. To switch from a large breed formula to an adult to slow growth does not make sense if this is the concern.

My vet is a stickler about slow growth on breeds prone to joint and bone issues. He would not advise switching to an adult food from a large breed sooner as this could have the opposite effect your vet is desiring. Perhaps the vet does not understand the difference in large breed puppy food and regular puppy food? Regular puppy food would grow a pup too fast and an adult food would be better. For slow growth, generally, the large breed puppy food is the slowest "grower" and I feed it for 12 months and so does my vet.

http://sonic.net/~cdlcruz/GPCC/library/Optimal feeding of large breed puppies.pdf

http://www.ehow.com/how_2301595_feed-large-breed-puppy.html


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## ba1614 (Feb 17, 2010)

Samba said:


> I keep my pups on Large breed puppy food for at least 12 months. Large breed puppy food is designed to grow your puppy at a slower rate than an adult food. To switch from a large breed formula to an adult to slow growth does not make sense if this is the concern.
> 
> My vet is a stickler about slow growth on breeds prone to joint and bone issues. He would not advise switching to an adult food from a large breed sooner as this could have the opposite effect your vet is desiring. Perhaps the vet does not understand the difference in large breed puppy food and regular puppy food? Regular puppy food would grow a pup too fast and an adult food would be better. For slow growth, generally, the large breed puppy food is the slowest "grower" and I feed it for 12 months and so does my vet.
> 
> ...


I've been getting confused in this thread because this what I have always believed as well.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

ba1614 said:


> I've been getting confused in this thread because this what I have always believed as well.


I had my boy on Solid Gold Wolf Cub until he turned 1 year old. Solid Gold highly recommends keeping the puppy on that food until they are 1 year old. It helps slow down the growth rate so they dont get too big too fast.

I dont know about BBLB though?


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

Most large breed puppy foods recommend feeding for the first year of life, more or less. 

The admonition to switch early from puppy food to adult food still hangs on from the old days when there was not a better option for the large breed dog. Back in the day we only had two choices.... nutrient and calorie dense puppy food or adult food. 

Large breed puppies seem to do very well on a balanced raw diet also.

Of course, over feeding of any food can get a puppy into calorie overload and rapid growth, so it takes our care in not over feeding what we provide.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

So I am confused, LB puppy for until a year??? Or adult LB?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

jakeandrenee said:


> So I am confused, LB puppy for until a year??? Or adult LB?


 
IMO I would keep the puppy on LB Puppy until he/she turns 1 year old and then switch to the LB Adult


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

So today was Jakes first day on BB after slowly changing him and he has runny stool. I do not want to buy more RC, so do I add rice/pumpkin to his kibble for a few days to see if he will adjust...

BB doesn't make a large breed puppy food or I cant find it, and I am removing chicken from his diet....


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## Afrancis (May 26, 2010)

Well since you are removing chicken from his diet, guess you cant give him BB. This is only one I know of, and could find. I already bought my pup a bag at petsmart yesterday, because they have a Memorial day sale this weekend.
Blue Buffalo - All Natural Chicken and Brown Rice Puppy Food


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

He is on fish/sweet potato, no chicken, no chicken by products etc. He is being weened onto adult food, it is my understanding that BB food is fine for all stages...Jake is 15 weeks old.


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## MenTaLPiRacY (Mar 10, 2010)

haha, i didnt know about the 2 week thing. i just fed him as soon as i got it. he ate it and going from puppy chow to BB his stool started looking better.


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## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

I hate to say it, but maybe you should get him off of BB??If you have access to California Natural, you could try it. Was RC large breed puppy a problem? You definitely have a problem with BB, so try some others.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Yes the fish and sweet potato is ok for any stage. I saw on their website they have a new fish and oatmeal large breed out. it has higher protein than the sweet potato, but other than that they are fairly similar. 

how much are you feeding him?


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

How long can I give him a few teaspoons of pumpkin? It really seems to help....I am wondering if the training treats are adding to it. I feed him tiny pieces of dehydrated beef liver and tiny pieces of over microwaved beef hotdogs...but back to my original question about pumpkin, I used pumpkin again last night and it was improved a great deal.


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## ba1614 (Feb 17, 2010)

Too much liver is something that gives my girl the turds.

I don't use wieners often, but when we do, we just use them raw. I never tried nuking them, does he like them better like that?


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## Zith (May 28, 2010)

My 6 month old had problems w/ BB also. At first I thought it was from her drinking water from a retention pond. After talking with a few fellow shepherd owners at the dog park, they also had problems w/ runs.

The other sheps are also under one year.


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

I think a lot of food issues arise from Vet's who think they know dog nutrition but most don not.How many vet's do you know sell the best kibbles on the market?


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I over nuke them, gets A LOT of grease out! Makes them almost crunchy and easier to travel with!
Jake is doing OK but I am using pumpkin each meal.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

How much are you feeding him. Just wondering if you cut back his rations a bit if the poop would firm up more. try reducing it my a 1/2 cup a day and see if the poops gets any better


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I am cutting his food back, I also realized today that this why he isn't as motivated to train. So hopefully it will help his stool and mind focus for 5 minutes! I have a thread going about how much to train a pup, realized then he too full, so I am anxious to see if I go to 3 1/2 cups if he improves.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Are you feeding 3 1/2 plus treats? Or 3 1/2 including treats (not sure if you are using kibble for rewards. lol) If you are doing a lot of training that day he my only need 3 cups... but add in 1/4-1/2 c of the kibble to the reward bag.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

was feeding him 3 1/2 plus treats......way too much...but he is thin....not overweight at all.


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## Zith (May 28, 2010)

I switched to Taste of the Wild, seems to do much better and no issues so far.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

going to rule out chicken...then go from there...we are on BB adult fish/sweet potato for just two days...normal stool last two days but been adding pumpkin. Also cut back amount, so I will wait and see if the itchy skin stops within a few weeks...


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

With the itchy skin do you supplement with anything. Dakota gets Sundown (humans stuff from the grocery store) Salmon Oil (3 1000mg caps) and Vitamin E (1 400iu cap) daily. Just make sure the vitamin E is not the man made one. it should be d-alpha. Not dl-alpha (i think?)


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Hows the poop today jakoeandrenee?


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

So scared to say it but PERFECT!!!!!!


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